The video seen in class today about the man that made it his responsibility to buy and supply the homeless people in Jackson Heights, NY with food is amazing. While watching the video the main thought going through my head is “is this how I think of immigrants/homeless people?” the answer is difficult. I do care about homeless people and a lot of the time I do feel the urge to help, but I never know what the correct way to help is. I was brought up and told not to give homeless people money because they could be buying drugs and what not with the money you’re supplying them with. Then today as I was scrolling through my facebook my friend posted a status basically mentioning how she stopped to ask the homeless man why he was not looking for a job to support his wife and kids. The mans answer was simple and disturbing, “I get too much stuff for free now, why look for a job.”
I am trying my best not to compare homeless and immigrants, but stuff like this makes me wonder. I want to believe that I would do something as generous as the man in the video, but at the same time I feel like there are other ways of helping. I have always believed that immigrants are the most hard-workers because of the fact that they come here looking for work to support their families. I also think that Americans often take for granted how much is just handed to us and how much we don’t have to work for. As Sam mentioned in class today almost every job each person has had in the past is through some sort of connection. It’s hard to find someone that has worked hard and gotten the job that they worked hard for.
Now going back to the original question no I do not think that I would be as helpful as the guy in the video and support a large group every day, but I do believe that I can help out in other ways such as through soup kitchens or even offering a homeless person a meal rather than money. I enjoy seeing that there are still people in the world that are willing to be so helpful. I also think because he was in the same situation as they are in now that he is more willing to help because of that connection he has with them. At the same time I think that he should also consider his family and his financial status.

Until listening to this video I did not notice right away that the story was told differently depending on the race of the student. I feel like this question and the question about why the world is more segregated now than in the 1970’s can be placed together. Nowadays I feel that people are more uncomfortable speaking about race then in the past. People are constantly trying not to say the wrong thing that racial issues become awkward. This awkwardness is definitely seen more in white individuals then minorities. I think this because minorities are put in more difficult situations than whites sometimes. For example minorities especially Hispanic ‘s and blacks have to be careful what they where at times because if you look to “hood” you are more likely to be bothered by the cops and what not. This was obvious in the lecture Sam had about the amount of illegal activity happening and the percent of each group in jail. Although white people had more cases of felonies and illegal drug use there were still more Hispanic’s and blacks found in the system.
Also political correctness plays a huge part in why the story was told differently with each person. A side from the fact that each person forgot or left out minor details it’s a matter of how comfortable each was with the story. I could see why whites could have a difficult time retelling the story because of the fact that it talked about racism and the verbal abuse towards the African American man. I think that the white people may have tried harder to avoid saying certain things that described the abuse. While for the minorities of the group it was more so for the experiment during class or for more awareness.
Like I said before I did not necessarily realize that each person the old the story that much differently depending on the color of their skin, but if they did these were some reasons as to why I can imagine them saying it differently. Also it could have been just the fact that each person could not remember the full story. Also we were running out of time so I’m sure they probably were willing to get out of class and wanted to only mention the major details of the story. All in all it was proven that different people communicate in different ways and you can’t always believe everything that said unless you are hearing it from the actual person that witnessed the problem, etc.

After Sam’s lecture on Tuesday my thoughts on terrorism have changed to an extent. I was never one to be so into the news and what not since 9/11 happened and what not, but I do know about the multiple terrorist attacks that have happened throughout the world that were portrayed in the jihad video shown in class. I do believe that that class was one of Sam’s best lectures and the most enlightening, as most of them are. After watching the video I felt differently as a whole. I felt scared in a way and unaware after the lecture. To be honest, when Same said put yourself in a muslim’s shoes my first thought was, “how am I going to do this, this is impossible” and I still had trouble during the lecture visualizing my life as a muslim, but I did get a lot out of the lecture in general. I found myself in outrage after hearing the former president and other political figures talking so badly, and thinking that everything is pretty much alright and that we can keep sending soldiers out and the. most surprising was when Sarah Palin mentioned having enough oil in Alaska to provide for America. When realistically we have enough oil to last us 43 or something days. No one politically seems to be thinking about the big picture everyone is basically in it for themselves not wanting to learn more about Muslims.
Another topic that drew my attention during this lecture was about the Christians involved and how they have biblical quotes and what not on their weapons and even are making special bibles made for the military force. Is this forreal? Christianity is no longer seen as a religion. An example of this is seen in the video with the children at “vacation bible” school and they are basically being trained to go to war at such a young age. It is embedded in their heads at birth how they are supposed to live and what “living like a Christian” is like. Visually it looked like it was more of a cult than vacation bible school and for children to be taught that Muslims are bad people is ridiculous. Again, America only thinking about themselves and not the whole picture. In a way this whole class makes me feel embarrassed to be an American. In no means am I reffering to everyone in America, but I still do not think its right and it is very unfair to the Muslim’s that are not involved in such terrorist acts.

