This is a very controversial question that calls for the perspective that your’e taking when deciding whether or not to hire these illegal immigrants. What I mean is, if you are running a business and you are confronted with the chance to hire these people who are not legal residents of the United States, but are willing to work hard for you for less than minimum wage, you actually consider it. Why? Because with the declining state of the economy, everyone is trying to save as much money as possible. No one wants to pay people if they don’t have to. If you are trying to make sure that your business stays afloat and your comfortable lifestyle is secure, then hiring these people isn’t looking like such a bad decision. But then you have to consider the repercussions if you are caught by the government. Is it worth the risk to save a few dollars per person?

Now taking it from a different view, you are considering hiring people that are not citizens of this country over the people who work hard here in this country. You know that the illegal immigrants that you are considering to hire are just going to send that money back to their family who live in a different country. You are depriving the people whom you don’t hire here in the United States a chance to better their lives and support their families. Are you turning your back on your country? Possibly. However, these people who are coming here illegally are coming here to make THIER lives better. They are doing this because their lives are bad and they want to help THEIR families and support them. In a way, it’s admirable. Their determination is admirable. After all, isn’t this what the Pilgrims did hundreds of years ago? They were illegal immigrants in the eyes of the Native Americans. They didn’t mean any harm, they just wanted to make a better life for themselves. Isn’t that what we are all striving for?

So when you are confronted with this predicament, all these things are running through your mind. Is it right to hire these people over the legal residents of this country? I’m not really sure what I would do personally. It’s a tough decision. However, if I was forced to make a decision, I would not hire them. I know that their lives are probably tough right now, but there is always a way to make things better LEGALLY. It may be just as tough, but in the end, things will be easier and you will reap the benefits. I support this country 100%. I empathize with the illegal immigrants, but I think that there are better ways to make their lives better than sneaking over the border.

The telephone activity that was done in class today was definitely entertaining and interesting to listen to. In a way, I new exactly how it was going to play out. Everyone has played the telephone game before. You say a word or phrase and whisper it into someone’s ear and they do the same to the person next to them. Depending on the amount of people playing, the word or phrase eventually ends up being shortened or changed all together. It can be quite humorous. This was the same thing that happened today. The girl that was told the extremely detailed, lengthy story about Bill was told to repeat what she remembered to the next person. It is impossible for us to 100% remember every detail that happened in the story, so we paraphrase and try to explain absolutely everything that we tried to soak up when. Now, it is expected for the story to get changed somewhat and shortened because everyone paraphrases what the previous person has said. So when we reach the end of the activity, the only things that are remembered are the dramatic type words like “scuffle,” where we know something big has happened. We tend to forget trivial things like names, places, or times. We also tend to just start blurting out words that we remember, even if they don’t make any sense at all. For example, by the end of the activity, the phrase “and then 2 weeks of something,” became popular. They didn’t know the significance of the phrase, but they knew it had some sort of importance.

This activity proves that gossip is such a nasty form of passing on information. Why? Because how reliable is your source that is giving you this information? Sure they aren’t lying to you. I’m not saying that. But how do you know whether or not that the story has all the needed information? The truth is, you don’t. You don’t know what the real truth is or not when you listen to gossip. Now, it’s pretty outlandish to say “we should just stay away from gossip all around us.” It’s just not possible. However, we can take the lack of reliability into account when we are faced with listening to gossip. That way we can make accurate judgements of our own before spreading it some more.

I really liked this activity. It was really entertaining to listen to. Some people think that the story was changed a little when different races were telling it. I don’t really agree with this statement. Sure, eventually the story was changed in it’s entirety. But that had nothing to do with the color of the person’s skin who was telling the story. I think that’s just silly to even consider.

When I went into lecture I new it was common to see women dressing up to go out to events. It wasn’t uncommon to see a girl walking down the sidewalks at 10pm on a Saturday wearing virtually nothing; a dress that barely covered up her butt, a plunging neckline that left nothing to the imagination, high heels that she could barely walk in, the smell of perfume that overpowers the nostrils to the point where it is hard to breathe, and makeup caked on so much that she looks like a plastic doll. We all have seen it. But no one has put the idea into my head of “why?” Why do women have to go to such an extreme to go out on the town, and men just shower, throw some clothes on, and they are out the door. Sam made me question this. It’s a crazy thought. I think the reason girls do it, is so that they make themselves more appealing to the opposite sex. It is more attractive to barely cover your butt in a dress than showing up in a shirt and jeans. Girls want to feel like they are beautiful. Now, I am not saying that it is acceptable to dress this way, because if you aren’t the one impressing the guy but instead it is your clothing, then the guy isn’t much of a catch to begin with. Men don’t care what they look like as much because if they do, it’s frowned upon. They would be called “gay” or metrosexual. So in order to maintain their “cool” status, they act like they don’t care what they are wearing and instead focus on what the girls are wearing. It’s sad really, but thats reality.

