To answer the first part of this question, I believe that many Americans dislike immigrants because of common stereotypes perhaps about their race or religion. I think that people are intimidated and possibly scared of immigrants, or what they symbolize for the United States. A lot of immigrants come to America to create better lives for themselves and their families. For this reason, they seem to take any job available; in other words, those jobs that many Americans do not want to do themselves. Yet, many Americans still have problems with immigrants taking these jobs that may not be completed without them, which also causes a great deal of hatred for these immigrants. Numerous Americans argue that it is unfair for people to live in the United States illegally, in addition to not having to pay taxes. I commend the illegal immigrants for desiring a better life and future for themselves and families. It takes a great deal of courage to pack up and leave one’s home country to come somewhere completely foreign and hopefully build a greater life. They do not even know what will happen once they arrive in the United States, and whether their lives will truly be better here or not. I am not saying that I approve of or support illegal immigration; I’m just stating that these people deserve to be recognized as achievers because of their daring actions. I also think Americans disapprove of these illegal immigrants because they do not necessarily understand where they are coming from, including myself. Many people who immigrate here are coming from countries that have so much less than even the poorest of places in the United States, that we cannot truly fathom what they go through on a daily basis to find food and clean water. I cannot imagine living in the conditions that many people are forced to live in, in third world countries, or even those just a step up from third world countries. We are so accustomed to our lifestyles here, even at Penn State, that we cannot even picture not having the items that we do on a daily basis. We take for granted all that we are given, that we may not comprehend why people would want to pick up everything and leave their homes. I think the conditions that some people live in are just so unbelievable that we ought to give them credit for trying start new and better their lives. I understand that many people dislike these immigrants, but it is not like they come to America being handed money, a job, and a place to live. Countless immigrants come knowing no one and having nothing, and are therefore forced to make a life for themselves and their families. And being able to do so is amazing.

I would like to say that I believe people should get into the universities they do, get the jobs they do, and even other things solely based on their talents and abilities. However, it is hard to deny that connections, or nepotism, has nothing to do with it. It is nice to have a foot in the door because a relative or close friend of yours knows someone who can help you out. Regardless of the idea of nepotism, I still believe that people need to work hard in order to get somewhere in life or at least to feel a sense of pride within themselves. Although a majority of the individuals in the world will admit that it is mostly about whom you know, it always feels the most rewarding to get something on one’s own and to really truly work for it. In my life, I have always put forth my best effort in any endeavor I take part in, whether it is school related or sports related, I always try my best because otherwise I would feel as though I let myself down. Until class today, I had not realized every place where nepotism comes into play. Having seen this now, I feel like I have sometimes unfairly benefited from certain qualities and characteristics that I possess. I do not think it is wrong to ask for the help from another who has certain connections. In the end, everyone wants the best for themselves and will therefore do whatever it takes to get the desired outcome. If this means asking for a relative or friend to put in a good word for you, there is nothing wrong with doing that. I believe if there is a balanced mix of hard work and nepotism then it is okay, rather than simply relying on one’s connections to get them everywhere in life. So to answer the question, no I do not think that I would actively try to not benefit from nepotism, but would anyone really? Of course I like the rewarding feelings of accomplishing a task on my own, but I do not think I could pass up an opportunity if it came my way, regardless if it was due to a connection or not. I think I would feel prouder of myself if I did it all on my own, but it is not wrong to seek help. Many people will answer the posed question that yes; they will actively try to not benefit from nepotism. But I think when actually faced with the specific opportunity coming from a connection, one would have to rethink that answer. As much as people would like to say that they do not or will not give in to nepotism, just take a second look at everything you have in life, because without realizing it at the time, you are likely to have been affected by nepotism at least once.

When seeing the type of commercial that focuses on starving children in poorer countries, people tend to feel sympathetic towards these children and their unfortunate lifestyles. However, I feel that it is only a momentary sadness that ends when the commercial changes. It does not typically leave people asking what can I do for these families that do not even have food to consume on a day-to-day basis or even clothing to change into each day. I have never really looked at the situation presented from Ernso’s point of view. I felt that seeing the images of emaciated children definitely impacts viewers, however I think there are other ways just as influential to demonstrate the country’s dire need of help. I agree that organizations should not come to these countries to take pictures of sad and starving children just for the purpose of putting the images on television. I believe that these organizations can come up with a better approach to these commercials that give more information on how we can help out here in the United States. From what Ernso said, the people of Haiti are not necessarily looking for or desiring money, so much as advice and help with their companies. I did not know this information until we began the Haiti project with Soc 119. I think that a majority of the people in America and other countries looking to help Haiti, believe that they need money and clothes, which is true, but not the most pressing issue. They need jobs and the resources to get their ideas out there and exposed to the public beyond the borders of Haiti. These commercials focusing on starving children demonstrate the sadness in the kids’ eyes, but do not really tell us what we can do. Yes, they all say donate money to this organization and send clothes to this one, but they do not give us all the facts. We want to know what we can do for them in other ways than just sending money and clothing. There are so many people here that are capable of offering their advice and assistance to these entrepreneurs that could help their companies truly blossom, and overall help the country rebuild itself. So, I honestly do believe that these organizations could go about making their commercials in other ways that will leave just as big of a mark, or greater on the viewers. Hopefully, once presenting more information and details about what is needed, people will become more interested in offering their assistance and knowledge. So many organizations and commercials begin and end with the need to donate money to their causes, but not many give reasons and additional ways to help out. Once commercials start doing so, I believe that a greater amount of people will be inclined to help out.

