I have so much respect for what the man in the video did for the day laborers in the video. He saw them suffering, recognized something about them that identified with himself, and works hard every day to help them lead better lives. What he does is selfless and incredibly inspiring, and it takes a very special type of person to act in the way that he does every day.
The man in the video was helping people who found themselves in a situation similar to one that he had been in earlier in his life. He had fled Columbia as a young man and came to America with nothing, and often found himself going to bed hungry. When he saw the Columbian day laborers on the street corner – homeless and hungry – he was reminded of himself and wanted to do something about it. I honestly cannot see myself taking similar steps to ensure these people went to bed with full stomachs.
That sounds bad, I know. But I don't have anyone like that to identify with, for whom my heart would break if I saw them in a situation like this. One problem that crosses my mind is: where would I draw the line of whom I would give food to? Obviously if I undertook an operation like this I wouldn't want to turn anyone away, but as word-of-mouth passed along the fact that I was feeding the hungry late at night, I can only imagine that the line for my impromptu soup kitchen would grow and grow. I could not feasibly feed a ton of people, but how many is too many? That operation takes a lot of time and money, two important resources of which I do not have an endless supply. At what point am I allowing the day laborers to take advantage of my hospitality and putting my own wellfare in danger?
Another thing to think about, as harsh as this may sound, is the possibility of the immigrants becoming too dependent on my hospitality. I understand that they are doing everything within their power to find jobs during the day and wiring the money back to their families in their home countries. And that is incredibly noble, but what would happen if I had to skip a night or two for personal reasons? There are other resources (shelters, kitchens, churches) who are set up and funded to provide the same types of services. Perhaps I could show the immigrants how to use those resources to their advantage.

Nepotism is a many-faceted controversial subject in today’s society. Playing professional favorites with those whom you have a personal relationship is asking for controversy to follow. However, in a society where nepotism reigns free, it would be naïve to ignore the possibilities that come along with it.
Listen, I am fully aware that the goody two shoes humanitarian hippie in me is screaming at me to deny that I would attempt to benefit from nepotism after lecture. But today’s lecture didn’t bring to my attention anything that I wasn’t already aware of. Of course I’ve benefitted from people playing favorites. I got my first job because my best friend worked at the grocery store and hooked me up when they were hiring. I got an internship this summer because my father taught the man who owns the company’s son. And people employing nepotism on my family has, I’m sure, benefitted me in ways that I’m not even aware of.
My point is this, if nepotism is so prevalent in today’s society, it would be stupid of me not to play ball and go along with it. Would I turn down a job offer because I got the offer due to connections and not necessarily being the most-qualified candidate? Absolutely not! That is no way to make your place in the world, and I don’t feel like a bad person for saying that. All you folks who are taking the high and mighty road and claiming that you would turn down good fortune if you don’t think you deserved it, watch out because I’ll be the first person in line to take the position from you. Today’s employment market is dog-eat-dog and I want to be successful. I’m not going to lie or cheat or steal or murder or anything crazy, but if nepotism can benefit me, I’m absolutely going to let it.
Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not like I’ve ever been the beneficiary of completely outrageous nepotism. By that I mean, for every job that nepotism has benefitted me, I’m confident that I have absolutely been a qualified candidate for the job. I truly believe that I deserve that job and did/will be able to do an excellent job. I do not feel like I took any opportunities away from someone who could outperform me. Maybe that’s why I have little problem with nepotism. I would be very uncomfortable taking a position in which I have no experience or interest away from someone who has qualifications and drive. But I don’t foresee myself ever being in that position, because I wouldn’t apply for that job anyway. So, to make a long story short, today’s class has not deterred me from nepotism. Connections are key in today’s competitive society, and I have no desire to fall behind.

