Time has shown us that there is without doubt undeniable contrast and gaps between man and woman, regardless of all the progress made in the 1960s and women’s rights movements. For the entire human striving to make man and woman equal, it is fruitless as no one wants to simply accept the fact that men and women differ and cannot be equally given same treatment and certainty cannot be viewed as equals in the media. The infamous case with Mary Kay Letourneau having consensual sex with her thirteen-year-old student was looked upon quite differently than the contemporary incident regarding Jerry Sandusky and the molestation of same-sex minors. Although these two cases are in their entirety different as Sandusky’s case involved a multitude of minors who were either forced or manipulatively coerced into sexual acts, they can be compared while examining the issue of intercourse between adults in authority positions and minors who were under their care or watch. When Mary Kay Letourneau was being tried, the media was not up in arms as they are now visibly about the Sandusky case. Sandusky has been painted to be a man not unlike the devil, depicted as the lowest of scum and the epitome of smut in the world, slobbering over young males and robbing them of their innocence, whereas women sex offenders are often depicted as individuals who simply made mistakes. This whole double standard stems back to, in my opinion and own personal judgment, the depiction of men and women in entertainment and movies. Men have always been the antagonists in movies, especially horror. The first prolific American serial killer who was a woman was Aileen Wuornos, yet she was still defended in some fringes of society as she killed men who she claimed raped her while she worked as a prostitute. So in short, is it right to say that if Jerry Sandusky was Jenny Sandusky, the molestation of boys or girls would be overlooked or downplayed in the media? Of course not. As society, we have set an unspoken or unwritten doctrine of what we want to hear on the evening news. For instance, a murder is reported for a second in the news, a little blurb, meanwhile a sex scandal is blown up. For some reason, the pedophile has become the epitome of all evil in the world. Most would rather sit and have tea with a serial killer than pass a man who was caught fancying himself to child porn. Even in our media, otherwise scandals are commonplace. For example, the pop singer Justin Bieber comments upon how he has crushes on a variety of adult female celebrities. He also kisses some of them on stage as the television audience and pre-pubescent girls ooh and ahh over the adorable boy lust for an older women. I could not however articulate the same scenario in which a female celebrity, lets say Dakota Fanning stated on T.V she adored George Clooney and kissed him on-screen. Such events would be shocking and parents would flood the inboxes of news networks or MTV. Apologies for the long tangent into nowhere and the deviating from the topic of Sandusky. So in short, if Mcqueary entered the locker room and saw a woman in her 40s touching a boy or performing other sexual acts, would it have haunted him so much and caused such an uproar when released? I personally do not feel so as women have not been depicted as man have, as being creepy and manipulative, conning and cunning, sly and subversive while older women get the simple brand of just being cougars or even less adequate or appropriate terminology as a milf. If Sandusky was a women, there would be talk of more kids applying to Penn. State then fears of less applying. The double standard is clear. Men and women in America are viewed in completely differing and distinct regards. And perhaps that is a good thing, although society must however see through the vanity and realize it is there, and one cannot target one so coldly and blindly without seeing how they would react if the perpetrator or aggressor were a different gender. It can truly be said that the women’s rights movement, although very helpful in forming modern females and shaping ideals of workplace and legal equality, has helped to expand the gap between men and women. Feminists are truly an antagonistic force as they want all the benefits of being as equal as a man without all the responsibilities or consequences. In the case of Sandusky once again in closing, the results cannot be explicitly determined or formulated of how people would react if Sandusky or those involved were women, although one can infer there would be less animosity and depiction of Sandusky as a monster.

