How have my views of other races and ethnicities changed after taking sociology 119?

I challenge this question with another question: Could this inquiry be any more loaded? I mean, fuck man.

To grain a decent perspective on how my view of culture have changed, I must analyze how I felt against race before. I grew up in a town that was highly multi-cultural. My town was comprised of only twelve percent white people. There were many black and Hispanic people along with European, Asian, and South American immigrants. Therefore, I was brought up not really noticing our cultural differences. Teachers at our school seemed to expect all of us to misbehave equally, regardless of race. Unless we were well known to be nerds, we received a skeptical eye and condescending tones from our teachers.
The racial differences I noticed were largely geographic, with the Arabs, Hispanics, Asians, Europeans, and blacks living in pretty distinct areas.
After this class, I can’t really say that my overall views have changed. I pretty much regard all people by their character and not by their skin or background. I do, however see more of the luck of birth vs. making your own fate argument. I have always been a huge believer in ‘you get what you earn’. I have worked incredibly hard to be where I am. I fought affirmative action to get into college. Many of my friends with far inferior grades got into equal or superior universities because of their skin color. Even though my white skin may get me more loans, ethnic people usually get more scholarships. I mean, I may be wrong, but I think colleges are making progress in encouraging black and Hispanic people to apply to and be able to pay for college.
Despite this view, I also have seen the undeniable evidence of the inequalities in obtaining jobs, loans, or houses when you are a person of color. The studies Sam explained to us in class about training two people of equal education, experience, gestures, language skills, looks, clothes, and pretty much everything else. Then, they go into interviews all over the country with interviewers of all different races and the black and Hispanic people had some pretty poor results. They were less likely to get jobs, loans, and houses. In fact, employers even hired white criminals over non-white non-criminals! That was incredibly surprising to me. I wish I knew how to change that.
Maybe I can just go through my life being more aware of my subconscious perceptions of people of a different race than I am. I don’t know if that would actually help. I kind of just came out of this class feeling shitty about being a white person.

The recent events that have occurred within the Penn State community have certainly altered the world’s opinion of Penn State students, myself included, at least for the time being. From the initial action ten years ago, to the district attorney’s disappearance, to the failed prosecution, extended trial, continued victims, firings, riots, tears and tribulations, everything has fed into a reshaping of the regard of the Pennsylvania State University. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the media has affected global opinion more than the actual actions have and that is sad. I fully understand that the media’s job is to elicit the most attention possible. I also understand that they want to stir up the most violent and disturbing images in order to gain publicity. Despite these facts, the media should be embarrassed of itself. In addition to the nine direct victims, news teams have created hundreds of thousands of collateral victims in displaying the actions of Penn State in such a negative light. They have affected countless students and families. News teams have deviated from reporting accurate news to reporting extravagant fiction. After this situation blows over, they move onto their next slandering of politicians or celebrities, while we continue to suffer at the expense of a couple of nights of high ratings. Every single news reporter, van driver, and camera holder should be ashamed of him or her self. We may have embarrassed ourselves, but we have an excuse: We are confused, we are in mourning, we are sad, we are heartbroken, and we are young. Most people went out into the streets in curiosity, but we are shown in anger. We did some stupid things, but the innocent and tormented actions look evil and contrived. They put words in our mouths and anger in our hearts. I, for one, do not appreciate this.
The only thing these news channels have done is disappoint me. They haven’t even provided a cheap thrill. They have sunk way, way lower than that. They have made the world either angry or sad. We wonder why the world is so corrupt. Look at the people feeding us information! They are the most corrupt of all of us! I mean seriously, how can one be here, see our tears, and ignore them in lieu of higher ratings. It is embarrassing and shameful.
People have asked us if we will transfer schools. Hell no. However, if I were a communications major, I would take a good hard look around at the power you possess. Graduate from this institution and stand for justice. You have the power to revolutionize the media industry. Take that away from all of this suffering.
Our generation has been call corrupt, but to the older newscasters, consider this: Those who condemn our generation forget who created it.