Nepotism is a many-faceted controversial subject in today’s society. Playing professional favorites with those whom you have a personal relationship is asking for controversy to follow. However, in a society where nepotism reigns free, it would be naïve to ignore the possibilities that come along with it.
Listen, I am fully aware that the goody two shoes humanitarian hippie in me is screaming at me to deny that I would attempt to benefit from nepotism after lecture. But today’s lecture didn’t bring to my attention anything that I wasn’t already aware of. Of course I’ve benefitted from people playing favorites. I got my first job because my best friend worked at the grocery store and hooked me up when they were hiring. I got an internship this summer because my father taught the man who owns the company’s son. And people employing nepotism on my family has, I’m sure, benefitted me in ways that I’m not even aware of.
My point is this, if nepotism is so prevalent in today’s society, it would be stupid of me not to play ball and go along with it. Would I turn down a job offer because I got the offer due to connections and not necessarily being the most-qualified candidate? Absolutely not! That is no way to make your place in the world, and I don’t feel like a bad person for saying that. All you folks who are taking the high and mighty road and claiming that you would turn down good fortune if you don’t think you deserved it, watch out because I’ll be the first person in line to take the position from you. Today’s employment market is dog-eat-dog and I want to be successful. I’m not going to lie or cheat or steal or murder or anything crazy, but if nepotism can benefit me, I’m absolutely going to let it.
Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not like I’ve ever been the beneficiary of completely outrageous nepotism. By that I mean, for every job that nepotism has benefitted me, I’m confident that I have absolutely been a qualified candidate for the job. I truly believe that I deserve that job and did/will be able to do an excellent job. I do not feel like I took any opportunities away from someone who could outperform me. Maybe that’s why I have little problem with nepotism. I would be very uncomfortable taking a position in which I have no experience or interest away from someone who has qualifications and drive. But I don’t foresee myself ever being in that position, because I wouldn’t apply for that job anyway. So, to make a long story short, today’s class has not deterred me from nepotism. Connections are key in today’s society, and I have no desire to fall behind.

Besides being offended, the lecture just wasn’t thought-provoking for me. I understood where Sam was coming from attempting to place us into the shoes of the middle easterners whose lives are being affected by the war. But nothing that Sam said was something that I had never heard before. His raw passion for the topic wasn’t enough for me to overlook the lack of unique ideas concerning the issue. I didn’t leave the class thinking about discussion like I normally do.
In my opinion, the most thought-provoking, interesting lecture was the one where we saw the “Girl like me” video and discussed superiority and inferiority ideas concerning races. That lecture had me thinking about and evaluating societal norms for a long time after class. And that’s what I think this class is supposed to do. Have us question the way society views race and realize that no one knows nearly as much as they think they do on the subject. I would like to see Sam move away from foreign politics and come back to the class’s roots in racial issues on US soil.

I understand what a huge issue the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is and how controversial its roots and interest in oil are. But the emphasis on politics in Tuesday’s lecture totally turned me off. I have a cousin who is a marine and was deployed for a six month tour of Afghanistan last month. I have no interest in hearing about how he’s over there fighting for oil while our government tries to hoodwink us into thinking it’s all about something else. What he is doing over there is selfless, brave, terrifying, and something to be honored. I did not at all care for Sam telling me that the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are making the lives of the people over there worse. I felt like he was discrediting my cousin and all the soldiers for taking up their civil duties and being in the armed forces. I’m positive that wasn’t at all his intention, but I had trouble overlooking that.

Sam really hyped up the “Christian Invaders” lecture. Numerous emails and mentions in class definitely caught my interest and got me pretty excited about class on Tuesday. But maybe I gave it too much hype in my head. I definitely wouldn’t call it the best lecture of year, but that is largely a matter of opinion. It is very clear that Sam was incredibly enthusiastic about the subject. He was in rare form, running around, passionately dictating about the issues and videos that he presented to us. But, and again this is simply my opinion, Tuesday’s lecture just didn’t do it for me.

Any girl who tries to argue that she does not put any time or effort into what she looks like when going out is straight up lying or considers HUB late night as “going out”. I do not at all consider myself high maintenance, but I will do my hair, put on makeup, and dress for the occasion. At frats this generally means hoochie mama dresses or skirts, whereas apartment parties allow for slightly more subtlety in the outfit. I very rarely wear heels. I can get away with flats because I'm tall (and quite honestly, the morning after I wear heels out, my feet are screaming in pain). But I absolutely put time and effort into what I look like when I go out. I suppose the question is why.
Previously, I dressed up for my boyfriend. I know he claimed to not care what I looked like when we went out, but I'm not oblivious to the changes in the way he looked at me when I put time into my ensemble vs. when I was wearing sweatpants with my hair up. And honestly, I enjoyed being desired. I think now that probably is my main motivation. Even if I have no intention of paying attention to the boys when I go out with my friends, it is nice to think that they are paying attention to me. I don't need their approval to feel good about myself, but it is a nice boost of confidence.
I also think some of it has to do with self-esteem issues, which every girl struggles with. I don't think I'm particularly attractive, so when I go out I try to show off the few assets that I do have. Sure you could interpret that as shallow, but whatever, I'm just working with what I've got. When a girl feels pretty, she acts more confident and is more comfortable. And everyone likes to feel confident. And honestly, everyone likes the girl who is comfortable enough to work the crowd and be social more than the wet blanket in the corner who doesn't think anyone will want to talk to her.
The lecture did not change my getting ready routine. This weekend, I might think about how unfair it is that guys get to be warm when they're walking to their party destinations, but let's be honest for a minute – that's what pregaming is for. The amount I pregame is directly proportional to how cold it is and how short my skirt is and (if applicable) how high my heels are. I don't end up feeling the cold or foot pain regardless. If I'm not drinking that night, I'm definitely wearing jeans and my converse.

