What an intense article. 80% of me is completely horrified by the actions of these renegade soldiers, while the other 20% can kind of see where they are coming from. Sitting here in my dorm room away from the terrors and violence of war, who am I to judge these soldiers. I don’t know what it is like to be them; to be in a foreign country away from my family and friends, to be in a place of war and violence; to be among the injured; to be among the dead. I also don’t know what it is like to lose someone close to me in war. I think that if I were in their shoes and one of my fellow soldiers or even leaders was killed by a sneaky IED bomb..I’d be pretty pissed off too. However, I would try to take my anger out on those who deserved it, the Taliban..the ones who are blowing up my friends…not innocent civilians. Sure, I understand it is hard to distinguish civilian from enemy, but in the case of these men, they knew in most cases that their victims were unarmed civilians. In the motorcycle video they didn’t even give them a chance to show themselves…the soldiers basically blindsided the riders and they paniced, jerked the bike a bit..and the next thing you know they’re being shot at. The story about the young man in the field really struck me though..these soldiers went looking for a civilian to kill..not the enemy…they had a blood lust and they wanted to take it out on an unarmed civilian who did nothing wrong. He didn’t want the war…he didn’t support the Taliban…he was just a regular kid like me who was working in a field and got murdered because of the tint of his skin. What was really emotional to hear about was how his father was the one who identified his body. I could only imagine how awful that had to be for him…to identify the shot up body of his son who he knew did nothing wrong. These soldiers went way over the line during their stay in Afghanistan, and they are being rightfully punished. The thing I tried to keep in mind while reading this was that this was just a group of renegade soldiers who were out for civilian blood and that not all soldiers are like this…they go overseas to fight for a country they love..not to fulfill “the hunt” for innocent Afghanis.

I found this to be a pretty interesting perspective labeling other people. I really like his point about how if people are constantly labeled, they could begin to look within an actually accept the labels as being true in a way and therefore change their looking-glass self. Throughout this semester as I’ve been reading these posts by lifers, I’ve had many mixed emotions. For some posts I feel bad for the lifers, in others I respect them for their outlook on life, and for others I just feel like…well you’re in prison…you obviously did something incriminating so deal with your punishment. For this article, I can appreciate his perspective on labeling, but in a way I feel like what do you want to be labeled as? Just another person? Just some normal guy? Because you’re not..you’re a prisoner…so I think while they’re in prison being rehabilitated they should be labeled as prisoners. This lifer said “When we allow others to impose labels such as “boy” or “girl” or “felon”, “prisoner” or “lifer” on us, we actually allow the possibility that we may accept the “looking glass self” depiction of us.” I think that when these people are labeled as prisoners and lifers it will allow them to reflect better on what they’ve done…they can realize that their actions have not only incarcerated them but it has also changed what other people think of them…I think this could be rehabilitating for the people because if they actually are changed and rehabilitated by prison, they can prove their label to be wrong and make a better life for themselves. However, the problem is once/if these guys get out of prison the label tends to stick and they therefore have a hard time readjusting to society because they have this stuck-label of being a convict. It becomes difficult for them to get jobs, build relationships, etc. So what am I trying to say here… I think that in some cases labels can be a good thing and in others it can be a bad thing. While they are incarcerated, I believe that they should be labeled as prisoners, because that is what they are; just as I believe that guys should be labeled as guys and girls should be labeled as girls...it is what it is.

