I think that the fact that white people resent affirmative action a generational thing. No one has really researched whether it is a good thing or not, they have just heard generations before them say that it is affirmative action is unfair and that it is a bad thing so that is what they have grown up thinking. Going to an all white school and being fairly intelligent as a black girl, when it came to college acceptance letters coming in there were many snide and rude comments that people made about me and affirmative action. I have not studied enough about it to decide whether one way or another on it, but I feel like white people use it as an excuse for the fact that they could not keep black people down and uneducated for forever. There are thousands of examples of situations where people of color, white women, and working class women and men of all races who were previously excluded from jobs or educational opportunities, or were denied opportunities once admitted, have gained access through affirmative action. When these policies received executive branch and judicial support, vast numbers of people of color, white women and men have gained access they would not otherwise have had. These gains have led to very real changes. Affirmative action programs have not eliminated racism, nor have they always been implemented without problems. However, there would be no struggle to roll back the gains achieved if affirmative action policies were ineffective. Affirmative action is practiced in many areas of our society in addition to leveling the playing field for people of color. There are hiring and recruiting preferences for veterans, women, the children of alumni of many universities. There are special economic incentives for purchase of U.S.-made products, import quotas against foreign goods, and agricultural and textile subsidies. Over many decades these practices have led to a huge over-representation of white people, men and people of middle, upper middle and upper class backgrounds in our universities, in well-paid jobs, and in the professions. One indication that attacks on affirmative action are part of a white backlash against equality is that affirmative action in the form of preferences that primarily benefit white people are not being questioned. However I’m sure if back during the era of slavery the roles had been reversed and the Africans had been the oppressors and the European people had been the oppressed and then slavery was abolished and an affirmative action had been created but for white people, people of color would also feel some type of way about it. It is just the fact that the more people of color that get educated the more power white people lose.

Since Penn State is a predominately Caucasian university I think that the circumstances of this scandal would have been very different. I think that if he had been African American or Latino back in 1998 he would have gotten more than just a little slap on the wrist. It definitely would have become a bigger deal back then. That also may have been a good thing because than we would not have to worry about Joe Pa getting into any trouble about not reporting things because everything would have already been out in the open. Either way if Jerry Sandusky had been African American or Latino American, at the first sign of any wrongdoing of this caliber would have caused the administrators, board of trustees, and media would have crucified him and he would have lost his whole life. However the “white” Jerry Sandusky in 1998 just got his locker key taken away and got to retire with dignity. It is really sad that this is the reality but it is. The idea of a minority having the power to molest kids may sound absurd to so many people. It’s completely ridiculous that race, itself, has the power to change around the whole vibe of a certain situation. Perhaps we’re just fortunate that this isn’t the case. But what if it was? If so many people already have so many different angles in their views already, it would be so much more diverse if it were to involve the minority. Just the fact that when a report is delivered on the news that a black male had robbed a store, it’s almost a reflexive reaction to the viewer to respond like “oh, well, of course” or “what else is new?” Isn’t there something so wrong with that? It is beneficial to be white because in today's society white people are treated with superiority. When it comes to jobs, white people who have a criminal record are hired over a black person without one. I may not see what others have to go through in their daily lives, but I do think that it is unfair that there are such stereotypes against blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans. However, I think this situation is more than just a racial issue. This man, whether Black, White, Asian, Spanish, you name it, has caused pain and suffering to at least nine children and their families. The actions and sexual encounters he performed with children are wrong no matter what race you are. Hopefully prosecuters, the media, the Penn state family, and other outsider looking in would be able to realize and understand that. However with the biases we are born and raised with we all know he would be judged differently if he were a different race, but hopefully people would be able to see that his race was not the root cause in this incident.

