Since taking Soc 119 I do not think my views on race and ethnicity has changed that much however, I do think I have become more open minded and conscious of other people’s opinions. The discussion section of this class really made me consider other view points and see issues on race and ethnicity from a new perspective. Before this class the line between race and ethnicity was not very clear to me and I now fully understand this. I now realize that I am part of numerous different cultures in my life, many being here at Penn State. I find it really interesting that I am part of so many different cultures some being very small and some being very large such as my sorority compared to the THON culture. I have never considered myself to be racist and I still do not. If anything I think I am more accepting now and don’t really see race as a differentiating factor anymore. Sam’s lectures have really opened my eyes to many issues I have never even thought about before such as immigration and affirmative action. I come from a town that is majority white so being able to hear people’s opinions from different places and of different races was very interesting to me. I always wondered how black people viewed race and the issue of racism and I liked being able to hear first hand. I never really realized how big a deal race is in our country and Sam has made me become aware of this issue with his many lectures including statistics and videos. I really liked the lecture about stereotypes because I am often stereotyped as the typical cheerleader and this has always bothered me. The fact that I got to state my opinions and speak freely in discussions made me feel like I was finally able to speak up. Also, this made me realize how much I stereotype people whether it be by what I say or by what I am thinking. This made me want to try to learn more about people before I judge them and place them in a certain stereotype. Another lecture I found very interesting was the lecture about different stages of racism because it made me understand which stage I personally am in. Sam’s enthusiasm every day of this class made me become enthusiastic as well about topics that I never thought I would have a strong opinion about. As I mentioned before this class has really blurred the lines between races for me and I no longer notice race first when I meet someone. I feel like I am much more accepting and well rounded because of the discussions and lectures in soc 119.

What lessons have I learned from this scandal at Penn State? Personally, I have learned a couple valuable lessons from this horrible scandal here at our school. One lesson I learned is the importance of always maintaining your integrity. My entire life my parents have stressed that honesty is one of the most valuable qualities to obtain and that an honest person will go a long way in life. I have always strived to be an honest person in everything I do and this scandal just validates the importance of always being honest. Of course being a student here I love Joe Paterno and I appreciate all he has done for our school from the football program to donating money for our beautiful library. This being said he has constantly been a figurehead for Penn State and when someone this high up makes a mistake everyone is going to know about it. Although many people do not want to admit it, Joe Paterno made a mistake and something had to be done. I hate that he had to go the way he did but the Board of Trustees had to make a point to everyone that Penn State does not accept dishonesty or anything that lowers our ideals. Even if you are able to lie and cover something up for a long time, the truth almost always comes out at some point so it is better to be honest from the start. Also, I have learned that if I ever witness something that I know is wrong I should report it to the police immediately. Something as serious as child abuse should not be dealt with by anyone besides the police and if I ever am put in this situation where I witness this I know to call the police right away. Some issues are too serious and too big to be dealt with on our own. There are going to be times in life where the right and moral thing is going to have to come before protecting a friend, colleague, etc. Another very important lesson I have learned is that those that have been sexually, physically, or mentally abused need to speak out and should never feel that they have to be silenced. This whole scandal has made me realized that child abuse is much more prevalent than I thought which is very disturbing. Knowing and realizing how prevalent this issue is makes me want to learn more about it so I could educate others and spread awareness about this horrible occurrence that is happening all around us. I am so happy that the last football game turned into a blue out to support Prevent Child Abuse America and I am also so happy that that is my sorority’s philanthropy. Anything I can do to help put an end to child abuse I will do. While there are countless negative aspects of this scandal, one positive is that many people have probably learned the same lessons I learned and we will be better people for this.

