I think Sam has definitely taught me some things about the war i didn't know, and has helped shaped my own perspective on it. It really is a solemn truth that one of the biggest victims in the war are the civilians caught in between, i never realized just how bad the numbers were of civilian casualties in iraq and afghanistan until this class. I wish i knew what i've learned last year during one of world in conversation talks i did for an engineering freshman seminar. I was placed in a West meets the Middle East talk, and for the most part it was just about cultural differences and other light hearted things like marriage. However, one woman there in the group, who was from somewhere in that region, brought up the civilian death toll of the iraq war, as it was something that had bothered here for a long time and said it was something we needed to address and justify. The group was pretty much speechless when it came to this, and had little knowledge of the civilian casualties, having learned little of the harsh statistics from our own government and news. As Americans, we tried to search for an answer for her, but soon when on to other aspects of the war we knew enough about. I wish i knew what sam has taught us back then, and I would've tried to give her an answer that wouldn't have made things right, but have shown her that we understand, and that it isn't right. The idea that the war is based primarily on oil was also something that i had often heard, but i had no idea how deeply it extended until sam put it into perspective. When you really get down to it, and especially after how few other reasons we had to go to war (nonexistent WMD's were about it), it really does not seem to revolve around anything but oil. It's depressing, but it just becomes more and more apparant that this country's foreign policy doesn't act on anything unless theres some benefit for ourselves. Any sign of charity or goodwill towards a damaged nation seems like pure philanthropy, but is often just a business transaction disguised as helpfulness. We talk about how we are the defenders of democracy and help the oppressed wherever we can, but overlook and support dictatorships that brutally oppress their people when it is convenient or financially beneficial to do so. It seems so unnecessary to go to war, but it keeps happening. As humans, we make the same mistakes over and over again, and let politicians send our brothers, fathers, and friends off to war for senseless and purely selfish reasons. War is something that should be used only when is absolutely necessary, and it should not be a tool for politicians and businessmen to achieve their own personal gains and goals.

It's difficult to speak for the victims, as I've been fortunate enough to not have been exposed to the hardships and troubling experiences that they have encountered early in their lives. I can try to speak to where I think they may have come from in regards to why they remained silent or what the would have needed to find the strength to speak out, but it is worth noting that I really do not have an answer, nor can I speak for victims of these crimes. However, I think that in a lot of cases, there is an extraordinary amount of pressure on these victims. A lot of times the abuser is someone who is part of the family or is close to the family, and many victims are afraid that their bringing to light the crimes against them and and any search for justice will destroy their family and the tightnit relations between that family and this friend or relative. Im sure alot of victims also just want to move on from the event and strive for some sort of normalcy in their lives, and stay silent because they think its easier to ignore the pain than address it. With these difficult positions, it is probably quite difficult to know how to properly someone who is a victim of sex abuse. However, if they have found the immense courage to confide in you, then it is your responsibility to take it seriously. Offer them any moral support you can, and back them up and encourage them to go to the police to report the crime, and to tell them that what was done to them is not their fault and is not right. Its a difficult position to be in, but it's an important one. But one of the most important but also one of the most overlooked thing is taking care of the victim. As Sam has mentioned in class, there is an immediate shift away from caring for the victim and ensuring their needs are met to the immediate focus on bringing the perpetrator to justice. There is often an emphasis on justice, as arguably there should be, as most people want to make sure that this kind of thing doesnt happen again. But the victims should definitely not be forgotten in the process. Throughout the Penn State Scandal, the media paid no or little attention to the victims of the crime, making a circus around Joe Paterno and the other school officials while ignoring the men that were affected by the scandel most. Getting justice is important, but victims are the people who are hurt most by these incidents, and they should be absolutely the last people harmed during the ensuing investigations and legal events.

They will not see the candlelight vigil for victims tonight, they did not see the average student that expressed his opinion on the subject clearly and intelligently. They see a student body of ignorant animals because of the actions of a few of misguided students. Its too easy to generalize, its too conveniant to comes to a easy assumption about this populace than recognize that we are diverse, not just we are penn state. We are not all the same, and it is ignorant and unfair to judge us as so.

