Unfortunately, in the United States immigrants (legal or illegal) are portrayed in a negative light. I feel like this has been the case for many years, and I don’t see things changing drastically in the very near future.
I think that people see immigrants negatively because they feel that they are “taking over” and that somehow they don’t belong. People think that these immigrants are gaining more control than they deserve and that eventually they will be running everything. Even if this was the case, why should it be a problem? People are people no matter where you go, and race/ethnicity should play a role in whether or not someone is a suitable leader.
With this “taking over” I’m sure (non-immigrant) people are afraid of the spread of a different culture and/or language. People fear what they do not know, and I think that until we realize that immigrants, whether they be legal or illegal, are not trying to push their views on us but rather just to make a living. The only thing these people want is to make a better life for themselves and their families, and I don’t think that the first thing on their list of priorities is forcing their opinions on others.
However, I think that these can be said for almost any other country in the world, not just the United States. This fear is a universal characteristic, and until we are able to end racism (which will not be any time soon), we will not be able to get rid of the fear.

Before this lecture I had never given any thought to how nepotism can be considered a form of affirmative action. I had always considered affirmative action a thing that must be put into place (by law or otherwise), not something that could just occur. And from my (obviously limited) knowledge of affirmative action, I wouldn’t have considered nepotism a means of affirmative action.

When I hear the phrase “affirmative action” I think of a much-debated topic that is generally seen as a positive. But, when I hear “nepotism,” I think negatively. Nepotism, in my opinion, has never really been seen as a good thing, at least to those not benefiting from it.

If a situation arose where I had the opportunity to benefit from nepotism, I can honestly say that I would not have a problem taking that opportunity. Getting ahead in life is all about who you know, and if someone I know can help me get to where I want to be, then you better believe I am going to take advantage of the privileges I have been given.

This topic makes me think back to the question earlier in the semester of free-will and determinism. I believe that nepotism can be seen as having factors based on both free-will and determinism. It is up to you to make the connections that you need to go where you want in life and it is up to you to decide whether or not you want to benefit from those connections. In this way nepotism has to do with free-will. If you are born into an affluent family and born with these strong connections, you don’t need to go out into the world to benefit, you are born with the ability to get ahead in life.

I think people need to take advantage of the opportunities they have been given, and if that includes benefiting from nepotism or any other form of affirmative action, then so be it.

I would have to say that most girls do “want” to dress the way they do when they go out, but it may not be for the reason that many would think. On more than one occasion I have read/seen/heard/whatever that girls do not dress the way they do for the guys. Girls dress the way they do to impress other girls. I never really believed this until I thought about it a little more. If guys aren’t putting hours into their look, why should they expect girls to? They are going to be so drunk at some point during the night that they will only be concerned whether or not you’re wearing clothes at all. This is not to say that girls don’t dress for the guys at all, of course they are concerned about impressing that random guy at the bar, but they do it mostly for the other girls. They want to get that look from other girls that says “wow, I really like her top/skirt/shoes/necklace/other article of clothing from the outfit so arduously put together … that bitch.” Yes, making other girls jealous is one of the big reasons for girls putting so much time and effort into getting ready to go out, because guys pretty much couldn’t care less what you’re wearing, let alone if your unnecessarily expensive bracelet matches the tiny decorations on your shirt. Another reason for girls spending so much time on their appearance before going out is the pictures. Mostly the ones that will end up on Facebook (whether they be tagged or untagged). Girls view their Facebook pictures as the way that the world sees them, so looking decent is a must for all pictures (profile pictures especially). Spending hours upon hours globbing on makeup and hair products will ensure a good look for a new profile pic.
When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t seem fair that girls are more pressured into putting so much effort into getting ready than guys are (and probably ever will be). Everyone should be able to wear whatever they want, have their hair however they want, and drink whatever drink they want. This, however, is not the case.
I wouldn’t say that my thoughts on this subject have changed much after the lecture. I will continue to wear what I “want” when I go out … whether it be something that is considered “appropriate” for going out or be it jeans, a tshirt, and an old pair of Converses. I like to think that I don’t fall victim to the invisible strings that shape what most of us wear when going out, but I now realize that we all do, whether we are aware of it or not.

