So I know that I asked the question, but the reason I asked was because I recently had a conversation with my mom about this topic. At first, I thought that my mom would not care either way if I was LGBT or if I was dating someone of a different race. However, after talking to her, it seems as though she feels like my family and family friends would be more willing to accept the fact that I am part of the LGBT community rather than dating someone that is a different race than me. As far as she is concerned, she would accept whatever I am happy with- she has always been very willing to accept me for whoever I am and for whatever I want to do. However, when it comes to dating out of my race, she knows that my grandparents would absolutely not be okay with me dating someone that is another race, specifically black or Hispanic. My grandparents grew up in small farm town in rural Pennsylvania, and there is literally no black population and no Hispanic population. They are very intolerant to getting to know people of other races, and they do not want me associating with people of the different race. Now, that being said, I absolutely feel no pressure to follow what they want; I am happy to say that I am friends with people from all walks of life and from different backgrounds. However, it does concern me that my grandparents may not approve of a relationship I may be in just because of the race of my significant other. I want to make sure that I am happy with whoever I decide to be with, and it actually makes me extremely sad to think that my grandparents may affect that. Up to this point in my life, I have not had to deal with this type of situation, but, unfortunately, it seems that I should not ever even consider bringing someone of a different race home because my grandparents would be extremely disappointed with me. This saddens me. I want to know that my grandparents will come to my wedding no matter who I marry and, as of this point in time, I cannot say this. However, I know, based on other family members, that if I was LGBT, I would be supported and I would be able to have the support of my family.

I get really upset reading pieces like this. I am not naïve enough to believe that racial injustices do not happen; I know that they happen all the time, all around me. However, I am not entirely sure how to interpret this article. While I know that racial undertones are often found in our society, especially within our justice system, I wonder how and why these things are allowed to happen. For example, I wish I knew the crime statistics from New York City while reading this article. Surely, we all know that living in any city is dangerous; crime is very high in these areas. However, I wonder if there is any sort of reason to warrant these types of behaviors. For example, if there is an unbelievably high correlation of black males from ages 18-25 committing crimes in a certain area of New York, maybe that could explain the reasoning behind the police deciding to randomly search these citizens. Now, there is a total breach of the Bill of Rights in all of these searches, and I am not justifying the fact that these males are unwarrantedly being taken in/searched solely because of their race, but I would say that there has to be some reason that they are being cornered. However, there is absolutely NO excuse for police brutality, in my opinion, and I believe that every person has the right to know why they are being stopped and being asked to do certain things. It seems a bit unfair to expect all of these men to just comply with police orders without being told what they are doing wrong, or why they suspect these men are doing something wrong. For example, I believe that the guy who had to take his shoes off on the subway should have been told exactly why he had to take his shoes off, what warranted his behaviors as “suspicious” or “illegal”, and also been allowed to ask questions. A lot of people within our country do not realize the rights that we all have as citizens, I find it completely unjust and illegal to expect these citizens to just comply with police without a reason. I also think that this problem could be because there is a vast underrepresentation of minorities within the police force and justice system. When there is an equivalent representation of all races within a job that represents what the society looks like, I think it is less likely that there will be as drastic racial injustices.

I feel like this is a really hard subject that all women across all cultures deal with. In America especially, there is a standard of dress that we all adhere to (as women)- you should dress conservatively enough and age appropriate. In many cultures, there is a certain type of dress that women wear as children, and then, once they reach a certain age/milestone in their lives, they switch to another type of dress. However, in America, we adhere to different standards. As young girls, our mothers dress us up in whatever outfits they find appropriate. There are little girls whose moms get criticized (think “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC) for dressing their daughters too provocatively. There is definitely a standard of what we, as a nation, believe is appropriate dressing for young girls. Then, as teens, mothers have less say, and the teens usually dress more provocatively and a little less “appropriately”- tight t-shirts, mini skirts, etc. Even though these girls are not very developed, it still is deemed “skanky” or “slutty” to dress this way. Fast forward to college, a lot of girls seem to fall into one or two categories- dress preppy, dress lazy, or dress slutty. As a college girl, the typical wardrobe of a student is usually comfortable rather than classy. Most girls wear leggings, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and UGGs most days to class (substitute in yoga pants and sneakers sometimes). Then, there are the few that dress in preppy button downs and dresses and cardigans- a conservative look. Then there is the night look, where girls wear their tightest and skimpiest clothing. Here’s what I think about all of this stuff- there is a huge importance put on the clothing we, as women, wear and we, as a society, are quick to judge women based on their appearances and the clothing they wear. We tell women to celebrate their bodies, but when they wear skimpy spandex dresses, we either criticize how they look or we criticize them for being too provocative. There is an extreme double standard when it comes to women, and it is often hard to balance between being sexy and skanky, and not having people criticize you. To answer the question of the girl from the class, here is how I view it- If you walk down the street in a bikini, you will have some people commenting on your body and you will have some people saying that you look slutty. There is not usually nice comments about being promiscuously dressed.

