If I were a business owner I would be torn in deciding whether or not to hire illegal immigrants. In my opinion, there is a split between the pros and the cons of doing so. The majority of illegal immigrants are looking for any job they can find, and are therefore willing to do the work for a small profit. The positive side as a business manager would of course be the cheap labor. If I were to have two job applicants who are equally skilled and one was willing to do the work at half the cost, the only rational move would be to hire that individual. Illegal immigrants are people, just like every other American, and therefore deserve the chance to live a successful life. When I think about families of illegal immigrants and the parents that cannot find jobs and can’t support their children, it truly upsets me. Knowing that these parents are refused jobs and end up unable to provide a proper life for their children because of a silly piece of paper that says they’re “legal” is awful.

At the same time, I understand the cons of this act and agree with that point of view as well. Illegal immigrants are here illegally, and it does not seem morally correct for them to take away jobs from people who are here legally. In a business owner’s eyes, this may not seem like a factor to consider because they are benefiting from the cheaper labor, but it is an issue. Doing so gives these people who are coming here illegally more incentive to, and in the end America is more populated with people who are not legally allowed to be here.

While it may seem morally wrong, I think in the end I would hire illegal immigrants. It is morally wrong in the sense that it takes away from legal citizens, but it is also doing something good for others. Providing jobs for individuals that wouldn’t have gotten them otherwise is a win-win situation. They get a job and are able to put food on the table at night, and you (as a business owner) know that you helped put that food on the table, and are not spending an excessive amount of money on your workers. It would be the best situation if these illegal immigrants put the effort through and were able to become legal, but that is not the reality of the situation. In a tough circumstance like this, you need to weigh out all of your options and compare the good with the bad. If my intentions were for the good of the company, economically speaking I would hire illegal immigrants. However, I would have to be aware that there are legal risks I would be taking and it could stab me in the back later on.

At the end of the day these events actually ended up teaching me a lot. For one thing, it opened my eyes to a world I had once previously only seen through the media. Before this, I had seen sexual abuse accusations all over the news, but it never really hit home. The fact that these supposed acts occurred on the campus I now call home is something I never would have imagined. Though as a student I am not directly involved, it scares me to think that if I were a student when this occurred, I probably would have had no idea that it was happening right in front of me. Sexual abuse is more prevalent than any of us realize, or want to admit. It is in the places we least expect, and often times started by people we love and trust. As awful of an act as it is it’s something I’ve realized you always need to be looking out for. The people not involved are the ones who can truly help – when the victims are too scared or embarrassed or just don’t want to deal with what will follow – that’s when the people on the outside need to step in.

Throughout all of this, I continuously heard that one man’s actions do not define an entire university. Being one of 61,000 undergraduate students I can say that this is absolutely true. The amount of times I have had to defend my school, or been given looks of disappointment when I say I go to Penn State is unbearable. As a freshman, I applied and got accepted to this school not too long ago. During senior year when I decided to come here, every person I told was thrilled for me. I did not receive one negative comment or reaction; after all, I was coming to Penn State, there was nothing bad to say – unless you were a Wolverine or a Buckeye. The fact that some people believe it is acceptable to put this on the students and the university as a whole is horrible. I know that one man’s actions do not define me, my peers, or the university that I am still proud to say I go to. The vigil for the victims and the blue-out at the last home game are just two of the many acts that accurately prove who we are. The negative press and attention that the entire university has been given has re-taught me that you shouldn’t always believe what you see on television or read in a magazine. I feel like if this happened at a school similar to ours, such as the University of Michigan or Indiana University, I probably would have joined in with everyone else and made the same foolish remarks. Being on the other side has showed me that this should never be the case. The media will display what they choose, and people will pass on whatever they hear. In order to stay true to the situation you need to stay true to yourself, and think about how you would feel if you were on the other side. In this situation the most important thing are the victims, not the ten stupid kids who decided it’d be fun to flip over a news van.