I definitely think that the riots would have still happened without Twitter and or Facebook. The only difference would have been the amount of people present. There would have been more people that actually went out to riot instead of people that went to catch the riots on video. In a way they may have been worse. I feel that twitter and Facebook expand stories, whether they do it for good or for bad. Either way, the student body at Penn State was extremely pissed off that Joe Paterno was fired and not allowed to retire with dignity after everything that he has done for this university. The people that are really passionate would have left their rooms and marched wherever they felt necessary with or without the impetus of Facebook, Twitter, or any other medium. The additional people that showed up were the people that may have been shocked or people that just wanted to see some action. Part of me thinks that the people that came because of all the social networking were the ones that started all the problems. They did not come out to support Joe Pa because the people that knew what Joe Paterno stood for were not the people flipping vans over and tearing down light poles. I find it ironic though because people flipped the media van because they blame the media for focusing on the wrong thing, but had it not been for the media a lot of crazy rioting students would not have been there. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking devices only accelerated the news to these rioting students. The students that really cared about what happened did not find out the news from Facebook or Twitter they were watching the actual press conference for themselves. The other people just saw it on Facebook and Twitter and they decided they would get all riled up. I think because they made it such a big deal and blew it out of proportion by taking drastic measures, students reacted this way. If they quietly settled this, then riots might not have happened, or at least not at this magnitude. However, we cannot get away from technology because that is what our generation is all about, so in the end, it does not matter how people heard about the scandal or riots, everyone eventually heard and everyone did what they felt was right. Why did they decide to announce it at 10:30pm? When they knew that students weren’t in classes or anything like that, what else did the Board of Trustees expect? At least if they would have announced it the next morning m=not all student would be sitting in their dorms with nothing to do but go out and riot. The other thing is why not announce it over break when everyone is at home? That leads me to believe that they knew and wanted this to happen, why I don’t know.

Although every white person in class that answered this question said that it will not matter to them when white people become the minority I do not think that they realize how much of a change in society there will be when this happens. The main thing I think of is the fashion industry. Right now we have a white based fashion industry so anorexic white girls are what are seen as beautiful in this culture. However when whites become the minority and people of color become the majority it will completely change. No longer will we have a white based society we will have a colored based society. I feel like more people of color appreciate the curves in a woman’s body more. So in the fashion industry will start to accept more curvaceous women and that whole standard will completely change. Also, I feel like any president of color that runs for office will win because the majority of people will be of color therefore they will want a colored president. Being a person of color, I think that all these changes will be a really great thing that will happen to America. I just do not think that white people realize how much of a difference there will be in society, especially when they try and claim that it will not mean anything to them when they are no longer the majority. A lot of the things that “white privilege” brings them will no longer be in play one this switch happens. They will have to watch their counter parts that, even though they may not be racist, will rise above them. I feel like white people will have a complete culture shock when this change happens. When I sit down and thoroughly think about how many things will change over time, it equates to the poles switching. Which is something that affects everyone in different ways. I am not saying that it will necessarily be a negative change for white people or even that it will be a positive change for brown and black people, it is just going to be something that is way different. And although America was founded on change, it is not very fond of it. I just hope white people prepare themselves to become the minority.

Wow, that video absolutely blew my mind! The first thing that came to mind when I thought about freedom versus determinism was that the can never ever be free from each other. However, they are already sixteen so I feel like if it were that big of an issue they would not have made it thus far. That being said I definitely think that determinism is a very big part of these girls’ lives. Because if they were not determined to lead as normal a life as possible there is no way that they would find the strength within themselves to make it. Personally, it just puts things in perspective for me. I would definitely say that I physically have a lot more freedom than these girls, but if I had the same amount of determination that they have I would be going so much farther in life. It always seems to be that way though. We look at the stories of these people who are disabled, have cancer, or have some other physical ailment and it just seems like they have so much more strength and determination to accomplish whatever it is that they need to accomplish. Then that is probably because they were forced to tap into that strength and or determinism because of factors and forces outside of their control. Back to the whole freedom issue, I think that both girls are still technically free. They have separate brains so even though they may not always be able to act upon the things that they think, they still have the freedom to think them. I don’t know if that makes them less free or what but I definitely think that it counts for something. Because to me freedom is the ability to feel the way that you want to about something, and I feel like if they had a single brain for both of them they would be trapped in each other’s minds in a way. I wish that the interviewer would have asked them if they feel like they are free, because they are but are not. Haha, I don’t know how to explain it. I guess in the end it is half and half like Sam always says in class. I can definitely see why this story would interest Sam so much; it almost defies all the bounds set up with the whole freedom versus determinism thing. I guess to the girls though it’s not that big of a deal since all that they have known their whole lives as freedom is being stuck together. That helps explain why we may see other people as not having freedom, but they think that they do since they haven’t known anything else their whole lives.

