I think race is one of those “hot-button” issues that many of us find hard to talk about, mainly because of fears of being thought of as being racist, or for other reasons such as embarrassing oneself. It is because of this that I truly appreciate that great effort that Sam exerts in making all of us feel more comfortable talking about this issue.

One of the things that I find most surprising is how it is on occasion hard to identify what race someone is (especially when you consider some of the photos that we went over in class the other day.) Thought, part of me finds it hard to really care about what race someone is – because in a way, I would much rather just go through my day without seeing race, and treating everyone the same.

However, if I (we) refuse to acknowledge race, that leads down a path to additional racism as well. For one, according to some studies (http://www.science20.com/news_articles/not_being_racist_hurts_diversity_say_psychologists-91260 ) ignoring race in conversation can actually make people of race perceive you as being increasingly racist – especially if you avoid talking openly about race. (Which, I suppose in it's own way is a form of racism, but it would be a slippery slope to touch on that topic.)

To further the topic of ignoring race, or being “color blind” the inherent issue is that when you avoid a subject like that it ads an amazing amount of stigma to it, creating a miasma of harm. In my opinion is it is important to acknowledge and discuss these differences openly (as we have been doing in class.) and encourage a multicultural approach rather then one of color blindness that seeks to avoid ethnic and cultural differences.

People should be proud of their culture, and able to speak and discuss their past and history without fear of discrimination, which can be hard at times, even at a place as open as Penn State (though, are we really that open?) Which, according to the “Enrollment by Race / Ethnicity Penn State Fact Book, university budget office. Penna. State Univ.” we are still 75.4% white as of fall 2010(with 5.5 % African-American (their words, not mine) 4.3% Asian-American, 5.8% international students, smaller percentages of other races. While this is still better then the 90% and up that is still apparent in some local areas outside of State College in this state, it is nothing that truly screams out diversity among people as 75.4% is still a whopping majority.
Not Being Racist Hurts Diversity, Say Psychologists www.science20.com

One of the interesting things about class discussion that I realized is that the world is not adapted well for people with disabilities. Despite the fact that we have initiated programs such as the Americans with Disabilities Act which became law in 1990, we still see grave and surprising challenges for people with struggles. For example, if you take the average day in the life of someone who is blind, you realize the problem of currency. An individual who is blind depends upon having paper money of different denominations folded properly to know how much they have or are spending. This becomes and issue when they receive change, they must depend upon the honesty of the cashier to know how much they have been given back in change. Issuing currency of different physical sizes, or perhaps putting a small strip of braille on each bill, which could possibly add to making it harder to counterfeit a bill, could alleviate this. I personally think that its wrong to treat someone differently for any disabilities that they face, however, I think that our world does need to be better adapted to help people with the challenges they face.

On the subject of gay culture however, I have a slightly different view and experience. I have realized that while some straight people are “homophobic”, at the same time, many gay people espouse “heterophobic” ideas. Additionally, I feel that too many people feel and act like they have to fit into a “straight” or “gay” stereotype. There is definitely pressure on the average college student to “fit in” and conform to certain ideas. The classic hypocrisy of this, is seen when someone, usually overly straight males, are scared of anything homophobic, but are all for “lesbians” or at least the overly sexed lesbians as seen in porn. However, this all comes back to the idea as discussed in class of letting go of differences and not being so uncomfortable to be who we are. I believe that too often people who try to fit into a stereotype do so because they are not comfortable with who they are, and perhaps that is partially due to societies push on them to behave a certain way. There are many times that perceived sexual tension can make me feel very uncomfortable, with both gay and straight friends, and this is something that can be much harder to let go of.

I am a white female. I believe that what Sam said in class is true to an extant. Thinking about all of our history, we have sent those of color almost jumping through hoops to get our approval as white Americans. While I don’t agree with us doing this, I understand how it must have affected both their thoughts towards whites and how they take certain comments or slang. Stereotypes have always been seen throughout the word regardless of someone’s race. However, I believe we have seen a very large downsize in the racism round the world. I think mainly it depends on the situations that those of color put themselves in. A black male living in the city where those similar to him also choice to live will definitely come across less abusive language from those of another race, when compared to someone living in the south. While location may have a very large effect on how thick someone’s skin is, it is also a personal choice. Everyone has the self-control and option to let things affect him or her in a positive or negative way. Those allowing insults to effect them will come across as having a lot liner skin then those who don’t let others words effect them. Looking at things from my point of view I can see how white people would assume people of color have thicker skin, we’re the ones dishing out the hateful comments and back handed insults. However, if I were to put myself in the shoes of someone of color I’m not sure I would believe they had “thicker skin”. I myself have been insulted and stereotyped by those different from me. I believe the person doing the insulting will always put up a wall to make they feel better as though there not doing anything wrong or that they don’t have to worry do to “thicker skin”.

