The videos we watched in class the other day were extremely disturbing. I was shocked, disgusted, repulsed, disappointed and ashamed. One emotion I wasn't, however, was surprised. This wasn't the first time I saw videos of American soldiers ridiculing and hurting innocent Iraqi civilians, and I'm pretty sure it was not the first time for the majority of our class. It upsets me to see innocent people get taken advantage of - people who are in THEIR OWN COUNTRY trying to support both themselves and their families. These American soldiers, who claim to be patriotic and willing to do anything to protect our freedom, are dishonoring not only our country, but their families and humanity as a whole. How dare these soldiers do such a thing? Where are their ethical and moral values? Don't they have families, friends and children of their own? Why don't they think about them when they do this to innocent civilians? And then Americans over here wonder, right? They wonder why the people in a particular occupied country are fighting the soldiers. What would YOU do if someone entered your home and tried to kill your family? Are you supposed to just let it happen? I don't think so! This is why I chose that I would support whoever was protecting both themselves and their families in the class polls - American or otherwise.

After September 11th, my father and I would have many conversations regarding this topic. He never let me get brainwashed by how the news was depicting the American soldiers. From a very young age, he taught me to see the other side, the other perspective. Whenever I would try to bring up a conversation about it with other students and friends, however, I had to be careful about what I said and how I said it because some people were so patriotic to the point that nothing on the contrary could be said to them. I eventually gave up and kept my opinions to myself, so it's nice to be able to openly express them both here and through this class.

Now, this blog response does not mean that all American soldiers, Iraqi soldiers, Muslims and Christians are like this. Of course not. To group everyone together would go against everything we were taught. The actions of a few certainly do not outweigh the actions of the many, but both sides must be shown. Why doesn't American television show people grieving over the loss of their soldiers over there? Why not? How quickly we tend to forget that there is a war going on FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON, and that people from BOTH SIDES ARE DYING FOR NOTHING.

Stop thinking that we're getting rid of terrorists or making the world a better place, America, and realize that we are causing entire nations years of suffering that they never deserved.

I really like this question because it is definitely something that we all need to think about. One thing that I have learned about this scandal is that life happens, and we will all move on from this. At the end of the day, after the media leaves and ESPN stops replaying the riots, this is still a university. We still have exams to take, papers to write, new ice cream flavors to try at the Creamery and sporting events to attend. Our lives are not over! We have to stop worrying about the reputation of this school and realize that we will eventually rebuild everything that we think we lost in the past week. Above all else, we need to think about the victims and how they are feeling. I feel as though everyone is upset about how others view Penn State, and I admit that I was one of those people. But after witnessing the moving vigil at Old Main and getting chills over the Penn State/Nebraska prayer before Saturday's game, I now understand that this is not just about us. Before we know it, this will all be a distant memory. We should not allow the events of a few horrible people affect us as human beings, and as a university. Through this scandal, I have learned to think about others - and that is it not about the scandal, but how we're going to recover from it. It is about how we're going to learn from it, something that we are all doing right now. It is about how we're going to help the victims, whether it's through fundraising or raising awareness about child abuse. I have already seen people outside of the HUB doing this, and it makes me even more proud of my school. I am also learning to do just that - to stop feeling embarrassment and disappointment over what happened, because it is NONE of our faults. We should all still be proud of our school, no matter what.

The horrible events of the past week could have very well happened anywhere else, to any other university. But it didn't. It happened here, and there is nothing we can do about it. Instead, we must learn to accept the things that are out of our control and focus on what we can do to get this university back to what it once was - a university full of honor, integrity and amazing people who have so much to offer once they graduate and move on from this place. We must all learn that we will move on from this, and that we are still Penn Staters. As Sam said last week, the sun will still shine when we wake up, and life will still be awesome. There are bigger and better things to do, and we will only accomplish them if we learn to move on from this. Most importantly, I hope the victims know that they are in our thoughts and prayers, and that we haven't forgotten about them.