On Tuesday in class, a student asked a very interesting question: Why don’t Americans want to work the jobs that Mexican immigrants work?
We have been stating this fact all week, but it wasn’t until now we were given the opportunity to ponder the why. In the videos we watched and with our discussions, we concluded that Americans do not want the jobs because of the difficulty of the physical labor. Most of the jobs taken by immigrants are farming jobs. These position require long hours in the hot sun, back-breakingly picking fruit, grains, and vegetables from low and high plants. I assume that these jobs also require digging. Another important facet of these employment positions is that they probably only pay minimum wage or slightly above minimum wage. This would make sense because Americans are largely pale-skinned and would roast in the sun. Even if they stuck it out for a couple of months, they are at an enormous risk for developing melanoma and skin cancer in general. Also, if these workers are getting paid minimum wage, they probably can’t afford a massive arsenal of sunscreens and skin protectants. Because Mexican people usually have more pigmented skin and are used to being in the hot sun and in hot temperatures in general, they are better equipped to handle the jobs and sustain good work.
Mexicans are also driven to work harder and keep these jobs because they are not just trying to feed themselves to pay rent; They are often wiring money back to their destitute families. Clearly their incentive to work and earn money is quite large and propels them to work very hard.
There is another important subject to address in the consideration of this issue that was not brought up in class (to my knowledge). The immigrants who are working in these farming jobs are not any regular old immigrants. The immigrants crossing the border are often illegal immigrants. Technically, these people have no identities, no rights, and no legally bound reason to be here. Therefore, they cannot produce any legal documents to work in a place like McDonald’s, which also pays minimum wage and provides air conditioning, a roof, and free food for breaks. Americans absolutely have an advantage over illegal immigrants in obtaining blue-collar jobs for mainstream companies simply because they have documentation. Why earn $7.50/hr in a hot field, when you can earn $7.50/hr filing papers for a doctor’s office.
In addition, at the McDonald’s job, these people have to speak English well enough to understand, take, and calculate the price of an order. This not only requires a knowledge of the English language, but also basic literacy which many Mexicans have failed to obtain.

So, how do I really feel about whites becoming the minority? That’s kind of hard to answer without first identifying a couple important factors.
Firstly, I am a white woman. I grew up in a town where the breakdown put the so called “majority race” at a measly twelve percent. This made me, at least in this town, the minority. There were some kids’ parents who didn’t want their ethnic kids to play with the little white devil in the sandbox and the other white folks who criticized my parents of being white trash. However, for the most part, the kids and teachers were pretty accepting of me. That being said, it is important to state that I was very little at this point and probably in stage one of the racial identity schema.
Secondly, I moved to a white neighborhood later and assimilated into a white culture. I don’t really recall having that big of a reaction to race when I moved to my new town. Personally, I was just upset that I had to abandon all of the friends I had made during my five years in my first town.
Overall, I think we make a much bigger deal about race balance than we should. I attribute a lot of it to the fact that we are discussing these topics in a race relations class. Due to the availability heuristic we ponder these issues much more than we normally would, forcing ourselves to take sides and exaggerating opinions that may have only been a single photon on the backest of burners in our minds.
I also think that whites becoming a minority is a good thing. As race borders disappear in the progression toward social equality I think this issue is going to matter less and less. I also think that jobs and scholarships will not be as race driven which will be good for both black and white people. Black and Hispanic people won’t be as disadvantaged in the hiring process of jobs. This will be good, especially seeing as the other races will be the ones hiring.
Also, white people may be the ones getting academic scholarships in lieu of black and native American students. This is fantastic news given that this racial shift will come at the point where I would be sending the hypothetical kids to college. This will make it a lot cheaper.
All in all, I am seriously just trying to write this blog post as quickly as possible so that I can go out and participate in Halloween festivities. Perhaps I will dress up as a black person to see what being a minority really feels like, given that I’ve been told I have the ass to pull it off.

It is very hard to speculate what stage of racial identity I currently occupy. In one sense, I would like to idealize myself as stage one, however I know this is not true. What I do know is that I see race, but care very little about it. I grew up in a community comprised of 12% white people. In other words, I was the minority in this social group. From a very early age I was rejected by the some of the Hispanic and black children in my school – mostly at the suggestions of their parents and grandparents. Soon, this rejection became so pronounced that my parents chose to pull me out of my highly mixed school and place me into a largely white school located in the accompanying town. Even though I was fairly young at this point, I knew it was because I was different.
I grew up with not only white skin, but vampire-like skin. I felt rejection from my peers and looked to my parents for a reaction. I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but I felt guilty as I mirrored their guilty responses. Eventually, I began to become mad about their refusal to let me join in the reindeer games. What the hell? I could color and play just as well as the rest of them. I believed, and still do, that if you are nice to me then I will reciprocate that. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong.
Eventually, as I got older, I recognized that they were simply and unfortunately falling into the old ways of their parents. These kids did like me, but family comes first; If sacrificing the friendship with a white girl was going to save them from a verbal beating, it was the right choice. I grew to accept their circumstances and accept the black and Hispanic people at my new school. In fact, I felt more comfortable around them than other white people.
Based on my experiences, I would say I am in stage five. I hold no hard feelings against people or any race or creed. However, I am careful with my racially linked words, as I know some black and brown people are not nearly as accepting of satire and joke-making as others.
My immediate family is at the stage I am at. However, my grandparents on my mother’s side tend to link black and brown people with mischief. I suppose this notion comes from their Russian-Jewish upbringing in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and the Bronx in New York City. While I do not know for sure, it is likely that the neighborhoods they belonged to suffered crime from the colored communities. Thus, my grandparents attribute actions of a few bad eggs to the whole carton.

