I agree with the statement Ernso made about his disapproval of the media using pictures of starving children to get people to donate money. I personally feel very guilty when I see these pictures because I’m so much better off. I do believe these pictures get a good amount of people to donate money, but this is not what Haiti wants. They may be the poorest country in the western hemisphere, but they are not lazy. They need jobs and are willing to work. Showing starving children just makes people feel bad and maybe donate some money, but that isn’t really doing anything for the country. This is why we are doing the Project for Haiti. We are using our resources to help the entrepreneurs of Haiti. Educating them and providing them with contacts allows them to expand their businesses. Ernso said an order of 10,000 t-shirts would give 100 people jobs. This makes me think of the saying “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” This is extremely important when thinking about relief for Haiti. Donating money will allow some people to be better off for a short amount of time. Giving people jobs and expanding their resources will allow them to live a better life in the long run. I also think it is absolutely amazing that no one in Haiti is begging for money. Any large city in America had homeless people asking for money. Sam told us when he was in Haiti, not a single person asked him for money. They all knew he was American and had money, yet they did not feel the need to beg. I think this shows a lot about the character of the people in Haiti. They are the poorest country in the western hemisphere, but are content. I hope that our group projects will be able to be put into affect with the Sociology 119 class next fall. I would really love to see some amazing things happen and for Haiti to be out of poverty. We are so fortunate to have so much, and we can use our resources to help these people live better lives. I was shocked to find out their salary was about 5 dollars a day and the cost of Internet was about 2 dollars and hour. This makes it extremely hard for them to communicate with the rest of the world. They need to use their money for food for their family rather than the Internet. I think instead of the media portraying the country of Haiti with starving children, they should show the videos of Haiti’s entrepreneurs that need help getting on their feet. This would be inspiring and show optimism for the country.

I think putting myself in the shoes of Middle Eastern people really helped me to understand their feelings. I really like the quote Sam put up at the beginning of class. The most difficult thing to do is understand an evildoer. Putting myself in their shoes opened my eyes tremendously. I began to realize how I would feel if I was in the same position. How could you not feel anger towards the United States? Here we are as a nation trying to come in and take their oil and use it as our own resource. We are starting a war over oil and harming innocent people. Sam also told us a statistic about bombing in Iraq. It is still okay to bomb a location to kill one bad guy as long as no more than 29 bystanders are going to be killed. This fact shocked me. How can it be okay to kill 29 innocent people? I now understand why Sam told us this would be the most important class of the entire year. I have learned things from this class that I had never knew or even though of before. It was almost life changing for me. I have always supported the U.S. and felt built up anger towards all Middle Easterners. I know this is just a stereotype, but I could not help but feel this way after the events of 9/11. I now understand the term Christian Invaders. It is not something I find offensive after understanding the purpose of today’s lecture. To the Middle Eastern people, soldiers entering their homeland are seen as invaders. These soldiers also represent the majority Christian nation America. I do not think it is bad to support the war because this is the country that I grew up in. Anywhere I would have been raised it is likely to feel patriotism toward that place. I am still and American and still a Christian. This lecture did not necessarily change the person I am today, but it did change the way I think about the war and about Middle Easterners. I do not think terrorism is something that is okay, but I now have an understanding of why it happens. These people feel anger and that is what they think they should do in order to gain revenge and show their power. I also thought the images Sam showed of Iraqi people were very powerful. Seeing the children holding guns and being trained to fight was mind blowing. I think that its stupid this whole disagreement is over oil. Our world oil supply is eventually going to run out. We should use our technology and resources now to find alternatives and begin to stop our dependence on oil. With our wealth as a nation it is possible and action should be taken immediately.

Although I know I shouldn’t feel this way, I definitely become uncomfortable when in a situation where people are speaking a different language in front of me. A time when I notice this is at a nail salon in my hometown. All of the employees are from Vietnam and speak only in Vietnamese to each other. I always think they are talking about all of the customers right in front of us because we can’t understand them. I know I shouldn’t assume they are talking about us because they are most likely not. I feel like it is just natural instinct to wonder when you can’t understand people around you. I have often said I would love to learn some Vietnamese and go in there and just listen to what they are saying. Language is like a secret club that only some people are apart of. It separates people and leads to assumptions. I liked when Sam talked about asking someone speaking a different language how to say hello in his or her native tongue. I think this would be a great way to break down barriers. The person asking would feel more comfortable and learn something new. The other person would also feel appreciated and more welcomed. I may try to make an effort to do this from here on out. Another question he asked us was how we would react to someone at a checkout counter that didn’t speak any English. Would you feel comfortable or uncomfortable? I think I may feel a little uncomfortable, but I’m not completely sure why. There isn’t really that much communication between two people at a checkout counter. All that you really need to understand is your total. You shouldn’t be required to know English to be a cashier. As long as the worker understands the monetary system and some basic English words they should be fine. I do not understand why I would feel uncomfortable here in America, but yet I would love to travel to other countries where English isn’t the primary language spoken. This is the first time I have ever really thought about this issue. I think this class has required me to really open up my mind and consider what I believe. I have always been the type of person to not really have an opinion or care about certain things. I just never really thought about issues before or considered them to not be my problems. I definitely think this has changed since Sociology 119 and will stay that way in future. I am happy I chose to take this class and proud to have challenged myself to think outside the box. These reflections and discussions really push me to new limits.

