Okay so this video definitely captures the fears that Americans might feel when they think of the Middle East and Islam. When I was watching this video in class and before writing this I realized that these things frighten me but I mostly feel anger when I see people with signs that say behead those who insult Allah and other threatening things because I feel like who are you to say that you want to kill me because I don’t agree with your religion. I also feel fear because it comes across like they are willing to kill American for the smallest of reasons, but to them these reasons are legitimate reasons. Now of course I have to go to the topic of how in America people associate the Middle East with terrorists and they see these people as a threat, but you have to think about the fact that not everyone there is a terrorist and not everyone there wants to kill you. This video also confronts exactly how mass media uses these images and quotes and pictures linked together in order to scare us. Media portrays the middle easterners in a bad way. They are most of the time portrayed as extremists and terrorists and killers but very few of them actually can identify with this. The people in the Middle East are just as afraid of us as we are of them and this is largely due to what media shows and the media that they are exposed to over there. It seems as though we (Americans and Middle Easterners) only see the bad things that are being said and the bad things that go on in the media. I think that this video would possibly scare us and them because of how extreme it is. But when you see videos like this you have to remember not to generalize not everyone who is Muslim agrees with these beliefs. Imagine how afraid the people in the Middle East are everyday, they live in this war and we are not even exposed to it except in the media. We are affected by this war in many ways but so are they. Everyone is afraid to some extent and we should be but we shouldn’t generalize and be afraid of a whole group of people based off of what very few of them believe.

I think that when most people think of the illegal immigrants in our country they get angry. But in my opinion we shouldn’t be angry for someone else trying to make a better life for themselves and their family. If it were you in that situation how would you feel? I’m sure if you put yourselves in the shoes of others you would empathize with them more. I have read a couple responses where people say that they would like to but couldn’t help these people in this situation. I think that people are thinking this way because they are thinking on a larger scale like that they have to do what the man in the video did but you can help on a smaller scale and I’m sure that any help at all is greatly appreciated by these people. In my current standing as a student, I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to help on a very large scale but I would definitely help in any way that I could. You can help by donating things to people or groups who help these people. you can give a small amount of your time that you would probably spend sleeping or watching television to volunteer to help out. There are many ways that you can help these people but on a smaller scale because you may not have the passion for these people that the man in the video had but if you are inclined to help there are ways to do so. You have to put yourselves in their shoes. They are not charity cases but everyone needs a little help sometimes. These people don’t want you to feel sorry for them and at the end of the day this is what it comes down to. People always say how they feel sorry for people like this but you shouldn’t feel sorrow for them you should just empathize with them and you could try to help them in any way possible. I feel like a lot of people do empathize with these people and actually do help these people out even if it isn’t in a major way like the man in the video. I just look at it like if I were in that situation and I had nothing I would like to think that there would be someone out there who would be willing to try to help me in any way possible. I’m sure that these people become dependent on this man but if he were to not show up one day I’m sure they would understand this also because he always helps them out and provides them with a warm meal. People talk about how much they want to help but there are very few people who actually do it.

Being asked to put myself in the shoes of the Middle Easterners definitely changed my view on the war in Iraq. After 9/11 I never really sympathized with the Iraqi people because I felt like if they could come here and take the lives of those innocent people then why should I sympathize with their people dying in a war that at the time I thought was being fought for terrorism. As I grew older and became more educated on the purposes of this war and what was going on in this war my beliefs have changed very much. I believe that Sam asking us to put ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern civilians has helped to change my views of the Iraqi people and this war. Many innocent civilians have died over there in our war and this is something I never really looked at or had experience with because living in America I have never had to fear a war going on over here and I have always felt safe living over here. But these people are scared because of the videos that they see and some of the stuff that goes on over there that we aren’t informed about such as rouge soldiers. We look at soldiers as good and protectors of the people because that’s what we a re shown and taught to believe and for the most part that’s what the soldiers are they are our protectors and most of them are good but of course there are a few who aren’t good. This is on both sides though there are good people and there are people who aren’t good this happens everywhere and I believe that the civilians know that but they are afraid because they could be killed at any moment because this war is in their backyard and so many innocent people have already died. I definitely sympathize with the people and wish that things could be done differently and there could be measures taken in order to give them some sense of security or piece of mind. Something I was shocked about was the fact that George Bush as the president said that this war that is being fought is a crusade. When you hear the president saying such things and other leaders belittling these people and their religion you are forced to look at it from there perspective if that were us then how would we feel. I was also shocked about the fact that they try to validate their actions in this war by using God and saying that this war is a war for God or a mission from God. We need to be more open minded as people and consider the facts here because although some of us may be the middle eastern people as terrorists and cold blooded killers how do you think they see us?