I am so frustrated reading this article. I have read The Hunger Games and am an avid fan of the series, and the author. However, these ignorant comments were obviously made by people who did not read the series or did not read the series thoroughly enough. I clearly remember multiple occasions where the author described Cinna, Rue, and Thrash as darker skinned. As far as the olive tone of Katniss, I always pictured someone very Italian-looking, but I am positive that Native American would also have done the trick. Truth be told, the book is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the majority of its inhabitants work outside all day and are evolving to fit the needs of their new society. I would find it very fitting, as per what we have learned in SOC 119 about evolving to survive in the environments we live in, that Rue and Thrash would be black. They spend the majority of their time working outdoors- they live in the agricultural district. They harvest berries in the fields, etc… if the evolutionary theories that Sam talks about in class are true, they would not be white. However, this is just a preposterous argument to begin with. First, the actors that played these roles were phenomenal- they do their job, and they do it well. Lenny Kravitz could not have done a better job at being a great stylist to Katniss. Also, it infuriates me that people did not want these actors to play these characters because they thought that, because of their race, they ruined the character. This is an absurd thing- I find it extremely offensive. Yes, I am a white female, but I do not believe that the integrity or behaviors of Rue, Cinna, and Thresh were as characters were altered due to their race. I thought that the movie was very true to the author’s characterization and I also believe that the race of the characters made very little difference to me. I do not understand where these comments are coming from; to think that the world we live in cannot appreciate a movie based on the characters being black seriously concerns me. If anything, I think this movie underrepresented other races beyond white. Needless to say, I believe that the topic of race is still a prevalent problem within our society, and we all need to work hard to move past race and see personality instead.

I definitely believe the fact that bilinguals are more smart. I think it goes beyond the ability to communicate across borders, but it also shows a lot about the willingness to learn about a culture other than your own. To be honest, I think that learning and being empathetic towards other cultures alone makes you more intelligent. I always felt that when you are willing to understand people, it makes you more intelligent about the world around you. In general, ignorance makes you seem dumb. However, it makes me wonder about why we do not like to have presidents that are bi or multi lingual. A lot of the bilingual presidents are extremely smart- graduating top of their class or from extremely prestigious school. They come from great families and are knowledgeable in a lot of what is going on in the world. However, when it comes to the presidential races and debates and runnings, the more languages and cultures a president is familiar with, the worse he will do in the race. I do not understand this; why would we be so hesitant to hire a person who is really in tune with other cultures around the world which could be really beneficial to us in international and foreign policy? If you can speak a person’s language, you are not only being considerate to the other person by being flexible to talk to them in their native tongue, but you can probably translate more clear what you are trying to say. I just don’t understand why, if bilinguals are so smart, we do not want to have them running our country. I know that I would want to have my president being understanding the countries that we are dealing with. Why would we prefer a president that is ignorant over a president that is not only more intellectually sound but also more competent (globally)? I think that we want to be able to say a president only identifies with one particular nationality or background, and it frightens us when we have people that can identify with multiple cultures. However, either way, I hope that our culture can begin to become more accepting of others and our cultural differences. I know that I, personally, would love to be more culturally rounded and understanding of other cultures. I wish that I could speak multiple languages and know how other ethnicities live their lives.

