I want to first start off by saying that this is the greatest class that I have ever taken at penn state and I feel like it is due to the fact that sam was the teacher. I feel that this class should be a required class for all incoming freshmen in penn state and made a graduation requirement. This is solely due to the fact that it opens your eyes to the issues that are in todays society that most people do not know is going on. With his teaching style he doesn’t teach you what to think but rather he teaches you a different way to think. By that I mean he takes the traditional thinking held dear by everyone and twists it to another point of view that you wouldn’t normally look at. This is something that can make people angry at times because no one likes to be challenged in their ways of thinking. But this does something that other teachers can’t do and that is making you think critically. Yes a lot of classes do make you think about the world but none let you decide what you feel on this issue. By that I mean that most teachers try to get you feel a certain way about certain subject. I feel that sam doesn’t really feel a certain way about any issues and he is open to everyone’s opinions. Along with that he will challenge everyones opinion to make them think about the other viewpoint. Well what I got from this class was a better understanding of race and how much it truly does play a role in the way that we live our lives. This ties into the invisible strings idea that we have been focused on all semester. And that has to do with the fact that every action that we do in life is shaped by every other action and how we are not entirely in control of our lives. Except for suicide but even that isn’t that personal because it can be shaped by other factors like if someone was bullied in school or if they didn’t have any friends. Point is this class is the best class and I will tell all of my friends to take it because it really opens your eyes to what else is out there in this world that we seem to be oblivious to each and every day. So I just want to say thank you sam for making this class so enjoyable this semester and I really hope I can take you again during my penn state career. If not it has great learning from you. Hopefully the last class is the best class of the semester.

Personally, I find nothing wrong with interracial dating but I can see the reason why some people see an issue. In life everyone wants to be accepted by their peers and with that comes conforming to social norms. With social norms people do what everyone else wants them to do and unfortunately interracial dating isn’t the most accepted practice so therefore it is something challenging traditional beliefs. I grew up in a traditional Italian family who were in short, trapped in the 50’s with their beliefs and when it came to dating a girl of another race it was something that just wasn’t acceptable. I have my own beliefs so I didn’t listen to them when it came to this issue. But for some reason I feel that their beliefs sort of got through to me because I haven’t dated anyone of another race. Not because I am racist by any means but because I am not attracted to women of other races for some reason it is just something in my head. Or at least that’s what I thought before I took this class and Sam made me realize that my opinion may have been shaped by factors out of my own personal control. If I grew up in a household that was more accepting of interracial relationships I think my opinions may have been different about the topic. I am not saying that I judge people who do participate in relationships with those of an opposite race but I am saying that its not something that I feel that I could bring myself to do because I respect my families opinion about me and I don’t want them to think of me differently. This comes back to the idea that people do stuff based on what society brings them to do and it is not always personal decisions. Like Sam said, “the only truly personal decision you have is committing suicide”. Even that isn’t a completely personal decision because you may have been driven to that based on how you were treated by your peers or events that happened in your life. When it comes to the opposite of some white girls not liking interracial relationships, that could be because they are scared. By scared I mean that they don’t feel comfortable being in one of those relationships. This can relate to the video that we watched in class about the kids choosing which doll they liked the best. Most of the people identified the black doll as being the bad doll. While that is horrible it is unfortunately an attitude that was again shaped by our societies invisible strings. So everything is inter related even if you don’t think that it is.

I honestly feel that this lecture was kind of one of sams worst lectures. I feel that he was very judgemental in his wording. I feel this because he feels that none of us are aware at all about the current issues regarding muslims and that is just not true. I mean for some people it may be true but I feel personally I am well versed on the isses at hand and thus this doesnt really apply to me. There were too many what-ifs to positively agree that if I was put into the shoes of an Arab Muslim that I would join the resistance, however, Sams lecture definitely opened my eyes to the issues at hand. Even today, as bombs and mortars fly between Israel and Gaza, I can only hope that other people will begin to see the importance of understanding both sides of an argument. It is not until this point that we will ever truly have world peace. I mean when sam asked us about joining the militia I was one of the individuals that said hell yes put me in. But I cant really understand why some people said that they would not go into the militia. I mean if someone was taking everything u own and pretty much changing your whole ways of life wouldnt you want to do something to help fight off these invaders. Its hard to put yourself in those shoes because that is not the case and it is hard for someone to put their emotions aside when it comes to their home country. Also you have to take into consideration the backgrounds of people and how they feel about conflict and why they feel the way they do. So I would join the militia purely due to the fact that I feel that someone shoulde protect what is there from anyone who tries to take it away from them. If force is what is required I think people should put aside some of their ethical boundaries and do what is best for the greater good of the people as a whole. So I feel personally I would join the militia in a heartbeat.