Time has shown us that there is without doubt undeniable contrast and gaps between man and woman, regardless of all the progress made in the 1960s and women’s rights movements. For the entire human striving to make man and woman equal, it is fruitless as no one wants to simply accept the fact that men and women differ and cannot be equally given same treatment and certainty cannot be viewed as equals in the media. The infamous case with Mary Kay Letourneau having consensual sex with her thirteen-year-old student was looked upon quite differently than the contemporary incident regarding Jerry Sandusky and the molestation of same-sex minors. Although these two cases are in their entirety different as Sandusky’s case involved a multitude of minors who were either forced or manipulatively coerced into sexual acts, they can be compared while examining the issue of intercourse between adults in authority positions and minors who were under their care or watch. When Mary Kay Letourneau was being tried, the media was not up in arms as they are now visibly about the Sandusky case. Sandusky has been painted to be a man not unlike the devil, depicted as the lowest of scum and the epitome of smut in the world, slobbering over young males and robbing them of their innocence, whereas women sex offenders are often depicted as individuals who simply made mistakes. This whole double standard stems back to, in my opinion and own personal judgment, the depiction of men and women in entertainment and movies. Men have always been the antagonists in movies, especially horror. The first prolific American serial killer who was a woman was Aileen Wuornos, yet she was still defended in some fringes of society as she killed men who she claimed raped her while she worked as a prostitute. So in short, is it right to say that if Jerry Sandusky was Jenny Sandusky, the molestation of boys or girls would be overlooked or downplayed in the media? Of course not. As society, we have set an unspoken or unwritten doctrine of what we want to hear on the evening news. For instance, a murder is reported for a second in the news, a little blurb, meanwhile a sex scandal is blown up. For some reason, the pedophile has become the epitome of all evil in the world. Most would rather sit and have tea with a serial killer than pass a man who was caught fancying himself to child porn. Even in our media, otherwise scandals are commonplace. For example, the pop singer Justin Bieber comments upon how he has crushes on a variety of adult female celebrities. He also kisses some of them on stage as the television audience and pre-pubescent girls ooh and ahh over the adorable boy lust for an older women. I could not however articulate the same scenario in which a female celebrity, lets say Dakota Fanning stated on T.V she adored George Clooney and kissed him on-screen. Such events would be shocking and parents would flood the inboxes of news networks or MTV. Apologies for the long tangent into nowhere and the deviating from the topic of Sandusky. So in short, if Mcqueary entered the locker room and saw a woman in her 40s touching a boy or performing other sexual acts, would it have haunted him so much and caused such an uproar when released? I personally do not feel so as women have not been depicted as man have, as being creepy and manipulative, conning and cunning, sly and subversive while older women get the simple brand of just being cougars or even less adequate or appropriate terminology as a milf. If Sandusky was a women, there would be talk of more kids applying to Penn. State then fears of less applying. The double standard is clear. Men and women in America are viewed in completely differing and distinct regards. And perhaps that is a good thing, although society must however see through the vanity and realize it is there, and one cannot target one so coldly and blindly without seeing how they would react if the perpetrator or aggressor were a different gender. It can truly be said that the women’s rights movement, although very helpful in forming modern females and shaping ideals of workplace and legal equality, has helped to expand the gap between men and women. Feminists are truly an antagonistic force as they want all the benefits of being as equal as a man without all the responsibilities or consequences. In the case of Sandusky once again in closing, the results cannot be explicitly determined or formulated of how people would react if Sandusky or those involved were women, although one can infer there would be less animosity and depiction of Sandusky as a monster.

The recent events that have occurred at Penn State have had a huge impact on on students, faculty, alumni, and the world in general. From the class discussion in SOC 119, I heard about the reactions from the individual students. It was sad to hear how so many of my fellow classmates feel lost and find comfort in the fact that if they all come together and riot they could make a difference. The negative acts that took place have caused further criticism towards our university. The people around the world are now starting to form opinions because of what they are seeing and hearing about the events that took place and the schools reactions. It also seems as if the media portrays the university and the students in a negative aspect just to gain more viewers and stir more chaos. The negative reactions here in Penn State are because of great passion and anger but it doesn’t define who are as individuals. We are all suffering over what happened and what is still yet to happen because of the events that took place. Not knowing what will happen to the reputation of Penn State is scaring students. Realizing that events like that could happen in the happiest of values hurts us all. But still we stand together united, because we are Penn State. The world is looking at our school like we are monsters for rallying with pride behind our school. They see us as rape supporters or as brainwashed zombies. The truth is the world will never understand why. It is not that we don’t feel for the victims, because we absolutely do. We feel sick and outraged when we hear about the incidents. A terrible incident happened and shattered the image of our school. We are all left now to pick up the pieces
Our icon has been taken away from us as well. Joe Paterno is a Penn State legend. He made Penn State what it was. Firing him and the way it happened broke everyones heart. It could have been handled so much better. The same way Penn State students could have handled rioting different. Joe Paternos departure was inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be sad about it. Its angering that the men most responsible have less attention on them then Joe Paterno, whose name is being completely destroyed. These men are the ones responsible, not Penn State, and I wish the world would realize that. What I want people to understand is that Penn State is not this. We are far greater than this. We will get through this and I hope the world sees that we are hurting as well.

