I think illegal immigration is a very sticky subject and I have not developed a clear side in which I stand yet. Although I do realize the pros and cons of both.

The major dislike among American society is that illegal immigrants are crossing over boarders with out documentation and then getting jobs that could go to other Americans. Then because they are in this country they then get benefits of health care – especially if Obama’s socialized health care reform gets going. Then American’s will be paying for their bills.

The second part that ticks off most Americans is that they do not pay taxes. A lot of the working classes salary is taking away by governmental taxes, which pay for our army, repave our roads and other services the public needs.

For me, I have no problem with illegal immigrants. I think if they come over to seek a better life then more power to them because their will power just to cross boarders into the United States says a lot about their work ethic. However my only bone to pick is, if they are going to live here and work here, we might as well grant them citizenship if proven worthy. This way then they can assimilate into our culture and pay the taxes that fund the institutions they are using.

Although, that may seem like a simple fix it is really hard to get that point through to most Americans. Illegal immigrants have a bad rap because many think they bring more violence to our nation and they are stealing our jobs. When really they are taking those labor jobs that many of us do not want. And also illegal immigrants tend to live together, so when a bunch move into a well to do community it is thought to bring down the property value of the neighborhood. And suddenly that neighborhood becomes unsafe, dangerous and undesirable to live in! (Imagine that)

So in concluding my long ramble, I personal do not dislike immigrants although I know that is not the general consensus of our nation, instead I appreciate them because they are a main ring in our labor forces today. Without them I really think we could not get by. So to all those haters out there, well our forefathers were immigrants to this land. And heck, most the Mexican immigrants that crossed over here, think of it this way they aren’t really crossing over any boarder. We stole that land from them during the great expansion. (If we are getting technically and all) what ever happened to this land is my land this land is your land sort of thing… we all have an equal shot of opportunity … but then again if they come over I think they should have equal share of taxes too!

I think that game was quite insightful. I think it accurately portrays how information is changed and how stories are changed based on ones perspective. It relates to race relations because it was clear how the story changed up between the black and white students. The black students made themselves more of the victim where as the white student played down the situation. The black students also said “ he was the only black student attending the university” where the white students really didn’t specify.

I think the way the story evolved is partly due to perspective but I also think many details are lost in translation. Perspective of the situation tends to emphasize more and latent prejudices also tend to show up in story telling. It is like a Freudian slip that many do not catch. But this does not only happen in silly little telephone games, it happens in the real world too. For example when an African American is trying to plead a case or retelling his alibi, they would ell it differently than a white witness.

It also reminds me of the latent prejudices that are instilled at a young age. When we watched that chilling clip of the little kids picking the good doll and the bad doll they always said the white doll was the good one. I think this plays out many times in stories… that automatically a robber or a thief is associated with a minority, when in fact in the original story there was no such detail. Or even when the black person is told to be the hero in the original some how the end to have the black person will contort the story be the villain.

In examining just cartoons or super heroes also, most of them are white. It’s funny because why should white people get all the cool superpowers, huh? Aren’t they privileged enough? It’s really funny how that is and really makes me wonder.

Personally, all stories are subject to change. It is just inevitable but I think every story should have its justice. Just like in real, life I do not think a person’s “hear say” is every taken completely factual and one must factor in the produces that exist behind it. That way one has a more objective outlook and does not make any false accusations are prosecutions. I guess what I am trying to say. Is that black and white is not always so clear. One must look at the grey areas too and it is then that things get more complicated. Be objective and have an open mind. That way chain stories like our silly little game do not get contorted TOO much. A game is a game until someone either gets hurt or learns something…

YES. I blame all terrorist organizations. And no I do not blame them because they are one race or another. And I do not blame them that they have problems with our government, for I sure as heck have issues with our government too. I blame them for making it a goal to instill fear and inflict pain and suffering upon civilians.