I think if anyone says that they do not use racial labels they are lying. These labels are used on a daily basis mainly to simply describe someone or to differentiate people. Some people obviously use these racial labels in a negative way but most people, like myself, just use them in context of a story or to describe the way someone looks. When I use racial labels I am mainly just using them to paint a picture or give someone a better idea of the situation going on. I think by saying someone is black or Asian is the same as saying someone has brown or blonde hair. Maybe I think this because I personally do not think I am racist so I don’t see a harm in using racial terms. I have never used a racial label in a negative way to describe someone although I have heard people do this. There are always going to be people who are racist and prejudice and those are the people that are going to use these racial labels in a negative, hurtful way. While race will continue to be a touchy subject because of what has happened in the past I do not think people should take offense to these labels unless it is obvious that someone is trying to be mean about it. Race is a big part of who we are and it would be impossible to stop everyone from using racial labels. Some major examples that come to mind when I think about this is when police reports use race to describe a suspect or a missing person. In these cases racial labels can be extremely helpful and necessary. By determining the race of a suspect, criminal, or missing person this makes the chance of finding this person a lot greater. While almost everyone uses racial labeling I think this can be seen as unintentional prejudice. For example, if you are telling a story and then all of a sudden you throw in that the person was black the audience you are telling the story to might suddenly get a different opinion of that person. These racial labels could potentially be supporting and influencing the stereotypes we have about different races which could be a touchy subject for many people. Also, I think people use religious labels as much as they use racial labels such as, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim. We use different “labels” and words to describe people everyday so unless people are being intentionally malicious I do not see a problem with using these labels. To eliminate racial labels would be nearly impossible because a majority of people who use them do not mean any harm by them.

Why do women wear short skirts and dresses and heels while men get the comfort of just wearing jeans and a t shirt? The main reason most girls do this is to impress guys and also to give themselves confidence. Girls like to get dressed up and put heels on and feel like they are sexy and beautiful. That being said, girls don’t necessarily need to wear the shortest little dresses and skirts to do so. Most guys would find a girl just as attractive in jeans and a cute top but I believe our generation has a big role when it comes to what women chose to wear. People like to wear what’s trendy and fit in with those around them and at Penn State most girls who go out tend to wear these skimpy outfits. I myself am one of these girls and part of me wishes that sweatpants and a big t-shirt was acceptable to wear out. However, if I were to wear that outfit to a party I would get looked at as if I have ten heads. I live on my sorority floor so when we all are getting ready to go out we tend to dress in similar outfits, which usually consist of short skirts and heels. Personally, I always wear heels out because I am so short so I like to feel taller when I go out. Society tells us that showing off our body is going to make us look sexy and women’s figures are appealing to look at. Men on the other hand do not have as many features to show off as women do so it would be strange if men wore short shorts and tight clothing out. Looking sexy for guys does not require them to wear these type of clothes because women would not find that attractive but would actually find that to be weird. Guys are lucky that they can just wear jeans and a t-shirt out and girls will still find them sexy. If girls could dress for comfort when going out guys would not find them nearly as attractive as they do when we wear short, tight clothing. Also, if guys were to wear heels or a dress or skirt they would come off as being very flamboyant so unless they are gay they should not dress like this. I think that girls, including myself, need to realize that we do not need to wear such revealing clothes in order to look sexy and attract men. Men are naturally drawn to women as it is and wearing this type of clothing could be giving out the wrong message to guys. Sam said in lecture that our clothing choices give off a certain message and I completely agree with this statement. Since I already own these tight, revealing clothes I am obviously going to continue to wear them while I am still in college and these outfits are socially acceptable here. However, once I get older and graduate college I am probably going to stop buying these type of clothes and opt for more mature clothing to go out in.

The common stereotype that Jewish people are stingy and greedy especially when it comes to money is one stereotype that I strongly disagree with. My dad’s side of the family is Jewish so maybe this is partially why I disagree but I also know a lot of Jewish people who are very generous and willing to spend their money. Although a lot of Jewish people are on the wealthier side, I also think that they value the money they earned and are practical when it comes to spending their money. My grandpa, for example, was one of the most hard working people I know and he worked his entire life to save up the amount of money he has. Since he worked so hard and grew up during the great depression he always appreciated how much money he made and was very cautious on what he spent it on. That being said, my grandpa thought family was the most important thing in life and he made it a point to take the entire family on a nice vacation together every 5 years. He always donated to the synagogue he went to and he really enjoyed traveling so he and my granny traveled all around the world together. My grandpa very rarely spent his money on material things because he did not find these things to be as valuable as spending time with family.

Also in my dad’s family there are five kids so they always had to make sure that everyone was treated equally and now that they are older and have kids of their own this has become even more difficult. When my grandma passed away my dad and his siblings made a chart to make sure that his money was being distributed equally to each family. Some people may look and this and find this to be stingy, but in reality they are just being fair and making sure my grandpa’s money is being put to good use for things such as college or weddings.