Being asked to put myself in the shoes of the Middle Easterners definitely changed my view on the war in Iraq. After 9/11 I never really sympathized with the Iraqi people because I felt like if they could come here and take the lives of those innocent people then why should I sympathize with their people dying in a war that at the time I thought was being fought for terrorism. As I grew older and became more educated on the purposes of this war and what was going on in this war my beliefs have changed very much. I believe that Sam asking us to put ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern civilians has helped to change my views of the Iraqi people and this war. Many innocent civilians have died over there in our war and this is something I never really looked at or had experience with because living in America I have never had to fear a war going on over here and I have always felt safe living over here. But these people are scared because of the videos that they see and some of the stuff that goes on over there that we aren’t informed about such as rouge soldiers. We look at soldiers as good and protectors of the people because that’s what we a re shown and taught to believe and for the most part that’s what the soldiers are they are our protectors and most of them are good but of course there are a few who aren’t good. This is on both sides though there are good people and there are people who aren’t good this happens everywhere and I believe that the civilians know that but they are afraid because they could be killed at any moment because this war is in their backyard and so many innocent people have already died. I definitely sympathize with the people and wish that things could be done differently and there could be measures taken in order to give them some sense of security or piece of mind. Something I was shocked about was the fact that George Bush as the president said that this war that is being fought is a crusade. When you hear the president saying such things and other leaders belittling these people and their religion you are forced to look at it from there perspective if that were us then how would we feel. I was also shocked about the fact that they try to validate their actions in this war by using God and saying that this war is a war for God or a mission from God. We need to be more open minded as people and consider the facts here because although some of us may be the middle eastern people as terrorists and cold blooded killers how do you think they see us?

Being asked to put myself in the shoes of the Middle Easterners definitely changed my view on the war in Iraq. After 9/11 I never really sympathized with the Iraqi people because I felt like if they could come here and take the lives of those innocent people then why should I sympathize with their people dying in a war that at the time I thought was being fought for terrorism. As I grew older and became more educated on the purposes of this war and what was going on in this war my beliefs have changed very much. I believe that Sam asking us to put ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern civilians has helped to change my views of the Iraqi people and this war. Many innocent civilians have died over there in our war and this is something I never really looked at or had experience with because living in America I have never had to fear a war going on over here and I have always felt safe living over here. But these people are scared because of the videos that they see and some of the stuff that goes on over there that we aren’t informed about such as rouge soldiers. We look at soldiers as good and protectors of the people because that’s what we a re shown and taught to believe and for the most part that’s what the soldiers are they are our protectors and most of them are good but of course there are a few who aren’t good. This is on both sides though there are good people and there are people who aren’t good this happens everywhere and I believe that the civilians know that but they are afraid because they could be killed at any moment because this war is in their backyard and so many innocent people have already died. I definitely sympathize with the people and wish that things could be done differently and there could be measures taken in order to give them some sense of security or piece of mind. Something I was shocked about was the fact that George Bush as the president said that this war that is being fought is a crusade. When you hear the president saying such things and other leaders belittling these people and their religion you are forced to look at it from there perspective if that were us then how would we feel. I was also shocked about the fact that they try to validate their actions in this war by using God and saying that this war is a war for God or a mission from God. We need to be more open minded as people and consider the facts here because although some of us may be the middle eastern people as terrorists and cold blooded killers how do you think they see us?