I think after walking out of lecture, I was more aware, however I don’t think that it changed the way I act. I still like to put on makeup when I go out. I still like putting on high heels (that I can walk in). I like feeling pretty. But I do it for myself. My boyfriend doesn’t care what I wear. He loves me no matter what. But it’s nice feeling extra beautiful once in a while. It’s not that I don’t feel beautiful to begin with, it’s just something that is socially acceptable. I don’t think that society is going to change in that aspect. It’s how it has always been. Regardless how we evolve, women will always be living in a man’s world. We will always subject ourselves in ways that keep him dominate and in power. Do I think it’s right? No. But will I change the way I live my life now knowing this? Probably not, but it’s good food for thought.

Ever since I was a young girl, I have been exposed to different races and languages. I was born in Hawaii and my parents were good friends with the natices. They all spoke Hawaiian and it was not uncommon for me to be in a room with them having no idea what they were saying. When I was little older, we moved to San Diego where I went to an elementary school. My school was very diverse with only a few white children total. Spanish was more of a prevalent language than English. Most of my classmates spoke Spanish as their first language. I never thought anything of it. It was just another language that was spoken around me. I guess because when I was little, those things never really bothered me. I had more important things to think about. I still am the same person as I was back then. I never have had any issues with people who speak a different language around me. When I am put in a situation where a group of people are speaking another language that I am not familiar with, I tend to just ignore them. Why should I get worked up over something so insignificant? I know that if they have something to say about me, then fine. Let them say it. It doesn’t effect me whether or not they have something to say about me. Therefore when this type of situation occurs in my life, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. However a lot of people do. The reason I think they have a problem with this is because they are scared. They are scared of the unknown. This may sound really dumb, but it’s true! When in the situation, you have absolutely no idea what that group of people are saying. It could literally be anything! Is it possible that they are talking about you? Yes. Is is also possible that they are talking about anything else that BUT you? Also yes. You see, people feel uncomfortable around others who are are speaking a different language because they feel a sense of paranoia. The truth is, 99% of the time, those people aren’t talking about you at all. So you are really feeling all this anxiety for nothing. Why do you care if they are talking about you? If you are confident about who you are, then someone’s opinion about you shouldn’t make a difference. If they are talking about you in a different language, you should be HAPPY! Why? Because you can’t understand what they are saying! If it’s something mean then you won’t have your feelings hurt by their words! It’s really simple. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

This is a really difficult question for me. I have never witnessed real racism or discrimination. Here at Penn State, I think there is quite a bit of diversity and therefore everyone is pretty comfortable around people of different races and ethnicity. However, I have encountered situations where racism has reared it’s ugly head. One of my relatives has numerous times made racist jokes and comments that I find to be quite offensive. He claims that he is not racist and “loves” people who aren’t white. But here’s the thing..he discriminates all the time. A few months ago, my sister was dating a boy in her grade who was black. He wasn’t mixed. He was as dark as you can get. My dad didn’t know him at all and when he found out that he was black, he instantly didn’t approve. Now, I know a lot of it has to do with the era that he grew up in. He doesn’t believe that it is right to date across the racial line. That’s his opinion. However I felt like he was being unfair when it came to allowing my sister to go on dates with him. I confronted him about it and said that his reasons for not letting my sister date were ridiculous and he needed to sort out what he thinks is really important in life. It became quite a big argument, but nothing came of it. He didn’t change his mind, and neither did I. Another isolated incident was when I was in a car lot looking at a car that I wanted to buy. We left our truck unlocked and were about 100 yards away from it. There were some other people on the lot and I didn’t think anyone looked suspicious considering that they were all families. However after a little while I heard him say to my mom, “I’m going to go over to the truck and lock it, there is a Mexican near it.” It kind of caught me off guard because I never heard him say something along those lines before. I didn’t know how to react. My mom said, “Honey, that isn’t a Mexican.” And to my dismay, he responded, “Oh alright.” The truck never did get locked. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what to say, therefore I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to make a scene in the car lot, but I lost so much respect for him that day It’s sad to see it when you are related to the person, and it is many times embarrassing. I am not proud for not saying something about it to him, but sometimes I think it’s better to just let it be when no one is hurt.