There is a big difference between being stingy and being practical and strategic when it comes to spending money. Of course there are Jewish people out there who are stingy and greedy, but there are people from all difference cultures and religions that are the same way. To stereotype just Jewish people as being stingy and greedy is completely inaccurate and inappropriate. Many Jewish people find this stereotype to be very offensive because a lot of them make donations to their synagogues and local charities and every person has different values when it comes to saving/spending money. A lot of Jewish people who are wealthy are probably wealthy because they worked hard and saved up their money. For Jewish people to be stereotyped as being stingy when they are just making smart decisions about saving money is absolutely ridiculous. Jewish people continue to teach their kids about smart ways to save money and be financially educated so this should not make them stingy or greedy, but rather smart and practical.

After reading about the devastation in Haiti, I think it is very admirable of the entrepreneurs there that they are willing to work very hard to improve their lifestyles. When I first started watching the videos, Clorene Blaise was the first of the women to catch my attention. I thought that she was very industrious in her producing of goods. The videos showed how she was making her handbags and how each one of them is different in some way or another. She also is very imaginative with her fabrics, using whatever she can find to make each bag special and unique. She adds a little design to each one so that the customers know it is hers. That is a very American-industry thing to do and will open her business to a larger target market. She looks like a really hard worker and I think it’s very sad that she has little economic resources to help her expand her company. I also thought that it was very admirable of Clorene that she did not want to be a charity case. She is looking for ways to improve her business on her own, yes she does need some help to get there, but she is aware that money will not do the job for her.
One way to help Clorene would be to eliminate the middleman. She is not making as much money as she could be because she has to pay her rent, her employees, and then on top of that she has to purchase her fabric from the Dominican Republic, which originally comes from China, and is very expensive. If she were to purchase her fabric directly from the manufacturer in China, she would avoid having to pay the taxes and shipping costs.
Another way to help her out would be to help her find and purchase a larger space to work in and sell her items. If she were to receive some money as a loan and purchase a larger space and possibly some sewing machines, she would be able to increase her efficiency and probably be able to sell more items. Once she had the money to pay back the loan she could sufficiently continue making her products in her new space. The Haiti Group Project should also look into receiving donations for items like computers, sewing machines, and extra fabric that isn’t being used. I think those things would go a long way with Clorene and most of the merchants in Haiti.
I am very excited that Sam has decided to get our class involved in the Haiti Group Project and I am excited to see what other people are thinking in terms of ways to help.

What makes an athlete? I think this question has numerous possible answers because there are numerous different kinds of people that I would consider to be called athletes. While there are a vast variety of different sports and activities that consist of athletes, I believe that all these athletes have similar characteristics and qualities.
When you look at someone who is an athlete, they are in great physical shape and take good care of their bodies. Athletes tend to be strong, muscular, and toned in various areas of their body, varying depending on which sport they play. For example, baseball players have strong and muscular legs since they are squatting a lot, and the same goes for volleyball players. Football players are usually strong and very muscular all around since they need overall strength and especially arm strength to throw a football long distances. Dancers, such as ballerinas, have more lean and toned muscles than other athletes. Gymnasts have extremely strong core muscles since everything they do revolves around a strong, stable core. Soccer players have very powerful legs and do not need to have a lot of upper body strength since they rarely use their arms. Although these different athletes all have different strengths, they all have in common that they are muscular and powerful.
I personally am a cheerleader and have been for many years. In high school cheerleading was never considered a sport, which always made me very annoyed because I was on the competitive cheerleading squad that went to nationals every year. Most people don’t consider cheerleading a sport but cheerleading incorporates so many skills that other athletes posses. Cheerleading consists of having good gymnastic skills, balance, coordination, flexibility, dancing, and lifting/throwing other girls in the air. The typical cheerleader body is muscular legs, a strong core, and toned arms. Just as other athletes have their own strengths to succeed in their sport, the same goes for cheerleading. To be a cheerleader you need to have very strong legs to do back flips and especially to lift other girls. Some qualities that I posses that help me in cheerleading are that I am petite but have strong legs so I am a “flyer,” the girl who is put in the air during stunts. Since I have strong legs I am able to easily perform back flips and other gymnastic skills needed. I am also very flexible which is a key aspect of being a cheerleader.
Another major aspect that I believe makes someone an athlete is motivation. With every sport you will find that all successful athletes are some of the most determined people. All athletes are strong and powerful in their own unique ways but that power has to come from somewhere, and that is where you can see the common characteristic of athletes, motivation. The phrase “practice makes perfect” is a prime example that in order to be a good athlete you need to have the motivation to get back up when you fail and keep practicing. Success does not come overnight and every athlete knows that it takes consistent practice in order to reach a goal.