To borrow something I saw on Facebook, I'd like to remind everyone of this:

Jerry Sandusky is not Penn State.
The people who were rioting last Wednesday night are not Penn State.
The people who attended the vigil at Old Main to remember what happened to the victims are Penn State.

And everyone in Soc119 is Penn State.
WE ARE PENN STATE!

There are certain things that are completely out of control - I wonder, is this one of them? Can we ever make all of this disappear? While we cannot solve the world's problems in one day, we can still try. Through this sociology class, we can hopefully open our eyes, broaden our horizons and take the first steps necessary to put an end to these horrors.

But it won't be easy ..especially since we're not even willing to give up eating chocolate.

Nonetheless, that second piece of chocolate is something I will think about. I will never be able to empathize with the people in the video, but I can sympathize with them as much as possible. It is absolutely disgusting to know that, in our world today, there are still slaves. In fact, according to Sam, there are more slaves in the world today than in any other period of time. How ridiculous is that? While we complain (myself included, obviously) about how terrible our lives are - perhaps you got a B instead of an A on a test, or your car broke down the other day - these people are working, sweating and bleeding for little to no pay. It makes me so disappointed in both myself and society.

The boy who stated that people enjoy something he suffered to make resonated with me, yet I still ate that second piece of chocolate. In fact, when the girl next to took a handful of the little pieces of chocolate from a TA and asked if I would like some, I took one and ate it as if I never watched the video. No matter how guilty I felt, I knew the truth - I was not going to go out of my way to purchase Free Trade chocolate. I wasn't going to pass on eating Twix, Snickers or anything else with chocolate in it. If I were to give up chocolate, then I might as well give up on wearing name brand clothes, or coveting diamonds whenever walking past Tiffany's.

The moment I looked up and read the first PowerPoint slide, I knew exactly what Sam was going to show us. As soon as the video popped up, I was prepared to see horrific events that would make me not want to even touch the second piece of chocolate. When I ate the first piece, it tasted beyond delicious - I can never resist chocolate. After the video was over and Sam instructed us to eat the second piece, however, I hesitated. I hesitated, but then I listened to what Sam had to say. And he was absolutely, positively right. Unless I was never, from that moment on, going to eat another piece of chocolate, then I should eat that second piece of chocolate. And I did. It still tasted good, and sweet - but it was mixed with feelings of guilt and sadness, as well.

*surprised, that was gonna bother me!

I think that immigrants should learn English in order to benefit themselves, but that they should never be forced to. Some Americans are too patriotic to the point that they become pathetic. How dare they try to separate themselves from immigrants, as if they're "pure" and immigrants aren't. If you were born and raised in this country and know the language, then it's easier said than done, isn't it? Of course I want my mother to be able to communicate freely, but at the same time, people who don't know the personal histories and stories of others need to stop being so quick to judge. I understand that we all judge - but when you witness someone yelling at your mother because they think speaking louder will help her understand what they are saying, you get a different perspective on this matter.

I'm very proud of my culture and heritage, and if it weren't for my mother, I wouldn't be able to fluently speak Greek as I do today. I watch the Greek channels on DirecTV with her, attend Greek concerts in Atlantic City with her and my sister, and even go to Greek festivals when I'm back home. Because of her, I am able to communicate in Greek with my family members and other members of the Greek community.

At the same time, however, I understood the message that Vento (who has since passed away) was trying to get across - even though he could have gotten that message across in a different way. So to answer the question, I agree with some parts of it and disagree with others. I'll be honest - I have constantly told my mother that, had she learned the language, it would have been more beneficial for her. She would be able to go to doctors and supermarkets and restaurants without the need for a member of our family translating for her. She would be able to secure a better job and wouldn't have to face a constant language barrier. But at the same time, I understand why she wants to hold onto her culture and heritage - the Greek language is the only thing she has left of home at this point.