After Sam’s lecture on Tuesday my thoughts on terrorism have changed to an extent. I was never one to be so into the news and what not since 9/11 happened and what not, but I do know about the multiple terrorist attacks that have happened throughout the world that were portrayed in the jihad video shown in class. I do believe that that class was one of Sam’s best lectures and the most enlightening, as most of them are. After watching the video I felt differently as a whole. I felt scared in a way and unaware after the lecture. To be honest, when Same said put yourself in a muslim’s shoes my first thought was, “how am I going to do this, this is impossible” and I still had trouble during the lecture visualizing my life as a muslim, but I did get a lot out of the lecture in general. I found myself in outrage after hearing the former president and other political figures talking so badly, and thinking that everything is pretty much alright and that we can keep sending soldiers out and the. most surprising was when Sarah Palin mentioned having enough oil in Alaska to provide for America. When realistically we have enough oil to last us 43 or something days. No one politically seems to be thinking about the big picture everyone is basically in it for themselves not wanting to learn more about Muslims.
Another topic that drew my attention during this lecture was about the Christians involved and how they have biblical quotes and what not on their weapons and even are making special bibles made for the military force. Is this forreal? Christianity is no longer seen as a religion. An example of this is seen in the video with the children at “vacation bible” school and they are basically being trained to go to war at such a young age. It is embedded in their heads at birth how they are supposed to live and what “living like a Christian” is like. Visually it looked like it was more of a cult than vacation bible school and for children to be taught that Muslims are bad people is ridiculous. Again, America only thinking about themselves and not the whole picture. In a way this whole class makes me feel embarrassed to be an American. In no means am I reffering to everyone in America, but I still do not think its right and it is very unfair to the Muslim’s that are not involved in such terrorist acts.

I have never felt “uncomfortable” when others are speaking another language in front of me, but I do sometimes wonder what they are talking about depending on the situation. For example, when I go to the nail salon many of the clerks speak Vietnamese to each other I have never had a problem with it because I believe that whatever language is easier for you to communicate in is best. Saying that I do sometimes wonder if they are talking about me, but I think that’s natural and not considered as feeling uncomfortable. I know some of my friends who are convinced when the people at the salon speak another language that they are talking to about them. I find myself in a lot of situations where English is not the primary language spoken, which makes me wish I at least spoke one other language besides English. The hair salon that I go to majority of the people working there speak Spanish, I have never felt uncomfortable or felt as if they were talking about me because so many people speak Spanish, and why would they waste there time talking about the people in front of them.
Last semester my roommate actually told me a story about how two Chinese people were talking about her while in the elevator not knowing that she too spoke mandarin, they were shocked when she responded to them. My roommate was born and raised in Brazil until the age of 8 when she moved with her family from then until college he lived there and became fluent in Mandarin. She currently speaks three languages, English, Portuguese, and Mandarin. I am always so jealous of her because I would love to speak at least one other language fluently. Upon coming to Penn State I wanted to major in Spanish and Science, but my course load would never allow me too. My dream is to not only learn Spanish, but also be submerged in some sort of Spanish culture and become fluent. I believe it would be very beneficial when getting a job and also communicating with others in that job because I know there will be people of many nationalities in the field that I would like to work with and the better I could communicate with them the better I would be able to do my job.