This question reminded of the one part of the “Needy Penis” lecture the stuck out most to me. And that was when Sam’s wife said that a woman should be able to go out in public with nothing on but a sign across her chest saying try me and not have to worry about being sexually assaulted or raped. I think both males and females have the tendency of blaming the victim, me included. I know that if I go up to frat row and see a girl walking by herself with half her ass hanging out I’m going to think wow it wouldn’t surprise me if she got raped tonight. Although I understand why she may be dressed the way she is I still think that there is a limit. When girls get ready for events like parties they are never putting their comfort first, it’s always what would look sexiest to a guy or what makes my boobs look the best. Now that I’m thinking about it I understand why this must be confusing to men, because girls dress that way to get you to notice them but obviously if her boobs are hanging out a man is not going to notice how smart she is. However on the men’s end, would they notice her if she came in a t-shirt and shorts? So I feel like it all goes back to us having a male dominated society. If society showed us (females) that men appreciated a smart/funny girl over a slutty/skinny girls than we wouldn’t feel like we had to flaunt it every time we’re around guys. Plus I feel like if there are any good men left out there, they should be able to see through any girl’s façade. Maybe that is just me expecting too much from the male species, but I feel like they should be able to see a girl that is genuinely pretty because not all of us get sloppy and let everything hang out. If they took the time out and didn’t only notice the disgustingly trashy girls at parties than other girls wouldn’t feel insecure and feel like they had to look like that in order to get any male attention. I guess it all goes back to the instant gratification part of the lecture. Men aren’t willing to wait and find out what a girl has to offer in the bedroom, they want to see if right away. No getting to know if she’s a nice person they just want to know if the sex is going to be good. In my opinion this is a million dollar question. If anyone can ever answer this question they will definitely be able to help our society.

Although I am not currently an illicit drug user, after class today I would definitely think twice before deciding to use illicit drugs. Being African American people automatically assume that you use, have, or know where to get drugs. This past summer I worked at a Perkins where a lot of trucker drivers came and they would often point me or one of the other black employees out and ask us if we knew where they could “get some green”. At first I thought it was funny but as it started to happen again and again I got a little frustrated because there were definitely people I worked with that smoked weed but I was not one of them. However, I guess they assumed that since I was black I had to at least know where to get it. I went to a predominately Caucasian high school so I know firsthand that white kids do a lot of drugs, and some of their parents even supply them with the funds to keep up their negative habits. So, I wasn’t surprised when Sam put up the statistics that more white people do drugs than anyone else. I don’t think that the law enforcers are racist when it comes to busting people for possession of illicit drugs because I think that people of color sell it a lot more often than white people do. So it’s not really racial inequality but more socio-economic inequality. The law enforcement officers target the poorer white and black people who only sell drugs because they have no other means of supporting themselves. So I guess it would be a lot worse to be a poor black person doing drugs. Marijuana was made illegal after people claimed that black and Mexican men would smoke it and then go out and rape white women. So, I guess that idea has just been passed down throughout the generations and people still associate illicit drugs with black and Mexican men doing horrible things. Although I know it’s unfair for the odds to be stacked against black people, part of me still thinks that if they know that than why wouldn’t they stop what they were doing? Why wouldn’t black people stop using or selling drugs if they know that they are guaranteed to get in trouble for it? Why are they living down to the stereotypes that are being assigned to them? Personally, I know if someone told me that I would never amount to anything and that I would just spend my whole life selling drugs that would push me to do the exact opposite just to prove that one person wrong. Just because the system may be fucked up doesn’t mean that you can use that as an excuse to do nothing with your life.

