To be honest I think immigration is a really touchy subject for a number of reasons. I think the main reason that people dislike immigrants and portray them badly is because a lack of education on the part of society. One of the stereotypes is that immigrants are lazy, uneducated, and take jobs that poor Americans could have. Most people don’t realize what we talked about in class, most immigrants are hard working and just want the same things in life that we do such as freedom, happiness, and the ability to provide for their families. The stereotypes we have as a society contribute to people’s negative outlooks towards immigrants.

I think a lot of people have a negative image of immigrants because they worry that they will take jobs that unemployed Americans could have. It’s the same way people feel about outsourcing or companies going out of business because of other companies in foreign countries. People in our society get very defensive and upset when their livelihoods are threatened. Just think about it if you could barely feed your kids to begin with and then your job gets taken by someone who is illegal because they will take less money wouldn’t you be pissed? The funny thing about that is like Sam said in class most people wouldn’t take the jobs that immigrants have regardless of whether they have a job or not. People are also worried that immigrants will eventually take over the country. People are constantly afraid of being kicked out of their position of power. For example some white people might be afraid if Mexicans become the majority in the country the white people will be the minority and they are afraid of that. Plus the infusion of their culture and traditions scare people. They need to be more accepting of different culutres

What people really need to realize is that at one point we are all immigrants. Like we talked about in class each one of us has family that immigrated here from somewhere else and we need to realize the strength and courage it takes to come over here. Maybe if we understood that we could understand immigrants better. Another perspective that would help us understand immigrants would be to look at it from the point of view of Native Americans. Technically our ancestors took their land and used it as their own killing their people along the way. If we all just took the time to try and understand each other a little more maybe we wouldn’t have these unnecessary harsh feelings toward immigrants. Between stereotypes and fears that immigrants will push the dominant majority out of power and out of jobs people have developed these harsh and unfair feelings towards immigrants.

For me it is shocking and really sad to hear that schools are more segregated today than the 70’s. I have to say that I wasn’t necessarily surprised to hear that though. I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh. The town was well off full of doctors and lawyers and businessmen. The school I went to was predominantly white. Out of 350 kids in my graduating class only 2 were Black 3 were Asian and there were no Hispanics in my grade. The thing is the majority of schools around my area had a similar makeup of students. So for me it wasn’t a shocking statistic to hear; when I look at it my school was pretty segregated. I think for the most part way back when people ended up just living where they were most comfortable and that was around people of a similar socio-economic status and race. That way all the houses looked the same and the cars they drove were that same to me it seems like people are comfortable with fitting in. So anyways that led to the segregation of schools today people live near people that are like them and then schools started becoming segregated more and more as people tried to fit this mold. I don’t really know if this makes sense but to me it seems schools are segregated by race but also by socioeconomic status. Now that schools are segregated along those lines schools are not getting sufficient funding so kids don’t get sufficient education. I guess that was sort of a tangent but it’s my theory if you will.

The fact that schools are more segregated today worries me because it deprives children of many opportunities that they could learn and benefit from. Children today are being deprived of lessons in cultural diversity. This deprivation I think leads to intolerance and things like racism and stereotyping. Kids don’t understand other cultures because they weren’t exposed to other cultures in school so they perpetuate these stereotypes and hostile feeling towards those of other races. Like it was said today in class kids go all through life not having contact with other races then they come to college and they don’t know what to do or how to interact and it is really sad. Being deprived of other cultural experiences as a child because of school segregation can lead to people being uneducated as adults and not knowing how to interact with others. No wonder stereotypes exist; people aren’t exposed to one another until later in life; they know virtually nothing about other cultures so all they have to rely on for information is stereotypes. I think for our society it means that we are uneducated and only perpetuating stereotypes of other cultures and we need to make more of an effort to understand one another.

About 6 months ago my cousin came back from Afghanistan. Ian is in the Air Force and was in was of the more dangerous parts of the country building up bases. I do realize that he wasn’t in combat, which is a relief for my family, so it could have been a lot worse. But for me the war means something a little different than to most who don’t know someone in the military. I remember him skyping my family when we were on vacation and he was obviously upset. He asked if he could talk to my dad, which never happens. He told my dad that he had been out surveying and the truck that they brought was ambushed. Luckily he was ok but it made me sad to hear that things like this had to happen. Even though my cousin was in the war and I have bad feelings toward terrorism I never grouped all Muslims together saying they were all terrorists. The class on Tuesday really made me look at the war from a different perspective one that I would never had looked at. The things said before class were really hateful but at the same time can I blame them?