In the America now, we see American not willing to do the work that some illegal immigrants are willing to do. This includes work that mostly involves hard labor. Mexicans are willing to do this work because it is all they are offered as Illegal aliens. We cannot legally hire these people, hiring them in the open market would be dangerous and break many laws. Since we have people that continue to come to the United States illegally we as Americans don’t need to do difficult labor jobs. Another reason Americans may not want to do these jobs is because we appear to be very lazy. We tend to look for positions that pay the most, have the least to do to, or are over many others and leave us in charge. I personally have had jobs that involve physical labour, I know I wouldn’t want to be doing this for minimum pay, sometimes even under minimum wage, everyday for the rest of my life. Those coming from other countries are not only illegal they are uneducated. Them getting a job in the main stream would be very impossible without a background and knowledge in that career. They are working to make money for themselves and in order to send money back to their families. Willing to do what ever they have to they get stuck with difficult jobs that require work and little knowledge. I feel as though Americans are more equipped with the certain knowledge needed for a theory or needed in order to run a company. While uneducated people are more likely to have skills that they need to survive, labour skills. Most Americans are educated enough to get a job that involves them being seen in the world. Americans feel as though they never need to do the minimum, we have the choice and opportunity to hire others to do things we ourselves don’t feel like we want to complete. We in America have learned that physical labor is something to look down upon, that only those not skilled enough to succeed or motivated and driven enough to be well off in life. No one is America, just like no one in other countries wants to be seen as the lower class. We look up to those in the higher class, we see them as the ones that had enough want and ability to strive above others in life.

I believe that a having a world that was centered on the black race it would have very little changes when compared to that of the mostly white centered world we have right now. The white race has been well off for years. I think that history would in some ways completely flip. For example, we may have seen white slaves rather than black and seen blacks rising up in the economic world. Whites have been given the most chance to succeed in life. In a black centered world, we would just see those with black skin holding the well-paying jobs. Blacks would be able to enjoy the same socioeconomic benefits that whites do now. We measure success with the tools and resources we have. If we lived in a black centered world we would see the black race obtaining and striving forward with the necessary tools needed to be on top. I also think the whole world would be centered differently. Right now in our white centered world we see the United States as a very powerful country. I feel if the world was black centered we would see places such as Africa moving forward in the world, we would see them being a powerful section of the world. I feel as though the world for me would be very difficult. As a white female I would most definitely see my value and place in the world lessen. Not being the superior race would put a lot of stress on me. I feel as though it is a difficult thing to imagine. The major difference in a black centered world would be how the equality between races is spread. In my opinion every race has the same abilities to be successful. All of our successes as a white centered world would be achieved in a black centered world.

I have thought about this question a lot. If my child were gay I feel as though I would be a little uncomfortable at first. I myself, being straight, would not have that great of an understanding of how my child feels or what they may be going through. I haven’t had the experience of being closely around openly gay people. However, I have gotten to witness the amount of criticism the gay community receives. I would be very nervous for my child to have to go through some of the ridicule that comes from peers and many people around the world. I will always no matter what support my child 100% in everything they feel and want to do. My parents always gave me the feeling that I could be who I wanted to be I didn’t have to be afraid to come to them for help or advice on something. Since I felt support from my parents without even going to them for anything at first, I found myself having a very easy time being open and honest with them. I know that no matter what I did my parents would be understanding and helpful. When I have children I feel as though it is very important that I do the same thing for them and be there in the same way my parents were for me. I think this is very important for children that have realized they are gay. I wish I could say having a gay child would not make any difference to me at all, but I feel like what I have witnessed in life makes me uncomfortable and nervous about it. I’m honestly not sure if anyone could say they would be completely ok with it. Even a gay couple I could see being skeptical about having gay children themselves. Since a gay couple would know how it felt to realize that I feel like the child would a lot more understood. However, even though that is true I don’t think the gay couple would be really happy about it. This is due to the fact they have already grown up in that lifestyle and have witnessed and felt the hate that some people have over gays. It’s difficult to think about now, and I believe that no parent would ever wish that on their child but most would be willing to understand and help their children. Especially now days we see so many more gay people becoming open with their preference, I think that we will continue to see a more understanding and excepted view towards the gay community.