From my point of view, I feel like Penn State is a very diverse university. Where I grew up, there were only a small percentage of minority students. My high school contained 2% of colored people. When I came to Penn State, I lived in one of the international dormitories. I was quickly exposed to new people from all over the world. I thought this was such an awesome opportunity. I became friends with a lot of the international girls on my floor and am still close with them today. From the diversity of my building, I just assumed this is how the entire university would be. Learning the exact statistics, I was surprised to see that there is still such a high majority of white people. I did not purposely choose Penn State because I thought it was a diverse campus. I do believe some people may choose it for the fact that it has so many opportunities and so many different types of people. As an education major, I understand the importance of diversity and learning about different cultures. I have taken classes on setting up a multicultural classroom and teaching the acceptance of similarities and differences of other cultures. University Park is in a very rural area so I think it is harder to have a lot of diversity. Metropolitan areas contain the most diverse people so this is why Temple University has much more diversity. Penn State offers a lot of diverse clubs and activities for students. If there is something you are looking for, but it isn’t currently available at Penn State, you can start your own club. I think the diversity can most easily be seen during a large class or a large public area on campus. When walking through the HUB you will always see groups of students of the same race sitting together and socializing. In classes they often always stick together as well. I’m not really sure why this segregation exists in this day an age. When I talk to my friends from different countries, they always say how nice and accepting everyone at Penn State acts towards diversity. This makes me feel good, but yet I still see separation. Are they purposely separating themselves, or do they not feel welcomed and accepted? I think Penn State will continue to grow in diversity in the years to come. I do believe though that it will always be a predominantly white university. It is located in Pennsylvania, which is largely populated with white people. It is hard to change the dynamics of an entire state, let alone a large university. Diversity needs to start at a smaller level in towns and communities first, before moving into larger areas.

This is a question I asked myself after last week’s class. The black/white doll video was extremely powerful. Before Sam showed the video he told us it would be the most disturbing video we will watch throughout the entire course. I really didn’t know what to expect and thought it would be something gory or violent. I was completely wrong. This video was disturbing in such a different way. I cannot believe the presence of racial separation at such a young age. All of these black children recognize the power of white people trying to be the dominant race. They consider the white dolls to be “nice,” “good,” and “pretty.” The black dolls are chosen by the words “bad” and “ugly.” This video angers me, but I now understand these feeling are part of the Revision stage. The outcome of this video was really surprising to me because I always thought of children as being colorblind. I know when I was growing up I never saw skin color as being unequal. I was taught that we are all the same on the inside no matter how you look on the outside. I think these messages do come from the media. Cartoons, movies, and TV shows all contain messages about race. This is reflected to all children and can influence how they act. If they are constantly seeing white people as the heroes and heroines in shows, they start to believe the same and real life. The media is responsible for displaying many messages that affect how people believe and act. This shows we need to be extremely careful what is shown on TV and in movies. I think this has changed a lot from when I was growing up. There are more and more shows displaying the diversity of races. For example the show Little Bill is for children and contains majority black characters. I think this is an important step in our society to start showing children at a young age that there are other races and that we are all equal. When I think back to my childhood, I don’t think I had any colored dolls. Was it just that these weren’t the dolls bought for me or did they not have many available to buy? I think that all children should be given a variety of toys that display different racial groups. Presenting diversity at a young will help to ensure a less racist future. I thought it was extremely powerful when Sam was talking about the influence of parents on their children. He said that no matter how many times a parent tells their child of color that they are beautiful, they still will not fully believe it. This is really hard for me to think about and makes me feel guilty. I know now that race is a problem even for children at a really young age.

