I cannot picture 300,000 people dead. It does not seem possible to me, when I consider that more died than all of the students at penn state. It would be the same as multiplying the population by 7.5 and then having everyone die. The thought gives me chills, and I cannot imagine living around that much death. I do not know how the people in Haiti are surviving, as many have lost so many loved ones and everything they own. I think that many Americans feel a need to help Haiti by donating food, money, clothing, and other necessities. I also know many churches that are down in Haiti trying to help the refugees. However, I understand the questioner’s point when she asks what that number means to us. Most of the population did donate some material good and then went back to their normal everyday life. However, on one hand we have to question what else can we do? We cannot send the entire world population directly into Haiti and yet is harmful to keep donating material goods directly to the people since it turns them into beggars. In order to rebuild Haiti, people outside of the situation must help take control since the people in Haiti are not emotionally ready to right now. When I think about the World Trade Center I remember the tears in everyone’s eyes and so many people knew someone who worked there. I believe I felt much closer to that disaster as it is honestly because I felt much closer to them. I have been to New York City and I have seen the people living there. I have interacted and talked with them. These were the people who were dying in my dreams. I feel very much removed from Haiti. I understand the need to help a population so poor and so depressed, yet I shamefully admit that I feel a stronger connection to the people living an hour and a half from me. I pictures the people who dies as people who were my like my parents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors. I could relate to so many. I would like to make it clear that I am not suggesting that Americans are better or deserve more than Haitians. That is obviously not the case. I am just pointing out that I feel more connected to Americans because I am one.
The second point I would like to make is about the time the questioner would need for an emotional break if someone in her family died. If one of my sisters or father died I would no doubt take time off to heal emotionally. However, I have never met anyone living in Haiti and I may have a connection to them as a caring human, but I do not have the same emotionally connection that I would for a close friend or family member. I agree in that we cannot forget about Haiti, yet I do not believe that the solution is to stop living our lives.

I thought Sam’s lecture on Christian invaders was thought provoking and crazy to think about. I have never put myself into the seat of an Arab Muslim before and wondered what they think of us. I assumed many of them hated us but I never stopped to ask myself why. In all honesty, I usually end of pitying the people in the Middle East because I think of all the fighting that occurs and everything they have to try and live through. I feel terrible for people who have to live under the Taliban, especially the women because I see how restricted they are. I always believed that if they came to the United States they could be truly happy. However, that would require them having to leave family, friends, culture, their homeland, and possibly racism from United States citizens. I ponder all of these thoughts when I consider the Middle East and the war over there. However, I do not usually think that much about the oil situation. I am strongly against drilling in Alaska but I never considered how it would effect the rest of the world. The United State has no right whatsoever to oil in the Middle East. It is time to look into alternative energy or cut back drastically, both of which many citizens do not care to do. I will own up to the fact that if some other country invaded PA looking for coal I would be beyond livid. I get upset that PA decided to accept trash from New York and they are part of the United States. I think Sam has shown us how important it is that we remember to walk in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective. It is so easy to see all the fighting occurring and to assume that most people are full of hate for other religions.
The other part of the lecture I wanted to discuss was the fact that Sam referred to them as “Christian” invaders. I believe it was his way of showing us how the dominant religion in the United States can look evil to other religions because the US soldiers represent our country as well as our culture. Christianity is about love, not hatred or evil. However, the Muslim religion also centers around similar qualities. Not many people take time enough to learn this and believe that Muslims believe in terrorist attacks and blowing people up. In reality, this is not the majority as Sam pointed out. I also know that most Christians would be happy if the entire world was Christians, because this means for believers that nobody goes to hell. Christians set up missionaries because they love others and want to save them from a fate worse than death.

I was questioning my education at PennState a few weeks ago. I was wondering what I am actually doing here and what I was learning. Soc 119 wondered into my mind and I started to analyze what I had learned and where I stood on many of the issues we discussed. First, I would like to say that I only agree with Sam about half the time, yet I am very interested in many of the issues we discuss in class. One of the things Sam brought to my attention is modern day slavery. I had no idea so many slaves existed in the world today. These issues are so important to bring up in class, as many people are not aware of the problem, which means there are few searching for a solution. I was glad he assigned us Disposable People to read, because I had the opportunity to realize that slavery today may be worse than it was 150 years ago. I think about everything I have learned when I am about to buy something really cheap in Walmart. I believe that is the goal of Sam’s class, to get us to think about how what we do affects the rest of the world.

Another issue Sam discussed was “bleeding.” I always believed that we should not really talk about it, but after thinking about the issue I disagree. A menstrual cycle is not something to be ashamed of. It is a natural process that happens to all women. Why should we find the issue so unacceptable? We certainly did not ask for it, but at least we can have children because of it. Because of Sam’s class, I am much more aware of a woman’s role in society. Although we have come so far, we still have problems and power struggles within gender roles. Because I am constantly thinking about these issues, I notice them more in society where as before I never would have given it a second thought.