I have lived in America since I was two years old, but I still have the tendency to say I am African when someone asks me where I am from. Personally, I grew up in an African home, with very African parents, and learned African traditions. So when I was at home African culture was the norm and my parents would say things like “don’t be so American”. However, when I was at school or anywhere not with my family, people inquired as to why I acted or did things certain ways. So for me, I identify with African because I was raised to in a way “see things through African eyes”. I think for a lot of other people though they just want to be different. It’s so much more interesting to say “I’m Irish” or “I’m French” as opposed to “I’m American” because everyone is American. My telling people I was born in Africa will most often illicit a response of “OMG, that’s so cool”, so I guess people like being different. But then that doesn’t make sense to me because America is also a country of conformity, so it’s like they draw a line to how different they can be.
As far as the whole united part, I definitely think America is a lot less united than other countries, but not because they come from different places. American is the way it is because there are so many different types of people; even if everyone claimed to be “American” the diversity in America is extremely evident. America is less united because there is a lot of American media out there putting America down! Because America has been such a prosperous country I guess people feel like we got a big head and that’s why it’s not cool to say America is the best or America is number one. My argument to that is, look at China..they are way more successful than we are but you don’t hear any Chinese telling other Chinese people that they need to keep a level head about it. So why is it wrong for America to be proud?
Anyways being “American” is definitely way too generic since America is a melting pot. Most people that live in Russia are in fact Russian, but everyone in America is from somewhere else. Even though I am African I am still also an American, it’s almost implied. I also think everyone wouldn’t want to be called American because all or even a majority of Americans don’t look alike; whereas most people in Japan do look alike. We need a way to justify the differences and why they’re there. Which brings us back to the whole question of race and ethnicity…

One question that I would really like to have answered this coming semester in Sociology 119 is: Would it ever be possible for America to reach a state of utter and complete social equality? Not only whether or not it is possible, but what steps would we, as a country, need to take. I have heard people hypothesize that complete socially equality is possible, however we live in a realistic world so I want to know if and how we could make that equality a reality. Also, I am not only concerned about equality between black and white, but also Asian, Muslim, Mexican, etc. Basically I am interested in equality between all races, genders, orientations, religions, backgrounds, and ethnicities. I almost feel as though we would have to start on a whole new planet because even me, being a girl born in Africa, cannot imagine being seen as equal in the eyes of everyone; adversely I cannot imagine looking at everyone else and seeing them as my equal. At a young age we are taught that it is okay to judge people. For example, every time our mothers would say “don’t talk to strangers”, although they were attempting to teach us to be cautious and safe many of us today see “sketchy” looking people on the street and would never think to say hello or introduce ourselves to them. So I think that subtle things like that would prevent our society from ever being able to reach such a tranquil state. I suppose that hypothetically we could wipe out the human race an attempt to start over, but why are we unable to figure it out now? If everyone could work towards one common goal the “far-fetched” idea of complete equality could become a reality. Although a change like this seems so insurmountable, America has been able to conquer even greater feats. For example no one in the early 18th century though that American independence would ever become a reality but when the country came together and fought for one common goal they were able to achieve. So if in this day and age everyone is willing to become open minded and be willing to change their views on certain thing, this almost mythical form of equality could be possible. I guess the main problem with our society right now is that no one wants to put their personal beliefs aside even for a brief moment to see things from other people’s perspectives are. What is a way that we can show everybody how their refusal to be open-minded is affecting the growth of our country? How can we show them how it’s hurting the people around them? And after we’ve shown them how can we convince them that we need a change? The idea sounds so nice and it sounds like the exact thing that I want to see in the word, but when I think about it I become depressed because all the details make it seem so overbearing. However, I know that equality isn’t meant to be a burden so hopefully one day…