This lecture was ground breaking and i absolutely loved all the emotions and thoughts that i felt as i was listening to Sam Richards. I have thought about this issue before because i watched a documentary called zeitgeist which talks a lot about the war in the Middle East and 9/11. Its all the about oil anyway you look at it. If you have ever done independent research on what really happened on 9/11 you will then see how the people at the very top keep our minds in control, the same way dictators in the Middle East do to their people. I find it sad that college students in our soc 119 class cant are not able to simply put themselves in a position that forces them to see things in a different perspective. Richards was not asking the students to change their ideas, and he's been warning us about that since the beginning of the year. I feel like a lot of students in our class don’t listen and like to stay in their ignorant state complacency. I’m not saying to abandon your values and agree with everything Sam Richards says because that would be the same thing it just makes me feel some type of way when my fellow college peers can’t even understand how we look to someone with a different perspective. When Sam mentioned the government officials from the U.S that spoke so ignorantly about the middle east it just clicked with me that we do the same thing they do to us so who really is the good guy? Propaganda has been such an important instrument throughout history for swaying public opinion and leaving out a lot of important facts. Our government understands how sheltered we are compared to the rest of the world. It’s very easy to scare us into believing whatever it is they want us to believe because they promise to keep us safe from all the evil in the world. And then 9/11 happens and everyone freaks out and we believe everything the media is telling us to believe because it’s just that easy. The majority of American citizens are so ignorant and it’s not necessarily their fault because our education system DOES teach us to stay ignorant and complacent so we don’t get in the way of the people at the very top with their own world domination agenda. I feel that after this lecture my mind has opened up even more and that’s all I ask from professors and I’m glad Sam Richards was able to deliver what I’ve been trying to get out of this college experience.

Last Thursday's class stirred up a lot of emotion and blew my mind as well as my that of my friends in the class. We felt like we needed to do something now that we have this information. But slave made goods are so abundant throughout the world. There are more people who would rather pay 95 cents for a chocolate made by slaves instead of 1.25 for a chocolate that was made by people who were paid a fair share for their labor. In the economy we're in, a lot of people want more bang for their buck.
However, it is our responsibility as educated human beings to make the first step which is recognizing and understanding why it is exactly most of us feel some type of way. I feel that American consumers have to take the first step in this global slave trade business and say enough. Congress is basically a reflection of what the public wants. The second step is spreading the awareness and trying to get involved in ways to fight this injustice. Throughout school I've learned about American slavery and all the great names associated with helping to fight the cause and i feel like the same needs to happen to stop the inhumane treatment of other people.
Fair wages and the basic rights that all humans inherit are just a few of the most important things any one can stand for. Even just refusing to buy the chocolates that don't say fair trade along with everything else that promises a fair trade was made between workers and companies. Every little bit counts. I feel like this is just history repeating itself again. If we were non slaves back in slavery times in the U.S that felt that slavery was inherently wrong what would you have tried to have done?
Not buy slave made goods, vote against politicians who didn't try to incorporate fair trade products for all, and join the side of the people fighting to abolish slavery. If we all as a country hate the ugly parts of our history such as slavery, why wouldn't we try to fight global slavery at least in our part to prove that our generation is less ignorant than the ones before us. Rome wasn't built in a day, and global slavery isn't going to end overnight, but with persistence and time it can be eliminated forever.
The world can grow together and leave ignorance and inequality behind and move forward as a whole. I feel that once we can reach that point together, sky's the limit as to the great innovations we can create. Maybe I sound too idealistic, but take the U.S as an example. It is a very small sample to compare to use as a standard for the rest of the world, but we see that slavery can be eliminated and that laws are adhered by to protect all of our citizens. If we can do it, I feel that there is hope for the rest of our fellow humans. Persistence and time is all we need.