The issue of Terrorist is not if they are right or wrong, it’s how they go about getting the message across. Hard power versus soft power kind of issue. And I know one can play devil’s advocate and say well armies kill civilians too, but that is not our primary goal. Yes there are casualties in war but the goal is not to kill harmless people.

And I do not think terrorists should be directly associated with radical Islam. Any race or religion can be a terrorist. A terrorist just inflicts terror on the world for a united cause. Which ever that may be. Like in the lecture “ Christian crusaders” Christians during the crusades killed people to convert them. Same deal. Nazi Germany, even though it may be more in the scope of domestic terrorism, they killed races just to purify their nation. They killed millions of people and spread terror across the planet through their schemes. They had an ideal mix of hard power in their militaristic movement and soft power through ingenious propagandist appeals.

Terrorists are not bad until they get a following. It is the hate they generate and perpetuate which is the scary part. Call me a hippie, but I think it is blind hate, which is the scariest tactic of terrorists. In my opinion you can hate a person you can hate an object but you cant hate a people. Spread such a generic image across the face of millions is unfair. We do it, they do it. WE label and enemy and suddenly it becomes an epoch battle to crush them and implement new structures of “good”.

Our society and every society always label an enemy. It is part of human nature. Having an enemy whether it is physical or mental creates a unity among people and a common goal. In the United States our goal use to be defeating communism now it is a new face.

It is ironic as it works we use to have the red scare now it is the terrorist hunt. For “al queda” a group name that was not even coined before US media made the name for them.
I think social media is dictating a lot of the definitions and feelings we take away from the term “terrorist”. The media makes terrorism and slam synonymous therefore making a peaceful religion seem angry and hatful. I think we should not blindly follow… what we see what other people do or just blind fate. Because there is reason and rationality behind all social interactions.

No, unless they are talking about me that is. But honestly, it does not really bother me at all; I think that it is partly due to the fact I grew up in a family that spoke a different language around me all the time. My mother’s side is off the boat from France. They moved to New York during World War II. So since I have been a baby I have always heard whispering words of French. I never learned it, because my Mom never enforced it as a first language in the house so I just listened…

When I was little, I remember, I use to be frustrated, especially at big family gatherings where they would all gab in French and I would sit there silent, trying to understand so I could interject and participate in the excitement and the laughs… but I did not comprehend enough so I just sat there and listened..

I kept listening for many years until I could grab onto a little more and more. I think overcoming my frustration was key to my acceptance and my appreciation for my heritage. I think being able to speak another language is a beautiful thing. Being able to connect with people outside language barriers expands horizons literally and metaphorically.

I took this appreciation with me to college, where I have been exposed to so many more languages… I listen again... with the same kind of intent. (But not in the ease dropping way of course) I just listen to see how it sounds, if I could make out any words, and just to purely admire. I think it’s so cool to hear something different. English is not the only voice out there. There are thousands in all sorts of tongues and dialects. They come in all pitches and accents. These voices all have something different to say. So if you take a moment and listen they can be saying the same thing as you ---- or something completely different. Taking a moment to translate and getting over the supposed superiority of the English language, opens doors. It allows even more opinion and diversity.

After taking 8 years of Spanish in high school and college and 4 semesters worth of French here, I see how similar languages are and how important they are for communication. I am in no means fluent but I try… I practice… I apply it.

I think just feeling comfortable around other languages, makes you a more culturally well rounded person and in the shrinking globalize world we live today I think it is a very important thing. So for one second when you find yourself in a situation where a foreign language is being spoken, Shut up, and listen….

I think they are perfectly normal. I think where attraction is and where a person can find love all that matters in a relationship. Obviously though these relationships are tested by the norms of society and the ignorance of the general population. But these pressures of interracial couples actually show that they have more of a bond than a typical homogenous couple. If they can stand by each other through scrutiny I feel like they have more to their relationship than anyone else.

I think a mixing of races betters our society. It breaks down that divide. It breaks down norms. It tests our societies ability to accept. I think a mixing of races makes our society more beautiful because we are becoming more diverse.

