My current stage of racial identification

Although never having put much thought into the matter, I feel as though I am in stage 5 of racial identification. As far as the differing stage 5’s go, I don’t agree much with the “not seeing race”. That sounds to me like “not seeing different hair colors.” Of course you see them; they just don’t have any implications on the character or judgment of that particular person. In no way do I “not recognize race”, I simply don’t let race effect my judgment of a person in the same way I do not allow hair color or height or any other physical attribute contribute to my perception of a person.
It would be a lie to say that I’ve always felt this way. I have grown into this stage over time and exposure to society. I, like most other kids growing up in today’s US society, have been subject to the same racial biases and stereotypes that everyone else has. I do not disregard the fact that these stereotypes still exist in all of us, even subconsciously. It is my belief that we consciously choose whether or not to react to these stereotypes and let them alter our reality. The reality is, we are all human beings. We are all the same race. We are all the type same intelligent, spiritual beings as one another.
My view on this matter is one of a very open mind. I realize that my view probably does not reflect the current majority view of the US. This saddens me a bit, but at the same time I see statistics that show a promising trend in our becoming more open minded as a society. I really hope and believe that we are moving toward a more unified society. The beliefs and values of generations past are dying off every year, and the ideals that were once popular are less prominent today than they ever have been before.
I think one of the biggest affirmations of my being in stage 5 my ability to quickly and simply identify actions that are characteristic of someone in one of the lower stages. In my mind, these actions just do not represent my view on reality. It is difficult for me to even be in the same room with someone whose perception is so ancient and narrow viewed, let alone carry on a conversation with such a person.

Empathy in the Rape Situation

I really like this topic for a very simple reason. My thoughts and feelings on this matter have always been about empathy versus intellect alone. Sam’s thoughts, and more particularly his words, are an extremely accurate representation of my own. I have made the precise argument about the inter-perspective thought process. What if it were my 12 year old daughter? Would I want the Pro Life policy in the scenario? Hell No.
The Pro Choice policy makes sense, simply put. It is there for a reason but gains a bad rap because of those small numbers whom abuse this privilege. My strong stance in my position does not for a single second mean that I have not deeply considered the reasoning structure behind the Pro Life policy. Strong religious beliefs are in place that back supporters of this type of policy, and I respect their position. I do not question anyone’s belief system or intend to change their beliefs. I simply believe that the pros and cons sheet on abortion is in favor of the pros.
In order to create a more harmonious society with the Pro Choice policy in place, the system would have to be managed on a greater scale. There could be a screening process and a list of exemptions for actually getting an abortion, rather than opening the opportunity to every pregnant woman. This could eliminate some of the overuse and abuse of the Pro Choice policy currently in place. I feel as though this abuse is partly accountable for those against the policy.
In the end, those strongly in favor of Pro Life should do as Sam and I, and millions of others across the country have done. We ask that you take a second to truly imagine yourself in a situation where the Pro Life policy would directly affect you, your life and your family’s life in a negative way. Would you still be in favor of a Pro Life policy if your wife had been raped and became pregnant? In what way would your system of principles and beliefs outweigh the idea of Pro Choice in this particular situation? The Pro Choice policy exists for this exact reason. This is the situation millions of pregnant women face in today’s world. I think a policy of Pro (Good, Insightful, and Morally correct) Choice does more good for women than it does bad.
Put yourself in those shoes, and think for a minute about your position.

My Thoughts On Affirmative Action After Class On Affirmative Action

Affirmative action is intended to promote EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. There is thought to be unequal opportunity amongst racial groups as addressed in class this Thursday. I do my part as a strong believer in capitalism and conservatism considering my efforts entrepreneurship and towards financial success in general. I am also raised in in a very liberal and lower middle class household. I have a firm grasp on what it takes coming from very little so I feel as though I can relate to some of the issues dealt with in lower income racial groups. One of the headlining points made about low income racial groups in America is access to resources which ultimately leads to opportunity.
I think it's important to both address and acknowledge the ongoing racial discrimination which persists in our society. These pre existing biases and stereotypes make it more difficult for people of color in our nation to achieve success, which is reflected in the graph from class. I do not disagree with this truth. My opinion in this matter is one of positivity. If we can identify in ourselves what things must be done to create various opportunities in our lives, we can overcome these racial barriers. There are few true cases which disprove this fact.
One skill which is pivotal is the ability to network. It is possible to seek out people that could be beneficial to your appearance of opportunities in your life. Opportunities to learn, opportunities to surround yourself with people who can potentially impact your life for the best. I truthfully feel as though positivity coupled with flat our will and desire can achieve anything, regardless of racial background or your "starting line." There is a system of successful behaviors which ultimately lead toward success. If this system works for one person it can work for another. There is no prejudged bias or artificial barriers between any one person and them achieving success if they so desire it. Anyone with:
a will and passion
readiness to put in the time and effort towards their goal,
power to turn words into actions and actually devote the time and hard work necessary for success,
the ability to turn failures and potential barriers into assets in your path towards your goals
Will succeed.

I think it is very important to talk about these topics in relation to affirmative action. The inequality for opportunity in class was depicted with racial/financial statistics. What if those statistics could be turned around? What is the right step toward reversing the growth of the trend and tip the scale more in favor of equality? My vote is for the idea of creating organizations which support the growth of individuals whom are less fortunate in any regard, if those individuals are willing to take the steps and achieve their goals. A bit different than the programs offed by the government.