In all of my 18 years I don’t think the word “guilt” describes how I feel when it comes to being white. I grew up in an average military home and have moved all over the country. I was born in Kauai, Hawaii and lived on the military base. Every weekend my dad would go out with the native islanders and fish. Then all the families would get together and have a barbecue. I never thought of myself as any different than the other boys and girls running around. When I was five, we moved to San Diego, CA and I went to elementary school where the predominate race was mainly black or mexican. I was one of the few children who was white. Again, I never thought anything of it. They were the kids that I played with. When I moved here to PA, I was asked by my teacher in 6th grade whether or not my father was black. I was really confused and went home in tears because I didn’t understand why my teacher would ask such a question. Both of my parents are white. My mom is the classic “ginger,” but my dad is much darker. He says that we have Native American blood, but I’m not quite sure to the amount. I take on a lot of his attributes and tend to get very dark, especially in the summer. This was the first time I really looked at myself as being something other than “Chelsi.”

As the years went by, I became much more aware of race and who I was, and what was done decades ago that allowed me to be as privileged as I am. However I don’t feel guilty for being white. I was born this way. I never had a choice and all I can do is control my actions. I have many multi-racial friends who I have been with friends with for years. They sometimes make comments about how I have it easy being white, but I don’t feel guilty at all. What my ancestors did is in the past. History is meant to teach us lessons. Our great-great-grandparents screwed up in a big way. What is done is done. All we can do is try to heal the best we can and let go harbored grudges. Maybe it’s my personality to be able to easily accept people for who they are, and not their race. Or maybe it’s the environment I was exposed to. Either way, I know I am white and I don’t judge others for being what they are. Therefore there is no need for me to feel guilty of being anything other than myself. Chelsi Amos, a freshman at Penn State who just happens to be white.

Our country has had a violent history with racism and discrimination. Now a days, it is frowned upon to be called racist, even though there are many people out there that are vocal about their racist beliefs (for example: members of the K.K.K). No one wants to be pin-pointed as the “racist.” The truth is, we all discriminate. Sometimes it’s based on race, and sometimes it is based on other attributes that an individual has. It’s sad to admit, but it’s true.

White people are so reluctant to come to terms with their discriminations because they know what their ancestors did. They know that there is a very big possibility that their great-great grandparents attended or participated in a lynching of a black individual. Or something of that degree. Today, that type of violence isn’t as prevalent. Speaking from how I know a lot of people think, (and myself), being called out for discriminating is pretty much saying that we are just as bad as our ancestors are. We DO discriminate. But so does everyone else. I’m not saying that it makes it ok, I’m saying that the white population isn’t the only one who does it. Black people discriminate too. So do asians, mexicans, etc. We all do it. We discriminate against religious people, atheists, ugly people, attractive people, short people, tall people. EVERYONE. It just depends on the context of what you are referring to. No one wants to ADMIT they discriminate. Why? It makes you look like a terrible person. I wouldn’t want to be called a racist, or someone who looks down at other people. Even though I KNOW I judge people by what I see and who they associate themselves with. It’s in our blood. It’s in everyone’s blood. The question is, how do we cope with it and move past it? Better yet, how do we improve ourselves so we discriminate less and look at what is really important in a person.

Being white myself, you have to be careful what you say, and how you say things. You may mean one thing, but it could be taken as discriminatory by someone of a different race. And when confronted about it, we get defensive and say, “I’m not racist.” No, you probably aren’t. But that doesn’t mean you don’t discriminate. With the past we have as a race, of being violent and cruel to people of different colors than our own, it’s hard to completely shed that past. It will always come back and haunt us. It’s not easy. We don’t want to be called racist. We simply don’t know how else to word certain things. And until someone tells us what is exactly politically correct, we will never have a 100% discriminatory free country.

In my personal opinion, I think that arrests occur more due to the area more than whether or not the person getting arrested is black, brown, etc. We are a species who like to do things the easy way. Our judicial system is the same way. It is MUCH easier for a police force to find people breaking the law in an urban area than it is to catch someone in a suburban area. Why? Well it’s pretty obvious. When you go to any city, there is so many different things going on around you all at the same time. People crossing the street, taxi cabs whizzing on by picking up and dropping off passengers, people bumping into each other on the sidewalk walking to their usual destinations, tourists aimlessly walking around and making a fuss over a huge building that most people never actually have time to appreciate and admire..the list goes on and on. Now compare this to a suburban area where everything is spread out and everyone has his/her own space. An urban area is much more congested compared to the suburbs. Who lives in the suburbs? People who have money to afford a nice house with land! Everyone else lives in the cheap housing in the city! Of course the police are going to hang around the urban areas more. They have a higher chance of catching someone doing something illegal there. You aren’t a good police officer if you don’t catch anyone doing anything wrong. The whole point of their job is to catch people in the wrong. The urban areas are where the action is! Now, take a moment to think about who typically lives in the urban areas..poorer people. Which unfortunately is more of the minorities than it is white people. So naturally the numbers for blacks, hispanics, mexicans, are going to be higher. Because the police are stationed there and the white people are predominately out in the suburbs doing the drugs. No police officer is going to go in the woods or a garage, or even a living room, to bust someone smoking weed. They want what is easy. To catch someone selling drugs or doing them in an alley way or out on the street where it is easy to spot them. Now, I’m not saying that what the police are doing is right. I think that there should be an equal distribution of the police force throughout all areas. But that simply isn’t going to happen because like I said before, it is easier to station yourself in an urban area and catch 50 people a month, than investigate and track down 5 people in suburban areas.