I would have to say that most girls do “want” to dress the way they do when they go out, but it may not be for the reason that many would think. On more than one occasion I have read/seen/heard/whatever that girls do not dress the way they do for the guys. Girls dress the way they do to impress other girls. I never really believed this until I thought about it a little more. If guys aren’t putting hours into their look, why should they expect girls to? They are going to be so drunk at some point during the night that they will only be concerned whether or not you’re wearing clothes at all. This is not to say that girls don’t dress for the guys at all, of course they are concerned about impressing that random guy at the bar, but they do it mostly for the other girls. They want to get that look from other girls that says “wow, I really like her top/skirt/shoes/necklace/other article of clothing from the outfit so arduously put together … that bitch.” Yes, making other girls jealous is one of the big reasons for girls putting so much time and effort into getting ready to go out, because guys pretty much couldn’t care less what you’re wearing, let alone if your unnecessarily expensive bracelet matches the tiny decorations on your shirt. Another reason for girls spending so much time on their appearance before going out is the pictures. Mostly the ones that will end up on Facebook (whether they be tagged or untagged). Girls view their Facebook pictures as the way that the world sees them, so looking decent is a must for all pictures (profile pictures especially). Spending hours upon hours globbing on makeup and hair products will ensure a good look for a new profile pic.

When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t seem fair that girls are more pressured into putting so much effort into getting ready than guys are (and probably ever will be). Everyone should be able to wear whatever they want, have their hair however they want, and drink whatever drink they want. This, however, is not the case.

I wouldn’t say that my thoughts on this subject have changed much after the lecture. I will continue to wear what I “want” when I go out … whether it be something that is considered “appropriate” for going out or be it jeans, a tshirt, and an old pair of Converses. I like to think that I don’t fall victim to the invisible strings that shape what most of us wear when going out, but I now realize that we all do, whether we are aware of it or not.

This is a very intriguing question, and I had to put some thought into what my final answer would be. And that final answer is … I honestly have no idea. I’d like to think that something as trivial as race would not matter to me in terms of a romantic relationship, but until I am actually in the position I’m not sure what I would do. Obviously there would have to be an initial attraction before any kind of relationship could develop, and I have definitely found some black guys attractive in the past. So, that’s a start. I think (I hope) that if in the future I was attracted to a black guy and that our personalities matched well that I would not not forgo a relationship solely due to his race.

Family is a big part of my life, however, and if they did not approve of me dating a black guy, I would most likely value their opinion over anyone else’s. Boys may come and go, but your family is forever, and that is something that I strongly believe. I know for a fact that my grandfather would never approve of me dating a black guy (as far as other races go … I’m not entirely sure). Although he grew up in the city of Philadelphia and was always around black people, he never had a good experience. He used to deliver milk for Wawa and he says it was always the black people who would steal from his truck. This caused him to become a bit of a racist, and I’m positive that he would never approve. I think it would also be hard for me to date outside of my race (as far as my family’s approval goes) because I would never really be sure what they’d think of him. My cousin Michelle married a man from Egypt and whenever we all get together for a family dinner there is definite tension in the air. Though I know they would never say anything to Michelle’s face, I can definitely tell that they are not 100% behind the decisions she has made. However, I think that her happiness should be all that matters to them, as much as I think that my happiness should also be all that matters to them. And, now that I think of this example, if I found true love with someone outside of my race, I don’t know how much influence my family would have on me. If I have learned anything from Sam it’s that these kinds of things don’t matter because we’re all going to die anyway, so I might as well be with the person that I want and not the person that my family necessarily approves of.

