Soc 119 was a very interesting class for me. I went in the class expecting it to be a regular history class and turned out to be wrong. I will be leaving this class with a lot of knowledge. Soc 119 has taught me many things and made me want to act differently as a person. I remember the first day in class when I felt very uncomfortable talking about the issues of race. I knew that topic was Taboo. Most people do not talk about those issues but this class did. In retrospect the class was amazing and made me very educated.
What I will take from this class is to be a better person. By this I mean that I will no longer stereotype. I used to stereotype with my friends and told a few racial jokes. However this class has taught me that most stereotypes are wrong. I also learned that one must engulf themselves in a culture or talk to others to learn about them, than to assume they act a certain way because of a stereotype. Knowledge is power and most people won’t take the time to educate themselves of one’s culture. My friends still do this and I will try to get them to change these bad habits.
Also there was one lecture that had stuck with me. This was the lecture on sexuality. This is so because I learned in detail how the world is run by men. I thought that it was interesting how women dress for men if they are trying to attract or reflect their attention. Sam used the example of how girls dress on Halloween and how ridiculous it is. It was the middle of winter but these girls would still go outside dressed like they were in a porno for the male attention. Porn and females in the media has taught these girls to dress like this. Then males run the porn industry, therefore telling females what is and is not sexy. I also found it interesting how females turn to porn to find out how to have sex, when porn is written by males and is only pleasing to males because women like to have sex differently.
Whenever I see women dressing sexy in the media, I begin to laugh because they are only dressing that way for the male attention, envy of females, and more popularity. This is why there is plastic surgery and women who end up hating their bodies. This class has taught me so much and I am very glad that I took it. I believe that every incoming freshman should take this class because it is important. This class would teach them how stereotypes are ridiculous and we should never judge a book by its cover.

There are many views today with homosexuality. Everyone has their own opinion but some people say that people choose to be gay. This is a very common opinion and there has even been scientific research to observe these opinions. I believe that people say this as an excuse. They use it as an excuse to say that God did not create people this way and to say that homosexuality is wrong. I do not see anything wrong with being gay or lesbian. I believe that people who are openly gay are very comfortable in their own skin. I also believe that it is not a choice for them to like whom they like.
Our society taught us from a very young age that we are supposed to like members of the opposite sex. They said that if we like our same sex then something is wrong with us and we will be treated differently. Therefore there has been many hate crimes involving ones sex, especially in 1992 to 1995. This was when the most hate crimes towards homosexuals were committed. Given this research, many people are afraid to say they are gay or lesbian in the open. This has caused people to not be comfortable in their own skin and maybe even hate on others who are openly gay.
I have a couple of friends whom are lesbian. The lifestyle was one that I was not accustomed to, so I asked them many questions about their life. Most of them has told me that they were born that way and it was not a choice. One even said she did not realize she was a lesbian until the first time she was with a member of the same sex. She said that the experience opened her eyes and she never felt more like herself before. Ever since then she has never went back to guys. Therefore I strongly believe that this is not a choice
For those who say that it is a choice, they have not done the research. Like Sam said, you have to ask people and come to a conclusion from it. You should also not ask one or two people but many of them. I also think that people say it is a choice so they won’t have to believe that someone could actually love another of the same sex. They do not understand these feelings because they choose not to and this is not a good way of looking at the situation. This promotes misguidance, hate, and ignorance. People like this, pass the teachings on to their children and their children. However society is adapting every year. Homosexuality is starting to become more welcomed in people’s hearts, there are less hate crimes, and more people starting to admit that they are gay. In my opinion, homosexuality is not a choice.

Sam talked about a very serious issue in class today. The issue was on rape and the policies of it. He said that some people across the United States are quick to give their answer on women who are victims of rape and conceive a baby. In my opinion, rape is no laughing matter and it is a terrible, nasty and disgusting act. I am lucky to have never been a victim of this crime but for those who have and survived are very powerful.
If my sister was a victim of rape I would want her to have the options for abortion. I would not want her to have a child she will struggle to love. This child would probably remind her every day of the man who raped her. I believe that in this scenario it is necessary to have the option for abortion. I also believe that every woman around the world should have this option. It is their body and they will have to be the person to love the child unconditionally. People could give their opinions all day as to how they feel about the abortion but at the end of the day it is the woman’s choice. Many would say not to have the abortion because you are killing a child. In my eyes the fetus is not a baby as yet and it is not their opinion but the woman who is carrying the child.
One good thing the United States has is the option for abortion. Other Countries around this world do not even have this option. The women are faced with the decision to either have the baby or abort it in an unsafe way. These options are not sufficient enough to make a hard decision. I know that in the past, doctors had used large instruments to give women abortions and many have died. The practice has improved over the years and has become safer. However people are against this option, even for rape victims.
I also believe that Sam was right when he said empathy is important when making this decision. I say this because some men feel that they have the right to tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. They should have empathy and think more about what they say before saying it. They should deeply consider the issue that she is carrying the child and I am not. They should also consider that she was raped and I was not so I do not know exactly what she feels. This angers me when people want to eliminate the option for abortion. This option should be given around the world to every single woman. It is their decision and I feel that the option for abortion for rape victims is very important.