I actually saw this documentary a while ago on The Learning Channel. My first response was something like: Holy shit that would be awful. I am a particularly solitary individual, and I have no idea how I would function when forced to share every waking second with someone. However, my response must be taken with a grain of salt because I am one person. I have always been one person, and to suddenly shift my lifestyle so vastly would be a shock. That being said, clearly the girls face some challenges in freedom. At first glance, this is a very deterministic kind of situation. Siamese twins are caused by an impartial split of a single zygote. Unfortunately, the girls’ mother had no say in separating them, given that their circulatory systems are connected. In the documentary, the parent discussed an option giving to her by the doctor: Removing one head. To the mother, this choice was bizarre and immediately rejected. So, we have these Siamese twins who seem to have no choice in how they live their lives. Right?
Wrong. Way wrong. Abby and Brittany have overcome their situation not only physically, but also psychologically and socially. These twins could easily have convinced their mother to homeschool them instead of being teased at school. Hell, they could have learned to helplessly accept teasing – even feel like they deserved teasing from their peers, but no; Abby and Brittany decided to not fall victim to that treatment. They are in a normal public school, pursuing a pretty normal life, and normal aspirations for 16-year-old girls. They do not have the choices like the rest of us have, so they created their own choices. For example, they could have lived depressed, but they live delighted. They could have rejected each other, but they embrace each other.
The twins, Brittany and Abby have taken determinism by the horns and created their own free will against all odds. If anything, Brittany and Abby have given more power to free will by overcoming a situation that would plague many others to a conjoined, but solitary existence. The young girls welcome peers and boys and a future.
It is interesting to see how they girls will integrate into college and careers. The question of how many salaries will be paid is a pertinent one. Also, how much tuition will the parents pay? Do the girls have to pursue the same major? Do they have to have the same career? No matter what the question is, it all boils down to the same answer: The girls can either accept what others say is right for them, or they can redefine boundaries and select a path that is right for them and free from outside opinions.

On October 6, 2011, a student asked why women dress a certain way and expect to be treated in another way. First, I have to clarify what this question is asking before I attempt to answer it. As I interpret it, this student is asking why girls dress in tight-fitting, scandalous garments and then expect to be treated in a respectful way by men.
It is important to point out that this is an excellent question! I am a female, I dress appropriately, and I have been asking the same question for years. For the purpose of this blog post, however, I will try to pontificate on this issue.
Most people want to look attractive when they go out. Whether someone is single or not, it’s flattering to get complimented or flirted with at the bar or in the club. The difference among these attention-seeking people is how they go about soliciting the acknowledgement from others. One group of girls puts together chic outfits with flashes of shoulders or clavicles. They wear tailored blouses and jeans than hint at the bodies that lie beneath them. These girls are what we call ‘classy chicks’. Then there are the others. Not like ‘the others’ in the show ‘Lost’, but perhaps equally as horrifying. They wear barely-there shirts and shorts. They continuously tug at dresses that threaten to expose parts usually kept to oneself. As the night goes on, these are usually the girls who drunkenly let their butts hang out of ‘hoohcie’ dresses. These females are the ones who stick around the bar until one member of their group is crying, one is missing, one is vomiting all over the bathroom, and one is engaging in some bacchanalian bitch fight over a cell phone that died hours ago. I’m not saying that all girls are like this, but you get the idea. The punch-line is that these girls expect to be treated like the ones whose cleavage and butt cracks are not hanging out all over the dance floor. This is bizarre to me. The only possible explanation that I can think of is that most of them get so caught up in this college world of scantily clad females that they do it to fit in and not necessarily for male attention. Then, when they get rude male attention, they are blindsided by it and, more often than not, offended by it.
Personally I have no problem with other girls wearing Snooki-inspired outfits, but I am a firm believer in the fact that the girls should be prepared to get attention that is reflective of the outfits they are wearing. If you’re gonna wear an overtly sexy outfit, expect to be treated like a sex object. BOOM.