I can see why many people might feel that people who hang out with people of a different race are posers. For example, one might ask why would someone who is black want to hang out with preppy white kids. People use stereotyping that black people wear baggy clothes and like hip hop, but that just is not so for everyone. Some black people might like to be preppy and might want to join a white frat instead of a black frat because they fit in better there. If someone chooses to to this, it does not mean they are posers, they just are following their own interests. In reverse, a white kid may love rap and fit in with the black community more. He would hear ridicule that he was a “wigger”. People who choose to hang out with different races are portrayed as posers when I believe they are actually braver than most of us. It is much easier in life to hang out with people like yourself. It is comforting to not be the odd one out. Usually people of the same race will have the same kinds of families and are able to relate to each other more easier. But, just because it is easier does not mean its the only way to live. I personally feel that friending people of different races is interesting and fun. Who wants to live in a black and white boring world with people just like yourself? I think we should all break down societies boundaries and branch out to different races. My brother is a perfect example of a person who hangs out with people of different races. My brother is half white and half puerto rican, but look wise is a complete white boy. He grew up in a white neighborhood and played with all white kids. In high school, he branched out. He had his white friends still, but black kids started coming over my house to hang out. He had spanish friends, white friends and black friends and there never once was a problem. Still to this day, my brother has friends of all different races. He does not see color as a barrier to being someones friends. He made most of these friends playing basketball. Kids of all races love to play basketball and it brought them all together. I believe my brother is at stage six on the race scale. I wish our world could stop seeing race as a boundary, but rather as something interesting. We can learn from other races things we would never know. We could discover things we enjoy and want to hang out with other races more.

This video of Abigail and Brittany Hensel is absolutely mind blowing to me. I actually seen this documentary before but it again absorbed me. I could never even imagine having to live like that. Their situation was determined for them since they were born. There is nothing they can do about it, it just was in the cards for them. Life can be so unfair. For their entire lives they will never be able to do certain tasks that we all take for granted like having alone time. What do they do about sex and relationships? I know they are young in the video but this was aired a couple of years ago. Finding a partner in life is probably the hardest thing in the world. To find someone who is willing to date and have sex with their sister as well is pretty far out there. Both girls will never have true free will either. Their life was determined by determinism and ruins their free will. Their free will is how they deal with their situation together. They both choose to make the best of their situation despite the hardships which shows how strong of people they are. Though, it still is so sad that they can never just live life like everyone else. They can never just make a decision to do something and just do it. For every decision they make they have to consult with each other from when they want to sleep to when they want to go out. These girls are two separate people who have two different minds and two different hearts that have to always compromise with each other to live life. The girls display such amazing coordination with each other. They play the piano and play sports such as bowling, volleyball, cycling, softball and swimming. It makes me sad though that they can never experience the joy of being a mother or an aunt because if they have a child it will be both of theirs. They can never have anything of their own. And as sad as I feel for them I also feel joy that they aren’t bitter or angry about their situation. It has truly made them amazing people who have such an amazing bond with each other. They are strong girls who are so brave for wanting to make a documentary about their disorder. It shows our life is really determined by determinism and free will. Determinism caused them to have this defect because it was due to external causes. Free will was the girls choice to live a happy life. The women were given a bad situation but they handle it so well.

I think that it is completely unfair that women have to spend so much time and effort into going out and men can put no energy into it. It's not even just going out, but every single day women are expected to look a certain way when men can roll out of bed and be fine for the day.

I know that there is the argument that says that women can choose to wear anything they want to, which is true, but in order to fit in society a woman must always look presentable. A woman in sweat pants and a pony tail will never be taken as serious as a woman in jeans and a cute top. Nor will a man choose the woman in sweatpants over the woman in a skirt. It just doesn’t happen that way, which is why women choose to put in such an effort in what they look like. We just have to.