However, the problem lies with latent prejudices of older generations, which is then instilled with us. For example, my grandma, is a very old fashioned white European. And I do not hold it against her, for god bless she is 85 and stuck in her ways by now, but she could never see me marrying a different race. If I brought home anybody besides a nice little Jewish boy she would be disproving. This is a huge factor, at least in my life, why I don’t branch out. And I think this is a factor why many other people do not also branch as well. Family approval is huge when getting into a relationship. Have them seeing your partner, as being “good” for you is important. Like my mother’s approval, although I say it doesn’t matter, ultimately does persuade me in the long run.

Other problems are if children are in the future, how do you raise them? What languages would you speak? What heritage would they more strongly gravitate towards? These questions are one that interracial couples and children must face in order to grow and move past the judgments and internal conflicts.

Yet we see this push to love beyond racial lines. Especially in popular culture. Like celebrities like Seal and Heidi Klum, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker or in the New Disney movie: Princess and the Frog or in the popular will smith movie: Hitch. These pushes are to make interracial relationships more familiar= because it should not be strange to us. Love is love. It should have no color, no characteristic…. After all they say love is blind…

After all, as Sam Richards said in class a couple weeks back, we are all moving towards one skin color. A nice brown color. So what is the difference if we intermingle?

“The worst thing you can do for love is deny it; so when you find that special someone, don't let anyone or anything to get in your way.”

Have you ever felt guilt from being of a certain race?-

No. I do not think anyone should. I do not care if you are black white, yellow, red, you can be blue for all I care but I do not think any should feel guilty for the color they are born with. I think a person should feel guilty for their personal actions. But if you were never racist or discriminative then why should you feel guilty?

The catch is, however, I know there are these latent prejudices we all hold. Just little stereotypes that are integrated with our media and culture they are so hard to fine comb out of it. And these prejudices are not a one-way street, all races have them. It is this that separates us from one another makes us distinct and justifies that one race has an advantage over another.

The question is doing we? Do we really have some overarching advantage? I mean I know we went over in class white privilege. That the whiteness of peoples skin suddenly entitles them to more opportunity, to make it or even fail. Whiteness is associated with more prestigious jobs, higher income, and often the American dream. . . This is frustrating. Because we all know why it is like that but how do we fix it.

And I mean yes it starts with a single person bettering him or her, and make no distinction but would you be able to take the responsibility of actions of your WHOLE race. That is absurd. No one could ever possibly carry that guilt around.

I will say however, that I am a white girl. Who grew up in an upper middle class suburb on long island. I will say that I lived a pretty sheltered life, and that I always got a great education and was not really denied any need I needed. But that does not make me feel guilty. I Do feel grateful for my situation though because I am aware that people do not have what I do.

I think awareness of this, the awakening stage, Sam spoke about in class on Tuesday is where it all begins. We have to understand. We have to grapple with it. We need to see and point out the overarching flaws in society. This distinguishing of them is the first step. The second would be everyone trying to better themselves with race distinctions. The third would be a collective change. One that does not say a lesser-qualified white man should get the job over a black or say that a Chinese should get a job over a Mexican.

As a human race we all have the ethical and moral responsibilities to uphold equality for all people.

How can we save our resources? Well the world is growing at an expediential rate. Think of it this way the 7 billion person is projected to be born this year! It’s a crazy statistic but how is our limited resources supposed to carry the burden of all these needy people? And how ware we supposed to divide these resources so that everyone can live with a sustainable amount?

The fact that there are more births and less death since average age of living has increased over centuries. People inhabit every corner of the planet. But as remarkable as it sounds, birth rates are actually dropping! It has been predicted that our world will stabilize at 9 or 10 billion people by 2050. Yet 9 to 10 billion people?!?! That is crazy talk. We are exploiting natural resources like oil, coal, trees, and water that take years to regenerate. Take a look at this video: http://techie-buzz.com/did-you-know/7-billionth-p...