Those are just a few of the many things this event has taught me. My last lesson is something I saw on Facebook, that I think every student at Penn State and everyone else that has said anything in these past few weeks should read: “Unless you attend Penn State, you cannot imagine the emotions that are flooding the hearts and minds of thousands of students, alumni, faculty and staff right now. When the campus you love, the place you call home, and the college you have so much pride for changes before your very eyes because of decisions made “in the best interest of the university,” you don’t know how to react. Within hours, our school has been judged, talked about, and cast in a negative light because of one man, Jerry Sandusky’s, horrifying and unforgivable actions. ONE man. Jerry Sandusky does not represent the 95,000 students that attend Penn State. Jerry Sandusky does not define who ‘We Are’ – We Are a school that arose from “founders strong and great,” We Are a school that will always “Sing our love and loyalty,” and We Are so much more than what Facebook, Twitter, and the news media have made us out to be. We Are Penn State and we grieve for the victims of this unimaginable act. So before people who don’t get it, who don’t understand Penn State post a status or tweet a message about what they ‘think’ they know – consider the emotions of the victims directly affected right now. Turn your accusatory thoughts about us into prayers for them; We Are and so should everyone else. I will never stop being a proud Nittany Lion and will always be “For the Glory of Old State.”
"WE ARE and always will be Penn State"”

I feel that being in a situation where you cannot understand what is going on around you would be slightly uncomfortable for anyone. When people are around me speaking a language I do not understand, I cannot help but feel awkward. If I am alone and these people are in a group, these feelings are even more intense. I feel that it is human nature to feel uneasy in any circumstance that is unfamiliar to you. We typically thrive during the incidents that we have the most power or skill in, and are expected to fail when we are unsure of what is going on. This is similar to how I react when another language is being spoken in front of me. Despite the way I feel in the situation, I do not think it is wrong for people to do. I would never say that everyone should be required to speak English in America because that would simply not be fair. This is a free country, and amongst all the freedoms we have, I think the ability to express your culture/religion/ethnicity, whatever it may be, is an important one. People should not be limited to one language just because they live here. As outsiders, we have no idea what others situations are – why they came here, where they’re from, and even whether or not they speak English in addition to their native language – so who are we to set certain rules? The discomfort I, as well as many other people, feel when people speak a different language should be turned into a positive aspect of this society rather than a negative one. While this language barrier may set a gap between certain people, it also opens up a few doors. Having a wide variety of languages around us should encourage us to learn more about other cultures and their language, rather than ridicule them. If people expect them to learn how to speak English, maybe they expect us to learn how to speak their languages; there are two sides to every story. I would imagine that they feel uncomfortable when we speak English around them, even if that is the language of our country. In the same way, if I were to go to a foreign country and be looked down upon for not knowing how to speak the language of that country fluently, I know that I would feel I was being treated unfairly. If I were with a group of Americans, I know without a shadow of a doubt that we would be speaking English the majority of the time, and expect everyone to be okay with that. So, if we expect that treatment when traveling outside our country, why should we give anyone else anything different when traveling or residing in ours?

If I were a business owner I would be torn in deciding whether or not to hire illegal immigrants. In my opinion, there is a split between the pros and the cons of doing so. The majority of illegal immigrants are looking for any job they can find, and are therefore willing to do the work for a small profit. The positive side as a business manager would of course be the cheap labor. If I were to have two job applicants who are equally skilled and one was willing to do the work at half the cost, the only rational move would be to hire that individual. Illegal immigrants are people, just like every other American, and therefore deserve the chance to live a successful life. When I think about families of illegal immigrants and the parents that cannot find jobs and can’t support their children, it truly upsets me. Knowing that these parents are refused jobs and end up unable to provide a proper life for their children because of a silly piece of paper that says they’re “legal” is awful.