So I chose to expand on this questions because I don't particularly like it very much. As a matter of fact I feel pretty strongly about that. I don't think it addresses the issue of women shaving body hair at all. I feel strongly that men don't communicate significantly to society's body shaving norm. I think this image and practice is motivated primarily by the women themselves. In the majority of cases it is the woman that decides on that particular image and its less about what men want to see.
Now, in addressing the issue of what the man wants, there is a totally different story. I feel as though a man is innately attracted to a particular aesthetic image and that is different for everyone. If a man finds it unattractive for a woman to have body hair, that's just how he feels. It doesn't mean that all women can't do it, just that that's his particular preference.
I don't disagree that there is a public image that some individuals feel obligated to conform to in fear of being different, or because that's what they truly believe is beautiful and accepted. The fact that this phenomenon exists is real and has its influence on us, women especially. The question I ask is, for example, if a woman's hair on her legs is getting to be visible and needs to be shaved, what is the primary motivator for her to actually shave again? Is it that she fears what other people would think and say, and if those other people didn't exist then she would just let it go and be ok with it personally? Or does she feel internally that having leg hair is not something she wants, or finds unattractive on herself?
To answer the question directly, I think that by men saying they don't want women to have body hair, they are simply expressing their individual preferences. I am an extremely open minded person so maybe my response to this question is atypical and biased to be open and accepting. I don't disagree with the fact that there is an underlying public image that also motivated both the man to prefer the woman without body hair and the woman to shave the body hair.
My perspective is that everyone, both men and women, prefer to look a particular way. For me, it is less (if any) what people think of the way I look, and more of how I prefer to look. I think everyone should be themselves and look the way the personally prefer. I feel this is being true to yourself, and when this is achieved both in mind and body you attract those individuals into your life that should be there. If we continue in this world to conform to norms and make our decisions based on the desires and preferences of others, we almost become fake, sometimes without even knowing it. We should just be who we are from the inside out and achieve happiness this way.

My initial response to the photos shown in class was slightly atypical I think. It's not that I don't feel anything at all, that's not the case. I feel like these situations are happening and as individual Americans we are somewhat incapable of have direct impact on the outcome. The issue boils down to politics, plain and simple. It comes down to the decision of our president or upper level officials facilitating these decisions to send drones or whatever else overseas and wage war.
With all that said, I want to take a slightly different perspective on this now. If I were someone who had the power to influence the ultimate decision in the warfare that causes those causalities, I would definitely exercise my power towards the goal of preventing innocent injury. Those injuries and deaths are the direct effect of our negligence in my opinion. Similar to the say we sought out and killed Osama, we should be a little more exclusive in our approach to this war. What kind of message are we sending when these casualties are commonplace? I don't think that's a good image for America, then again I also don't fully comprehend our underlying motivation to wage this war in the first place. There cost benefit analysis of the war is clearly misunderstood at the current moment. Are these lives being sacrificed really worth the benefit? How is there not a better more efficient way of action?
I think our approach needs adjustment regardless of how important our reasons for the war in general are. These people are not at all affiliated with the war taking place in their country. As Sam talked about in class with a war vet, the majority of individuals in these countries are civil. Why does our government continue down this war path? Its like we are desensitized and demoralized to the fatalities in these countries, as long as we are making our message clear. I feel as though this portrays America as a country and Americans as individuals in the wrong light. I think it's safe to say that most of us in this country, after seeing those photos and becoming aware of the repercussions of our current actions, would not agree with continuing down this path.

In what ways have racial signifiers affected your life?

There are a few things I would like to talk about in regards to the topic of racial signifiers. Firstly I want to discuss what they mean to me and what experience I’ve had personal with racial signifiers, and then I wish to address the vision and future of this subject.
My experience with racial signifiers has been somewhat extensive compared with most. I am a very outspoken and expressive person. I am not afraid of confrontation and actually feel exhilaration when addressing others, especially INDIVIDUALS I do not know. I mingle with anyone at any time regardless of race or age or whatever. I think a good grasp on the social dynamic of any situation is essential in interacting with others, especially those of other racial backgrounds. For me it is clear to know what to say and when to say it.
Reading into people’s body language and tone of voice is an essential skill in today’s day and age. Social media, text messaging, and Facebook in particular are all pushing to a society hidden behind social barriers. Conversation in these forms lacks the two more important aspects of conversation, which are boy language and tone. Words are shown to hold only about 10% of the speaker’s message. I think it is this “text message” social revolution, which is making it more and more difficult to interpret social situations in order to comprehend the appropriateness of more tender word choices.
This leads me to my next point, which is the idea of an underlying open-mindedness socially, and in life in general. As Sam has mentioned before, our society has come a long way in becoming gradually more open-minded and accepting of topics such as gayness and race. I think this is 100% essential and also and more importantly an INEVITABLE change in the future of our society.
So how does all this talk about open-mindedness relate to racial signifiers in particular? My view is simple. For those on the receiving end of racial signifiers: the realization that those who use racial signifiers typically do not mean ANYTHING by it. That person does NOT disrespect you or your race in general, they are simply carrying conversation. Now, this applies to the majority NOT everyone. However, this brings up a disappointing phenomenon: It only takes a few to ruin it for everyone. This is easily seen in our society. Racial signifiers should NOT be taken as offensive or derogatory for the simple fact that the user does not use them in such a way, but for those on the receiving end they are taken as such in part because of those minority.
My view overall not an ignorant one. I understand the tough past of particular races; I do not disregard these facts. However, it is my opinion that it is more socially intelligent to act logically in these situations rather than emotionally. Our primitive brain inclines us to act out of anger resentment and disrespect in the face of racial signifiers on both the sending and receiving end of these signifiers. As we grow and adapt to our society and individuals, we are moving toward a more open minded, logical approach to racial signifiers and race in general.