This video was so disturbing to watch. These professional soccer players whoa re paid millions are disrespected because theyre black; still? It makes me appreciate that i live in america even tough we have our own demons with racism to deal with. I just know that we would never see this kind of behavior in any mainstream form of a sports game because i guess were advanced in the sense that we respect and glorify true talent. This comparison with europe and the u.s makes me feel relieved that we as americans have come a long way from segregation and outright public racism but we need to spread the awareness internationally. Soccer is the most internationally played sport and yet they have the most racist european fans. One of the commentators in the video brought up a good point when he talked about the older man that coach for the spanish team. The coach was trying to amp up his players by taunting them and telling them no to let the black player beat him because hes better than him. The coach tried to say that its a training tactic and that if the black player were fat that he would use his fatness to taunt him so that his own player would have an incentive to beat him in a game for it. Bullshit. Just like the commentator said, there has not been a history of fat people being killed tortured and seen as a 2nd class citizen because of their body weight. Knocking someone down because of their color is unacceptable. Some of the laws FIFA is trying to implement sound great but theres always corruption. Strict law obligation must be incorporated as well as the 3 point disqualification. These coaches for the soccer teams are old and have an old way of thinking. They still see being black as lower class and it being ok to talk down to them. If this was happening in an american football game, it wouldnt even happen. Im glad that our country is decades ahead of the rest of europe but i would still like for the whole world to reach the ultimate point of equality. I know its idealistic but it can happen. We just need the older generation to die out along with their old frame of mind. Out with the old in with the new is what comes to mind when i see this display of hate. I thought these die hard soccer players would at least appreciate the fact that they have the best players in the soccer federation but an enclosed mind loses a lot.

The first thing that came to me as i was watching this video was: racist. We know how bad it sounds and in earlier posts, several people talked about the mr and ms black penn state and how that excludes people who arent black which is the same thing "Moose" is trying to do with this all white team. He feels the need for "traditional" basketball is in high demand. I just feel its wrong to exclude anyone who isnt white to play even if theyre great qualified players.
The mr and mrs black/brown penn state is a way for minorities to try and have a voice of their own because the regular mr and mrs penn state is just assumed to be the one where white people get picked, not always but its just expected. I feel like this issue taps into a bigger issue that lies in our country and its that were still fighting for equality of all. White people no theyve had an unfair advantage whether they want to admit it or not. i saw an interesting comic in class one day about the white boy using the black boy to get on top of the roof without the black boy's permission.
After the white boy was on the roof and the black boy wanted help getting up, the white boy told him itd be racist if he helped him up the roof. If "moose" is filling a niche its the niche of "traditional" basketball without all the fancy footwork, but he talked about eliminating the fights that happen at basketball courts and the hype that comes with it.
Black players are not the only ones getting into fights which is what he was getting at. He said there is a demand for a slower paced game not that theres a demand for white players only, separation in business is stupid. There would be a better revenue of profits if the team was inclusive of all talented players that respect the style the coach is trying to incorporate.
I dont see something like this having much mainstream support and i thought there were equal opportunity laws when it came to forming a sports team. I just dont know where this kind of segregation is going to go. I know minorities have a setback but i just wonder when this disparity is going to finally end. When can we all line up evenly at the starting line?

Welfare is a difficult and complicated issue to address. It does help a lot of people who live in a difficult economic state but it also creates a comfortable situation in which a lot of people can't seem or want to get out of. Welfare helps keeps people in the "system". As a tax paying society governed by the corporate world, poor people are necessary. Its how wealth is based and the value of money contorlled. Poor people stay poor rich people stay rich and without poor people or wealth distribution would completely shift. Some politicians have pushed to have welfare regulated and making sure people are not just sitting on their asses and still receiving checks while hard working middle class citizens work to maintain the welfare people. The upper class is exempt from paying taxes which i believe to be ridiculous but rich people are the ones making these laws so of course they are going to be looking out for their own best interest. Its just how it is. The rich are going to want to maintain their wealth and have the middle class take care of it. The middle class is always the majority in society yet the few people who sit at the top get to distribute the wealth the way they feel like doing. They control everything including the government because when it comes down to it the one with the money makes up the rules. Welfare is like a vicious endless but necessary cycle. I feel that it should be regulated and should be used as a rehabilitative program to teach people with low incomes who never had the same opportunities to succeed as other people with more financial advantages. They should be taught certain job skills that will help them succeed in the future. There will always be poor people because there will always be richer people in the world but at least autonomy from government assistance could be reached. I'm not saying i have the answer to the welfare dilemma but i feel it should be monitored and not seen as a long term solution. I feel like a society who does not help the poor reach the potential that they can it is unfair and with our country trying to have equality for all, it would be hypocritical not to extend affirmative action to welfare recipients. WE are a country who has based its success with hard working people trying to reach the best of their potentials. Welfare can not be a long term solution.