Most of our belief system is based off of misinformation and not facts. I believe that we can blame the media for this but we can also blame ourselves. Our belief system should not be based off assumptions and what we hear from people. We should base it off of hard facts and research. When Sam said this in class I could not agree with him more. I knew what he was saying before he even said it. I do believe that when someone says what they believe in, it is not based off of facts. An example of this is are one of my friends who is a smoker. He believes that his health will be perfect after years of smoking weed because pot has not affected any of his friends. This assumption is not based off of facts. It is a fact that pot affects people in different ways.
I believe that most of our belief system is based off of misinformation than facts because people are too lazy to do the research. They would rather believe someone whom they taught was really educated than actual facts. These people are close to us and make us believe that everything they say is correct. They may even back up there facts by talking of others they knew who went through the same situation.
The media also curves our belief system. I believe that the media broadcasts the news. Therefore they will broadcast the craziest crimes than the ones that happen every day for more views. By doing this, more people will watch their show and they will get a lot of publicity. When Sam said that the number of child abductions in the United States is 100 a year I was shocked. I was shocked that the number was so low and the people who were actually doing the kidnapping. The media made it seem as there were child abductions happening every day. This was why I was shocked when Sam told the class that the number was very low.
Situations like these make us base our belief system off of misinformation and not facts. We listen to the close people next to us and the news than the researchers who are getting the facts. I know some people that if I do tell them the facts they will not even believe me. They will say that the facts cannot be true because they heard different from a close friend they trust. This seems very unreasonable to me and ignorant. Ignorance is not a helpful teacher or an educator. The facts Sam said in class had shocked a lot of people because most of us get our facts from the media and our close friends. We should change this and start to educate ourselves properly.

Last class a special guest had visited. He was Native American and opened my eyes to things that I never knew. I did not know that it was so hard on the reservations and people were living in poverty. I was amazed when Sam told the class that people who live there have life expectancy age of 50 years. Sam also said that there is a lot of suicide and the special guest explained why. In my opinion what happened to the Native Americans was unfair. One question that I have is why Native Americans will not conform to American society? Do they feel that doing this will make them lose sight of their culture?
I understand a reason they will not want to conform is because they will conform to a culture that caused the genocide of their own people. This reason alone is a good reason that they would want to stay inside of the reservations. I wonder if one even chose to leave the reservations to go to a university in America, would the family hate him/her. The family would probably resent that person because they would feel that person is wasting their time going to an American school. They would especially feel this way because of their people’s genocide. However if a person on the reservation went to an American University they could create a better life for their family. I wonder if this is what they are scared of instead of proud of.
The special guest also said that there is discrimination on the reservation. The people who work in the stores will not hire Native Americans because they are scared they will steal. This creates fewer jobs for them and makes it harder for them to get by. This is a feeling that I can relate to. As an African American female when I walk into some stores I do get followed by the people who work there. They feel that I will steal something so this is a feeling that I can relate to.
The end of the lecture was where I was amazed. The special guest had started to say a Native American prayer. I never heard someone say one before and it was beautiful. I felt bad that this beautiful culture was in so much pain because of America’s past. This is when I started to think how America could give them these poverty reservations with a bad education and discrimination. In my opinion, this is not a good way to say sorry for the past. It is another slap in the face to their culture. It is sad what could happen with a Nations greed for power. It caused genocide and left a race in poverty and a need for critical help. This class taught me many different things.

