When watching the videos of the immigrants standing on the corner freezing cold and starving truly saddened me because it’s sad that they are in these circumstances. As an non born American I can say that I would help the immigrants because being a second class citizen I know the struggles they are dealing with. My mother came to America from Ethiopia for the same reason these immigrants came here and that is to have a better life and make money to send to their families. So for anyone to say they wouldn’t help then they have a cruel mean heart because that is rude. Americans see immigrants as a burden or something but these hard working individuals work harder than any American I know. They will take any job if it means picking strawberries or cleaning and I know that because my mother has had these jobs. They will make money any way they can, Americans will sit there with no job and live off of welfare before they pick up a mop which is sad. Immigrants are the most dignified and selfless people I know. But as for the question I would definitely lend my hand out to help these immigrants. I command the man in the video that helps them because not many people would do such a kind gesture especially if the money is coming out of their pocket. And for him to start so early in the morning and it’s an all day process while he is holding down a job is commendable. I could definitely see myself doing a charity gesture in the near future once I graduate or something because there are so many people out there that are less fortunate than I am and I would be more than happy to help them. These immigrants will go all days without eating and work a 12 hour shift with no home to come to or a family to come home too so this is the highlight of their day and it is as simple as a meal and to give someone that happiness would be my pleasure. To see their faces when the man pulled up with the truck to hand out the meals prepared by his mother and sister as well, they immigrants were so happy and that joy is so east to give so why wouldn’t you do it? All they want is to make money to give back to their families so they sit in the cold with no home and food its truly sad. So for me to get the chance to give them joy by just giving them a meal would be my pleasure and that would make me happy as well.

As class started Sam Richards told us to put ourselves in the shoes of a Middle Eastern, i knew as soon as he said those words that the class was going to be good. I have encountered many Middle Easterners in my lifetime simply because my my mother speaks Arabic and when we go to the Middle Eastern store in town at least twice a month for groceries and what not my mother interacts with them and tries to make deals with them by having a conversation in Arabic and I always thought it was cool and i wish i would of learned how to speak it myself. Even when we did the class activity of picking who we wanted to sit by like for example the Asain, Caucasian, Black or Middle Eastern girl, i chose to sit next to sit next to the Middle Eastern girl and at the time i never really knew why i picked that seat but then i though about it and I feel like out of everyone there our cultures were the most alike, i could not relate to the other young ladies. I say all this because I know a lot of people specifically Americans have this stereotype of Middle Eastern's as all being terrorists and hating America and what not. But my mother raised me to accept anybody no matter what culture or skin color. I really do not know how to begin to talk about this lecture because I was truly appalled at the blatant disrespect of American soldiers. The audacity of them to just be cruel to individuals that have nothing to do with the radicals that even bombed America. When the solider was messing around with the man and ran over his car with his tank was mean enough but the fact that this was the mans livelihood and thats how he got money to support his family really made my heart ache because it was just so unnecessary for them to be this cruel. That video only shows you a tiny glimpse of what is really going on in there and what these innocent civilians are going through. It truly saddens me at fact that this is all about oil, America is built around greed and the unnecessary for need to excess amounts of materialistic values that are not worth killing innocent civilians over but they will not stop until they get what they want. And as the lecture went on I just shook my head at everything in shame knowing that I live in the country that is treating another countries innocent civilians so darn mean. They do not deserve this treatment and it should really stop.