What an incredible post. I actually wish this could be published in newspapers (especially the Collegian) because I see girls out there all the time who are with guys who treat them like shit and they just accept it. The guys learn to behave like this through movies, television, and music. Like we saw in Dreamworlds, women are shown in music videos and even in movies as being pieces of meat that are 100% dependant on men. This is not the case, but see the thing is that all guys see these types of videos and movies, but its all how they were raised that makes the difference. Sure, I’ve seen these types of music videos and movies, but I treat women with the utmost respect. Why is it that I can see the truth being covered up by this type of media? Because I was raised to treat women with respect. It was the way my parents raised me and the way their parents raised them. Others however think that they are the shit and that women need them and they therefore treat them the women with disrespect. I think it’s got a lot to do with the way the guy was raised but also the way the girl behaves. I think most girls go for these guys because they think “Oh I know he’s a total d-bag but I can change him, he’ll be like my little puppy dog”…that’s bullshit..he’ll put on a nice show and then later you’ll realize what a mistake you’ve made. I mean, of course everyone grows up and they change and they realize what they want, but by that time people just get hurt…why don’t girls just skip the d-bags and go right to the guys who will treat them right. What I find a bit humorous about all of this is that these lifers (who have very little contact with women in prison) understand how to treat women better than guys who get them every weekend. Guys need to learn how treat women better and girls need to realize how to choose their guys better so that they won’t get hurt or abused.

This incredible response from a lifer has really made me re-evaluate how I see prisoners. I never thought that all lifers were murderers, but I knew that they must’ve done something pretty bad that got them a life sentence. However, in this man’s case he was just guilty by association. Growing up, my parents would always tell me to watch out who I hang out with because when people see one hanging out with someone who is “trouble”, then their view of you can change. Guilty by association is why this man is in jail, because he was in the presence of murderers when they took someone’s life. Does he deserve life? I don’t think so, I mean he should have maybe 20 years inside, but not life. I really wish there was some way for our government officials to read these letters, because they are truly moving. Jail is supposed to serve not only as an isolated area for criminals but also to rehabilitate the inmates. This is a perfect example of a rehabilitated inmate. He realizes that what he was involved with was completely wrong and now he has turned his life around. He was involved with drugs before and now he is clean. He had an abusive relationship with his family, and now their relationship is stronger than ever. He now expresses himself through paintings and music rather than graffiti and tattoos. He is a changed man, he is remorseful for what he has done, but he has learned from his mistakes. That being said there are a lot of other inmates who are not rehabilitated and who should not be released. It’s a shame that once again this man has to be “guilty by association” with these other inmates. Because he is a lifer, he is automatically thought of as being this ruthless killer who will never change, but he is different (as are many others). He is a changed man and should be given the chance of parole. His prison stay was successful..he should now be released back into the world as the man he has grown to become. Unfortunately our justice system won’t allow that, which is why I think that these letters and this getting life project could potentially help rehabilitated lifers in the future, maybe someday we can make a difference in their lives and help them to get parole.

The fact that Pennsylvania has the highest amount of LWOP juveniles in the world is quite a negative statistic for not only our state but for our country, but I’m not an advocate for slapping the kids on the wrist and sending them home. They deserve punishment. What I would rather see is there be life sentances handed down to them but with opportunity for parole. One might say that life is too long of a sentence for these kids to be given, but I disagree. Sure, they might not have the brain development or whatever but they still took someones life. I believe that once someone is past the age of 12, they realize what they are doing. When I was 12 I didn’t go around killing people because I knew it was wrong. I was taught that it was wrong my whole life. If these kids want to take part in adult actions then they should be punished as adults. This whole “they didn’t know what they were doing” is complete bullshit. If I was a family member of the victim I wouldn’t buy that for one minute, they took a life and that’s the bottom line. Just recently about 10 minutes from where I live 4 teenagers started a fight with a Mexican in their neighborhood for no good reason and ended up killing him. When they went on trial, the town was basically divided. There were those who said that they should get life and those who couldn’t believe that they were being tried as adults. I was on the side of life. They murdered someone! Its not like they were playing around and the kid fell..they beat him until he fell down and then while he was down they smashed his face against the ground until he was dead. Unfortunately they are only going to prison for 8 years. I am disgusted at our justice system for allowing this. Now do I think they should get life? Of course, but life without parole? Its not that that is too much and that they don’t deserve it, but throughout their sentence they might change and become better people, we could at least give them a chance to be put back into society. But eight years? That’s nothing. They knew what they were doing, just like these other juveniles. They shouldn’t be sentenced to life without parole, but they certainly should be sentenced for longer than say thirty years.