The whole issue about immigration is a huge topic that effects everyone in the united states of America as well as the entire world. Some Americans complain that the illegal aliens are taking all of the jobs and causing them to be out of work. While in some cases this may be true it doesn’t cover the whole story. What about the jobs that Americans do not want to take such as farm jobs and hard manual labor. These are the kind of jobs that will always be in demand no matter how bad the economy is tanking, but most Americans see these jobs as too much work because they could get the same amount of money claiming unemployment. This is where the illegal aliens prosper because they are willing to do these jobs if it means that they can stay in this country. In class an individual raised this same point about how society would crumble if these basic jobs were not met. Now lets look at the other side of the spectrum. Everyone is an immigrant in some way shape or form unless they are native American and their ancestors origins go back to when the native Americans roamed the lands. I just feel that we are just a bunch of hypocrites because if we truly wanted to kick out all the illegal aliens then we would have to kick out the Italians as well as the polish and every other group that doesn’t belong but we don’t do that. I feel that a lot of people are really passionate about this topic and they should be because it is a huge topic that has good points leaning for and against. Everyone should just try to come to the united states legally and become a citizen because that is what would make everyone happy and would stop some of the fighting between politicians. Sam just opened my eyes on this topic because I haven’t personally thought about immigration that in depth for a long time since about high school. I know I say this a lot in my posts but he really has a way of making people think and I admire this man greatly for this ability and honestly I feel that everyone should take this class solely for this reason. At times he makes you angry but that is only because he is challenging the beliefs that everyone holds dear and that will always cause issues no matter what or who is speaking about it. So in closing I feel that the immigration topic needs to be addressed but it is something that is going to make people angry no matter what the resolution may be.

This is a great issue that was brought up by sam about pregnancy and rape and abortion. I personally think that raping someone is the worst possible thing you can do because you are taking someone’s respect away and in this world it is good to have respect of your peers. I am personally a republican and I believe in pro life, but I am not one of those hardcore pro life individuals. I agree that if someone has consensual sex and gets pregnant they should have the baby and not kill a poor defenseless individual. With this even if you can’t support a kid there is always adoption options that will give the kid a chance. But when it comes to rape that’s a different story because it is not your fault if you get pregnant from being rapped. You shouldn’t have to be punished more then the act itself did. I personally had a friend who was raped and it was so traumatic for her but to make matters worse she got pregnant which in her family she had to keep the baby. Now everytime I hang out with her even though she loves the kid to death I can see that almost everytime she looks at the kid it reminds her of her attacker and relives the event over again. Abortion is bad if you use it because you are too lazy to not wear a condom but if it is not your fault and when it comes to rape I believe that abortion should be allowed no matter how wrong I feel it is to take a poor defenseless life away. In some cases of this you need to look at what is best for the baby. If there is a case where if the baby is born then it is either going to ruin a lot of peoples lives or ruin an opportunity for a 16 year old then I feel that the baby should either go up for adoption or some other means. The issue about abortion is one of the most controversial topics that is out in the world today because everyones opinions are different. I feel that the best way to get exposed to everyones viewpoints about this issue is to listen to other peoples opinions with an open mind not a closed mind which most people have when someone challenges an ideal that someone holds near and dear. So in closing I feel that abortion should only be used in cases that its necessary not just because you want to have unprotected sex. Rape is also the worst thing that can happen and if someone makes abortion illegal then what are those parents going to be stuck with.