From personal experience, there is a significant difference between the amount of time and effort a woman puts into then a man. I know that when I go out during the weekend I need a good hour and a half to get myself ready while my boyfriend can be ready in twenty minutes. While I am straightening my hair and putting on just the right amount of makeup, he is sitting in front of the television drinking a beer. I would never be able to do that. Also, boys can throw on a tee shirt and jeans when girls are trying to wear the least amount of clothing without looking slutty. Especially coming here to Penn State, I can count on my fingers the amount of times I wore pants out. It is a very rare occasion. Although I do enjoy getting myself all done up, it does suck when it is freezing out and all I have on is a dress. Meanwhile the boys are all wearing sweat shirts and warm clothes. If I did choose to dress warm though, I would be scoffed at. The sad part of it is that the majority of the people scoffing would probably be women. We women do it to each other. We may hate wearing heels and make up but if a girl showed up without them we would definitely have something to say about her. It is a sick cycle that women do to each other.

I do not think it is right the way society holds women to a certain standard. Though, it does exist and therefore we all conform to it. In order for a woman to achieve in most aspects of life, they must look like they put effort into what they look like.

When I saw the video of the bike thieves in class, I thought it was interesting to say the least. The first thief to be shown was the white thief. He was an average white boy dressed in “white” clothing. When people started noticing he was trying to steal a bike, most people would double take at the situation with concern, but would end up looking on. I think it is shocking that they assumed he wasn’t doing anything wrong because he was a suburban-looking white kid. When people were asked why they didn’t stop him they just said how he seemed like he was doing what he supposed to do. I was happy to see him eventually questioned; it shows how some people don’t think in that racist way. When the black kid came into the picture, everyone’s reactions became very different. He was almost confronted immediately and sometimes by multiple people at once. One guy even got very aggressive with confronting him, and when interviewed later he said he would do the same if the kid were white. I don’t believe that at all and I actually think it is messed up that people treated the black kid like he was some horrible criminal and the white kid like he was doing nothing wrong. It makes me so sad to think that the world and society still thinks like this and is embarrassing to think this happens in everyday life. When it came to the white girl trying to steal the bike, I thought the way men acted in the situation was disgusting and ridiculous. Just because she was a pretty girl, men were letting her get away with stealing a bike and even were letting her get away with stealing a bike and even trying to help her even if they knew she was stealing! I just honestly think it is gross how creepy men were being just to help her. One guy even ignored his wife, who realized the girl was stealing, to go and ask the girl if she needed help. I did think it was funny that older women realized she was doing something wrong almost immediately. It is probably just because they are not attracted to her. I would like to see what would happen if they put a black girl as the thief or any other race. Maybe people would react differently because they way they reacted to the black kid worse than the white kid. The one big thing I took from this video is that people, although they say they aren’t, are racist when something shady is going on. I am sad people in our country cannot look at a situation the same way and not factoring in the color of someone’s skin or their gender. I hope someday this can change.

I feel so sad for Clorene Blaise and her business in Haiti. I have seen so many privileged kids make t shirts and make so much money for no reason, when Clorene has to work so hard to sell these t-shirts to make a living. Clorene works so hard at a single polo that she will sell for ten dollars at the most, when Ralph Lauren sells the same kind of shirt for seventy dollars. It’s not fair that these businesses such as Ralph Lauren sell their shirts for that amount of money when people in Haiti are suffering for ten dollars.

Looking at the conditions of Haiti, I see how poor of a country Haiti actually is. The streets of Figaro’s home seem so terrible that now I can see that the figure Sam gave in class is actually true. I now see how the lowest ten percent of the United States populations is worse then most of the world’s population. It is sad how much we take for granted, and how hard others have to struggle to live. Every day we complain about casualties while other people across the world struggle to live each and every day. Americans are so spoiled and do not even realize it. If all Americans had to see the every day struggles that Figaro had to live in, their eyes would open to a whole new life. Entrepreneurs in Haiti have it way worse then American entrepreneurs. Figaro’s life is so sad. Not only is she an entrepreneur but she has to be a mother and wife as well. It just seems as though what we take for granted, Haitians would wish to have.