At the same time, I understand the cons of this act and agree with that point of view as well. Illegal immigrants are here illegally, and it does not seem morally correct for them to take away jobs from people who are here legally. In a business owner’s eyes, this may not seem like a factor to consider because they are benefiting from the cheaper labor, but it is an issue. Doing so gives these people who are coming here illegally more incentive to, and in the end America is more populated with people who are not legally allowed to be here.

While it may seem morally wrong, I think in the end I would hire illegal immigrants. It is morally wrong in the sense that it takes away from legal citizens, but it is also doing something good for others. Providing jobs for individuals that wouldn’t have gotten them otherwise is a win-win situation. They get a job and are able to put food on the table at night, and you (as a business owner) know that you helped put that food on the table, and are not spending an excessive amount of money on your workers. It would be the best situation if these illegal immigrants put the effort through and were able to become legal, but that is not the reality of the situation. In a tough circumstance like this, you need to weigh out all of your options and compare the good with the bad. If my intentions were for the good of the company, economically speaking I would hire illegal immigrants. However, I would have to be aware that there are legal risks I would be taking and it could stab me in the back later on.

In imagining a black centered world, I picture a world much like the one we currently live in. I do not think that the way society functions would be all that different, except for whom the dominant race was. In switching the dominant race, I imagine that the roles would simply be switched. If it were a black centered world from the way beginning, I would expect that whites would have endured everything blacks did, and vice versa. All of our presidents probably would have been black; so (if) a white president was elected it would have been a major deal. Blacks would hold all of the positions mostly white people hold now, and whites would be in present day African American society’s shoes.
While I think in general society would act in a similar way, I believe that it would have a huge effect on the world geographically. In a white centered world, the United States has always thrived. If it became a black centered world, I question what countries would look like and whether or not socioeconomic statuses would be different. Perhaps locations such as Africa would be a lot better off and the United States would not be on top. Maybe the United States would not have such a large black population. Despite these possible/likely alterations, we would still face many of the issues we deal with today, in a white centered world. Poverty, homelessness, unequal distribution of wealth and different social classes would still exist. Simply changing whom the world is centered around would definitely not erase all of our issues entirely – but it would be interesting to see if they were dealt with differently if a different race were “in charge.”
In a black centered world, the stereotypes that currently exist would most likely not exist. I do not mean that stereotypes would not exist, but they would definitely be different. White people would probably have a more negative stereotype associated with them than blacks. There is no way to say for sure what these different stereotypes might be, but I predict that they would be quite different from what we are used to.
On top of the overall changes to society, individuals’ lives would be drastically altered. I am a white teenage girl, and have never really dealt with any discrimination or racism. Had I grown up in a black centered world, I would probably not be able to say that. Blacks often find themselves faced with racial issues and conflicts, so that would probably be what a white person’s life would be like. The conflicts and discrimination acts that would occur may or may not be different – I have no way of predicting one way or the other, but I am fairly confident they would exist.

People who hang out with a group made up of people primarily of a different race should not be labeled posers. If the individuals they choose to hang out with are the people they feel most comfortable with and have the best time with, race should not even be considered. Often times, if an African American male hangs out and mostly associates with white people, he is considered to not “really” be black. When a white man decides to hang out with mostly black people, he is often subject to jokes and comments about how he “thinks” he’s black. These comments and beliefs are typically all based off of certain stereotypes, and are therefore ludicrous. If someone accuses another person of being a poser simply because of the race of the people they spend their time with, then that person should take some time to think about what they are actually concluding. I don’t think anyone should ever draw any conclusions or make any judgments simply based on who a person spends their time with – whether related to race or not, because it is just not fair. The only way to form a legitimate opinion about someone is to actually take the time to get to know them.