I have to admit I am guilty of going out in the winter or summer wherever it may be in a short dress or skirt with five inch heels. I never really thought of it as something that has been taught to females I never really paid much attention to because when I go out on the weekend my friends, my sisters and random drunk girls on college ave and also the females at the party I attend all are wearing barley anything with heels. I think it’s just natural to want to get dressed and it may be because everybody else is doing it or just because I am a girly girl and I love to dress up but it never fails going out every single weekend with barely anything on just walking and shivering and asking myself why didn’t I just dress warmer. I think another reason is because at the parties I attend every girl is dressed up and how am I going to be able to stand out if I am dressed in jeans and a hoodie? We as females sacrifice being cold for the joy of beauty and its sad sometimes because guys do not go through what we go through and half the time we are doing it for them to begin with and they do not understand our pain of wearing heels all night. I mean when I get to my room the first thing I do is throw my shoes off because my feet are killing me, I only wear heels that are five inches and above so my feet are killing me and are unbearable when I get back to my room. And to do that 2 nights in a row is not a smart idea but yet again when Saturday night hits I have heels on once again. I feel as though we are pressured by the media to keep up with the latest fashions and to stay on top of our game. It’s kind of how the media portrays women to be thin and so everybody always wants to get on a diet so they can look like the girl on the magazine cover its sad. As for the guys though I envy them because there is so much we have to do to get ready; our makeup, hair, clothes, shaving and everything else. We have to do too much to primp ourselves while a guy can just wear a sweatshirt and jeans and they are good. I think being a guy would make life so much easier man. I think guys like it when we get dressed up though because I always get compliments so I mean maybe they should tell us we are beautiful with a hoodie and jeans on and maybe things will change.

I have to admit I am guilty of going out in the winter or summer wherever it may be in a short dress or skirt with five inch heels. I never really thought of it as something that has been taught to females I never really paid much attention to because when I go out on the weekend my friends, my sisters and random drunk girls on college ave and also the females at the party I attend all are wearing barley anything with heels. I think it’s just natural to want to get dressed and it may be because everybody else is doing it or just because I am a girly girl and I love to dress up but it never fails going out every single weekend with barely anything on just walking and shivering and asking myself why didn’t I just dress warmer. I think another reason is because at the parties I attend every girl is dressed up and how am I going to be able to stand out if I am dressed in jeans and a hoodie? We as females sacrifice being cold for the joy of beauty and its sad sometimes because guys do not go through what we go through and half the time we are doing it for them to begin with and they do not understand our pain of wearing heels all night. I mean when I get to my room the first thing I do is throw my shoes off because my feet are killing me, I only wear heels that are five inches and above so my feet are killing me and are unbearable when I get back to my room. And to do that 2 nights in a row is not a smart idea but yet again when Saturday night hits I have heels on once again. I feel as though we are pressured by the media to keep up with the latest fashions and to stay on top of our game. It’s kind of how the media portrays women to be thin and so everybody always wants to get on a diet so they can look like the girl on the magazine cover its sad. As for the guys though I envy them because there is so much we have to do to get ready; our makeup, hair, clothes, shaving and everything else. We have to do too much to primp ourselves while a guy can just wear a sweatshirt and jeans and they are good. I think being a guy would make life so much easier man. I think guys like it when we get dressed up though because I always get compliments so I mean maybe they should tell us we are beautiful with a hoodie and jeans on and maybe things will change.

I have to admit I am guilty of going out in the winter or summer wherever it may be in a short dress or skirt with five inch heels. I never really thought of it as something that has been taught to females I never really paid much attention to because when I go out on the weekend my friends, my sisters and random drunk girls on college ave and also the females at the party I attend all are wearing barley anything with heels. I think it’s just natural to want to get dressed and it may be because everybody else is doing it or just because I am a girly girl and I love to dress up but it never fails going out every single weekend with barely anything on just walking and shivering and asking myself why didn’t I just dress warmer. I think another reason is because at the parties I attend every girl is dressed up and how am I going to be able to stand out if I am dressed in jeans and a hoodie? We as females sacrifice being cold for the joy of beauty and its sad sometimes because guys do not go through what we go through and half the time we are doing it for them to begin with and they do not understand our pain of wearing heels all night. I mean when I get to my room the first thing I do is throw my shoes off because my feet are killing me, I only wear heels that are five inches and above so my feet are killing me and are unbearable when I get back to my room. And to do that 2 nights in a row is not a smart idea but yet again when Saturday night hits I have heels on once again. I feel as though we are pressured by the media to keep up with the latest fashions and to stay on top of our game. It’s kind of how the media portrays women to be thin and so everybody always wants to get on a diet so they can look like the girl on the magazine cover its sad. As for the guys though I envy them because there is so much we have to do to get ready; our makeup, hair, clothes, shaving and everything else. We have to do too much to primp ourselves while a guy can just wear a sweatshirt and jeans and they are good. I think being a guy would make life so much easier man. I think guys like it when we get dressed up though because I always get compliments so I mean maybe they should tell us we are beautiful with a hoodie and jeans on and maybe things will change.