I agree that this guy might be the quintessential white guy, but the question is why? Well there are many different characteristics that just scream “white guy”. Let’s start with physical appearance. It looks like he’s been out in the sun for about a year and his hair style is that typical “all-American crew cut” which is one of the “whitest” haircuts available. His overall appearance is that of a middle-aged math teacher at your local high school. He doesn’t even look like he needs a gun. If this were another white guy…with long flowing hair, a beard, and a black overcoat…it would seem natural for him to be talking about a gun holster. Or if some mobster dressed in a silk suit, it would seem perfectly normal. But this guy is wearing his blue jeans and white polo…typical white guy clothing. Next we should consider his voice and his accent. His voice is just that normal white guy voice. I mean..everyone has a different voice, but if you have a black guy talking and a white guy talking you can always distinguish between the two. His accent isn’t some country deep south accent..it is just that central Ohio accent.. nothing in particular..just so white. It’s not just how he’s talking it’s what he’s talking about that makes him so white. A deep conceal holster? I have literally never seen one of these before let alone a youtube review about one. Its just so ridiculous that some average joe is talking about his concealed holster for his glock…what does he need to conceal it for? He’s not dressed like some cop or even a detective..hes dressed like I said…like some high school math teacher. What would make this guy less white and therefore more believable and less ridiculous would be if he were to 1) wear something different..maybe a police or military uniform with some sunglasses 2) talk with a bit more confidence and make the video less cheesy.. I mean how many times do you have to let us know you’re wearing your gym shorts under your jeans..this isn’t middle school. Overall this entire video drives home the point that this guy might be the “whitest” guy alive.

All I can say is “typical media”. This is so typical of American media..they scare the citizens into believing that just because a little boy is almost kidnapped that every stranger out there is a kidnapper. This isn’t the case at all. Most people we walk by on a day to day basis would help a child in need, not try to take them. Now I’m not saying that parents should just let their kids walk the streets freely, whether it is day or night, but we shouldn’t look at other people and say to our kids “listen billy, don’t go near that man or he’ll try to take you away from mommy and daddy”. The reality is that this man is probably just like you…and he’s probably telling his kids not to talk to you for the same reasons. The media will always take the bad things and shove them into peoples face… we rarely see the good things people do broadcasted on the news. When we watch reports on the war in the middle east what do we see? We don’t see how the soldiers are helping out the citizens, we see the statistics of how many men are dying. Now don’t get me wrong, these men deserve to be honored and everything is not ok in the middle east, but sometimes things aren’t as bad as they seem. This past weekend Penn State raised over 9 million dollars for pediatric cancer…this is what should’ve been on the front of the New York times…this is what should have been on the nightly news…showing that there is still some good left in America…showing that people still care about others…but instead we see stories about kids getting kidnapped and murders in the streets. So why do people watch the news? Not to get caught up…for entertainment…to say “wow..i’ll have to keep an eye on my kids”. Not only is the government trying to intrude in our lives but so is the media. Why would people watch Nancy Grace yelling her face off every night…because its entertaining. Media and the news is probably one of the main causes of unnecessary stress in America. Its stories like this that add to it.

This little memoir, “Remember”, written by a lifer in his 26th year of incarceration, has really made me think about how fragile our lives really are. This man is in jail because he acted stupidly under the influence of alcohol and took another man’s life. When he went out that night, I’m sure the thought of murdering someone else crossed his mind. Rather he was probably thinking about just going out and having a good time. However, when under the influence of alcohol our decision making skills are greatly affected and the person we become makes different (and probably more irrational) decisions than our sober self would. That’s what many of us don’t realize, whether we are intoxicated or not, that all of our decisions have consequences; some are good consequences and others are bad. In the case of this man, he decided to go out, decided to drink excessively, and because of these decisions he ended up taking someone else’s life. That just shows how fragile our lives really are, one second we could be just a regular person and the next we could be a killer, a victim, a prisoner, the list goes on. I believe that this man’s memoir is very relevant to college students because I don’t believe we always realize how our actions and decisions affect others. College students, especially at Penn State, tend to drink a bit excessively and almost every weekend there are fights that occur on campus. Fights that are probably just like the one that the prisoner was in…motivated by pride, fear, anger, humiliation, and of course alcohol. A little tussle on Beaver avenue could turn into a murder scene in seconds. Now fortunately this isn’t the case, but who’s to say that this couldn’t happen? I’m sure that when this prisoner got into the altercation he wasn’t trying to kill him..but things can get out of hand, and in no time a regular student could turn into a life inmate while another is laid out in a funeral home. While the victims family and friends morn for him the murderers family and friends turn away from him. Now I’m not saying that students shouldn’t go out and have a good time, that would be hypocritical, what I’m saying is that we should all be more conscious of how our actions and decisions can impact the remainder of our lives as well as others.