I do not understand how someone could have learned nothing in this class. I have heard so many opinions that are different from mine, especially in the small discussion groups. Everyone has such different values and different agendas. It affects what we do at PennState, whether we study often, what clubs we join, and if we volunteer in our free time. Our class is made up of many different cultures, races, religions, and opinions. I think this helps the class understand issues better, because the people we are discussing are our friends sitting right next to us. I understand if you do not agree with everything Sam says. I have disagreed and left class annoyed, angry, and confused before. However, I do not think it is possible to say you learned nothing.

To address the questioning of “winning”, I don’t think there is a clear line that we as humans can cross to say we have won the race battle. I believe it is something humans will always struggle with. I believe it can be better though, which is as close as we will ever get to winning. A few weeks ago a student asked Sam in class what the end goal was. Sam responded that it was conversation. I believe that this is his version of winning. If we can get people to open up and talk about race, then we can finally move closer to discussing the issues of social inequality. Nothing will change unless people have the guts to bring issues to light, and if most people are willing to talk and brainstorm ways to fix inequality in society, then real change can occur at a much faster rate than it would otherwise.

As for Jesse Jackson, I believe him to be one large contradiction. I think we need to stop focusing on him as much as we do. As Sam said in class, many people would come to hear him speak. He is supposedly a “reverend” but I wonder what he looks like in God’s eyes. He does love his black brothers and sisters, yet he hates others so much. Jesus said the most important commandment is to love God, and the second most important is to love your neighbors. How can he call himself a reverend when he hates so many people? It’s obvious he hates Jews as through the remarks he has made and does not have a strong affinity for whites. I could go on but I’m pretty sure I’m off topic so let me end by saying that I do not care what Jesse Jackson does, because I believe he is already way off base.

I love these questions! They are very thought provoking and can be answered in so many different ways. I would first like to address the LL Bean catalogue. I did not think it was particularly funny. I believe that by saying that black people can not or should not dress that way, it is keeping them repressed and forcing them to fit into a “black culture” that they may not have ever experienced or been associated with. Clothing is a way of self expression, and when you dress in most LL Bean clothing it gives an image of being in the upper middle class. I believe Sam touched on this in class but if there were no black people in the catalogue, LL Bean would be looked at as racist. I believe it is insulting to black people to assume they must look a certain way or they are betraying their culture and heritage.

Let me start off by saying congratulations to Natalie! What she did is no easy feat, as most people still believe that football should be a male dominated sport. When it comes to professional football, it is hard to argue with that. I remember that my dad would have a super bowl party with his friends most years when I was growing up. I always wanted to know why there were no girls on the field. As a 1st grader, guys were not stronger than girls so that explanation seemed like a lie. But now when I watch the super bowl, I see the men’s enormous muscle and I become fairly certain that I would not stand a chance on the field with them. I have come to accept that women and men are built differently, and it would be much harder for a woman to compete on the same playing field in the game of professional football. However, the coaches are not involved in the physical activity on the field, which proves that every reason for keeping women out of the actual game does not apply to coaching.

One can see through Natalie’s interview that she is well educated, but is also a strong athlete. Honestly, she looked extremely intense in her football gear and I am sure she has a strong passion for the game. I really liked that Natalie downplayed the fact that she is a woman coach and instead wanted to focus on her team and preparing for the season. The anchor woman obviously wanted to highlight the fact that she is a woman and a football coach. If I did not know the social norms and customs of society I would have believed that it is normal for a woman to be a coach based on Natalie’s laid back responses and attitude. She is qualified for the job, and she even says that teaching is harder than coaching. It shows that she still has her priorities in order.

Another great quality about Natalie is that she overcame the obstacles surrounding her. Although she did not talk very much about this topic, it became apparent when she said her father did not want her to play football. Although he was probably concerned about his daughter’s safety, it still provided an obstacle. It deepened the stereotype that football is a male’s sport. However, she truly has her own mind as shown when she joined the woman’s tackle football team. I’m guessing she was a pretty good player based on her intense pictures and the fact that she played tackle, while most powder puff football is flag football. Natalie is qualified for the job, and she received the position showing that gender roles are changing, especially for women.

I believe this is a thought provoking question that reflects on what we have learned in class. When Sam first put up the statistics it becomes obvious that there is still racism in the world today, shown by the insane number of minority groups in jail. It is easy to become angry and discouraged when reading these statistics. My very negative initial thought was that some things may never change, and I became mad at the world for not changing. However, this thought is obviously wrong as proven by the question. Racism has gotten so much better than in the civil war era, as blacks have rights equal to those of whites. These rights are enforced and many more white people believe in equality and justice for different races. We are moving forward as a country, just not at a fast enough pace.