While I was reading this letter I was thinking this is definitely everything that a woman would want in a man. I mean this is definitely the ideal boyfriend or husband. But when you think about it even the good men aren’t this good. Well that’s not true because there probably are men out there who are good and have these qualities. I just have yet to come into contact with any of them. I don’t have much experience with relationships in my short 21 years on this earth. I was never one to just jump into any relationship I have only been in two because other things are more important to me and I like me independence but back to the subject at hand. This prisoner clearly has figured out how a woman should be treated and most of the things that women like and admire in men. I think it took going to prison to figure this out because you have time to think about and realize the things that you took for granted and ways in which you could better yourself or a certain situation. I am someone who believes that people can change I think majority of human beings have something good in them that wants to be better and when you realize that you can be better and want to be better it can be done. I admire any man who value their women and treat them the way that a woman deserves to be treated. I agree with one of the previous posters who said “I think it is important for our generation to break through the stereotypes and reaffirm what a healthy and admirable relationship is.” The view of relationships and how partners should treat one another is definitely negative in these times. Most people are with people for security or sex or just because they are too insecure to be alone. Relationships are built off respect honesty communication and loyalty. And I also think that one thing men should take into consideration is how would you want a man to treat your mother or sister or your daughter and how whatever you expect out of another man is what is expected of you. Men are not to blame for the way relationships are in society today and they are not the only issue, women need to change their ways also. It goes both ways.

I would have to say that when two other people around me are speaking another language I am sometimes uncomfortable but for the most part I don’t get uncomfortable. Situations that tend to make me uncomfortable are when there are two people having a conversation in English but when you walk up or when they think that you are listening they begin to speak to each other in another language. Now if they think that I am listening to their conversation and they begin to speak another language that wouldn’t bother me because maybe their conversation is private but if that’s the case then they shouldn’t discuss it freely around other people. The only reason this bothers me is because I have had an encounter where I was in a Dominican shop with a friend of mine and was getting my hair done and so was she. And the Dominican women doing our hair were speaking in English and Spanish and I understand Spanish so I knew what they were saying but I wasn’t really listening and I guess they didn’t know I understood the language, because some of my family is Spanish and they speak it sometimes. They began speaking only in Spanish and I noticed that they were talking about my friend’s hair and laughing. So when we were paying and about to leave she was about to tip the lady and I snatched the money from her and told them that I understood everything that they were saying and basically cursed them out in Spanish. The looks on their faces was hilarious. But anyway you can tell when someone is talking about you regardless of the language they are speaking and I believe most people feel insecure because it is something that they do not understand and people are intimidated by what they don’t know. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me because some people are more comfortable speaking in their native tongue rather than in English I am always around people speaking many different languages and when I was younger and I was intimidated by it and it bothered me because I thought maybe they were talking about me but now I understand more and it doesn’t really bother me at all unless it’s done because they want to talk about someone or insult someone because they won’t understand, that bothers me a little but what can you really do about it right it doesn’t matter what language you are being insulted in you kind of pick up when it is something negative. A lot of my family speaks Spanish because that’s what they are used to and I speak it with them but very seldom most of the time I will still respond in English because I understand it better than I speak it. But in general people who speak in other languages around me don’t bother me because that’s their language and what can I really say about them speaking it, it’s something you get used to after being exposed to it for a while.