When I first heard of Affirmative Action I did not know what to think of it. I did not know if I was against or for this action. I decided that if I wanted to make my final decision then I had to do research. The discussion in class helped my viewpoints for what I should decide but I am still conflicted. Sam put two students in the front of the class who were against Affirmative Action while he made good point to why we need this action. Affirmative Action helps minorities move ahead in the ladder for power, but this is bad because it approves discrimination. As an African American female I understand that the race for power did not start off equal for all people. White people had a head start and blacks were struggling to even reach the starting line. This caused discrimination and poverty in our neighborhoods. As Sam said White people were on top of the hill and could make their own rules for who can touch a rich lifestyle and who cannot. Understanding this, I would rather reach the top of the hill by working hard than by the color of my skin.
Affirmative Action is bad because it approves discrimination and discrimination is the reason why there is Affirmative Action. However this action can push more minorities ahead in life. In conclusion I would say that I am for and against this action. There are people like Tammy in life (whom we saw in the video) that need a push in life because working hard is not enough for them, if they do not have any resources. This woman was dedicated to putting food on the table for her children. She showed this when she walked 10 miles to go to work. In these situations Affirmative Action is necessary. However if a black person and a white person were going for the same job and the white person is more qualified for the job than the black person who slacked off in the college then this action is unnecessary. If you spent your whole life slacking off then you should not get the job than the more qualified person. A well-educated person should get the job than someone who slacked off most of his/her life. This is what I believe in therefore I cannot take a side in Affirmative Action. I remember when I first heard a club that I was involved in was going to rally against Affirmative Action. This was when I learned the definition of this action and decided to do more research to decide if I should go or not. Now I have made my decision. From these viewpoints, I understand why this action is here in the United States. This action is to give people a chance that never had one. The action tries to make races more equal from people of color to white people. However I also understand why people go against it.

When Sam did the king of the hill exercise this was very interesting to me. I knew of the King of the hill game from when I used to play video games. I also knew that when you get to the top of the hill, then you have the most power and you have to maintain that power. Therefore in the game I would make it hard for others to get on top of the hill. Sam did a twist to this game by using people of different races. When he chooses the people I was interested in seeing what he was going to do. Apparently the exercise showed how white people are at the top of the hill and have the most power. Next in line were Asians, Hispanics then Blacks. I was also attentive to the fact that Native Americans were not even in the game. As Sam said before, they poverty is so low that they are not even on the charts. I found this to be quite sad and how they live on the reservations.
I would have changed the King of the hill game by putting Native Americans in the race for power. This can show how there are exceptions in life when a minority group can get ahead. An example of this is Oprah. She is a woman who grew up with very limited resources but now she is one of the wealthiest in the United States. I would have also changed the exercise Sam did by making everyone start off at the same line where they were all equal. However before the race, they would have to name their resources they have to get ahead, and GPA to show how hard they work. The ones with a higher GPA and more resources will be closer to the table than the ones who don’t. Also whoever is a minority would have to take a step back because of discrimination in society. Then I would start the race from there.
I felt that the King of the Hill example was a good way to portray how people get ahead. It was also a good way to show how it is hard for others to get ahead. Currently white people are at the top of the hill and they make it easier for other white people to get to the top of the hill. If you are a minority then you would have to work twice as hard as they would. This was something that my father told me when I was a child. I still believe in his words today.
I would also intensify the example Sam used by using props similar to the chair next to the table. I felt that the chair represented an easier path that some people can take for success. The chair was also farthest from the minority groups because the king of the hill put it that way.
The King of the Hill example is a very good way to show how people get ahead in society. I only wished that Native Americans could be apart of the race too and everyone had an equal chance. Now that everyone in the class and I understand this, I hope that we can change the future for better.

I think that when men tell women that they cannot let their body hair grow is telling someone not to love themselves the way they are. A woman not growing her body hair adds on to the list of why women constantly feel un pretty. It is hard enough to be a woman to love her body. It is even harder when she has to fit into someone she loves image of perfection. Women today are always out to look like the prettiest one at the club so they wear what will attract men the most. This is why girls constantly feel un pretty and start to hate each other. I do not think a man telling a girl to shave her legs makes this any better.
However in today’s society we all dress for beauty. Women like to show off their curves, long legs, or slim waist with tight clothes as well as men who like to show off their muscles. We all dress to impress even if we go outside in sweats. I say this because at least our sweat pants will be matching with our sweatshirt and sneakers. We do this to attract people to us and hopefully find a future marriage partner. We all like the attention. Therefore when a man tells a woman that she needs to shave is him just telling her what he likes in a woman. It’s just another beauty ritual the woman will have to perform to get his attention. Of course beauty is pushed more on women than men, so this can also lead to insecurities. Men also shave their chest hair because women do not like it.
Insecurities make many of us feel bad when we look at our bodies. We always try to compare ourselves with other people. It is true that no one in the world is perfect but there is nothing wrong in believing that there is nothing wrong with you. I believe that insecurities derive from society and the media telling us what we should look like. When this image comes into our heads then we start to become someone we are not. I know this one girl who wore eye makeup every day because it made her feel beautiful. I know this other guy that never took his shirt off when going to the beach because he did not look like Brad Pitt. Insecurities are terrible and I honestly feel that we have no right to tell someone else to shave or alter their body. If we have nothing nice to say then just don’t say it at all. It’s their body not ours and if we don’t like it then we can always go somewhere else. We have to start to love ourselves and respect other people.

