After reading this article, I had to take a step back and look at my life and how I’ve been living it. The prisoner makes such strong points about how his life is now compelled within four walls, and he has to fill it with things such as entertainment, conversation, reading, television, etc. For me, and others who are not in prison, I take these things for granted, but those things are basically all prisoners have in life. I could not imagine being locked up in a prison, interacting with the same people day after day. I thrive for new things, new adventures, and meeting new people. If I was in the same situation as these prisoners, I think I would wither away to nothing. I find in compelling that these people are not, they are trying to find new things in life to cherish and care about. Another important point he brings up is that the on thing in life that he wants is to love and be loved. I feel like this is something every person needs in his or her life to feel fulfilled. It saddens me that these people will never get to experience, or at least while their in jail, what love is like. These prisoners can find love in other things, but they will not be able to carry out a long happy life with a significant other. As I stated before, this lifers letter really made me think and reflect on my own life. It made me realize how important it is to love and cherish the little things in life. These lifers will never again be able to experience so much in life such as traveling, the beach, pets, family, driving, and the list continues.

They will grow up mentally feeling like one sex, while their body is telling them they are the other. In cases like these, and in the case of Mr. Devoureau, it is simply wrong to discriminate against them. Mr. Devoureau goes to say that he has considered himself a man basically all of his life, and so has the people in their life. I feel like it is so wrong for these new individuals, the people he works with and does not know personally, feel like they have the right to decide if he is a male or a female simply because of his biological makeup. The discrimination should be completely abolished, like New Jersey’s law bluntly states, for good.

While reading through this article, I found it to be extremely unfair and inappropriate. In particular, it was bluntly stated that the state of New Jersey banned any type of job discrimination, whether it be age, race, religion, or sex. If they banned against sex discrimination, how could something like this happen? I feel like, in the past, sex was kind of a black and white subject. Someone was either male or female, and there was nothing in between. Now, especially after reading the chapter in our Intersections book about the different types of sexes, it is plain to see that the line between male and female is not clear. Also, from the discussions in class, it is also become clear that sex is as much of a sociological idea as it is a biological idea. If a person truly feels that they are one sex and not the sex that they are biologically seen as, they can do absolutely nothing about it. This reminds me of the scenarios where a child is born with both sexes and the parents and doctors decide which sex should dominate. However, what if that sex is not what the child is biologically set to be?

I found this letter very interesting and heart felt. His message seemed sincere and he made some very interesting points. He is enlightening people who are no in prison or do not know people in prison how life is behind bars. Whenever I read these letters, assumptions I have made about inmates is instantly changed. I found myself smirking when I read, “Of the men here at Rockview, the ones who have the strongest family ties are the ones who aren’t assholes! Let’s be real, would anyone want to be friends with assholes?” He couldn’t have said this more bluntly or accurately. People usually relate inmates, especially those who have life sentences, to be distant and cold hearted, but this man is countering that assumption. I, myself, find it difficult to think that I would stay in contact and continue to support someone who had committed a horrible crime (although, he never states what he did to be put in prison). His story, however, reinforces the power and love of family. I would like to know how his family and friends reacted to his imprisonment and how difficult it was for them to forgive him. I also found it interesting that his teachers still keep in contact with him, even after being in prison for over 10 years. I barely keep in contact with my high school teachers and I haven’t even been out of school for a year yet! This leads me to believe that he must have been a pretty good kid who made significant impacts on the people he knows. This letter just ensures the fact that people do make mistakes, but they can make up for it. It also helps ensure the power of family and friends and how they will always be there for you no matter what kind of wrong doings you do.

Zach is a perfect example of how a gay couple family is just like a normal everyday family. The most important point Zach proposes in his speech is that the bill will not change what a family is because family is a commitment between people who love one another. The bill will simply change how gay couples are treated and seen by the public. They want to be treated equally and viewed as the same and not different because their commitment to another human being is the same sex as them. This video really moved me because I was previously against gay marriages and them being able to raise children. I was under the impression, like most people, that the child will not have a normal upbringing and will most likely end up being gay as well just like his or her parents. This is definitely not the case and Zach has showed me that. He shows how he is just like everyone other person and was still raised to be able to succeed and have a great life beyond his home. He admits yes at first it was hard with people judging him. But I admire him greatly for the fact that he is standing up for his parents and that he is willing to fight for the cause. He is good hearted and believes that people deserve to be happy. Regardless if that means you are marrying and having children with a man or woman. It shouldn’t matter as long as everyone gets the chance to be happy and live their life how they choose. The stigma clearly is not true that gay couples do not give a child a good upbringing. Zach shows us that everyones thoughts and stigmas should not stick about gay marriages.

The question “does money equal happiness” has come up in many different occasions. In many different classes, I have discussed the issue, and almost always answered “no”. I took a community service class my senior year and had a teacher who used to work in business. A common idea he brought up was that he had made more money at his last job, but is much happier teaching and engaging in community service now. Other instances, such as famous people, often seem miserable even with millions of dollars. Other factors may contribute to this, but we often hear of celebrities becoming drug users, develop eating disorders, etc. In the article, they stated that most people feel better giving 20 dollars to someone else, rather than being greedy and keeping it for themselves. I could not agree with this more. Participating in THON this year has made me realize how much “giving” can make a person happy. Every time a penny was dropped into my can during canning weekends, an intense emotion of happiness came over me. It is scary to think what gaining so much money can result in, however. There have been many incidences where horrible things happened to lottery winners, and new millionaires. There are many people who only experienced good things from winning the lottery. A close family friend of mine won the lottery, although not as much money as the stories here, and they now have some free spending money and money to put towards vacation. They haven’t experienced any withdrawals from winning. Overall, I feel like it is personal whether a person finds happiness in money and whether money comes with positives or negatives.