I have to admit I am guilty of going out in the winter or summer wherever it may be in a short dress or skirt with five inch heels. I never really thought of it as something that has been taught to females I never really paid much attention to because when I go out on the weekend my friends, my sisters and random drunk girls on college ave and also the females at the party I attend all are wearing barley anything with heels. I think it’s just natural to want to get dressed and it may be because everybody else is doing it or just because I am a girly girl and I love to dress up but it never fails going out every single weekend with barely anything on just walking and shivering and asking myself why didn’t I just dress warmer. I think another reason is because at the parties I attend every girl is dressed up and how am I going to be able to stand out if I am dressed in jeans and a hoodie? We as females sacrifice being cold for the joy of beauty and its sad sometimes because guys do not go through what we go through and half the time we are doing it for them to begin with and they do not understand our pain of wearing heels all night. I mean when I get to my room the first thing I do is throw my shoes off because my feet are killing me, I only wear heels that are five inches and above so my feet are killing me and are unbearable when I get back to my room. And to do that 2 nights in a row is not a smart idea but yet again when Saturday night hits I have heels on once again. I feel as though we are pressured by the media to keep up with the latest fashions and to stay on top of our game. It’s kind of how the media portrays women to be thin and so everybody always wants to get on a diet so they can look like the girl on the magazine cover its sad. As for the guys though I envy them because there is so much we have to do to get ready; our makeup, hair, clothes, shaving and everything else. We have to do too much to primp ourselves while a guy can just wear a sweatshirt and jeans and they are good. I think being a guy would make life so much easier man. I think guys like it when we get dressed up though because I always get compliments so I mean maybe they should tell us we are beautiful with a hoodie and jeans on and maybe things will change.

This is actually a good question and one that I can answer pretty. I from another country so I speak two languages to begin with but my mother speaks five so I am lost when she talks to my aunt or grandmother sometimes. She speaks al of then fluently as well so I get lost when she converses with people at the arabic store or when we go to an African cultural event where everybody there speaks arabis or a different language. It doesn't necessary make me uncomfortable because she is my mother and I know she isn't saying anything bad about me. But when I am around Asians for instance I get a lil weary because they could be talking about me and I wouldn't know. A funny story is my sisters friend is fluent in Mandarin and when she was at the nail salon the Asians were conversing like they usually do but were talking about her attire and what she had and she let them go on and on with what they were saying. But after they were done she told them that she understood everything they were saying and they tried to apologize but the simple fact is that you do not know what people are saying about you. We also have family friends that are American that come to our house and listen to my mother interact with us in our language and they sit there lost because they do not know what is going on. They call it gibberish only because they do not understand. I guess this question would good for a student that studied abroad and I did so I can tell you all about it. When I studied abroad Argentina even though I studied spanish here in American and I knew a lot but I got lost a lot in conversations because they speak so fast. I didn't feel uncomfortable he made me want to learn more about it and about they culture. I am all about broadening my horizons and there is always room for learning. I also have an uncle who is married to a Brazilian who speaks Portuguese. My family is really diverse so I know people from all walks of life. Not to bash Asians though because I know they are the only people that I said something negative about. But I get uncomfortable in situations that I am not familiar with. So I guess I am uncomfortable in situations that I am not familiar with rather than the language someone speaks if that makes any sense. Being from a family that is very diverse and very cultured I am one to accept someone for who they are because I would want someone to do that for me.