Reading about the project Christian Partners Hospitals Project, I realized how much Americans can really do for Haiti. All it takes is five dollars per person to clothe a patient, when I spend dollars on junk every day. This project can help both Haitians and Americans alike. Americans without jobs can help provide a service for both themselves and the Haitians. These jobs can provide food for the Haitians who need food and jobs for Americans who need jobs.

Another project, Haitian Partners for Christian Development, helps to end poverty through making jobs for poor Haitians by other Haitians. One interesting way in which the Haitians are helping other Haitians is a business incubator in which Haitians take a 6 month course where they learn business plans, accounting, and leadership skills. Through this they become business incubators. They also are involved in the Young Adults Program. Through this program, Haitians who come from bad neighborhoods get knowledge and jobs that they would never experience other wise. Overall, these projects are a great opportunity for Haitians. Americans should definitely see these videos and see what other people experience every day.

I completely with the idea that higher SAT scores and correlated with higher family income. I was not surprised by the stats Sam showed us during class, although it is pretty outrageous how extreme the differences.

I know from personal experience that the SAT review classes really do help you achieve higher scores. When I took my PSAT in sophomore year I had done decent, but my parents and I knew I would need to do better to get into a good college. So, they registered me in a SAT Prep course that cost them a good amount of money to improve my score. After being exposed to practice exams and strategies for months, my scores went up one hundred points. My best friend, however, didn’t improve as well as she wanted to with that class so she enrolled in a more vigorous class that cost over a 1000 dollars. She eventually scored what she wanted. This just shows how if given the opportunity to take classes for the SAT, scores can improve.

That being said, I feel there are a couple of factors playing into a high SAT score, parents involvement and interest being one. It all starts from a persons childhood. If a child is raised to read and do educational activities, they are more likely to be intelligent when they are older. Also, a parent who checks a child homework and sets a bedtime is instilling good behaviors into their child. A parent who has to work bad hours and is hardly home cant provide a child with the same attention that families who are able to be home can. Usually this occurs in families with lower income, which is the other factor playing a role in high SAT scores. Poor families aren’t able to give their kids the same opportunities as families with higher incomes. They can afford extra help and don’t always have the time to help themselves. The prep classes that improved my score so much cost a lot of money that many families wouldn’t be able to pay. Also, a parent who went to college is going to encourage their child to go to college while a parent who didn’t go to college may not.

I also feel that SAT scores say little about a persons true intelligence. As you can see, SAT scores can be easily manipulated with practice. Just by knowing a few tricks can earn you points on the exam. If you aren’t exposed to this though while others are, you aren’t given the same opportunity. This is why I believe the SAT's are totally pointless. The SAT is just enforcing the cycle of our society where you cant move up.

Just like anything in else life, people have preferences on who they chose to date. This could be tall, dark, and handsome to short, blonde, and fat. Although one may prefer a certain quality, you can't help who you fall in love with. I believe that race should have nothing to do with who you choose to date. It is our society that has made interracial dating an issue. It should not be a big deal who you you choose to be with. Personally, I am more attracted to white guys because that is what I was exposed to growing up, but I do not write off all guys who happen to be a different race. Growing up in a diverse community would probably change that. Skin color is just a feature, like hair color or body type.

In the past, interracial dating and marriage was illegal in the United States. It was only in 1967 that the laws were overturned and people were able to marry someone of a different race. This is why I believe interracial dating is still looked down upon. These racist opinions have been passed on through family members through out the years. In so many of my friends homes I have heard their parents kid around about how they better not bring home a black guy. It is these exact jokes that keep the idea of interracial dating still so taboo.

I feel like coming to college has made me even more open to the idea of interracial dating. My roommate, who is white and hispanic, only dates black guys. This opened my eyes to a whole new world. It was a big culture shock for me because at home none of my friends ever dates black guys. I have learned that people are very racist here at Penn State because of how white it is. I would hear stories of how people would look at them funny or say stuff to them. She refused to tell her father because he hated the idea of her dating a black guy. Her father is an Argentian born man with a strong belief against her dating black men. Still, she can't help who she wants to be with and continues to date black guys.

Interracial dating is a bigger deal in some communities more than others. I think its our generations job to change these outdated ideas. More and more I see people dating people of different races. So many people are now considered “muts” because of their many different races. Hopefully in my lifetime interracial dating will no longer be an issue and be a common part of every day life.