Until this lecture, I hadn’t ever given much thought to the use of irrelevant racial signifiers and how much I (unfortunately) tend to use them. At the time of story-telling, the signifiers must seem relevant to the overall theme, but looking back on them, they do appear to be quite pointless. After the lecture on racial signifiers, I was telling my boyfriend how we discussed the use of them and how I was now going to be more conscious of what I say, and see if I could avoid using these racial signifiers. He promptly reminded me of how when I tell the story of how we met that every time, without fail, I mention the race of the parties involved. The story goes something like this:
I was on vacation in the Caribbean with my roommate and late one night we were at the local beach bar that we had been going to for a couple of nights. The two of us were sitting there having a good time when this big, black, native island dude came up and plopped himself down in the seat next to me. It was one of those nights when you really just want to hang out with your friend(s) and have a good time by yourselves and not be disturbed, so, to say the least, I was not interested. Not only that, but this guy was wearing a Yankees hat (I’m a Phillies fan) so that made my disinterest even greater. Of course I wanted to be nice and not completely ignore him but when he started asking if I wanted to go to the club on the bad side of town I realized he was not getting the point. It was at this point that I then had my now-boyfriend pretend to be my boyfriend and “save” me from the big, black, native island dude.
Why did I have to point out that my pursuer was black? The only thing that I can think of is that by pointing out that he’s a black native that it may have been a game of his to go to the bars and hit on tourists. But why couldn’t I just say that he’s a native? Honestly, I don’t think it would have given the same effect. Maybe if I wasn’t just this little naïve white girl from the suburbs, my story would have been a little different. Unfortunately I am a victim of using irrelevant racial signifiers, but after learning about how pointless they really are, I am going to try to be more aware of using them and hopefully cut back on their use.
Racial signifiers definitely affect racial stereotypes in a negative way. If they didn’t I don’t think we would use them as much. Generally we using irrelevant racial signifiers when we are telling a story that will negatively portray the race we are signifying. I think that if the story had a positive spin on it we would not need to point out the race of parties involved.

In the video when Tammy said that she grew up as one of 22 children, I was, quite honestly, shocked. This is a big number whether you are rich or poor. I believe that trying to support that many people is a daunting task with or without money. I wouldn’t necessarily say that having this many children while in poverty is selfish (though I can see both side in this specific circumstance), but rather I would say that it is irresponsible.

Specifically in the case of Tammy having 21 brothers and sisters, I feel that her parents were selfish because they thought that it was okay to bring 22 children into the world with little to nothing to their name. I don’t think that it was fair for them to not be able to give their children as much as they (and all children) deserve. I’m not talking big, extravagant things, but I’m sure that these kids were very aware of their misfortunes even from a young age.

However, playing the Devil’s Advocate here, Tammy’s parents were not selfish, especially her father. She made a point of letting the audience know that her father worked hard for 27 years in attempt to provide a better life for his family. It is at this point that free will and determinism come into play. If Tammy’s father was also born into poverty (as often happens with poverty, as it seems to be a continuum from one generation to the next) it may have been hard for him to get a legitimate education and to have a career that enabled him to be able to provide for 22 children. However, the fact that he worked for so many years to try to better their lives makes him an honorable man in my eyes. Though he may not have been able to financially provide much, he spent 27 years of his life trying.

If anything, I believe that having so many children while in poverty is irresponsible, but not necessarily selfish. Sure, it is one thing to not be able to purchase any form of birth control, but to knowingly engage in intercourse without protection is simply irresponsible. I know it is a lot to ask of people to control their desires, so I don’t think that abstinence is the right solution. Unfortunately though, I cannot come up with any solutions in order to counteract the lack of birth control found among those in poverty.

Depending on the circumstances, I think it may be fair to call this kind of living condition selfish. However, based on factors involving free will and determinism I think it is more fair to say this is irresponsible. But ultimately, I think it all comes down to who you ask whether or not it is selfish.

I found the “King of the Mountain” to be extremely helpful and eye-opening in terms of understanding how certain racial/ethnic groups come to be in power over others. It’s not that one group is necessarily “better,” but just that they were the first to act when a position of power opened up. Once this group takes a position of power, it becomes very difficult for any other group to take over. Certainly, the number one group may allow others to have a sense of power by granting them certain rights or responsibilities, but when it comes down to it, they decide who does what, who goes where, and who can say things.

In the example in class, Sam asked why the two boys didn’t decide to band together and try to overthrow him. This made me think, why DON’T other groups seem to get together and overthrow whoever is on top? From what we saw, they are only on top because they decided to be on top. Sure, some ingenuity and brainpower was involved in getting to the top, but who’s to say that someone else wouldn’t be able to display the same ingenuity and brainpower if they were at least given the opportunity to possess power? Since the so-called “strongest” group decided that others weren’t good enough they will never have the chance to show others what they are really capable of.

The truth is, if power were to be constantly changing hands, I think that people would honestly get confused about which groups were “allowed” to do what. This would cause such a stir that crime rates would sky-rocket (because, let’s be serious, there is a lot of racism/prejudice in the criminal system whether we want to admit it or not) and there would be more confusion than ever.