The class today did make me look at the war in a different light but I can’t say that I feel differently about terrorism. What happened not only on September 11th but all over the world was horrific. I know that the majority of Muslims have nothing to do with the attacks. The terrorists to me are a disgrace and put a bad name on Muslims all over the world. It’s just like extremists in the United States; they put a bad name on certain religions and political parties etc. After the class I started to see what the Muslims see when they look at Americans. The exercise where we pictured the Chinese taking our coal made me see the situation through their eyes. It’s not fair that the superpowers especially the U.S. thinks it is ok to take what is rightfully theirs. I would be mad too if someone treated us like that. It makes sense that Muslims have one opinion of us because we as Americans see them in one light; the negative image that is perpetuated by the media and the government. Even though I see where their image of the United States is coming from I still don’t support the actions of the terrorists. To me they are still terrorists and will never be more than that. They are people that killed innocent people and ruined the lives of many people across the world. I guess it is a little hypocritical to say that because we are killing innocent people in their country. It’s really a hard situation to look at and there are so many facets that go into it that it is hard to make an assumption.

I’m that girl who gets dressed up when I go out. Now I don’t go all out I like to think I have a good mix; I look cute but not slutty like most girls I see. After we had that talk in class it really put into perspective the reasons why I dress up. I never really thought of the reasons why I dress up. I guess I always assumed that I dressed up because I wanted to but that isn’t really the case. It’s a standard that is set that to look good, which leads to feeling good, you have to wear skirts and heel and put on makeup and do your hair. But let me tell you it isn’t comfortable. The heels hurt, although I don’t wear them that much because I am tall, and as a girl the skirt is always riding up and you’re constantly worrying about your hair and makeup. For men it is so much easier. They don’t have to put on makeup, shave their legs, and wear uncomfortable clothes. Most of the time it’s like they don’t even care what they look like when they walk out the door. After having the discussion today I really realized that it’s men standards that make women dress up. No woman would ever choose to wear heels and spend hours on hair and makeup.

Honestly the discussion today made me look at the reasons I do things but I probably will still dress the same way and get ready. For me I think that society will never change so I will never change. It’s become part of society for women to dress up and men to not to. It’s what is expected of women. As long as dressing up is the standard most women will partake in it. I think it is partially because they know that is what men want. Men set this standard and for the most part women want to please men so subconsciously we do want you want. I think it’s unfair but it is the way the world works. Before this discussion I would have probably looked at girls who didn’t dress up funny. It’s just against the social norm. Although sometimes I respect it because they aren’t giving in to the pressures of society. Now I think I will respect people who don’t dress up even more because they aren’t giving in to the pressures that men put on women. I really don’t even think that men realize that they put this pressure on women. It has become so engrained in our society that men and women both don’t realize that it is happening. Women have now accepted that men make them dress up and they control sex in the relationship. It’s sad to see and I can admit that I have accepted it. The only way this will change is if society changes which will never happen.

I love that this question and topic was brought up in class. I’m the friend that anytime a black guy walks by at a party my friends are trying to set me up with him. So yes obviously I would date a black guy. For me it doesn’t really matter about race when it comes to dating it’s more of a case-by-case thing. If we get along and we’re attracted to each other than what does the race matter?
My family has never told me who I can and cannot date. Like my mom says “ I don’t care what race is he as long as he treats you well.” My uncle who is obviously white is married to black woman so as far as my fathers side of the family they could care less the race of the man I date. I think my mom’s side of the family would be a different story. My grandparents might have an issue but they would never say anything to me so I don’t really care. I’m going to like who I want to like regardless of what they think. I was brought up in a mainly white town so it wasn’t until college that I could figure out if I would date across the color lines.
I have absolutely no problem admitting to people that I like black guys. Anytime I say that especially in the presence of white guys I get this weird reaction. I’ve been asked a couple of times “ Oh so that means you don’t like white guys?” I’m not sure why people don’t understand that you can like men from all races you don’t have to pick just one. Why do people especially white men assume that if you like black guys you’re not into them? That’s absolutely not true.
Another reaction that I get when people find out I like black guys is white girls will admit to me that they also like black guys. I’ve had girls come up and whisper to me oh I wanted to tell you I like black guys too like it’s a secret or something. Probably because of my family upbringing I’ve never kept my interest of other races a secret. I think that is one of the reasons that a lot of white girls like black guys or guys of any other race because it’s kinda like breaking the rules especially if you come from a family doesn’t support dating across the color lines. It’s a new, fun experience that feels rebellious like breaking away from their family.
For me I would date a black guy just because I’m attracted to black guys. I think for me there is masculinity with black guys that I like. Everyone has their preferences but for me race doesn’t matter as much as it does for others.