In fact I did my environmental imprint on the world and if everyone consumed as much as me we would have to have 2.5 worlds worth of resources to sustain us. But the thing is that the world does not consumer as much as me or as American society. WE are the biggest gluttons in the world, burning gallons pound gallons of oil with our SUVs. We decide bigger is better and we do not care about our wasteful practices.

But now I go back to how we can save the resources that we are gobbling up. I think the answer lies in technology. Through innovation we can find alternative sources of energy like solar or chemical power to replace oil and coal burning. I think technology is also allowing us the information to look at this problem, which makes society more aware of the project so they can watch their consumption levels. For instance, after I did my global imprint on the environment I realized small changes like using a bpa reusable water bottle saves plastic. Which saves labor, which saves energy like coal, which was used to make this water bottle that I would drink in 5 minutes then throw away.

In the scope of Penn state we are a community of 42000 students but we consume a ridiculous amount of resources. In 2009, we consumed 315,000,000 KWH of Electricity, 292,000 MCF of Natural Gas and 74,000 Tons of Coal. I tried to even look up the amount of food we waste on a daily basis but could not find it either. I think the way we consumer to be “comfortable” needs to be redefined. Our material cultural is taking away from other people. WE are capitalizing on their resources to perpetuate our future.

I do feel bad for the poor white society but I would feel bad for any person disregarding race or color. It is terrible that people can live in such conditions and have no way to pull them selves out of it because they are already stigmatized with associations of uneducated, lazy, crime, dirtiness, ect.
But that being said I think a lot of people automatically judge based on heuristics. They either assumes in a determinism manner or in a freedom of will aspect. Either way you can never predetermine a person’s fate just by looking at them. There probably are a bunch of attributing factors that played a part into why they are where they are.
Today in class, we watched “Tammy’s Story” which was about a woman that lived in desolate conditions in Waverly, Ohio. She walked 10 miles everyday to go work at a burger king to support her 4 children. The reaction that as evoked from the class was mostly pity and guilt that people had to live this way when we don’t. And Sam tried to see if race had anything to do with how strongly one sympathized with Tammy.
Truthfully, I did sympathize with her and not because she was white because I would have had the same reaction watching a black person in an urban slum or a native American on a reservation… that said I think I connected more on the level that she was a MOTHER.
The fact she was a mother allowed me to connect because a mother regardless of race distinction sill has the same innate maternal instincts as anyone would have, which is to provide and protect her kids. She was doing the best she could and the only thing she could. In my eyes she was admirable, yes some people may call her a redneck but this is what she knew. She was born into a poor family of 22 kids and her whole life has been a struggle of working hard and surviving. The fact she is not on welfare speaks to her morals because so many people use it as the easy way out.
This situation reminds me a lot of my grandmother who did not get an education higher than 6th grade before she was kicked out when the Nazis invaded Algeria in WW2. She was one of 14 kids and she lived a very modest lifestyle. When she moved to America with her sister she had almost nothing but her hard work and determinism allowed her to own and be a head chef in a renowned French restaurant while caring for my mother and uncle. Her hard work over so many years made her so successful and I am thankful to her for she is the one paying for my college education today. She is my role model in life because with out her I would not be where I am and every time I hear her struggle to the top I am humbled for what I have. Sometimes our culture implants way too materialistic values in us but thanks to her she grounds me.

Why people aren’t aware of slavery? It didn’t just happen centuries ago in the United States. Today there are 27 million slaves in the world. The CIA estimates that 50,000 people are trafficked into or transited through the U.S.A. annually as sex slaves, domestics, garment, and agricultural slaves. (gchope.org)

It’s crazy, this is happening right here not even over seas. But slaves are one of those subjects that are an incontinent truth. It’s NOT that we do not know about it. It is because we do not care to know. IT is easier to turn a blind eye and not feel like we have to feel guilty that virtually every product we use was in some which way manufactured by a slave.