I know Sam always says that this is going to be the best class of the semester but I actually feel that this class was the best one so far. I just found it really interesting about the fact that no one ever really talks about the fact that we kicked the native Americans off their land. In my eyes this was a terrible thing to do and completely uncalled for. The thing that I dont understand is how we have the right to keep people out of our country nowadays with illegal aliens when in actuality everyone that doesnt have any native American blood in them are illegal aliens to. It makes you think about whether we are too hard on illegal aliens or if we arent harsh enough. The way I look at it, you cant change the past but u can change the future and I feel that we should do a little more to help out the people that we hurt when we took their land. It was a sad fact to know that the tribes dont even own the majority of their so- called land. Even the reservations arent even fully owned by the tribes which I feel should change. If we are going to essentially commit the biggest genocide in history we should at least have the common courtesy to give them a little portion that they control. It is also really bad that we spend billions of dollars rebuilding Iraq and fighting the war in Afghanistan but yet we dont have enough common sense or government support to help our own people and make them happy. Its just a controversy that will never be solved because no one can go back in time and try to fix all the holes that they made. Another thing that I thought was really cool about the class was the prayer that the guy sang at the end of class. It was just something that sounded like it was coming from the heart and it showed a little about how much hurt he feels as a native American. I personally enjoy most when someone either comes into the class or if we talk to someone on skype because it gives a new perspective to the topic at hand. I mean sam makes you think but whenever someone else is put into the picture those views are sometimes challenged as well as sometimes backed up. All I know is I am so glad that I took this class this semester because in a way I am learning so much and in another way im just thinking about things people dont usually think of. Keep up the good work sam.

This is a bit of a hard question to answer because of the fact that someone’s definition of a personal decision could be completely different then someone else’s. For example someone could mean a personal decision is one that decides who you are going to date or what you are going to do with your friends on a Friday night. But on the other hand in class sam was talking about how suicide is one of the most personal decisions one can make. Personally I have never tried to commit suicide but I have had friends that have thought that it may be the easiest way out of the hassle and stress of everyday life. When it comes to me I feel that the only real personal decision I had to make was whether I was going to go to penn state or not. I know that doesn’t sound like a big deeply personal decision but it really is. My mom, dad, and uncle have all went to penn state and graduated with a degree related to business. The problem is I grew up in state college and with college I wanted to get out on my own and pretty much enjoy college. But there were invisible strings effecting my decision about going to penn state. If I went to penn state then my parents would be happy but if I went to a school that would give me independence I would be happy and my parents would be disappointed. I ended up choosing to go to penn state obviously and it was a good decision. The class about suicide blew my mind because I can’t fully grasp why anyone would want to kill themselves. I don’t feel suicide is a personal decision because it is shaped by experiences that we are exposed to and thoughts or ideas that have came to our minds. Suicide doesn’t just affect one person which is what people don’t fully grasp. One of my acquaintances of high school committed suicide and it affected everyone because they felt that they were to blame because they teased him relentlessly. This class has opened my eyes to so many issues that I have thought about but have never talked about. Like no one ever talks about suicide but it doesn’t mean that people don’t think about it. I would recommend this class to anyone who is willing to set aside beliefs that they have held near and dear because sam pokes at those issues and makes everyone think. I personally love to think and I guess that is why I like this class because it is one of my favorite classes I have taken at penn state so far.

In class when sam was trying to find someone who is rich no one wanted to raise their hand. This could have been because there was no one in the room that would consider themselves extremely rich or it is because of the unanticipated side effects associated with people thinking that you are rich. What I mean by that is in this world there are two types of friends, the ones who are your friends because they value your time , and those who only like something that you have or the amount of money you have. I would not say that I grew up in a rich family but I can say that I grew up in a family that is pretty well off in comparison to other families meaning I was middle class. Even though I wasn’t the richest individual I did have friends that were really wealthy and I actually asked them about this. He said that he doesn’t just tell everyone that he is rich because he feels that people would treat him differently because of that. He had an experience with an ex girl friend where she only was dating him because of the money he had in his bank account and not because of the fact that she actually loved him. As a society the wealthy are usually considered to be snobby and think that they are better than everyone else just because of the amount of money they have. But in actuality not all people that are wealthy are stuck up but that is a stereotype that no one really wants to be associated with. Which brings me back to the question about why no one in the class raised their hand when sam was looking for someone who is rich. I could tell that when the one person finally admitted that his family was rich, was given looks from people because they all thought in their minds that “ohh he is just another spoiled rich boy that gets everything they want”. As a child I was very appreciative of any present that I got from my parents because of the thought that they put into it. I could’ve cared less if it was five hundred dollars or five dollars it just meant something because it was from my parents. On a little bit of a side note I feel that kids these days are only focused on wanting the most expensive thing and then when something new comes out they just want that. As a society we should try to adopt the idea of appreciating what you do have rather then what you can’t have. So I feel no one raised there hand when sam asked about being rich because of the sole theory that people do not want to be treated differently based on what they do or don’t have.