This question really had made me think. When we talked about white guilt in class I started to look into myself . I grew up in an upper middle class white suburb. In my class of 350 there were only at most 5 minorities. Regardless of that fact I never considered myself sheltered when it came to race; my parents exposed me to other races and never had a problem with any race. Now that I look back I would say that I didn’t have as much experience with other races as I thought. And because of that it never led me to feel guilty about my race. I guess I always assumed that the way I lived was the norm.
Now that I have taken this class it makes me feel that white guilt that we have talked about. I really realize the magnitude of things that whites have done to minorities in the past. In high school I realized it but the injustices were words in a textbook. Now it’s more real and powerful for me. Now that I realize what has been done in the past I feel guilty about it. On top of that talking about white privilege makes me feel guilty. It’s another thing that I hadn’t really realized its magnitude until this class. I think it is extremely unfair that I could have been given opportunities over someone else because I am white. It makes me mad that things like white privilege exist and it makes me feel guilty.
I think my anger towards things like white privilege and racism and guilt about my race identify with the Revisioning stage. The guilt is a key trait in the revisioning stage. I’m not sure what stage I would technically be in. It’s hard to look at myself and identify with a stage.
Part of me doesn’t want to be guilty about my race though. I’m not trying to flip flop but I want to explore and see the validity in both sides of the argument. I can’t control the fact that I am white I was born this way. Also I don’t agree with white privilege. It isn’t fair that that society has decided that whites get preferential treatment on thing like jobs schools and sometimes just daily treatment. That might sound rude or self-centered but I can’t control the way people treat me and I never will be able to. So in the end I can feel both ways at the same time. Part of me feels guilty because of the injustices that have happened in the past and that continue to happen today and part of me knows that I can’t control what race I am or how I am treated so I don’t feel guilty.

Part three: For some people like Tammy for example a lack of education may play into the fact that she had so many kids. Like I said earlier she doesn’t know any better. She learned from her parents that having more kids is the way to go and that is how she lives her life. I also think if people were more educated on things like birth control than maybe they will realize they have options and prevention. I just think a lot of this has to do with Tammy’s culture or the culture of her family.

Part Two: On the other hand I agree with the perspective that if you can’t give the child a decent upbringing you shouldn’t have a ton of children. Children don’t get to choose which family they are born into so how is it fair that you are bringing a child into the world when you can’t provide the basic necessities for them. I tend to feel a little more strongly toward this side of the argument now that we learned more about determinism. According to determinism the children who are born into poor families have less of a chance making it in the world. So for these kids it’s not fair to not have a chance.
I don’t want to say that it is selfish for people of a lower income or social status to have children. Everyone has the right to have a child that is your choice. I think people should consider their lifestyle and how well they can provide for a child before they bring them into the world.

Part one:I think this question is sort of tricky; I don’t want to sit here and judge anyone’s lifestyle but we are all prone to doing it. I felt bad for Tammy because a lot of her circumstances seemed out of her control. The life that she grew up in taught her to be the way she is. She grew up with 21 brothers and sisters so I feel like that was a norm for her. For her it was normal to have four children on such a low income. She never really knew anything else; if that makes sense.
On one hand I can see the perspective that for her and her parents it’s their choice on how many kids they want to have. No one can tell them what to do. If they feel that they can provide for those kids then good for them; only they truly know their circumstances. Who are we to say who should and should not have children? For many people having children is something they look forward to and take pride in. It’s none of our business to take away that right and that privilege. I do think there comes a time where people should step in.

Part 3:I honestly don’t think there is much that we can do about this. Our economic status as Americans won’t be equal to that of other nations unless other nations better themselves in an economic sense. These countries need to become economically independent to come to the standards of the U.S. economy. I think the best thing would be to educate the American people. Before this class I never knew that Americans are so much better off than other countries. If people knew about this they may think about how fortunate they are. People may be more willing to help people who are less fortunate. People may realize how much wealth they have and be willing to share their wealth with others.