But really, why does anyone need to be King of the Mountain? Sure, it’s nice to have power and all that, but when we’re all just a bunch of monkeys, who really cares? Why is being able to call your race greater than another so important? How does having power over another racial or ethnic group really make you feel better about yourself? If anything, people should feel a bit of guilt when they realize how they are programmed to automatically treat other people differently based on something as unimportant as race or ethnicity. If sharing over 99% of the same genes doesn’t make people feel like they can accept other groups, then I don’t know what there will ever be that will. Everyone is just going to die anyway, so why bother worrying about being able to call yourself better than someone for something as trivial as the difference in race or ethnicity.

I tend to do the exact same thing as mentioned. Whenever anyone asks me “what” I am, I tend to say that I’m Italian. However, now that I think about it, this doesn’t really make sense. Sure, my last name is Italian, but my blood is mostly Irish. So why don’t I tell people that I’m Irish? I guess in a way it’s just easier to say that I’m Italian since my last name is the furthest thing from sounding Irish.

One of my good friends and I are officers of the Happy Valley Chapter of UNICO National. UNICO National is the largest Italian-American service organization in the country. Not only do we give back to the community through various service events, but we also are responsible for promoting the Italian heritage. This is something that we have been highly involved in since the chapter’s inception about two years ago. Last spring break the two of us traveled to Italy to visit a friend studying abroad and although we are both of Italian descent, we were classified as Americans while there. Not only by the Italian people, but also by our friend who always introduced us as his “American friends.” Not that being called an American is a negative thing, but to essentially be ostracized from a culture that we work so hard to promote was a bit of a shock. Though we couldn’t explain our involvement in UNICO, it was still slightly disheartening to think that these people (“our people”) looked down on us because we are American.

The next season of Jersey Shore has been rumored to be set in Italy. UNICO National is doing everything that they can to stop this. It is their firm belief that these people’s representation as Italian-Americans is unfair. Many believe that the way in which the reality TV stars portray Italian-Americans (when they aren’t even all of Italian descent!) couldn’t be farther from the truth in the way that the culture actually works. Former National President Andre’ DiMino has spoken publicly multiple times about Italian-Americans’ reaction to the show, and many clips can be found on YouTube. Not only has UNICO been fighting for the show to be pulled from the air, but now that there is a chance that these people will be heading to Italy and representing Italian-Americans, they are up in arms even more. Not only would Jersey Shore being filmed in Italy give Italian-Americans a bad name, but Americans in general. There is no doubt in my mind that when (if) the Italians do encounter the members of Jersey Shore that they will assume all Americans act that way, thus giving Americans an even worse name in their eyes.

I thought that the classroom discussion that we had on God’s gender was very interesting and thought provoking. Before that discussion, I had never even considered the fact that God may have a different gender than we have all been led to believe all of these years.

For as long as I can remember, God has always been referred to as being a male figure. My family was never much of a church-going group, but on the rare occasion when we did make it out, God was never referred to as a female. Once I heard Sam refer to God as a female, it got me thinking whether or not this could be true. The truth of the matter is, we don’t know if God is a female. Back before there was any such thing as organized religion or specific gods of any type, people worshipped the Earth and Mother Nature. These two were depicted as taking on the female form, so it would make sense for God to also be a woman. God is often shown as being a male because of “his” strength and power, a physical trait that is often linked to males in our male-dominated society. However, that is not to say that women do not have strength or power, so why can’t God be a woman? Being challenged to only refer to God as “she” must seem like a daunting task to most of the people in our class, but I’m sure that some were more than willing to take on this challenge.

While it is easy to defend whether one believes that God is a man or a woman, it is more difficult to take a step back and ask whether God has a gender at all. Some may see God as an all-encompassing spirit, a genderless being. For those who are extremely religious, I believe this is the way that they should view God. God’s gender should not matter, only they fact that he/she/it is powerful, forgiving, etc.

When it comes down to it, we really have no way of knowing whether God is a male or female, or whether a gender can even be assigned. This is now one of life’s many mysteries that we will probably never know the answer to – since there is no way of actually knowing.

Before taking this class, if I had heard someone refer to God as “she” I probably would have been a little confused or just assumed that I had heard them incorrectly. But now, if I heard someone referred to God as a “she” outside of the classroom, I would still be taken aback. However, I would realize that this person must be thinking outside the box and has not conformed to society’s notion that God must be a male.