To be honest, I never had an opinion about war, and I am still pretty indifferent about it. I am a pacifist by nature, and guns, knives, etc. all scare me a lot. I do not like confrontation, and I try to solve all of my problems in the most calm way possible. To me, war is almost a foreign concept. It is really hard for me to comprehend and take in that war actually happens, and that all of the horrible things that we saw in class (ie. Mistreatment by US military) are reality. However, I do know that it happens, and I know that it is something that I should think about more than I do. As far as war goes, I think that full-out war, especially over oil or money is a bit excessive. Maybe it is the American way, but I believe that we are way too materialistic, and a lot of our wars have been over “things”. Look at it this way- we fought the Civil War because slave owners wanted to keep their “things”; we fought in Iraq and Iran for oil…. There’s a them here. This being said, I do think that force, sometimes, is a necessary means of action. For example, WWII was to end the Nazi genocide, and, in my opinion, something that the world should get involved in to stop. All genocide is something that we should fight against, by all means necessary. However, war is just something that I find a bit ridiculous. If we “flex our muscles” a little bit, I think that we would get a better response than if we invade and terrorize. This also makes me believe that we are not preparing our troops enough, and that we are not making sure that our military is being run properly and in a respectful way. Undoubtedly, war is hard for humans to handle and cope with, and if you are in a war zone for an extended period of time, you’re bound to get a bit screwed up in the head. But I believe that this is no excuse for the mistreatment of civilians. The majority of civilians are not the reason why our military invades country, and it is unfair for us to treat them poorly or take out our anger on them. It makes me sick that our military is still so barbaric, pillaging and raping and just ruining the lives of civilians. We need more structure and accountability in our military, and a higher standard of acceptable behavior.

I think the most influential and important topic that we discussed in class that I thought about the most was all of the beauty perception comments. Beauty, as a woman and as a sociological thinker, is something that interests me a lot. In specific, I really like to know about how different sociological groups think and talk and handle beauty. In America, we have a very distinct perception of what is “beautiful” to our nation. In general, for females, you should look like a Victoria’s Secret Angel. For men, the perception of a beautiful guy usually comes from Calvin Klein models or athletes. Either way, it is safe to say that our standard of beauty in America is very unattainable for about 90% of the population. What interests me even more than this is how our American view of what is beautiful is changing the standard of beauty around the world. I remember reading an article talking about the Philippines. In this country, prior to any other influence, full-figured women with dark skin and dark hair were the standard of beauty. Natural figures of this region were considered beautiful. However, as soon as American television and American programming was introduced into this country, everything changed. Women wanted to look like the actresses they saw on TV. Many women developed eating disorders or became depressed due to these unattainable images on these television shows. I find this both upsetting and intriguing- why is the American standard the one we look up to? Why do other countries look to us and mimic our standards of beauty and what we, as citizens, think is beautiful? It is a bit worrisome that this has become the way things happen, because now, if we do not look like the ideal woman, we have no hope anywhere in the world. Of course, I am being a bit trite in this statement, but I also believe that there is a bit of truth in this. However, I would be curious to see how this standard of beauty would vary in America amongst different ethnic groups. For example, if you just have five women of different shapes, sizes, and colors, and put them in the front of the room, and ask three different guys- be it Asian, black, white, whatever- and tell them to pick the hottest girl, I wonder if the opinion would change between the guys.

If we all really were able to talk about race and class, it would not be as big of an issue today. It seems as though American society is one of the most cautious societies to discuss any issues that may be considered “taboo” or socially incorrect. In America, we all are quick to say that things aren’t allowed to be talked about… be that discussions on sex, abuse, violence, race, gender, etc. There is a whole list of things that we are not allowed to talk about- think about things you can talk to your boss about. You would never discuss race, sex, illegal substances, or sometimes even politics, with our bosses. These are people that we spend 40+ hours a week with, yet we have to walk on eggshells around. It is bizarre to me that we, as a developed nation where there are many smart and progressive people, are still “ashamed” or “afraid” to talk about topics that affect our everyday lives so dramatically. Why can’t we talk about race? Why can’t we talk about politics, or gender, or wealth? Our parents always told us that it was “rude” to discuss these things, but is it really? I think that we are doing a disservice to both ourselves and our society by restricting ourselves from discussing these topics that ACTUALLY matter. If we would open up the dialogue about these topics, we would be much better equipped to handle these differences and figure out how to make them matter less. In keeping with this, if we were allowed to talk about race and class, we could probably move toward a future where it means much less in the grand scheme of things. For example, if we would be able to talk about the fact that race and class are related, we could analyze why this is such an issue, and also be able to figure out how to make this right. In general, I find our society a little too “old-fashioned”, in the sense that other nations (be it Europe, some parts of Asia, etc.) are handling these topics much more openly and forwardly, and they are bridging the gap between races and breaking stereotypes because of this. If we would just open our minds to push beyond how uncomfortable it may be to talk about at the beginning, the end result would be much more beneficial to society.