I do believe that hip hop and art can be used to bridge the gap between the East and West. I say this because many people live their lives through music and art. It has become a part of us and we have come to the point where we start to emulate the artists. I believe that hip hop has gone down the drain. I believe that most hip hop songs today are pure ignorance because they only talk about sex, money, cars, shootings, weed, and degrade women. When I was younger I listening to a lot of rap songs but now I barely do. I decided that I did not want to listen to someone degrade women and talk about things that are not helping our society.
If hip hop did take a turn for the good, where we spoke more about kids getting a higher education, peace, and prominent issues then I do see us bridging the gap between the East and West. Hip Hop is a very huge platform in today’s society and can reach millions of people as well as change their lifestyle. We can teach our children to not hate, discriminate, and promote equality through hip hop. Hip Hop artists have a lot of power that they abuse. They do not see that the kids want to emulate and be them. This is why so many of my black brothers sag their pants and think it is okay to degrade a woman.
When I saw the rap performance in the class I was very proud for him. It opened my eyes and calmed my heart to know that some people actually rap for good. I hope he does go far in his career and reach millions of people. Also I believe that art has a huge impact to bridge the East and West. Writing is seen as a form of art and many people read newspapers every day. In every newspaper we should try to promote, peace, and equality. We should not make it look as if people who live on the East are weird and scary people. We have many things in common and writing should focus on that than our differences.
I was surprised when the guy in the video chat was nothing like I imagined. I thought he would have a beard and wear different clothing. However he just seemed like a regular guy. He liked the same TV shows that I liked and he said he was not afraid of Americans. Before I saw the video I would have been scared to go to his home country, but now I feel more at ease. I believe that there are many people today that we see different, who we actually have more similarities with than our closest friends. In conclusion, we can bride the East and West through hip hop and art if we only try hard enough and let the change start from within us.

In the last class Sam mentioned some very interesting ideas. He said that we should acknowledge peoples differences. However we should not let those differences change how we see the person. Before he explained what this meant, I already knew. I grew up in a family that taught me to be open minded. I also lived in New York where it is a very diverse place.
For an example he used people with disabilities like a wheelchair. This was a great example to use because I understood where he was coming from. We should acknowledge that people are different from us but it should not affect how we see the person. We should treat the person in the wheelchair just like we would with anyone else but at the same time we should always be considerate. I remember the girl in the back of the class said she does not mind when her friends forgets that she can’t take the stairs. When her friends forget this, it shows that they treat her like any other friend. She also said that she would not mind if her friends constantly forgot she cannot take the stairs. If I was in her shoes I would feel that my friends were inconsiderate for always forgetting.
I do believe that with experience we begin to know about how to behave with people. We should not use words that would offend someone of a different race, religion, or sexuality. We should educate ourselves and not become ignorant. With ignorance we learn nothing and only hurt the people around us. Experience is very important in life because you can grow up learning not to do A, B, and C. However with experience we learn the consequences more deeply of what happens when we do A, B, and C.
I know that Penn State is a very diverse place. This school is the first time that I am constantly around people of other races. When I first came to Penn State I felt how I do when I go to Manhattan. I feel like a person of color walking around than a human being. I have friends of different races, religion, and sexuality. I try to be as open minded as possible when they tell me about their culture. At the end of the day I am always learning something new. Sam approaches these issues in a very interesting way. When Sam did the exercise of the girl asking the guy for notes who was in a wheelchair was very interesting. She said that she would not mention to her friends that he was in a wheelchair and I saw a new way of thinking. I wanted to congratulate her for not using a signifier. I do believe that in time this world will learn not to use signifiers of any type.