I don’t think I purposely allow my race to shape the way in which I view the world, but I think it is inevitable that it will. I think the majority of it is more because of the environment that I grew up in and the fact that I lived in a predominately white neighborhood. I think the way I view the world would be different had I been the same person I am, but growing up in a more diverse area instead. The combination of my race and what I am used to being around has made me view the world in a certain way. I would never consider myself racist, but I am not going to lie and say I would feel completely comfortable walking up to a young black guy at night alone either. I think being white has in a way spoiled me, because I’ve never personally faced any acts of discrimination or had any obstacles in my way because of my race. I feel that I have had it easier than some others, and I question how I would handle being in a situation where I was in fact discriminated or treated differently because I am white. I am not sure how I would react, and if I would be strong enough to handle it. I definitely see things through a “white person’s eyes.” In discussion, we talked about what races we were most attracted to and if it was our own. When I see a guy walking down the street, I would typically look at a white male faster than I would a black or Asian male. Not for any particular reason, just because that is what I am used to and comfortable with. I am a person that thrives of comfort in every way, so for me it is just easier to group myself with white people. I would never not be friends with someone because they were a different race, but it has just typically been the way things play out. I think these factors of my personality therefore shape the way I view the world as a more “white dominant” place. I also feel sometimes as though things are easier for me because I feel my life was set out for me before I could even do anything about it. I was born into a good family that is well-off financially in a good neighborhood. I’ve never had to worry that much about money or violence or anything that many other kids my age have had to deal with everyday. This goes back to what I was stating before about life being “easier,” and I feel lucky that it is this way. I definitely still have to work for a lot in life, but I know that I am fortunate that many things are provided for me.

I think the only way I could provide a definitive answer on what I would do if I had a child who was a hermaphrodite would be if I actually had one. I believe it is easy to say one thing here, on this blog that really has no significance, and a million times harder to make an actual decision. If I were faced with this situation, however, I can say that I think the correct thing to do would be to leave most of it in the child’s hands. While the child is an individual with individual rights, I think leaving it entirely up to the child would, in a way, be more difficult for them than if they were provided a little bit of direction. I think the ideal way to handle it would be to remain pretty much neutral about the child’s gender, but lean towards one. Leaning towards one gender may make it slightly less confusing, and hopefully provide the child with some instruction. This instruction should not be telling the child that they must grow up as this gender over the other – it would simply help them out. If the child did not feel comfortable with that gender or was unsure of which they wanted, I would leave them to be free to work it out for themselves. Whether this meant experimenting until they discovered which was most natural, or left them unsure for a little while, I think the final decision should be theirs. Choosing for the child could result in a serious feeling of resentment throughout the entire family. If parents gave them no way whatsoever and the child did not feel comfortable with that gender, it would most likely cause the kid to feel a mixture of emotions. I imagine that they would feel like they had done something wrong, that they aren’t living their life the way their parents had hoped, or anything else along the lines of feeling guilty and confused. Choosing our gender is not something many people have to go through, but I would expect that it is not an easy task. However, complete support and trust from parents tends to make any situation a child endures just a tad bit easier. In the same way that I believe every individual should have the right to switch genders (even if they are not a hermaphrodite) I think hermaphrodites have the right to be whomever they wish to be. In this generation, being a kid/teenager is hard enough. We don’t have to deal with many of the things our parents and grandparents had to overcome, but we have many issues of our own. Peers, family, friends and even the media play a huge role in teenagers’ self esteem and how they act, probably more than ever before. Take all of the problems and questions that the majority of the adolescent population has to deal with, add in being unaware of whether you’re a boy or a girl, and you are left with a recipe for insanity.

I’d love to say I don’t believe in any stereotypes, but I think it has sadly almost become part of human nature to. Whether consciously or unconsciously, I think we all fall into stereotype traps at one point or another. As ridiculous as they are, we hear about them all the time and they become embedded in our minds. For me personally, there are many stereotypes that I’ve heard and I notice myself thinking when the situation arises, but in reality I think the idea of all stereotypes is completely absurd.