I definitely believe that white people shy away from the topic of race. Even I shy away from this topic all the time. To me, the biggest problem with this topic is that we all are trying to be “politically correct”. Ever since we were little, we were taught that it was rude/impolite/inappropriate to discuss this matter, especially with people we do not know or are unfamiliar with. It’s not that whites do not recognize race; I am certainly positive we all acknowledge when there are people of a different race in the room with us, and we ESPECIALLY take notice when we are the minority race in the room. It is a weird feeling for sure; I think I was socialized from a young age to feel uncomfortable in a room full of people of a different color, specifically blacks. It’s hard for me to keep in mind that generalizations are not always true. However, I feel that uncomfortable feeling when I am around people from different geographic regions and stuff, too, so maybe I just fear people that are unlike myself. Either way, I believe that whites definitely hesitate to talk about race. I think another aspect to this puzzle is that we, as whites, feel like we’re always going to get it wrong. Some people have no problem talking about the fact that they are of color, and they embrace and celebrate their heritage. On the other hand, other people do not want you to acknowledge their color, so it makes it very difficult for me to decide which is appropriate for which person. It is easier to decide that we, as whites, should just not say anything, rather than having to differentiate whether this friend/acquaintance is okay with us recognizing their color. I absolutely do not think that this approach is the right approach; however, I do believe that this is the easiest method for us to tackle talking about race and other issues. It is actually ironic, because, in most scenarios, the situations are easier for white people. When it comes to race, it is much easier for people of color to comment or even take notice verbally of the fact that people have racial differences. For example, it would not offend me in the slightest if a black person came up to me and said that I’m white, and then proceeded to ask me what my ancestry is and where my family is from. However, I think that it is much harder for me to go up to a black or brown person and ask if they are African or Haitian or Dominican etc. Either way, it’s just hard to be white (I hope you catch the sarcasm).

I feel like this article highlights something that happens everyday. Walking around campus, where it is predominately white, I hear insensitive racial slurs all the time. These kind of remarks are made by everyone- girls, boys, professors, visitors… they probably do not even know that they are saying something hurtful half of the time. The way we are raised makes it seem as though it is okay to make these comments, as long as it is in the company of close friends, family, etc. If I’m in public, I should not say anything racially insensitive. But, as soon as I get behind closed doors, it is more than okay to make an assumption, some racial slur, use a derogatory term, etc. I think the problem here is not that someone said this when he is in the public eye- though I do think this is a huge issue- but the fact that he can probably talk like that in the company of his family or friends without being told that it is wrong, mean, insensitive, etc. I was raised in a family of whites, where white is all my grandparents know, and that blacks were only seen on TV on the Cosby Show or in athletic events. Racial slurs were used every day, and I never knew that it was wrong. I especially see this now in my hometown, where a large number of Hispanic families have moved into in the past few years. It saddens me how insensitive a lot of people are to these new people, and how they people treat them like they aren’t actually citizens. What is worse is that most of these new people in my neighborhood are American citizens, moving to the suburbs to make a better life for their families instead of living in Philadelphia or New York. They’re business owners and entrepreneurs, they make incomes that classify them as middle class, and their kids have iphones. They are more than normal citizens, but yet they are treated differently because they look different or like to speak Spanish when they are with each other. I don’t really know; I think it is a bit insensitive. I also think that people should stop making slurs about people they don’t really know what nationality they are. I find it insulting when you call a Dominican black, or when people call Haitians Mexicans instead. It’s just really odd what people do, and I think we should all make efforts to be a little more considerate of the feelings of others. I know that I would be insulted if someone called me Asian, even though I am Ukrainian. Being open and considerate would be the kind thing to do.