I found this post very interesting because I have already eliminated the “R word” from my vocabulary. I think it is extremely powerful that these people have taken it upon themselves to stand up for what they believe in. How can we not respect their wishes to stop the use of the R word? It is extremely disrespectful and hurtful to these people and there is no reason the usage needs to continue. There are many other alternatives to the “R word.” Intellectually disabled is now the appropriate term considered to be sensitive terminology. People no longer want to be called handicapped anymore either, but rather an individual with a disability. I find this post interesting and very important because I am trying to fulfill special education as my minor. Sensitive terminology and political correctness is something we talk a lot about. It is really shocking to me to see so many people of political power using incorrect and disrespectful terms. These are the people that should be setting the example for the rest of us. They are the ones we should look up to as role models, so they need to change their behavior first. I think the key to eliminating the “R word” is to try and put ourselves in another person’s shoes. How would you feel if someone used the “R word” as a joke and thought it was funny if you were intellectually disabled? I know I definitely would feel hurt by it and this is why I have tried to completely eliminate the word from my vocabulary. I think another solution would be to spread awareness of the feelings of these intellectually disabled people. If everyone took the time to talk to one of them and find out how they feel, they would quickly learn to stop using the word. The “R word” clearly offends people, so why do we continue to use it? I really want to make an effort to correct anyone hear saying the word. I will point out that it is unnecessary and hurtful to people. It is not politically correct and we have been able to stop saying other derogatory words from the past. I hope this video from CNN has a large impact and can make a difference in the elimination of the R word. This is a true example of the feelings and the hopes for a better community in which to live. I hope these political figures regret the use of the word in their vocabulary and feel ashamed after seeing this video. I hope that we can all take the time to know someone who is intellectually disabled and make our world a better place.

I thought today’s activity during lecture was extremely interesting. Sam chose one Asian, Muslim, and African American student to sit in a row, each with an empty seat in-between. He then selected a variety of racially different people to go in the back room. He explained the activity to the class without the chosen students hearing what was going to take place. He then called the students out one by one to choose any empty seat they would like. Every single woman chose the seat in the middle next to the Asian student. Sam then thought this could be because it was the middle seat, so he moved the Asian student to an end spot. Ironically the students still chose to sit next to her. This was very eye opening to me. I always thought people normally do choose to sit beside people who are most like them. I couldn’t tell whether the people participating in this activity made the choices they did because they were in front of 700 people in a Race and Ethnic Relations class. Every single participant chose the seat next to the Asian woman. Does this go off of people believing Asians are safe and non-threatening? As I choose my seat in most classes, I base it off of the location of the room. I like to sit towards the middle of the classroom. Once I start sitting in one spot for each class, I usually continue to always sit in the same area from there on out. It would probably be beneficial to me as a person to switch the seats I sit in each class time. This way I would get new perspectives and meet new people. In Sociology 119 I sit next to two people I know and continuously sit beside them every class. I don’t really think I have ever chosen my seat based on the race of the other people around. I look at the people sitting in the vicinity, but do not judge them on their race. After this activity I think I will be more aware of the seats I choose and the seats people choose next to me. As I am sitting in class from now on, I will try and take notice of what type of people choose to sit next to me. Does this have a meaning or are seats only chosen based on convenience? Is there latent prejudice when choosing our seats in class? I believe this also goes along with certain races sitting together. When you often look around the classroom, HUB, or the bus you see groups of students separated on race. Do they choose to sit near these people because the feel most comfortable and most alike one another? I find this topic very interesting and would love to see more research done on it.

This is a question I ponder quite frequently, especially since enrolling in Sociology 119. How do we make more people aware of the injustices going on in our world today? I think the main answer is education. Courses like Sociology are a prime example of how to spread awareness. I think it is difficult for people to learn about this topic because it is purposely hidden so much. The media doesn’t cover which products slaves make and which ones they don’t. It is not that people being ignorant, it is just that they are not educated on this issue. I believe ignorance only comes into play once someone is educated and still refuses to disregard the issue. I know I wasn’t familiar with modern day slaves until I took this class. As Sam said, we should not stop buying chocolate because slaves produce the cocoa. Instead, we should try and buy fair trade chocolate as much as possible. Other products also have the fair trade labels, and this is proof that the cost of the item is evenly distributed as a profit. I know we have talked about fair trade goods in my Geography class as well. Starbucks uses only fair trade coffee and advertises this on almost everything with their name. Dunkin Doughnuts also uses fair trade coffee, but doesn’t make it public. Maybe it is a good thing Starbucks shows this prominently so that more people become aware of what fair trade means. Until more people become aware of modern day slaves and how they are treated, we will not be able to overcome this issue. This needs to be publicized so that people can make intelligent decisions on the products they are buying to use on a daily basis. If everyone saw the video of the slaves used to harvest cocoa, I think it would shock and open many people’s eyes. Nothing makes this treatment acceptable today, and it blows my mind that there are more slaves now than ever before. Something can be done and should be done as soon as possible. I think it is awesome that we as college students today are the future of this world. We are becoming more educated and knowledgeable every day and can really make a difference. As a future educator, I plan on teaching my students about these issues that are not as well known. The information I tell them in class, can be taken home to their parents to help spread awareness. I think it is awesome what one of Sam’s students, Ian, did for Tassy. If we all did little things like that to help improve someone else’s live, just think of how much better our world would be. Together we can make a difference in people’s lives, by putting others before ourselves.