What an interesting and creative video. This video really made me think about how humans work and about my life experiences so far. The first thing that really blew my mind was about how the mirrored neurons work and how when we see someone else in a painful or bothersome situation, we are bothered just by looking at it and can actually feel it ourselves. Any time that I see needles on television shows it always makes me cringe and feel like I’m that patient (or victim). I never realized why this happened, I just thought it was just something that bothered me, but in-fact is just me empathizing with that person and feeling what they are feeling. The overall theme of the video just really struck me about how humans empathize with others and how we have come to empathize with certain people. We, as humans, are social creatures, as we learn in “Intersections”, and we see how over centuries people have began to socialize and therefore empathize with others. First it started with blood relations ,then moved into religions, then countries; but the question is will we ever be able to empathize with the entire human race? I believe that the only way this would be possible for everyone to empathize with each other based on the fact that we are all from the same human race is if if we find life on another planet. Because the aliens to us right now are people in other countries or people who are not like us, we would have to actually find alien life forms from outer space. If this happens I believe we will all just see ourselves as the human race and therefore empathize with each other. It’s exactly like how we empathize with other Americans, other Pennsylvanians, other Penn State students, but we don’t empathize with people from Iceland. Until we can see that we are all a part of the human race, we wont be able to empathize with everyone. If we find a planet with more life on it..then our planet will esentually become somewhat like a nation…instead of being American or Chinese…we will be earthlings…we will be humans. So to answer your question about how will I change the way I live…well I would probably say that I’m going to be more open to others, not like I’m not already, but I don’t usually classify myself as a member of the human race…I usually classify myself as an American..or an Italian American..or a Penn State student. Thanks to this video I’ll probably have a bit of a different perspective on the world because now I will empathize with others whether they are American or Guatemalan, because we are all humans.

What a hilarious video! See although it has a humorous side to it, the message it is obviously trying to convey is that people will usually conform to what everyone else is doing. This video was clearly made decades ago, but it still holds true today. Whatever the majority of people are doing, the rest will probably do. Whether it is at a football game or on the Cata bus, people conform almost every day. I don’t know if I’m the only person who does this, but I really enjoy just watching people and how they interact and why they do the things they do. It usually happens when I’m sitting in the mall waiting for my mom and sister to finish their shopping, and I just sit on a bench and watch how people interact. Its quite interesting. There’s so much that can be learned about people by the little things they do. What we saw in that video about people turning the opposite direction could be applied right here right now at Penn State. Here’s an example. If you were to organize a group of like 15 people to get on an empty Cata bus and ride say, the white loop, and just have everyone stand..everyone who got on the bus would be confused but would then conform and probably just stand. Another example is if at a football while you’re cheering if the majority of people stopped cheering then people would conform and when the majority of people start cheering everyone else starts to cheer too. That’s why I always admire the people who start the wave... I mean how accomplished must one feel after they cause a wave through the entire Beaver Stadium. That is conforming at its best right there. Conforming is a part of our everyday life. It’s just like how we talked about hazing the other day in class. It could be the most disgusting and degrading task and people will conform and do it just because other people are doing it… and also because they want to be in a certain group of people, in this case a fraternity. The point is that conformity is everywhere, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing all the time, just as long as people don’t conform all the time. It’s important to be your own person in life and conformity can prevent that from happening.