Now to actually answer the question, I believe slave owners would be in a state of disbelief, disgust, and despair. They would soon come to realize that there are wealthy blacks, and unfortunately for them, a black president! Can you imagine how outraged they would be to find that the ruler of their country is half black? Blacks can also now vote and have the same opportunities in society as a white person. MTV music videos would have them outraged, and they would be even more upset when they find out how many viewers watch them. Take “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. Every party seems to open with the song and most people know the words well enough to sing along. The majority of college aged Americans do not think twice about listening to a song in which different races perform. I doubt the slave owners would listen to the slaves’ hymns when they wanted to listen to music. The world has changed a great deal.

Slave owners would not be able to exist in modern day America because the majority of their values and ideals have been changed. Take women for instance. Women are now attending college and receiving degrees in any field they choose. They can also vote and be put into government positions. Southern Belles have been replaced with goal oriented women who are making huge changes in the world. Women are doctors, lawyers, and senators now. The groups that the slave owners and white men of that time have tried so hard to keep down have rights in today’s society, proving how much our world has improved since 1800’s. I am not suggesting that our society is anywhere near equal, fair, or perfect. However, in order to have the strength and courage to move on we must recognize how far we have come.

My initial reaction to the first article (the one that did not mention the health risks) was one of gladness because I believe the Indians deserve some good fortune after all they have had to suffer through. I believed it was ironic that the United States government tried to give the Native Americans the poorest land. By doing so, they have lost some of the most valuable land. The Native Americans deserve the right to control the oil on the land as it is rightfully theirs anyway. However, the lasting health effects once again prove that most good things come at a price. Not only are they damaging the environment by drilling, but they are exposing themselves to chemicals which can lead to lung cancer as well as other diseases.
When I read the second article I started to consider pollution and how it affects the current situation. As someone who cares about the environment, I focused much of my attention on the toxic chemicals going into the environment. However, I cannot condemn the Indians for the pollution the drilling is creating. I usually advocate the large oil companies should be forced to have tighter guidelines for drilling and refining oil. However, these companies have the wealth to be able to do so. Another factor which contributes to my thinking is that this is their land, and therefore they should get a say in how they wish to use it, even if it is not in the most environmentally friendly way. Lastly, I considered how many toxins we place into the environment. The rest of the United States drives gas guzzling vehicles, use many prepackaged products, run air conditioning all summer long, take long showers, and have jobs in many different types of industrial plants. All of these actions harm the environment, and the gases that re released from cars and industries pollute the air as well. We cannot blame the Indians for polluting because oil refining is the only chance for many of them to have money at all.
The health repercussions are one of the saddest parts of the oil on the Indian’s land. However, we are all facing future health problems with the amount of pollutants in the air. Unfortunately, the Indians are at much higher risk because they live on the reservation with the oil refinery. I do not believe that they have the opportunity to not have the oil refinery due to health and environmental problems because they have no money and no jobs otherwise. The oil refinery has finally given them hope that they will be able to afford decent housing and schooling for future generations. Even with the negative attributes, the money is far to valuable to the Native Americans to be given away.

Like many people on this blog, I find this article amusing but for a very different reason. The bible is not a child’s fairytale bedtime story. Anyone who believes that does not understand the weight of the Holy Bible. Jesus shed his blood for humanity by dying on the cross. He was willing to subject himself to pain, humiliation, and finally death so humans could be relieved of their sin. Does that sound like a light happy bedtime story? It is important to introduce children to Jesus through stories of Noah’s Ark and Jesus’s birth. As a child in Sunday school, many of us did not understand the great power and awesomeness of what we were reading, as many of us still believed in magic. Noah’s Ark was an easy story to believe because God can make anything happen. Believing in God means believing he is capable of fitting any amount of animals into any size ark. Why so many Christians have a problem with this is hard for me to understand. You believe in God, yet you limit his capabilities to what we as humans can do.
The next problem I have with this article is that it points out man’s imperfections, flaws, and sins and mocks them. Yes, some of the stories are disturbing and by no means am I supporting what they are doing. However, the people in the bible are human, not God. It seems human have not changed that much, as there is still rape, murder, and incest in the world today. One of the major themes of the bible is the fact that humans are imperfect, sinful, and in desperate need of God’s grace and mercy. I believe that is exactly what these stories prove. If the people in the bible were flawless human beings who never sinned, God would not be needed. We laugh at how perverted the stories are because we set higher standards for humans in biblical times.
The article mentions that incest must have occurred in order for the human race to have started and thrived. This is true and by all means the reason why we are alive. Because there are only two humans, of course incest must have occurred for their children to produce more offspring. They did not have a choice unless they wanted to let the human race die, which they thankfully decided not to. Another example was Joseph’s coat of many colors. It could be possible that he was a “drag queen” but I doubt it. It seems as though the article is stretching and exaggerating the probable truth in order to make a more interesting statement. As for sex, of course their reproductive organs were important to them. Men wanted sons to pass on their name and fortune to, and women wanted children to love and take care of. It sounds rather close to modern times, except nobody swears on their loins anymore. Before trying to twist the bible into something it is not, we must first remember the glaring distinction between human and God.