I would not necessarily say that I feel uncomfortable when I am surrounded by two or more people speaking another language. I think I am more intrigued by their language and culture, and for some reason I try to understand what they are saying, when in reality I cannot comprehend one word they exchange. I tend to look at their tone of voice or emotional expressions to see what is going on.
I typically find other languages very interesting and notice that I am always curious to know more. I feel that many people are likely to stare when others surrounding them are speaking a different language. Most individuals do not gaze at others to be rude, however, are simply drawn to the uniqueness of that other language and the people that are speaking it. Having studied French for many years I was extremely excited to travel the country whose language I had been learning. After arriving in France, I observed that a majority of the French people I met spoke English. I was very disappointed to learn that I would not be able to use my French skills as often as I had anticipated. From time to time I attempted to speak French with the people I met at stores or at certain events that we attended, however, I felt that they understood my English much more than I had understood their French. I find that other countries learn and speak English much earlier than children in America do. This enables them to converse fluently in English when they travel to the United States, when in contrast; many Americans are not able to fluently speak another language until they are truly immersed in it. I think it is sad how little we actually study languages compared to the level that other countries study English.
I do not fully understand why people would feel uncomfortable in such situations where there are people speaking a foreign language around them. In actuality, the majority of the other people surrounding them speak their own language. All my life I have been fascinated by cultures and languages other than my own, and therefore enjoy travelling to places outside the United States. I want to know how cultures differ from my own and even how they are the same to my American lifestyle.
I believe the only time I would truly feel uncomfortable is if the individuals speaking another language were trying to communicate with me and I could not understand what they were saying. This would be extremely frustrating because of the language barrier; however, I have not really been in too many situations when I needed to converse with people who spoke absolutely no English. I would also feel a bit uncomfortable if the people speaking the other language were clearly talking about me. Yet again, I think this would be more of an annoyance than a discomfort.

Personally, I do not have a problem with interracial relationships. Especially while taking Soc 119, I have seen the many similarities between people of different races as well as began to think more deeply about what race really means to me. And with these new ideas I have decided that I cannot truly find a problem with interracial couples. I feel they are just as much of a couple as any same race couple. They develop the same feelings for each other that a couple of the same race would, in addition to wanting the same things for their future.
What could possibly be the issues that people find wrong with interracial couples? Maybe that their cultures are possibly different, but with time anyone can be introduced to another culture and way of life. Or maybe they possess different religious views. But to some individuals, these are not the important aspects of life. Many people believe that if you find the one person you can imagine spending the rest of your life with, it does not matter the color of their skin or the religion they are. I feel that this will alleviate a great deal of prejudices in our society because those opposing interracial relationships will see these couples accepting each other with their differences and forming a relationship upon that. However, these relationships may also be capable of causing more race issues because some individuals may not understand why interracial couples want to be together if they are “so” different from one another.
In my opinion, I enjoy having friends of other races than my own, because it introduces me to other cultures and furthers my knowledge on the world. I do not choose friends or boyfriends based upon the color of their skin but rather common traits or qualities to my own, for instance, those who share the same preferences in music or sports as me. When it comes to dating, although a physical attraction is necessary, I think I am mostly attracted to a guy’s personality rather than their skin tone. If we share certain interests as well as are able to carry a conversation, I believe skin color does not matter.
I give interracial couples credit for being proud and open with their relationships when knowing that there is great deal of individuals in our society who do not approve of them. It is not for anyone else to judge a relationship between two people. If they are happy with how their relationship is going and each other, then they should be able to live without prejudices and judgments. If other relationships are not criticized, then why is it fair for people to disapprove of those with different skin tones dating?