When it comes to choosing who we hang out with, we tend to gravitate towards people whom we feel are most like us. You see the cliche cliques when you watch movies, TV, or sometimes in real life. You have the “jocks,” the “preps,” the “goths,” “band-geeks,” etc. The list is endless. We don’t consciously choose which group we fall under, it’s just what traits we have in common and share with others that forms our friendship circle.

Sometimes within this circle, the race and ethnicity tends to also share some sort of commonality. In my opinion, this doesn’t happen on purpose. We don’t simply think in our heads, “well..even though she is in band with us, I don’t want her in our circle of friends because she is black.” It doesn’t work like that. Sometimes it’s just how the pieces fall.

Even though we do associate ourselves with people who are very similar, race is never something that is on our priority list. Sometimes there isn’t even a huge amount of variety when it comes to race. For instance, my high school was predominantly white. There were a few different ethnicities, but the majority of us were white. Therefore, it was given that most of my friends were white as well. It wasn’t a conscious choice, just something that happened on it’s own. As we grew up and went away to college, some of those friends continued their education up here at Penn State with me. They continue to this day to be my close friends. Even though I still have my circle of friends, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m not open for new ones. Sometimes it’s just simply not an option. Now, if you are in a school with a relatively equal ratio of minorities and white people, and you STILL have a majority of same race friends, you need to ask yourself this question: is this a conscious choice you are making? Or is it simply by chance.

Some people could use the phrase “birds of a feather flock together,” to answer the question: Why do we associate with people of the same race and ethnicity as ourselves? But the truth is, no one really has a definitive answer as to why this happens. It simply just does. I firmly believe that, (unless you are a racist), that we unconsciously pick our friends based on whom we are most like. People make assumptions and judgments based on our outer appearance and skin color. Those assumptions impact how we socialize with people and whom we eventually becomes friends with. Maybe if we all just took a step back and asked ourselves why our friends, are really our friends, we could reanalyze just why we picked to associate ourselves with them.

That’s a really hard thing to answer. In a way, yes. We do need to be politically correct. But then, what exactly is it? And how do we achieve it? In my eyes, being politically correct just means that what we say isn’t offensive to any particular demographic. Is that hard to achieve? It most certainly is. In the United States, we are free to express our opinions and beliefs as long as we do so peacefully. With this freedom, it is extremely easy to disagree and be offended by someone else’s opinions or ways of expressing themselves. It doesn’t mean that they are PURPOSEFULLY trying to offend people. It’s just how it comes across.

In this day in age, with all the war and controversy, it is almost a REQUIREMENT to be politically correct just so that the majority of the population doesn’t make a huge fuss over your choice of words. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. For example, when you are talking about someone of a darker skin tone than yourself, a.k.a. “black,” how exactly do you refer to them? Some people prefer to be called African American. However some may not like that choice of words and become offended when called that. So do you call them black? Negro? Colored? When you are referring to someone who is mentally handicapped, do you call them that? Or do you call them mentally challenged? Retarded? Some people would say that it doesn’t matter. Yet others have a firm opinion and no other options are correct. There are so many examples I could go on and on.

My point is, being politically correct is something that is easier said than done. No one purposefully tries to offend people. It’s just there is a vast amount of people in this world. Which means there is MILLIONS of opinions floating around out there. There is absolutely no way to please all those people. Eventually you will offend someone and it will be unintentional. People should really relax when it comes to political correctness. We are simply confused as to what to say anymore. Relax. We mean no harm. We are just unsure anymore to what is P.C. So to answer the question, Do We Need To Be Politically Correct? Yes. But don’t get bent out of shape if for some reason you DO offend someone. It is not the end of the world. Because one day you will get offended over something someone says. But the truth is, they will get over it. You will get over it. Life moves on. Political Correctness should be on the BOTTOM of our priority list. There are many more important issues that need to be dealt with and discussed in this world.