I thought this article was very striking and interesting. I found it very interesting that he was sentenced life in prison just because he was at the scene of the crime. It is an extremely unfortunate situation and I do feel bad for him. I think he is putting too much pressure and guilt on himself, but it seems that it is turning him into a better person. I found it very sincere when he said that he is now trying to better those he comes in contact with to try to prevent crimes like this from happening again. I don’t think he could be spending his time in jail any better. It is weird to think that prisoners are actually extremely intelligent and gain morals because in movies and media, inmates are portrayed as horrible people. One of the statements that stand out most to me is when he said that he does not want this crime to define who he is and the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he does have to live with this for the rest of his life, but not letting effect who he is going to become is very enlightening. Its crazy to think that we let little situations really effect out lives, but when you read about these kinds of stories, you start to put things into perspective. I really enjoy reading these stories because it helps me gain a better understanding for other people and gives me reasons to respect inmates and people who have committed crimes.

This article immediately grabbed my attention because I have grown up with disabled peers and friends throughout my schooling. One of my close friends from high school had a mentally disabled brother, and I was in a community service class that worked very closely with the LIU students. Through these interactions, I have gained a much larger respect and understanding for them and have a difficult time excepting the use of the r-word. I admit that I had used the word out of context in the past, but after meeting my friend’s brother and those students I vowed to eliminate that word from my vocabulary. If I can do it, I feel that it is definitely possible for the rest of society to rid of the word as well. I found it especially unacceptable that politicians and important public figures are using the word so harshly. I think that is representing our society as a whole poorly, and they should definitely not be using it. As the young man stated on the video, people with mental disabilities are extremely bothered by the use of this word. We should respect this and not use it in any type of context. If these people will not use the “n-word” or the “f-word,” what makes it okay for them to use the “r-word?” It just does not seem logical to me. There are so many other words an individual can use to express how they are feelings. My high school pledged to eliminate the word “gay” and posted lists of other possible words to use in its place. I feel that this was an effective strategy and should also be used for the r-word because it should also not be used freely. I feel that if someone is using the word or hears someone else using the word, they should speak up and ask them to eliminate the word.

After watching this video, it is apparent why people believe that the unknown is scary. Not knowing someone, or something for that matter, forces us to not trust them. This video gives an important example of how the unknown is feared. The people have nothing else to go off of if the media is only presenting instances in which the unknown should be feared. It is evident how times are changing when we see that the attempted kidnapping occurs in broad daylight, in a pretty busy street, and when the nanny is right next to the child. In the past, more cases of subtle kidnappings were more common. Instances like this make people worry more about strangers and create more anxiety. The rules that we were taught when we were children, to not talk to strangers, should most definitely still be in effect today. The woman at the end of the news report stated that she will insist that her child hold her hand, and she will not let her child run freely throughout the streets. If I was a parent, I would take serious precautions, especially after hearing about this incident. On the contrary; however, the media only shows cases in which the unknown, strangers, are bad. So to the rest of the population, strangers seem harmful and scary. In most instances where a child comes in contact with a stranger, nothing bad happens. Unfortunately, these situations are not what is seen in the media and made into a big deal. I think it is fair to conclude that the unknown is feared, but feared because of what we are exposed to in the media. My parents have always cautioned me about strangers, to not talk to them, get in a car with them, or open the door for them. I don’t feel like their warnings has paranoid me in any absurd way and feel that parents being cautious will help protect their kids.

The idea of having 11% of your school pregnant is absolutely astonishing. That seem like an absurd number for any situation, leading me to believe that becoming pregnant was a choice for these young woman. The initial factor of becoming pregnancy, sex, is the obvious problem at this school. There must be a lot of pressure to engage in sexual activity, and even possibly to conceive due to these high numbers. It is upsetting to think that in order for a girl to feel accepted at a high school she must become pregnant. One has to believe that there are most definitely invisible strings affected these girls’ decisions. For instance, if a girl’s close group of friends is engaging in this strange phenomenon, you can assume that she will feel even greater pressure to do what her friends are doing. Seeing your friends do something makes it seem more acceptable. Other factors may have greatly influences this outbreak as well. They had mentioned in the video segment that they were promoting free lunches and doing little about providing pregnancy preventers. This could equate to the lack of money this town may have. Financial standings is not an excuse for whether a teen becomes pregnant or not, however, it may effect their knowledge in the subject. Educating teens may not prevent them from engaging in sexual activity, but it will make them more conscientious and encourage safe sex. Also, factors such us TV shows and music lyrics are not helping with this explosive problem. Shows such as Teen Mom may be showing the hardships of teenage pregnancies, but are also showing that it is doable. This show is also bringing fame to young pregnant teens, which will give vulnerable girls the idea that “if I become pregnant, I will get on TV.” Overall, I feel that the school, and even the parents of teens attending this school, should be taking action and extending their knowledge about the subject. If these teens become more aware of the safety measures they can take, and are actually encouraged to use them, they could possibly see a large decrease in pregnancies within their school.