But what drives slavery? Obviously we all know it’s morally wrong. But our capitalist societies that perpetuate materialistic items and stress the ideology of Darwin that the fittest survive perpetuate this societal tragedy. The fact is slaves are free labor that is controlled by violence. Slavery is a very profitable Indus Trudy. Expert’s estimates trafficking in the United States yields about 9 billion a year! (iabolish.org) Hence why it’s continual perpetuation in the world. People are down to wealth and thusly drawn to power. It is one of the societal puzzles how we equate money, power, materialistic items and happiness all on the same playing field. And with the growth of technological determinism and the global village it has fostered, commerce has spread far and wide.

Yet, the concept to me personally is crazy. A person as an object. As a possession, like a book a chair or a piece of paper. A person is not a thing. It’s a life. Every human is a life. And slavery is a violation on all races natural and unalienable rights. We should protect each other, not exploit them because who knows when that one slave could be the next Mohandas ghandi or Albert Einstein.

Now I am not trying to be a preacher, because I am certainly no saint. I still use slave-produced products. Hell, I even love walmart. But I am not going to change my life style in regards to what I learnt. I am going to keep on being the same consumer I am now. Because after all everyone is trying to say a buck right? I think just knowing is the key to combating slavery in the world. Like we discussed in class the education of people is the most important thing because that way we do not LET it be an inconvenient truth. Knowing is power and being college students in the united states WE ARE the elite in the world. We have power and we will hold most of the world’s wealth. That means we have power. We have power to speak up. We have power to tell our kids. We have the power to reach out and make a difference. (And that is not buying not eating chocolate or throwing away your Nike sneakers) We can make small difference like helping one individual and changing their life. A bunch of small difference can create a HUGE impact.

I think racism continues to be a problem in the world because we let it be one. We constantly see racism in our media and in our social spheres, yet we do nothing to stop it. In fact most of us do not even realize it! I think it has been engrained in our social interactions so much that we are numbed to the slurs, remarks or how we treat each other. Not just white to back, but Chinese to Japanese, Christians to Jews, Arabs and Americans. Wherever there has been a fundamental conflict arises racism.
Treating someone under you based on race, applying a stereotype based on race is racism. We define characteristics that make them different. Then we attribute these differences with inferiority. We prude at them, poke at them make fun of them, when in fact these differences are just genetic or tradition.
Racism in the United States, in the freest country in the world, has still yet to cease. In the case of Whites and African Americans, I feel as if there is still a lot of tension between the two. Sociologist calls this inequity an inconvenient truth, but really I want to just say “duh”. People would be blind not to see it.
For example, whites are more apt to get higher paying jobs in the labor market than blacks. It’s crazy how color can automatically discredit someone even if they have the credentials and even a better resume. In class we discussed how a white male with a criminal record could be chosen over a black male with out. Why? Because preexisting stereotypes are an albatross on African American necks.
But then again on the other hand even when whites are not intending to be racist blacks perceive them to be. In my opinion, not being biased based on my own race; everyone needs to stop perpetuating it. They need to stop being so sensitive. They need to stand up. They need to promote change.
Back to the media example, many movies promote it, even advertisements. In this one I found on you tube is actually outrageous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FftZt-Dw_hQ It is a KFC ad and it equates black people and fried chicken. A stereotype in our culture. However, it is boggling that this commercial actually aired in Australia and now it’s all over you tube for people to see. And again, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMvfEdTUO6Q&fe... in this clip. The 10 most racist moments in TV, this short clip left me a gawk. It not only had slandering statements against blacks but ALL sorts of people. I do not understand how these people get away with it without being fired on the spot, or discredited in status. How do these clips make you feel? How did you react? To me, I laughed. But not because the content was funny just because how can people be so dumb. How can they SAY such a thing or air such a thing, not that is the funny part because it is utterly baffling.