Since Tuesdays lecture every time I hear someone talking about illegal immigrants, I want to ask them who gave them the right to label immigrants illegal. Sam was right, God does not see the man-made borders that people have created. I also think its crazy how it all depends on whether the businesses want less or more immigrants into the country. I always heard people complaining about immigrants while I was in High School, saying their taking people’s jobs but some are doing jobs Americans think they are too good to do, and we shouldn’t blame the immigrants they just want a better life just like everyone else who are here. And, it irks me that when certain people think of immigrants they only think of people from Central and South America as if there are no illegal immigrants coming from Europe.
My mom is an immigrant, but she was sent here legally, but she complains about illegal immigrants. Maybe, because she can not empathize what they have to go through, and like most immigrants she wants to move back to her home country. The short video Sam showed on Thursday at the end of class was a perfect way to end the lecture. If I had the money, I would help illegal immigrants out, such as making plates of food for them if they need it. If they needed a place to stay I would offer my guest room as long as I knew them and knew they were not crazy or vicious.
I am the type of person where I treat people the way I want to be treated, unless you do something to me, do not expect me to carry on as usual. My reasoning for this explanation is if I was an illegal immigrant starving I would sure wish somebody was willing to offer me their left over food, or give me the sweater off their back. I have never came across a whole bunch of South Americans lined up waiting for work and I probably wouldn’t just walk up to them and offer them my food. However, if I knew of an organization or someone else doing it I would volunteer to help them. Unless I knew the illegal immigrants it is a little different for me to just walk up to a crowd of men and give them food. When I see homeless people I try and offer food if I have it, being selfless is the best trait to have if you are trying to help humanity as a whole. So just keep that in mind!

The video don’t drink the water really sadden me, I know all about the statistics such as the indigenous people having the highest rate of teenage suicides. However, when you actually watch a video of people saying that want to die or seeing picture of how they live is different from reading statistics on paper. I was also shocked to see that a women only lives to forty two and a man 50, that’s insane giving the fact that they live in the same country I live in, not some third world or developing country where they can’t get the medicine I can get. There shouldn’t be any reason they are treated any different then I am, I don’t understand how the government completely ignores them in this day and age. How can it be that the Amish are living well, but the indigenous people who were good at just about anything to survive without technology, can’t make it past their fifties?
I also think its crazy how they were the first people on this land but when I’m in school I’m lucky to see one of them in my class, and I’m even luckier if I know that they are of that ethnicity. It is crazy how in a class of 720 students, there is only one true “Native American.” It’s actually disturbing to see only one in a class of that capacity, and alarming that I can’t really recognize one of them walking down the street unless they look like the typical ones you see in movies.
If you ask me, there should be a history, geography and other classes based solely on the indigenous people of North America, there should also be more lessons taught on the awareness of their struggles. I’m please that Sam opened our minds and was able to show the videos he did. It’s just so heart breaking and I understand why they feel the way they do, I mean the four fathers of this country were bullies they just completely stole something that wasn’t theirs and had the nerve to try to kill off the people it belonged to. And, now we just completely ignore their needs and when they did ask for something they had to march in Washington D.C. for it.
I really hope more and more classes do more than touch up on their history, and I know saying this won’t help but truly do hope that life gets better for them. It’s too late for us to all just get up and leave and go back to the countries our ancestors came from, but we when we get this economy on track or some kind of extra money we should have their needs at the top of the priority list.

Part 3:Well I know I went off the subject, but I feel this needed to be address, back to the Haiti children. Yes I wouldn’t like if people from Europe came to my neighborhood and took pictures of the poor and sent it back to benefit from all the money.

Part 2: This past Tuesday’s lecture opened my eyes, I knew the war was about oil but I didn’t think too deeply about it. Our troops need to come home, I never understood who would go fight for their country but don’t understand what they are fighting for, and when I say that I don’t mean the people who went after 9/11, that's understandable. The Christian crusaders coming to convert the Islams to Christianity are absurd. Why do people always think their religion is the correct one? Can we all just coexist please? It reminds me of when Europe went to Africa to convert the people over there into Christianity, as if they were savages and they needed to be saved. This is all b.s. to capture them for cheap labor and take their resources. It's sad we are taught our history so we don't repeat the unfortunate events, but that is exactly what’s happening again. They lie to the world about what they're really doing, same with the "White man" coming to teach the indigenous people of North America how to be civilized all the while killing the ones who disagreed and taking their land.

