Yes I think there is a fine line but most of us will be considered "racist" in the end. Being a citizen of the United States, it is hard not to feel somewhat superior to others. I will admit that, yes, I do think I am better than some people. It is hard not to when we are the richest, most powerful country in the world. With the resources available to us and our laws, of course we are better off than some people. It is not my fault that I am better off than other people in other nations. I can feel like I am better off without parading around and making others feel inferior. There are people better than me and there are people worse than me, it is just how you portray it.
I think these feelings are natural. Osama Bin Laden gave a horrible name to Muslims. I think that it is a problem in our society that we associate one person’s wrong doings with a whole country. I will admit that after the events on 9/11 that I associated most Muslims with the terrible events that happened to the people in this country. Our society sets it up for us to think that way. Of course not all Muslims have the same ideals as he did, most do not. But when the news only reports the bad side, that is all we see and it is easy for us to feel hatred. It is the same in their country how most of what they see on the news is radicals, while most of us in the United States are not.
I support affirmative action, for those who deserve it. Just because you are black doesnt mean you deserve it. That is outrageous. There are plenty of people, black, hispanic, indian, chinese, white who need it. If you deserve it, you will probably get it. It is there for people who dont have an equal opportunity, and just because you are black doesnt mean you dont always have an equal opportunity. Yes, being white does give someone an advantage sometimes, but not all the time. Being black does not automatically mean you are considered inferior to white people or any other race for that matter. And how do you know that white boy was rich? I just want to point out that you go to Penn State, an expensive school.
I agree with you that we need to educate ourselves and learn more about the companies where we buy products from. When Sam mentioned Walmart, I had no idea why most of their items were so cheap. I just thought since they are a superstore and buying in bulk, they get the products cheaper because Walmart is a huge business. I cannot honestly say that I will stop shopping at Walmart because in reality, it is cheaper than a lot of other places and I would like to save money. By saying this, I in no way support modern slavery or want to increase it. When I shop from now on, I will be more mindful about the products I buy and will look into it, because that is a simple and easy way to become educated, a critical step to help stopping slavery.
Mar 19
I think the play in class was interesting. It gave a different perspective on how society’s views are flipped and flat chested is more appealing. I know plenty of girls who have big boobs and would die to switch places with someone with smaller ones. The girls with small boobs want to have bigger ones. I think it is an unfortunate never ending cycle that will always be around to some extent. Humans are inclined to be competitive with each other and I don’t think that will ever change. Yes being a woman is much more about appearance, but appearance is the first thing people see and judge on.
Mar 12
I do think that men have to conform to society, just in different ways than females do. For females, I think it is a competition between other females. We always want to dress better and look better than our friends so we stand out more. To some extent, I think women are influenced by the media, but as someone mentioned in class, I don’t really consider Hollywood "real people." Being a female, I don’t exactly know the male side but from what I have seen, men in general are compared to the "norm", not necessarily to each other. I think it is more about masculinity than anything else.
Mar 12
I think this is a very interesting topic. I have thought about this before and honestly, it does worry me a little bit. I cant actually explain why, but it just does. I have always known subconsciously that I was in the majority, but being in this class has really made me aware. I never really heard the “colored” side expressed in such ways and views and it is enlightening. At the same time, I have gotten used to being in the majority and honestly, I like it. I no problem with other races it will just be something different, and I don’t always like change.
Feb 26
I think learning a language in high school is very beneficial. I took 4 years of Spanish and it helped a little bit. I will be honest when I say that I am no where near fluent, but it did help. I took a class in college and it was tough, but having high school as a precursor was very beneficial. I think learning Chinese in high school could be important. Our country is becoming more and more diverse and the more languages we know, the better off we will be. It couldn’t hurt to learn a new language, it can only help.
Feb 19
I think that realization is the first step and probably the easiest. For me, my guess about the second step would be education. I think we need to educate ourselves about where certain products are made and who makes them. I think everyone could make this effort. However, this step could also be hard because people have to want to learn about this and educate themselves. While I realize this is only a small step, we can make at least some sort of difference if everyone commits to making the effort. But the question is will people actually make the effort? I think we should.
Feb 19
This is a great question. I always think about this myself and wonder if anyone else has had their views changed. Personally, my opinions have not been changed, I just have “seen the light”. Sam has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I would have never seen the other side unless it was for this class. I think that for the most part, I am always going to feel the same way about certain issues and no one is going to change my mind. I will say that Sam has gotten me to see the other side and has definitely opened my mind and I appreciate that.
Feb 5
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Contraption