Growing up I lived in a very diverse town in Northern New Jersey. I was always exposed to people of many races including a lot of interracial couples. Ever since middle school almost everyone in my classes were in some sort of interracial relationship. It was never only a difference of races, but it could have also been a difference in religion. Although being in a interracial relationship may be some sort of a struggle I think that people from my town were so use to seeing it that it was not much o a problem. I think the way you look at interracial relationships have a lot to do with the setting that you grew up in. of course if your parents teach you that, “if you bring home a person of the opposite race I’m going to kick you out of my house” that person would be a lot more drawn to their own race.
I personally have been in many interracial relationships and I and neither has my family has had a problem with it. My current boyfriend is not only of a different race, but also of the opposite religion and we have been together for almost eight years. I have never had many complications being in a interracial relationship, but there are definitely those times where I have gotten the eye from black guys, a confused expression on the face like, “what are you doing with him, or what is he doing to keep you with him.” I have never had any comments drawn towards me, but the persons eyes usually say it all. I am very comfortable with the relationship I am in and I think being able to branch away from your race is great! It opens a lot of other people’s eyes.
I do not fully understand some of the things that have been mentioned about not being able to date someone of the opposite sex because of their family. Since when do your parents decide such a thing for you and if your parents feel that strongly to think about kicking you out, what does that say? I thought family is suppose to be there to support you, but I guess not everyone is the same. I believe that dating the opposite race is overcoming a challenge in many people’s eyes. an interracial relationship is what you make of it, there are going to be difficult times, but when is there not in relationships. So all in all I guess you can say I think interracial relationships are great!

I believe that the diversity at Penn State is very low. Coming to Penn State I had been introduced to and have lived in many diverse areas. My parents made sure that everywhere that we lived was diverse. I was born in the Bronx, NY and lived there for six years I never had a real chance to see if it was diverse when I was little cause that’s just not what you think about at the age of 4 or 5, but when I re-visit the area it is very diverse. As we all know the New York City area is known as a “melting pot” and that it is. After living in New York I moved to a town in North Jersey called Teaneck. Teaneck has probably been one of the most diverse areas that I have lived in. All my friends that I went to middle school and elementary school were of many different races and religions. I currently live in Orlando, FL and I did realize that majority of my school was white, but a good portion of my school were people of African American, Asian, and Latino/a.
Before coming to Penn State I use to believe that it was very diverse, but shortly after attending school here I came to the opposite realization. Penn State is not very diverse at all and I feel like this can be because of many reasons. One of the reasons has to do with a topic we have discussed in class about the number of people of different races that actually attend college. The reason why Penn State is not as diverse as it can be is because majority of the people in Pennsylvania are white, and also because Caucasians have a higher percent of people that attend college than minorities. This is a huge reason why this school is not very diverse.
Penn State also has many different cultural associations and opportunities to potentially be a more diverse school, but it always comes down to groups of different races sticking together. A lot of diversity has to do with people willing to experience and learn about people that are different from them, but not many are willing to do so. Let’s face it, American’s in general are afraid of change. The only way people can become more diverse and comfortable in a certain setting, or rather move forward in the stages mentioned in class is to open up and try new things dealing with culture, and ask questions. I am currently in the Penn State Filipino Association and I love it I am learning new things about Filipino and asian culture every time I attend a meeting and I am also going to be a part of their cultural show. I think that doing little things like going a little bit out of your comfort zone makes a difference in diversity.