I strongly agree that Zach Wahls is a powerful speaker. Not only was he extremely honest about his family and home life, but also very proud. He spoke with great confidence and eloquence, while advocating for something close to heart that he deeply believes in, which makes it difficult to disagree with what he is saying. I feel that it takes a great deal of bravery to and pride to speak out about such a controversial topic. Families with either gay or lesbian parents are no less of a family than one with a mother and father. They love and care just as much for each member within the family, so why do so many people oppose families with same sex parents? I understand that people may criticize these families, but for what purpose? I think that people tend to judge same sex couples and their families by their appearance, having two moms or two dads, before getting the chance to meet the individuals. Many people also believe that children are negatively affected if they have gay or lesbian parents, however, Zach proves this theory wrong. Personally, I do not comprehend why a large amount of individuals are against the marriage of two men or two women. Yes, it may be different from the “traditional” idea of a couple, but if they love each other, what is so different? Although you may not share the same feelings as someone who is gay or lesbian, it does not mean they are wrong for having these particular feelings. I am sure that there are many things that gay and lesbian couples have in common with a male and female couple. I think that it is necessary to accept all people as they are, regardless of whom they choose to be with. It is important to ask questions when we do not understand or think the same way as someone else, therefore we can be further educated on people unlike ourselves, and perhaps find some similarities.
Something that is hard for me to comprehend is why people disagree and disapprove of families with same sex parents, while there are families out there with abusive parents, or those who are drug addicts. Aren’t these circumstances worse off for children than to simply have two moms or two dads? If same sex couples are able to provide children with as much as opposite sex couples, then why disapprove of these parents because they are “different”. Because society has this idea that it is immoral for two women or two men to love each other, they automatically judge these couples and therefore find them as unfit parents. However, the children of same sex couples would not feel any different if society did not treat them in this way.

I tend to feel guilty when I see those less fortunate individuals than myself. I typically question why I have the things that I do and why I have been given the certain opportunities I have. But then I remember and consider the amount of work and time both my mother and father put into their careers and daily endeavors, so my brother and I would be able to attend the colleges of our choice and have nice belongings.
All my life I have seen examples set forth by my grandparents and parents, that working hard will provide me with success in the end, which is why it is sometimes hard to feel guilty when I think about particular privileges that I have.
Honestly, I do not know whether I feel guilty or sorrowful for slaves. It was not me personally who enslaved these individuals, but I do agree and acknowledge that slavery is wrong in all senses. I believe that I may not feel as guilty for the act of slavery because I am not necessarily witnessing it on a daily basis. Nonetheless, when we watched the videos in class on slavery and the awful treatment/ conditions slaves live in, I developed more powerful feelings of guilt and shock on the subject matter. I am a strong believer that everyone should be treated equally and given the same chances to succeed, however, that becomes impossible when people are under the control or reign of others. It is unfair to violently force another individual to complete manual labor without some sort of reward or payment. The treatment of slaves is extremely immoral and appalling. Once slaves were freed, they were again misled into thinking they would receive items or rewards, such as land, that they were not given. These lies and pure abuse of other human beings makes me feel more angry than guilty. The passive act of being guilty will not get us anywhere in life. Possessing feelings of guilt are in essence saying that something has already occurred that we did not act upon to change or make better, which makes us in the wrong. Conversely, having feelings of anger or passion will cause us to act on behalf of these emotions; therefore we are at least getting involved.
After watching the video on slaves working in the Ivory Coast, who were falsely lured into leaving their families for what they believed would be a well paying job, I began to feel as though I should be doing something to help these innocent and mistreated people. Once hearing a man equate the act of eating chocolate to that of eating or consuming his flesh, I began to feel guilty for not being informed about these slaves and where a majority of the items I eat and own come from. I feel that it is my job as an American and human being to understand that there are slaves in other countries forced to make items that are benefitting me.