I think that we will survive from this all, but I think that we won't go through it without serious changes in the identity of this school, and ourselves. Already there is rumors of Joe Paterno being phased out from Creamery flavors and all of the hundreds if not thousands of connections between his legacy and Penn State. We are still Penn State, but the fact that Penn State will be split from the man that has represented it for 40 years is very surreal and intimidating. There is still so much good in this school that we'll find our identity again, whether it will be better or worse is impossible to say. But the thing that bothers me is that this institution, that has for years been synanymous with integrity, is now soiled in the eyes of the rest of the country.

It seems that the rest of the world chooses to currently generalize against the extremely large and very diverse populace at Penn State using just these few images they've seen of poor and ignorant actions and decisions. It's a shame, but it will be what others will see this school as for several years to come, and it will be in the back of the mind of prospective employers as they consider us in the future. When there is little to distinguish in the almost identical resume's of students between two different Big 10 schools, I'm afraid that employers would lean towards other schools after subconsiously associating a student from Penn State with this scandal.

With respect to the victims, who have suffered the most throughout this tragedy, this school has been dealt a significant blow to credibility, spirit, and identity. It's just unbelievable that the actions of one horrid man and the lack of action by a few men around him has let to this much damage in a community of well over 40,000 people. And just when the most beloved man on campus was fired, when we were in the spotlight of the national media, many of the students added to this disgrace by acting out idiotically in this riot. It was a large number of students, but not by any means the majority of campus, however the media seemed to cover it as such.

I think that immigrants should learn English as a means of communicating well with other people in this country, and that not doing so puts them at a severe disadvantage socially. However, I disagree that immigrants have to completely abandon their previous languages and speak only english when they're in public. Language helps define and distinguish us, and though many spanish speakers in America have left behind their former countries in search for a new life, it doesnt mean they have to leave behind their identity and cultural pride. Some people have little but this pride in their cultural identity and history, and asking them to stop their speaking their native language would be asking them to repress an important part of themselves. Still, you simply should learn English if you plan on staying in this country in additiont to whatever language you originally speak. In some areas of the country, immigrants stay with other immigrants and can get away with not knowing english. But go anywhere else, and you simply cannot interact with other people effectively. I work in retail, and so many times I've had difficulty helping customers who do not understand English. If you live in primarily english speaking areas, you should make an effort to learn english for your own good. I disagreed with one part of lecture the other day- sam mentioned going to prague and not learning the czech language because it was too difficult, and how could you expect anyone to drop everything and learn the language. However, there is a difference between visiting a country with a different primary language than your native tongue, and living and committing to reside in that country with a different primary language. No one is going to learn a language if they're just visiting, no one has the time to become fluent in a language within just a few days. But making the conscious decision to live in another country with a different language, one of the first things that should be done is a serious effort to learn english. I do realize this is easier said then done, especially in areas that are more willing to offer english. When i went to austria in high school, i wanted to take the iniatitive to learn basics of the language and use some of these when I was in germany. However, so many people in germany speak english that the german for dummies book i bought was somewhat unnecessary, and i ended speaking english most of the time while on the trip. I wanted to be more involved in learning the language, but I didnt, and I can somewhat sympathize with the immigrants living here that do not know how to speak english.

Even as a white middle class male, I'd say that I'm not afraid of the idea that white people will be the minority in a few years, and in fact i think it will be a much needed change in things. I think so many white people are afraid of becoming the minority because white people have held the power in this country and world for years and years, and becoming a minority means losing some of that power. That terrifies some white people, the fact that they don't have as strong of a grip on other races and cultures of people than they previously did when they were the majority. But as a whole, I think this coloring of the American people will have a positive effect on race relations and the unity of the American people. No matter how you look at it, white privilege exists, and anyone born with white skin already has a jump start. It may not be entirely a white world, but it certainly is run primarily by old, white, rich men. But as the culture gets more diverse through reproduction between races and immigration, the power will shift from those rich old white men that have held all of the power since the country's beginning, and shift more towards other people from other backgrounds. This is a good thing, as there is a huge divide in power and wealth within our nation, and making that gap smaller will benefit the majority of people in this country. Also, most of racism and racial ignorance is based on the lack of diversity or racial role models for certain people. Someone living in an all white community will not have any experiences or first hand relationship with other races to ground any bias or impressions that the white people may pick up. Only by getting to know someone from a different culture can you even make any assumptions about them, so having nonwhite groups outnumbering white people in the country will give more white people opportunities to react with other racial groups, and discover that they aren't that different from anyone else. It really shouldnt be a problem for white people to give up some power to other races. After how we've treated some of the races we've come in contact with, we owe them some retribution for our actions and prejudices. Plus, white men have had hundreds of years of unchecked prosperity and success, and it is time to share some of that will some of the nonwhite families that we as white people have helped oppress. Its never a bad thing to get different people from different races on the same playing field, it helps us get to know each other, and not only learn about our differences, but learn how to celebrate them too.