"My cycle has repeated like the ties and the sunrise". I thought this quote from Laurie's video was beautiful and it made me think about my menstrual cycle in a more spiritually natural phenomenon. I know females who get their period see it as a burden and it does get in the way of normal day to day activities at least only for the 1st- 2nd day of the menstrual cycle. However, i am not one of those women who stay in bed all week long with cramps and neither are any of the other women i know in my life. I endure the relentless cramping until the aspirin kicks in and i am able to keep it moving. I know there are other women who suffer a lot more pain but i dont let it stop me from doing what i have to get done. I feel that harping on the struggle of the menstrual cycle gets used as a handicap excuse sometimes which is definitely not the case. I dont want pity from men who are suppose to see me as equally intelligent and capable of competing for jobs and meeting deadlines for certain duties i must complete. I've heard males talk about women on their periods as if being on your period is the only reason why a female would be mad or "over emotional". Its upsetting because some men feel women are inferior because they "bleed" for a week every month, as if having your period makes you less intelligent. Or they feel scared your going to flip out and start "pms-ing". Not all females on their period are going to come down your throat. Sure pms symptoms occur and it makes women a little more irritable then they usually would be, but not all women are like that. There is a huge stereotype for the "bitchy pms" female which isn't true for all women. I have learned to embrace my menstrual cycle even though i dont have it as bad as other women who go through serious cramping. I embrace being a woman and everything that comes with that. I bleed once a month because i am a healthy fertile young woman who is able to carry life within me. It is what i was biologically composed to do to ensure the survival of my species. Why earth is often referred to as mother earth? Because of the cycles our planet goes through and because of the life those cycles bring. It makes me feel very close to nature and I don’t see it as a burden personally. Ive dealt with worse pain than cramps.

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I thought the comment about would tampons be free if men had menstrual cycles very interesting since condoms are practically given away for free everywhere you go. On halloween I was approached by a "condom fairy" just giving out condoms. The same goes for health clinics and schools. Obviously those condoms are geared for the male sex mostly since you are more likely to find free male condoms than female condoms. At least that is how i understood her comment to be. Now when it comes to the male understanding of the female perspective on the menstrual cycle, i feel that its a good way to separate the men from the boys to be quite honest. Not to seem insensitive, because some males probably didn't have much education on the "topic", but i feel that its embarrassing when you hear about guys avoiding their girlfriends because they're "bleeding". The majority of healthy women have menstrual cycles, its just what comes with the package when a guy chooses to be romantically involved with one. Going through your period does suck, some worse than others.
The uncomfortable changes your body goes through for a week out of the month is no fun. You'd think you would get used to it after all the years of having it but it doesn't. Throughout history we have seen proof of cultural ignorance towards women n their period such as being shunned until the period was over or being called dirty and of course the whole "what bleeds for 7 days and doesn't die" joke which many people find highly offensive because it suggests a lower class for women as if they could not enjoy the same rights as men. I know i have friends who have boyfriends who dont even want to be near their girlfriend when theyre "bleeding". Do they think theyre going to get the cooties?
Thats why i feel that only guys with a "boyish" mentality are ignorant when it comes to understanding a woman's cycle. As a mature adult your supposed to be able to understand issues like these especially when someone very dear to you gets their period like a girlfriend or a sister or mother. The neanderthal type of thinking that men who lack sensitivity to certain issues that affect a woman's life significantly have is very backwards and gives the stereotypical male a bad rap.
To get back to the comment on "if males had their periods would condoms be free" seems to also wonder if periods would be more socially acceptable if it occurred in the male gender as oppose to the female gender just how its more socially appropriate for males to engage in sexual intercourse with multiple partners than females, therefore male condoms are more common. I feel that once the awareness and openness to talk about menstrual cycles occurs we can then truly appreciate the differences that bring us together.

evelyn

I feel that "lipstick" lesbians or the pretty girly lesbians are more accepted in society than "butch" or more masculine lesbians. Lipstick lesbians are seen as a mainstream sexual fantasy. I feel its more of a sexual objection than actual acceptability. Gay men are a lot more accepted in main stream media. They are all over the media in fashion shows and are featured as best friends of hot female celebrities. I feel lesbians are not accepted in society as easily as gay men.

This story is unfortunate and i agree that it seems hypocritical of the United States to encourage two parent families and then completely tear a family apart because of a mother's deportation status. The fight for equal rights for the LGBT community is not going to happen over night but there is a high demand for change from this community and its supporters. If this family's mother was able to be petitioned to become a citizen by her partner, then the children would not have suffered as much as I can imagine they did. Seeing your mother arrested by cops at such a young age is traumatizing. Its hard for a single parent of whatever sexual preference to handle. The partner that didn't get arrested is an American citizen and as with all American citizens, they have the right to petition their married significant other. The only difference in this situation is that the couple is a same sex couple. They still have a loving family, from what the video clip showed, that they want to keep together at any cost. I could not begin to imagine the pain the family is going through especially with the new dynamics of the family since it is now a single parent house hold.