I watched this video once before but seeing it again especially after being In the class made me think about things in a different way. This video is very thought provoking and makes many valid points. Like the fact that we are living in a society who is still educating students on a system or plan that was set up for the past. Our current economy is unpredictable but we are not learning how to deal with the fact that our economy and society Is nothing like it was when these systems of education were planned out. We do not need to go into the future with a mindset that was taught to us based off of how things were years ago we need a mindset that will prepare us to deal with the way the world works today. In the past the mindset was that you need to go to college if you want to have a job and make money but this is not the case now but the system still teaches this. The truth is going to college does not guarantee you a job anymore and in the future I don’t expect it to change back to the way it was when these systems were set up. Schools are set up by a grade system its not about whether or not you are learning or what you are learning as long as you are getting the right grades it doesn’t matter whether or not you really learned anything at all. This is not to say that you don’t need to go to college because you should in my opinion It is important. I like the part where he says that in our society there are smart people and people who are not smart but the people who aren’t considered smart are usually brilliant but it doesn’t show because they are being held to a particular view of the mind. This is something I have always believed. I especially agree with what was said about how society Is saying that ADHD is an epidemic and needs to be dealt with but in reality it is not an epidemic and we are growing up in an intensely stimulating period where we have all of these different things that pull our attention in many different directions from cell phones to computers to education and television and games, etc. This was very thought provoking and I can’t go into it too much or I will be here all day.

I am a woman and I believe that all women are equally beautiful, who’s to say what is considered beautiful? We are all different and have unique factors that make up who we are as women and looks are only one factor of a woman or any person for that matter. If you take away body image and looks women are still people and we all have a direct tie to one another regardless of shape, size or culture we all can relate in some way. We all deal with the pressures to somehow measure up to what society or media has portrayed as beautiful. In the media or Hollywood there is this one set standard or belief of what it means to be beautiful. You have to be thin and have perfect skin and perfect teeth, etc. they are truly misrepresenting what beautiful really is. Beauty is not being thin and perfect because lets face it regardless of what anyone wants to believe no one is perfect. This has cause many issues with the youth in our society they think that this media portrayal of the perfect woman is the only way that they can be beautiful and they are insecure about themselves when they really should know that you are beautiful regardless of these factors beauty is skin deep it has nothing to do with the way you look because peoples perception of beauty change with every person. You should just be yourself and be happy with you because at the end of the day you can’t be anyone else and you have to love yourself because if you don’t then who will. Another thing is how females feel the constant need to dress provocatively and bear it all for the world to see. That is simply degrading to yourself and you clearly don’t respect yourself enough to dress in a reasonable fashion. You don’t have to be half naked to be perceived as sexy or beautiful its all about your confidence in yourself. Being a woman isn’t easy because you have the media constantly telling us what is beautiful and what is not be we are all beautiful and we are all different which makes us even more beautiful

Before I came to Penn state I had the idea that penn state was a very diverse school and I have always liked being in diverse environments because you earn things that otherwise you may not have had access to about other people and their way of life and they different things that they nd their families face on a daily basis. I like to talk to people and learn about people and this is one of the things that attracted me to penn state because I grew up in a fairly diverse city, Philadelphia. Although I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood I was placed in very diverse schools so in my opinion race was never an issue for me, it never really mattered. It was interesting to read some of the responses that people had to this question about penn states diversity some thought that penn state was very diverse and other thought it wasn’t very diverse at all. I guess this all depends on how you’re looking at it. Some people were never put in a very diverse setting and then they come here and they are forced to see the difference, although I’m sure they knew other races were out there they didn’t have to live with them and now they are seeing them daily and taking classes with these people who are different to them. In my opinion penn state has a lot of racial diversity because they accept people from all backgrounds all over the world. There are a large number of white people here, 75 percent which only leaves 25 percent to the minorities. When you walk around campus there is no doubt that you see mostly white people but this is expected since they make up the largest percentage of the student population but there are different races scattered around in the student population. So penn state is diverse it’s just not an even ratio of whites to minorities but there is plenty of opportunity for us to learn from each other and change our perceptions of one another since majority of the different races are here. I believe that people just don’t take the time to get to know different people of different ethnic backgrounds because people are unconsciously drawn toward people like them. With difference comes insecurity or fear or just hesitation. It is in human nature for us to stay within our comfort zones and that’s what most people decide to do. The fact that this school was diverse was definitely one of the reasons why I chose to attend penn state and there is definitely diversity here. People are looking at the ratio of whites to minorities and saying that penn state is not diverse but if you look at the different groups who are here you will find that penn state is pretty diverse.