For a blog post today, I am responding to the question: “What stereotypes do you not believe in?”. This is a pretty difficult question to answer for a couple of reasons. Not only is it challenging to talk about stereotypes without emotional involvement, but it is especially hard to recognize the difference between stereotypes we believe in and do not believe in.
Sam talked today in class about the fish’s view of the water in relation to sexual attraction. This same analogy can be used to talk about stereotypes. To evaluate stereotypes (i.e. to see the water), we must pull ourselves out of them (i.e. out of the water). As fish, this is hard for us. We like water, we can’t breathe without water, and we don’t like being uncomfortable. But, hey, for this blog post, I am going to make like Nemo and feel the fresh air. Let’s do this shit.
There is a lot of water out there. There are a lot of stereotypes. I was raised in a highly mixed neighborhood. Later in my life, my family moved to a more privileged neighborhood. Therefore, I have had a lot of experience stepping into new shoes. I have been the outcast, the in crowd, the minority, the majority, the top and the bottom. This makes my time evaluating stereotypes a little easier. There are a lot of stupid stereotypes out there. In my blog two weeks ago I decided to make fun of them. Particularly ones relating to black and brown people. In my SATIRICAL piece, I said things like: black people have swagger, know how to dance, know how to dunk, and so on. I also said disrespectful things like black people get into college on sports scholarships. Clearly I do not believe these things. I think these stereotypes are absurd. And to treat stereotypes as anything but absurdity gives them more power than they are worth.
So, I’m just going to list off a couple of my all time favorite stereotypes. By favorite, I mean funny – or more appropriately, stupid stereotypes of all time.
All women are emotional bitches. This is bullshit. Personally, I prefer to call myself to be a sarcastic asshole. Thanks.
Secondly, that all Asians are smart and can do large calculus equations in their heads. Well, although some Asians are extremely intelligent, this stereotype most likely arises from the fact that the educational curriculum in Asia is very difficult and tends to produce highly educated youth.
I also enjoy the stereotype that all people from New Jersey are all stupid little tans oompa-loompas who somehow integrated into regular society as normal humans. Well, of course this stereotype is completely true, except for that I’m from New Jersey, pale, and have a 3.9. I am, however, very little and may very well be an oompa-loompa.

For this blog response, we were asked to compose a reaction and first perception of the world in conversation Haiti project – or – more accurately, Haitian Partners for the Creation of Jobs and Investment in the Long-term Sustenance of Haitian Entrepreneurs. Before I even begin to respond to the project and media placed on the world in conversation, I think it is important to first identify my biases about foreign assistance. Because I do not know much more about Haiti other than what the news says, I need to recognize the cultural lenses I am looking at the world through. If I fail to articulate these biases, it will be harder for me to get a clear and objective opinion of the Haiti assistance project.
In high school I spent four years as a debate team member. I had no interest in being a debater (I was quite shy in high school) and therefore securely two other roles in the team. I was the archeologist for our team. While I didn’t exactly investigate the dirty details of the other team, I did extensive data mining for our resolve (topic). I also judged debates. I was selected as the “Best Judge” multiple times, so I like to think of myself as a fairly impartial person. One of our resolves was how to help Haiti. Again and again teams proposed plans whose main objective was to dump money into Haiti. Because I had extensively researched the repercussions of this act, I knew that this money would most likely be received by the dictator powers in Haiti and never by the people. Clearly the debaters did not know about the political and cultural climate of Haiti – and neither to many educated people. Therefore, I don’t have high hopes for the Haiti project. I think it may fall into the trap of “money solves everything”, when in reality, money can make things much, much worse. So, we’ll see.
After looking at the website, I am pleased. Particularly with this statement: “So as much as we possibly can, the project steers clear of tradition forms of assistance and hand-outs, which often have the unintended consequence of undermining Haitian entrepreneurs and weakening the ability of Haitians to make it on their own.”
Initially though, I see that many of the entrepreneurs are making clothing and bags and hair products which raises the question: Why would Hatians buy this crap when they are already struggling to buy food? I mean, if these people can make money, then how will they employ other people to earn money and buy more stuff. I am pretty skeptical of how we are going to help these people while still keeping money in the Hatian economy.

Hey, no problem. Thank you for responding to my apology though - couldn't have been easy. See ya in class :)