I was glad that Sam brought up the issue of interracial dating because I was always interested in the idea of dating outside my race. I could see why some people would not date outside their race though simply because of the difference in cultures. I feel like it might clash or someone that is white would not totally understand some on the things that a black person might do. I know something as simple as a black girl sleeping with a scarf on at night because we wrap our hair, I am pretty a white girl would not do that. I mean there are other factors as well like the food we eat is different, the people we grew up around is different and just the culture period is different. With me it’s a little different though because I am Ethiopian so my culture and the food I eat is different from Americans period. So I mean I don’t know if it would be easier for them to relate to an American more than with me? I was always attracted to people of different races though so it is not necessarily an issue for me to date outside my race. My mother always told us that she doesn’t care if date someone that is white, blue, red or yellow, she just didn’t want us to be gay. Simply because in African it is shunned on to be gay and most times you might get killed for being gay so it is against our culture. I mean I always have dated in my race but always thought about dating outside. I never done it because I do not know how per say white boys would perceive me. Because when I walk around campus I always catch white boys looking at me but always thought they were judging me or something. I felt like they were looking at me like I was “the other.” So I mean this conversation is giving me the courage to approach a white boy, now that I know that they are interested in the sisters. But the one factor that always made me feel like it was right to date outside my race is because I was an outsider coming to America in the first place. So when im dating a black guy I technically feel like I am dating outside my race because our culture is different and simply because I was not born here. So whether it is a black, asain, middle eastern or white boy I am dating outside my race and I have no problem with it. It is 2011 I feel like really need to let go of these racial barriers; they are only holding us back.

As I watched the video I was captivated but the way he spoke it was enticing. He was a very good orator; he knew how to work the crowd. But with the issue of Gay Marriage comes up often, and every time I argue that what is them being homosexual doing to you, is it hurting you in any way? And the answer is no it does not cause anybody physical harm to say, it would not affect them. I am for the rights of Gay people if you could not tell and the reason why is because I feel like each and every person deserves the right to be who they want to be. We live in a country of freedom right? And the answer to that is no we do not because is we did than everybody would have the same rights blacks, gays, Hispanics and disabled but we do not have the same rights. We are restricted by laws and brought down by discrimination of those who are ignorant to the fact that we can choose to be who we want to be. As the guy said that people always think that there would be something wrong with a couple of the same sex to raise children, that something would be wrong with the child. And as he said that some might come up there and say that but he came out perfectly fine. He actually came out better than just fine is an Engineering major, owns his own business and loves his family. But what I don’t understand is the fact that a heterosexual couple can have a child and that child can come out with something wrong as well. I think people always look for a reason to put someone down and the fact that they choose not to go the “main stream” route with being straight or whatever that they need to discriminate and put them down which is really mean. Who is to say that they do not deserve the same rights? Like Sam said in the class to put the gay professor as a minority, I can see why he would say that. But as a minority I have encountered discrimination and let’s just say it is not fun. It makes me feel bad because how can you judge me because of the color of my skin? But back to the video I feel as though gay couples deserve as much a right to get married as a straight couple. They deserve to be with the one they love and have that valid marriage certificate just like a straight couple. How can the state just tell them they can’t get married to the one they love? It is so wrong.

Before I clicked on the video I had no idea what the “R” word was pertaining to the video. I know people that use this word all the time and I am not going to sit and here and lie I am guilty of using the word as well. I knew that it is offensive because I heard this debate many times but everybody still uses it. I feel as though if a person that was mentally retarded were to say something to someone who used the “R’ word it would maybe incline them to use it less or eliminate it from their vocabulary all together. Same thing goes with people saying “that’s gay” or saying the “N” word, a straight person would not say that in front of a gay person and a white person would not say that in front of a black person because of Politcal Correctness. We are always told what to do and what to say, no matter how much we like to say we are free ; we are not. But what surprised me the most was that people in power were using it so freely, like did they think they would get confronted about it? I think a lot of people use the word out of context they mean to say like that is so stupid but actually use the “R” word but I mean not to down play this but there isn’t a law for people to say “that is so gay” or the “N” word so why is it necessarily okay to law for the “R” word? I want to congratulate the special Olympics team for standing up for what they believe because the only they are going too see change is if they make a point to say that it is wrong and people need to stop using it. Like in the video he said he didn’t really feel offended but he just wanted people to at least take the time to get to know them before they go judging which I feel like should be the case when anything, especially when it is something offensive. And because it doesn’t mean something to one person who may be seen as “normal” saying the “R” word they might not see a problem with saying it but then again they might just be ignorant to the fact that it offends someone other than themselves. It offends people who have Down Syndrome and who are legally Mentally Retarded and the fact that some people choose not to care about their feelings is somewhat rude. But I hope their campaign goes through because they deserve it and it will show America that they need to take other people’s feelings into consideration.