I believe we definitely have the responsibility to fix inequalities. Education is the key to making people aware of the differences all around them. We have learned that individuals are not treated equally in our Sociology 119 class. This makes about 700 students responsible for the knowledge of this information. If you do not take responsibility or action, I believe you are being ignorant. The more aware and educated people are, the more likely changes are to occur. This is why I stress how important education is. If there were more classes at other universities like Sociology 119, we would have so many more people to be held responsible. I believe I will make an impact on fixing in equality as I move into my profession. As a future educator, I will strive to create a learning atmosphere completely surrounded with equality. I realize that I will have students from all different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. These students should be made comfortable even if they lack knowledge of the English language. I will create a multicultural classroom and become educated of each student’s cultural background and personal history. It is important to make English language learners feel comfortable by using non-biased forms of instruction, materials, and assessment. Inequalities within school districts can be a major factor in determinism. Some students are not given an adequate education because they have a lower socio-economic status. Children coming from poorer families are more likely not given the same opportunities as those that do not. Children coming from the middle class are more likely to receive help with their homework when they return home from school. Their parents emphasize the importance of education and good grades. Lower class children are given more duties and responsibilities at a younger age. They are required to take care of their younger siblings while their parents are working to make ends meet and put food on the table. This is a disadvantage, which I believe is based on determinism. To make these lower class students receive equal opportunities is the school district’s responsibilities. Extra funding should be given to help all schools provide a quality education to all students. The No Child Left Behind Act is a beginning step to help initiate the responsibilities schools have. Not only is it important to create equality based on race, but also including people with disabilities. Often times these people are not included because they are different, which makes them feel inadequate. Our world is becoming more and more non-traditional, which requires action on our part. Equality needs to be taken into account everywhere people come in contact with. Barriers need to be removed to allow this equality to take place.

I honestly believe anything is possible. It is something that I have always been told growing up. You can do anything you set your mind to. It may take your entire life, but if you put forth the required effort you can be and do anything you dream. I believe this is true with the issue of race. If we as an entire world decide to come together we can eliminate the racial prejudices and differences between each other. I feel the key for this to succeed is education. The more educated everyone is on how biological similar we are to different races; there won’t be the same tension. Sociology 119 is the largest race and ethics course in the world. If more college and universities offered and required courses on race, our education level on the issue would rise significantly. We as college students are the future of our world. We are the ones who should become educated now so that we can improve society. Along with education comes the increase in technology. This allows people to travel and see exactly what other cultures are like in other parts of the world. More and more students are studying abroad in college and get to experience living in diverse countries. The only way to really appreciate cultural differences is to put yourself in the shoes of those that differ from yourself. Along with this appreciation comes respect, which is what we need to change the world. This allows I can also see this happening the future by looking at our past. If you think about how far we have come as a nation, it is incredible. During the Civil War, we had blacks as slaves. Today we have a black president. We are able to make progress and overcome past struggles. We continue to become more culturally different by the intermixing of races. Many people today are mixed races and extremely hard to classify. Just think if this continues to happen, we won’t even have the need to classify people based on their race. Everyone will just be a type of mixed race. I think one of the biggest gaps between races today is socioeconomic status. This is constantly changing though because today Asians have the highest percentage of college degrees. It is no longer white people who are wealthy and educated. If we improve the schooling in poorer cities, there will be more of an equal opportunity for those living in lower socio economic areas. By providing funding to these schools and hiring better educated teachers this can be possible. Sometimes people cannot get out of where they grew up because their schooling wasn’t adequate. If we start with the equality of schooling then the gap is likely to close between the jobs and income statuses. Together we can stop the issue of race in our world.