I think I have felt white guilt in the past. Although sometimes I may be in Stage 2 due to being overly politically correct and not knowing what to say, but I also exhibit traits of stage 3 in that I do feel white guilt. It is somewhat undeniable that many people are in poorer living conditions or start off with a financial handicap due to the actions of powerful white men. They made the decisions for a huge part of the world's population for centuries now, influencing and forcing differently traited people towards their own wants and desires. Many white people say that white guilt is unimportant and unrelated to ourselves- we didn't commit those actions, it was our parents or their parent's parents. Why feel bad about it if you had nothing to do with it? Although that question and point of view is fair, it is unfair to ignore the affect that your parent's actions have had on other people. Although it is not your actions that have created these problems, these problems exist nonetheless, and something has to be done about it. Throughout history, on our path to power, many white people stepped on nonwhite people to get ahead. Slavery, for example, followed this exactly. Slaves were seen as nothing more than a commodity to some white people, so these living breathing people are mistreated and ignored. Then after slavery was abolished, white people in this country still managed to from having to share their power with black people through segregation laws and other challenges. It took years for black people to get to the point where they are today, and many are still struggling to find happiness nd get the same priveldges that those of us born white enjoy. Another group mistreated by white men in this country that still do not get any recognition or support are the Native Americans. This is a race of people that despite having occupied America for hundreds of years, were kicked off of their land and sometimes slaughtered. Native Americans went from thousands in population in these area to meager numbers on reservations. These people still havent received any worthwhile contripution or penance. Theres no American Indian history month, and their abuse by our goverment and it's learning via rich white meaning goes almost unremembered and unnoticed by most people. So due to all of this inequality that exists today as a result of our ancestors choices, it makes it reasonable that many people, including myself, would express some type of white guilt due to these situations. Its not our fault, but it doesnt mean we cant do anything to help those in a position or victim of that poverty or inequality

I think it's remarkable how well adjusted and happy these girls seem to be, despite the circumstances they were born into. Weaker twins would fall into a state of depression and pity, however these girls seem to live somewhat ordinary and contented lives to the best of their ability. They seem to be friendly and interact with people at school, they drive, and they have future aspirations and dreams like any other high school students. The one English teacher did bring some interesting points up about challenges that the girls will face. They'll have to decide on the same careers, as there really is no way to have them perform different jobs. It seems like they have similar career ideas as of now, but they are two different people, and are likely to change. Will one twin have to sacrifice her ideal job aspirations for the other, or will they be able to find something they both enjoy? It must be difficult to need approval from someone for everything that you do, even the simplest actions that require two hands need proper coordination from both twins. They must have a very close relationship to along together so well: i know that if i was connected by the waist to one of my siblings, things would certainly not go as smoothly. You also have to wonder how even the most ordinary tasks are achieved. In terms of school, they have two different minds working at the same time, but only one body. How are they tested? And then it must be difficult at night when one of the twins wants to stay up and one wants to sleep. Every motion by one twin will wake the other, and it's a wonder they can get a full nights rest without disturbing the other. It must also be hard for the girls to create their own identities and build personal relationships. It seems like they are often addressed together rather than individually. I have a few friends that are twins that complained about always getting lumped in conversations as the "twins", but it must be even worse for Abigail and Brittany. Still, they seem to be experienced and accepting of their different circumstances, and it is inspiring to see them tackle these obstacles with a positive attitude. It also seems like the people around the respond positively to them as well, with a supportive family and friends to help them get through the difficult parts. No wonder what challenges they face in the future, I hope they can overcome them together and defeat the adversity in their way. Its nice that at the end of the day, theyre above all else greatful for each other, and despite being in a somewhat difficult situation, they seem like they wouldnt have it any other way if it meant being without the other.