Part 1: I completely understand why Ernso wouldn’t like for the foreign aid organizations to take photos of the people living in poverty. I never thought they might be using the photos to get money that wouldn’t benefit the people. I know the infomercials at 2 a.m. might be using children to get money, but for the other organizations using the photos to deceive people and they’re suppose to be legit makes it even more disgraceful. I haven’t had the chance to go to Europe or Asia but if I did, I’m a little a shame to say I’m American; we’ve done some despicable things to other countries. I now can understand why people hate America; however, it’s just unfortunate to take it out on civilians when it’s the government to blame. War is not the answer, and Ghandi’s famous quote “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” is the perfect wording to explain why killing will get you nowhere

There has only been two occasions that I can remember being racially discriminated against that I can prove. There are of course other times where in the back of my head I wondered if that person treated me the way they did based on the color of my skin but there wasn’t enough evidence or proof to say that’s why that person treated me the way they did. The person might have been having a bad day or is just a rude person in general. However, last year when I went canning for THON there was one particular white old lady who clearly discriminated against me based on my appearance ie. Skin color, as canning goes you ask people that walk by if they would like to donate money for the cure of pediatric cancer and I had a sign. So I didn’t look like a random person just asking people for money with no evidence of actually being apart of a program, the lady looked me up and down and said no and went into a store next to me. My friend who was on the other side of the outlet mall we were standing at came back to my side and when that same lady came out of the store my friend asked her and the lady gave her money. Now I consider myself Bajan-American others would look at me and say I’m African American, my friend is Chilean but she has fair skin and at first glance looks white. Others might say it wasn’t racism just a misunderstanding but you weren’t there you weren’t in my shoes and you didn’t see how she looked at me when I asked for the money and then just gave it to my friend without a question.
At the time when she looked me up and down and said no, I didn’t really think anything of it so I didn’t have a reaction until I saw her give my friend money, I still didn’t say anything because I honestly what can you say in a situation like that. Maybe if I was more prepared I would have asked her why she gave my friend the money and not me. I would have also asked her what she thought my friend was, because, surprisingly she is of color too. After it settled in I was just shocked and disappointed that people are still so blatantly racist. However, now I just feel sorry for her and a little sad that people can’t see past the color of my skin and realize I’m a human being with feelings and thoughts, and there is absolutely no reason for people to hate others based on the color of their skin, their accent or language or what they believe in.
Another incident in Las Vegas where I was discriminated against, I just had to laugh because it was absolutely ridiculous to me. I could have reacted and said something to the girl, but my brother said just leave it alone because that’s what they might have wanted to prove them right.

I will admit when I was younger I did use signifier’s a lot more than I might use them now, usually if I use them it’s when the person gets me mad. However, I still see people my age and older using them when it’s not necessary, in fact in my Wednesday discussion class after discussing signifier’s on Tuesday some guy used them to explain a story he encountered with three cops. The first thing he said was their race as if that was relevant to the story, and believe it was not relevant. His point was the white police woman who was closer to his age was helpful and the black police woman was ready to arrest him. My point is why did he have to use signifier’s? Why did it matter that the cop that was ready to arrest him was black, white, yellow or brown? He also said the black cop was the one with the attitude as if white people or any other race doesn’t get attitudes as well.
When people tell stories about something negative they usually use signifier’s. Black women are known for having attitudes, so when people tell stories and it includes a black woman with an attitude they’ll more than likely include the signifier versus telling a story about a white women who had an attitude. When people talk about bad drivers if their Asian they more than likely say their Asian, to strengthen the stereo type that Asians are bad drivers.
People usually use signifier’s to amplify stereo types, when they tell stories and their talking about something that is known to happen to or by certain races they use the signifier’s. Also when they tell a story maybe to make it more interesting or so you can visualize it they tell the race of the person. I’ll say that the people who haven’t reached the Humanitarian in the racial identity stage yet use signifier’s more often then not.
When you’re mad at a certain person of a certain race and you happen to be talking to someone about something else you might use signifiers towards that same race, of the person that made you mad. I hope I’m not confusing you. I also think people in the revision and reversal stage use signifier’s a lot more.

Part 3: It’s always a happier story or you get more recognition when the winnings go to someone that really needed it, and they were still willing give back to others who were less fortunate. No one never wants to hear about an upper-middle class person winning three hundred million, in the article when they did the study that showed people are more willing to donate money to a stranger than to give it to a friend or family member to help pay a bill, I can understand why people would think that way. When you donate it’s usually to people who need it more than your friend, such as food or to have a roof over their heads, and with your family and friends if you know their doing better off than the people your donating to your more reluctant to give it to them.

Part 2: When you win the lottery it’s almost like getting famous all the people that you thought were your friends turn against you or try to use you, because now you have something that they want. That’s when you find out whose real and whose not, when people who never kept in contact with you before are now asking for favors. Winning the lottery is a curse and a blessing all in one, because depending on how strong the person is, will defy the winnings becoming a curse. You might lose some family members and/or friends but if you spend and invest in the money wisely, you’ll be set for life. Like Biggie Smalls always said the “mo money, mo problems” and people will do crazy things to get money, such as committing crimes to get it, lottery winners should be very cautious who they tell their winnings to.

Part 1: I strongly agree with the research that you get more joy from going on trips and doing activities that will bring memories than from buying clothes, shoes and jewelry. I don’t see the point in having all the materials if you have nowhere to wear them to. It always boggles my brain when I see poor people living in the inner city with Cadillac’s that have rims and they have the next latest Jordan sneakers or Louie vuitton etc, but they aren’t going anywhere and they don’t prosper to do better such as moving to a better part of the state or investing it in something. I always thought money wasn’t what brought you happiness it’s just a piece of paper. It’s the people that you love that bring you happiness if you could use the money to better your loved ones and yourself that will bring more happiness.