I would absolutely consider dating a black guy, or a guy of any other background for that matter. It is interesting for me to think about. Up until a few weeks ago, I had been in a three-year relationship with a white guy (like really, really white. He was a ginger. Don't judge me). But now I am able to think about things like this, and I am firm in my answer.
I have never dated a person of color before. I honestly just think this is due to my personal circumstances. I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh that is incredibly white. My entire high school of over 1200 people only had four black people = two of them guys. One was a year younger than me, one was three years younger, and I hardly ever interacted with either of them. But now that I am at University Park, I encounter minority students every day. Whereas dating outside of my group was simply not feasibly before, it is absolutely a possibility now.
I don't think I would act differently towards a guy I wanted to date if they were of color as opposed to being white. Although, as I mentioned, I'm not entirely sure how I would act around someone I'd be interested in dating because I haven't had to do that in three years. At first I suppose I might be a little more timid with black guy simply because my lack of experience may make me nervous. But I think if we got to the point of knowing each other well enough that I would want to date him, I would act the same way with a white guy, black guy, or any minority guy.
My parents would support me fully. They know that I am a great judge of character, and I am confident that any boy I would like enough to bring home to them is a boy that they would like as well. My step-dad might take some time to get used to it, but he definitely wouldn't be vocal about it if he felt uncomfortable. My dad's sisters (all five of them) would without a doubt gossip about it. But I wouldn't take that personally – they constantly talk about our family. I would definitely have to tell them first that my new boyfriend was black though. It would probably be a bit of a surprise to them simply because it hasn't happened before in my family. But I would only tell them because I'm afraid, in their initial shock, they might say something stupid that they didn't mean.
So, yes. I would absolutely date a black guy if he had the qualities that I look for in a boyfriend.

I grew up in a suburban community in the south hills of Pittsburgh. Although I considered it fairly metropolitan, I have recently been corrected by a few friends from Philadelphia who, upon visiting me, declared that my town is “farmland.” And I suppose this could help explain the lack of diversity during my childhood. My graduating class included one asian, one guatemalan, and 357 white kids. So for me, Penn State is a pretty diverse community of students.
I know others coming from more diverse communities may think I'm crazy. I am fully aware of the numbers – the ones that tell me that, in reality, Penn State is not a particularly diverse school. But my perception of diversity is skewed by my experiences with it, or lack thereof.
I do think, however, that the university works to present an image of more diversity than actually exists at Penn State. Last semester, as a part of my freshman seminar, I took part in a world in conversation discussion where the topic was US Race Relations. We talked extensively about diversity at Penn State, and one of the discussion mediators brought up several interesting points. I didn't realize that along with the Lion Scouts and Lion Ambassadors (two groups that give tours to prospective students) there is also SMART, a group that specifically gives tours to minority prospective students. There is also a special living option dorm for minority students. My discussion mediator felt that they generally dumped most minority students there regardless of whether or not they signed up for that specific special living option.
One thing I completely love about Penn State is how the students embrace their diversity. There are so many cultural clubs (the South Asian Student Society, the Pacific Student Society, etc) where people can, if they want to, connect with others who share their background. It is also a way for students who haven't been exposed to the customs and intricacies of their background have the opportunity to become more immersed in their culture if they wish.
To be completely honest, I didn't consider diversity at all when choosing my schools. I think the schools I applied to in the south may be a little more diverse than Penn State, but as I said that didn't even cross my mind. To be honest, I was more interested in the guy to girl ratio. I am aware of the diversity here, but I don't often think about it. I suppose I am aware that my friends of color have different skin tones as me, but at this point I don't think about it. If anything, thanks to Soc 119, I am more interested in learning about their background than forming my own false ideas about it.

Anytime someone calls a friend the R-word, I think of this incident. People don’t realize how offensive the word truly is. If you use the R-word, stop. If only for the reason that no one likes a bully. I want to turn my anger into understanding. I want to give others who may have never considered the hurt behind the word a gentle nudge to stop using the offensive term. The “Stop the R-Word” pledge can make a world of difference in the lives of people who have been taunted, like my friend. Her life is difficult enough.