I think that being Jewish can be all three, a race, religion, and a culture. When asked what race you are I doubt many people would say Jewish. Personally, I would say I am White not Jewish, however, Jewish has a great deal of ancestral background that makes it a race in my opinion. Also, Jews have most definitely experienced racism so this is a major reason why I think it could be considered a race. Similar to how blacks experienced a great deal of racism, Jewish people did as well during the Holocaust. I think since there are people out there who are racist against Jewish people this makes Jewish a race as well as a religion and culture. Although many people would not categorize their race as Jewish I still believe it could be considered a race.
Jewish is a religion for many reasons. Judaism would be the more correct term for the religion and similar to other religions there are many aspects that make Judaism a concrete religion. People who practice Judasism have a place of worship, a book they follow, holy days, as well as many sacred values. Every religion has certain traditions and customs and Judaism does too so therefore it is definitely a religion. Jewish people go to synagogue and wear yarmulkes, they have certain rules for holy days, traditions for weddings and funerals, along with many other traditions. A major aspect of being Jewish also includes having a bar or bat mitzvah. This coming of age tradition is another example of why Jewish is a religion with numerous values and ideals. My father is Jewish and my mother is Greek Orthodox so I was raised Christian, however, I still celebrate the Jewish holidays and follow some Jewish traditions. Although I never had a bat mitzvah my cousins and friends did and I truly value all the aspects of this religion. When asked my religion I respond by saying Christian but I also say that I am half Jewish because even though I was baptized, my father’s whole side of the family is very Jewish.
In class we defined culture as shared characteristics of people that may or may not be connected to their ethnicity and in my opinion Jewish fits this definition. Many Jewish people have the same beliefs, behaviors and characteristics that set them apart from other cultural groups. An example of this would be how a lot of Jewish people keep Kosher and also how there are words that are “Yiddish” terms. These two aspects are only some of characteristics that make Jewish a unique culture. Also, Judaism has it’s own language and even though not all Jews speak Hebrew I still find this to be an important reason why Jewish is considered a culture.

Personally, I think interracial prejudice can have an impact on someone’s personal preference but most of the time personal preference outweighs any prejudice someone might have. There is a very thin line between the two because someone may not be racist, however, they might have a preference for which race they find more attractive.

Unless someone is extremely prejudice against a certain race I believe it all has to do with personal preference. Even within each race there are such a wide variety of people so if someone is going to be called prejudice for choosing to date a white person over a black person than the same should go for someone who chooses to date a brunette over a redhead. The phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” comes to mind when I think of this because every individual has a different opinion of what they consider to be attractive in a person. Some guys might find black girls to be more attractive than white girls or vice versa but in no way does that make them prejudice, that is simply personal preference. Most people have a “type” that they typically find attractive and that can be based on numerous aspects whether it be skin color, body type, hair color, personality, etc. So to say that someone who prefers white guys over black guys is prejudice is false.

I also believe that we are greatly influence by our friends and family and we are conditioned to think the way we do in terms of what and who we find attractive. For example, my parents are not outwardly racist but I know if I were to start dating a guy of a different race they would not be as approving of it as they would if I were dating a guy of the same race. While I personally have no problem with dating someone of a different race, I think I have been conditioned throughout my life to be more geared towards dating someone of the same race. Although I am not prejudice, I care a lot about what my parents think so I think in the back of my mind this is why I am more attracted to white guys. However, while I may be more attracted to white guys, that doesn’t mean that I do not find guys of other races attractive. This is where personal preference comes into play and would have an impact.

While there are many people that just rely on personal preference to determine who they date, there are also a lot of people who are prejudice and will let those opinions take over. I think the idea of interracial prejudice is very similar to stereotyping because both involve pre judging someone based on one aspect. If someone were to say, “I would never date a person who is Asian,” that would be prejudice because they are judging someone solely based on race. I see stereotyping in the same way and think that if someone chose not to date someone just because they are a “jock” or a “nerd,” that is just as bad as being prejudice.