I think that race can most definitely have an effect on your decision to do drugs. It has a lot to do with where you grew up, how you are treated, and how you feel about yourself. The study we saw in class showed that most people doing drugs were of the white race. I think this could partially have to do with the fact that they are the least likely to be caught. Without the fear of legally getting in trouble for something we find ourselves more ready to try it as curious beings. The white race is many times seen as the better the race over all the others. Taking this literally we may see young children that were told this trying drugs do to the fact they will effect them differently; maybe they are less dangerous. On the other hand we see a lot of different races trying harder drugs. These races may do this to escape from the less then equal world everyone else sets for them. If we compare a black boy living in the city to a black boy living in the country I think we will definitely see a difference in the drug use between the two. Obviously this does not have to do with race while comparing two of the same together, but I believe that nothing can be determined by one main factor. If we were to compare a white and black child living in the city to a white and black child living in the country we would see a difference do to location and race. Each child grew up a different way, was taught different things, and treated differently by their peers. If I were a different race but raised the same way as I was now, I could see myself making different choices based solely on how others treated me, and which direction I was driven because of it. So I think that race could most definitely have some impact on if people choice to engage in illicit drugs or not. However, this is not the only reason, factors such as environment, and how they are treated will have a large impact on the decisions they make. These factors are also possibly decided or endured cause of the persons race itself. I also believe that different cultures and religions in general could have a large effect on how people form opinions on illicit drugs.

I think that the Haiti is in dire need of economic relief. However, I believe that this project is not giving us the opportunity to help; it is giving us the chance to give others the opportunity. I personally have never been given the opportunity to help directly or at least I don’t believe so. I think the Haiti Group project is a great way to use what we are learning in class to help others in need. It also provides us with a way to use our own good intentions and ideas. After watching some of the videos such as Manouchka and Sonia I was really impressed by the things they were capable of with such limited materials. Materials going for $50, like a bottle of paint shocked me compared to the price we pay at our stores in the United States, A bottle of paint may only cost us around $2 or $3. I think that we need to find a way to lower prices for them or help them obtain cheaper recycled material that would be just as beneficial to their companies.
I also watched the video about hospitals and I think it would be a great idea to raise money for them in order for them to be able to hire additional staff, get ahold of supplies, and allow them to help a sufficient number of patients. I was surprised at the number of women who had started their own business in Haiti. I feel as though in the United States we mainly only see men starting their own businesses and having higher power. I think it’s interesting that we have such different cultural views and economic matters.
Relating back to class, when we discussed free will vs. determinism, I think the Haiti group project will help a lot of people see just how much both of those factors go into effecting a country, a group of people, and singular people. I’m really looking forward to this project and I’m excited to hear others peoples ideas. I am also excited to see what we all get out of the project and how we impact others by doing it. With the few guidelines the Haiti project gives, I believe it will be interesting to see how many different ways our class as a whole and individuals within it believe how we should help and what ways we would go about doing it.

People chose a religion in order to have something to cling to. We as humans look for answers to explain every outcome and event. Religion helps us explain what we as humans are, what we are on earth to do, and where we go or what happens to our bodies and souls after life. I myself as a Christian don’t know if the religion I chose to follow is correct. A lot of times people say they follow religions in order to eliminate fear. As a child I wasn’t sure what it meant to be Christian, I went to church and learned about god, I was told that those who didn’t believe would be sent to hell. Having this knowledge as a child, I still feel as though some of that fear is held in my religious choice today. We tend to follow our parents’ beliefs and end up with religious views similar or exact to those of our parents. Having a religion seems to be based mostly around how we were raised not our agreement to the religion itself. Most people haven’t taken the opportunity to look over the things they say they follow and strongly believe in. I myself am one of those people. I have found myself questioning my faith before, if it makes sense, or how closely I actually live up to it. I’ve found myself making up my own beliefs in order to have something to hold onto. Knowing there is a greater power above me adds for comfort. I choose to follow a religion because I was brought up with the mindset it was the right thing to do and it was the un-sinful option. Religion helps those who fear things or become depressed or confused. When we step back and look at how many beliefs there are in this world I think it is very hard to say you are one kind of religion. Some people follow their religion exactly. In my opinion they do this out of fear or confusion. Since we don’t fully know our place in the world and our reason for being here the morals we grow up with seem to be our safety nets. I call myself a Christian because that’s what I grew up with; it’s what my parents always said my family was. However, when I step back to look at the bigger picture I tend to stray from a lot of the Christian views. I meet other religions morals but not one in-particular. For me I believe in a higher power that of which being God, but I’m not fully sure what else I believe in. If I were to say I have no religion I would feel very bare and nervous. Religion gives everyone a purpose to for life, a reason to live and behave in certain ways.