This is a very interesting point that was brought up and a point that I have thought about before but never talked about it. After seeing this in class I took a peek into what I have looked for in relationships in the past. I know everyone says they go for the personality of someone but looks have a little something to do with it. Which brings me to the point about this girl letting herself grow a beard. Personally when I saw it I was shocked because I have never seen a woman let herself grow a beard. But when I looked at it again I saw something completely different. I saw a girl that doesn’t care what people think about her and someone who is strong enough to stand up for what she believes in. According to the media portrayal on how a women is “supposed to look” this would be frowned upon because women are supposed to be feminine and pretty and what this girl is portraying is the exact opposite of that and that is masculine. I know it sounds bad that I am quote on quote making fun of her but I am not by any means doing that. While in her Sikh religion, this is what it means to be beautiful and a women should not alter their image because god intended them to look a certain way I feel that it is a little strange for her to do this. I am by no means a shallow individual that is only concerned with the way someone looks because the looks only last so long but the personality is what keeps the relationship going. Let’s be honest just looks get boring after a while and personality never gets boring if you find the right person. I feel that people look at this girl differently because it is not something that they are used to. By this I mean that if the media portrayed women with facial hair as beautiful I can bet any amount of money that you will see women walking down the street with facial hair because everyone wants to feel accepted. Personally, I don’t think I am strong enough to date someone like this frankly just because of what other people may say but that doesn’t make this girl a bad person. A long time ago it was considered beautiful to be overweight because it symbolizes social position because if you are big then that means you eat enough which leads to the idea that you were rich. Point is there is nothing wrong with this girl growing out the hair its just something that I don’t feel as a society we are ready to accept yet.

Hip hop is one of the most powerful forms of expressing yourself out there. Some people talk about heartache and how someone did them wrong, and others talk about the oppression that they face on a daily basis. I know I am a white guy and it seems like I do not know anything about what it means to be oppressed. The fact is my grandfather had to change his name because it sounded to “Italian” to get a good job. How do you think that feels to have to change your entire family name just because of the fear of being discriminated against. Back to the topic at hand, hip hop speaks to people and when it speaks people listen. Such as “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash which talks about life in the ghetto and it gives a small depiction of what it is like to live there to someone like me who has not grown up with that life. The point is hip hop can take a message from someone who has experienced something and deliver it to those who do not know what it feels like or want to know a little more about it. Believe me when I see someone lecturing about a topic I sort of doze off but hip hop is something that I like to listen to and because I like to listen to it the message that it gives sinks in better then a lecture. When that man came in and began to rap it seemed as though I was getting the message he was trying to say and that message is that people shouldn’t judge someone just because of a religion that they practice or the color of their skin. I believe that the war that we are fighting, is not just in Afghanistan but rather it is in the minds of people who are not open to change. Take for example the airport, because I am a white guy it is very routine to go through security but for someone of Islamic descent it takes much longer and they would be checked at least twice as well as me. The thing is, it doesn’t matter which way the message is delivered what matters is if the people that the message is going to understands what needs to be changed and take it upon themselves to make that change. Hip hop is just an easier outlet for someone to express their feelings and try to convey to others that it is not ok to treat people of other backgrounds differently because of the way that they look. But rather to treat someone the way that you want to be treated and judge them based on their actions.