I think the reason why we typically find people from different countries unlike ourselves is mostly attributed to their outer appearance. Upon seeing an individual dressed differently than that of a typical American, we automatically critique them on how dissimilar they are to ourselves, when truthfully, they could have been born and raised in the United States and simply chose to wear the clothes they do for various personal reasons. We are so quick to judge others that appear different before getting to know them that we are giving the impression that we are racist and prejudice.
Before traveling to Europe in 2008, I had formed an image in my mind of what I thought England and France would be like. Upon arriving in England, I was very surprised to see how alike the people were to Americans. There were some differences in the clothing we wore, but the teenagers that we met talked about the same topics as we did, as well as were interested in some of the same musical groups as we were. I do not know why I went into the trip with a certain mentality that the people would be so different from myself. I did not perceive them as different in a bad way at first, but more curious as to see how they differed from us. However, after thinking it through for a while, I do not remember why I thought they would be so different, yes they live in a different place and have somewhat of a different culture, but we share so many of the same interests, desires, and values. Towards the end of the trip I enjoyed finding the similarities between our countries, which made me feel as though I was still in the United States, except for the language difference. I did notice that a great deal more of the French kids we met spoke fluent English in comparison to the minute amount of students from my school that could fluently speak another language. It was shocking to me just how many French people spoke English, and how well they were able to do so.
I think that people view those from another country as so different because they do not know otherwise. Throughout our schooling we are not necessarily taught about all the variations of American people. We see a skin tone different from ours and we automatically think differently of them, when they could have been raised exactly as we were.
I think those individuals who make the decision to wear certain clothing items of importance to their race or religion deserve credit because there are a lot of hateful and prejudice people in the world, who do not feel they are deserving of calling themselves American because they look or dress differently. I think it is sad that many individuals judge others based solely on these characteristics before they even give them a chance to tell about their background.

As children our parents, teachers, and any additional mentors, encouraged us to do our best in school and any other endeavors we took part in. They drilled into us the idea that hard work truly pays off. I have always believed that the time and effort I put into my studies and daily tasks would be what got me places in life. I never relied on whom I knew to get me thus far, so why would I change my way of thinking suddenly?
Once I came to college I began to see that a majority of my peers and teachers believe that it is a mixture of hard work and who you know that will take you places in life rather than the amount of work or effort you exerted into doing something. It was challenging for me to grasp this concept because I had always felt that putting forth my best efforts aided me greatest in finding success as well as helped me feel the most accomplished and proud. The idea that it is equally important to know certain people than it is to work hard sparked a bit of frustration within me. I feel as though there is a multitude of people in the world who are working two, three, or even four low paying jobs just to survive day to day, when in reality they may be smarter or more innovative than a CEO of a big business, but are not given the opportunity to prove themselves worthy because they do not necessarily have “connections” where they would need them.
I know that many things in life are not fair and a lot of times it is all about the cards you are dealt, but getting a job or anything thing else handed to you simply because you know another individual is not right, however, if you are able to prove yourself qualified for the particular position, then you earned it.
Whenever we are interviewing for a job set up for us because we know someone else in a higher position, it is crucial to remember that there is a handful of people who are potentially more suitable than us out there who are not given the same opportunity to interview for such jobs, and are consequently forced to work in a place below their skill and or intelligence level.
As I continue my education at Penn State, I am beginning to witness this idea of shared importance between hard work and who you know to be more evident. Currently, I rely on my hard work and determination to help me succeed in school because I have not been in a situation where I gravely needed the assistance of someone I knew. But I do realize now that from time to time we all may need the help of a friend, parent, or relative to achieve a goal of ours.

I consider myself a very indecisive person; sometimes even the smallest of decisions are difficult for me to make. Because I put a great deal of thought into my decisions, I typically think about all the possible consequences and results of my choices, therefore I cannot be entirely blind sighted by the outcome of my decision. In my opinion, all choices affect our futures, some more than others. I do not think in certain situations that there is just one right answer or path to take. I believe that if you support your decision fully, then you cannot go wrong.
Before class this week I had not put a great deal of thought into the topic of free will and determinism. Yes, I am very fortunate to have grown up in the area I have, where most teens were given a car or always had one available for use, and were given practically anything they wanted within reason, which makes it difficult not to take things for granted. Most girls owned Ugg boots and North Faces, two expensive products that were parts of the everyday outfit in my town, when in reality there is a large population of people in the world that cannot afford either. I have always been appreciative of my parents for being able to give me the necessities and much more, but I do not think I really knew what being grateful was until this unit in sociology. Something else that I had never taken into consideration, is that having more money meant doing better on the SAT’s and other standardized tests.
After watching the clip from Oprah in class, I felt very remorseful for the students at the poorer school, who had so much less than students just a few hours away, which is simply unfair. They have no say in where they attend school, and therefore, may not be prepared if they move on to college. As the girl in the video had stated, she was completely lost in the math class she sat in on at the other school, and having wanted to study something pertaining to math in college, she began to feel very unprepared and apprehensive towards her future plans. Having attended a high school that prepared me for college I cannot say that I know what these students from the poorer school are going to go through once attending college, but I do know that it is wrong for them to not be given the same opportunities as other students their age at different schools.
I believe that there is an even balance in our lives between free will and determinism. I think they are both very influential on what happens in our lives whether it is dealing with our education, occupation, or anything else. Before this lesson I thought that I got everywhere in life because of the well thought out choices I made and the work I put into my schooling, but now I am starting to see how determinism has greatly affected the things that have happened in my life as well.