There are a few select stereotypes I notice pop into my head that I always feel guilty for even contemplating for a second. One being that all black men are dangerous. If someone were to come up to me and ask, “do you think all black men are dangerous?” my immediate answer would be no. It is ridiculous to classify one race and one gender as dangerous. I’m not sure why this stereotype was even created. It stimulates so much controversy and labels so many people as something they’re not. In class we also saw how this stereotype, along with others regarding black people, sometimes goes further than just offending someone. At times it can turn into a legal issue, and no one deserves that. However, as I said before, I am unfortunately guilty of falling into stereotype traps at times. I do not mean to judge people by their skin color, because I really don’t care whether someone is black or white or anything else they may be. But for some reason, I unconsciously end up becoming a tiny bit more cautious walking by a black man at night than I would if it were a white man. It is something I am not proud of, but I think because of media and the world around me it is also something I cannot control.

Another stereotype that I find absolutely ridiculous is that all Middle Easterners are terrorists. This is a stereotype that almost never comes to mind when I walk by someone who I think is a Middle Easterner. First of all, simply seeing someone for one second cannot confirm anything about where they are from. I may walk by someone and think they’re from Iraq when they’re actually from the United States. The only way you can know is if you ask. Second, I do not give this stereotype any recognition because it is completely unfair and irrational. This stereotype would probably not be as prominent had the events on 9/11 not taken place. Punishing an entire region for the work of a select group of individuals is absurd.

These two stereotypes exist, along with an infinite amount of others, for no reason at all. Stereotypes have no purpose, and it is a shame they exist. Nonetheless, they have become a part of our society and it is up to us to try and expunge them.

After watching the videos about Haiti and the entrepreneurs, I have a great deal of respect for these individuals for their hard work and impressive outcomes. Hearing about people who come from so little accomplish so much is extremely uplifting and motivating. For instance, Sonia creates insulated lunchboxes and bags similar to those I would probably find in Target or CVS for anywhere from $15-30 and sells them for $4. She makes them using a worn-down sewing machine, not in a factory or huge building, and still makes a drastically lower profit. She works to support anyone she can in her family, and I applaud her for what she has done. Sonia is just one of the hard workers of Haiti. Each individual, whether they are making clothes, sandals or pastries, has a remarkable story. They have been through, and are still going through so much, yet their spirits seem lifted and hopeful. Haiti is a very poor country and the supplies and means they have to survive are incomparable to what we have here. Watching these videos and learning more about their situations has intrigued me and I would love to learn more. I have never had the opportunity to travel to a country like Haiti, but I think it would be life changing if I ever got to in the future. For now, however, I think this project is very well thought-out and relevant to this class. I think it’s really important that our generation do more to get involved, because often times many of us don’t realize how good we have it. I know many people who have gone to other countries to do community service and come back with a different outlook on life. This project is providing us with the same opportunity without the traveling. I think each of these entrepreneurs have something great to give to society, and we could potentially be the people that help their dreams become reality on a much larger scale.
This project is extremely relevant to what is going on in the world around us, and to what we are talking about in class. Seeing what these people have accomplished relates to our discussion of free will versus determinism. In our discussion group, we debated a bit about homeless and poor people and whether it was fate or their decisions that caused their situations. During this discussion, I was unsure of my personal opinion. Some people commented by saying it had a lot to do with their parents, so therefore their situations were determined for them. Others offered that there is always something they could do to make changes, even if it meant building a shelter out of branches. After observing what these individuals have done, I now believe that for the most part, these situations are acts of free will. These Haitians may not have had a choice of what conditions they were born into, but it was their choice what they did with it. They easily could have sat around, accepted their lives for what they were and taken no action to succeed. But instead, they each found a passion and went with it. It’s one thing for someone to say they want to make a change in their life; actually acting upon it is something completely different. These individuals took action. They decided to take something that was previously determined for them and put forth the effort to reshape it. Everyone is born into different situations, some good and some bad, but no matter what the case, everyone has the power to make changes if they please.