After watching this video I could not help but laugh and wonder who would buy such a thing?! The guy in the video does seem like the quintessential “white” guy.
He is very awkward and seems almost uncomfortable presenting the holster throughout the whole video. This is obvious in the awkward silences and the short pauses between sentences. Also the tone of his voice, sounds like a southern accent and not very deep. If you were to compare the sound of a white man and a black man’s voice you would be able to tell that the black man’s voice would be much deeper and “heavier” sounds then that of a white man.
As stated in the previous blogs it is also evident that he comes off as the average “All-American” white guy with a white polo tucked in to his jeans with a belt, and crew cut.
The fact that he spent fifty dollars on a holster to carry a gun boggles my mind and seems like a typical white person, buying unnecessary objects. Also the fact that the holster is suppose to be stored on top of the crotch seems stupid. “Why would you want a gun near your crotch?”or even want to do activities such as jogging, working out, sitting, or any other aerobic activity with a gun so close to your crotch. It just seems stupid to me and I know that after watching this all I thought was “of course a white person would wear/buy something like this. I know for a fact that if this commercial was aimed towards black men most would not buy it for the fact that it lays above the crotch. He also takes time to explain the obvious and step by step explains how the holster should be worn starting with how to Velcro the belt on. I feel as though everyone is aware of how a belt should be worn. He is also very proper and it is obvious that he is uncomfortable when using sexual terms. Instead of referring to the area the holster lies as his crotch he refers to it as “by the zipper.”
With all of that said it is hard to believe that a man of his appearance and tone would even need a holster for a gun. He appears to be a harmless person again like said previously more of a teacher than a police or anyone more muscular or that has a more active than sedentary job/lifestyle.

This class continues to challenge my thinking everyday and after seeing what the topic was and then eating the piece of chocolate I knew what was ahead for me. I knew that the topic about present day slavery was going to have an impact on how I view a lot of things in life, I was right& it did. The video watched in class the other day was very interesting to me because I think a lot of us have heard about present day slavery often, but choose to tune it out or they take it into account. The topic is never understood or rather digested. Yesterday after I watched the video so many things were going through my head. How could I not know the full extent to how much present day slavery there is in the world. Also how it affects the slaves. When the man related us eating the chocolate to eating his flesh I had lost my appetite and it left sort of a stale taste in my mouth. After class I further brain stormed about the ideas presented in class and was talking to my roommate about the question Sam proposed to us about if we feel guilt or not for participating in these acts of slavery by buying the things we buy. I answered like most of the class that, I do not feel guilt, but I do feel angry. I do believe that we can help out to a certain extent by buying fair-trade chocolate and what not, but at the same time there is only so much we can do. We cannot change our lifestyle completely according to the things that were done by slaves. If we do things like stop eating chocolate, or rice, or anything that has something to do with slavery in it we would never survive because based on the list Sam gave us everything was built/gathered by slaves. I also believe how you answered that question depends on who you are. I said I didnt feel guilty, but angry because now I can make small changes, but at the same time I have gained a lot by learning about present-day slavery, which helps me to grow as a person and learn more than a lot of people in this world. My roommate on the other hand said she did feel guilty, but that is the type of person she is. We all have our own differences in reasoning and feelings towards the subject matter, but at the same time we have all become a lot more educated and have significantly grown as individuals.

Immediately after listening to this song I thought of a conversation I was having with my manager at the hospital. She was basically saying that it is up to the younger generation to educate themselves about what is going on in this world in order to move forward. We were mostly talking about economics, but this applies to everything. She also said that her generation made a lot of mistakes that contributed to why we are living in the economic predicament that we are in. Nowadays, a lot more of the younger people are becoming more educated about the world and what is going on and it is imperative to know in order to make “change” happen in the world. As I said in a previous blog in order for us to even think about racism going away in the future we must initiate and think outside the box.
Lupe Fiasco’s song Words I Never Said has very empowering lyrics which is aimed towards a younger audience. I believe this is a great way of targeting the younger people. I can speak for myself when I say that I do not watch as much of the news as I should and I am not as educated or aware of the economic status of the US. Also it’s more difficult when in college because it feels as if were all stuck inside this “bubble” and only when we go home or away from Penn State is when we become more aware of what is going on in the world. This is really sad.
The line “I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence” says a lot. People including me sometimes keep a lot of their opinions to themselves thinking that either they don’t matter or that they will cause conflict because of disagreement. This is all true, but if the world keeps on saying nothing about major issues going on there would be no progress and without progress the world would be in the same predicament that we were in a long time ago. This is why it is important to focus on what is going on and voicing your opinions to others. The only way problems can be solved is if they are discussed. A problem that is not discussed will be left unsolved. This relates to the world in so many ways as I discussed earlier knowing about what is going on and getting educated is just one step closer to better living for everyone. If problems are left unsolved then they will just be repeated. The song holds a lot of powerful words about what is going on and only with change can we move forward