The idea of nepotism has always existed. I never knew that there was a proper name for connections. Many of us get around by saying, I know someone who did it for me. That is basically nepotism. Throughout history and in every situation in life, people have used a favour from a parent, family member or even a friend. All those situations come under nepotism.
However the idea whether nepotism is right or wrong depends on person to person. I personally feel that the idea of nepotism is acceptable. It is advertised everywhere, as Sam said in class, when the freshman get their first greeting from graham spanier he talks about how they should make connections in the next for years. People in general want to help people that they know themselves. For example if someone is born into a wealthy family with parents who are highly influential in the community. Once that person receives ivy-league education, his or her future will be guaranteed to be filled with success.
On the other hand, you have someone who was born into a poor family, who went to a public high school, but on merit received a scholarship to and ivy-league, where he worked hard and held a job to pay for college, once he graduates he might apply for the same job that the other guy did but he won’t get it because the other guys dad knows the CEO of the company. It may seem that the best man for the job didn’t get it. However does that mean that it is wrong to give preference to someone you know?
Nepotism exists everywhere in politics, business, and entertainment. For example, Robert F. Kennedy was selected to be the Attorney General by his brother who was President J.F.K. Similarly in business property tycoon Donald Trump employs his own children as executives for his company. In all these cases it can be argued that the best person might have not gotten the job. But the idea is that whether you are you willing to hire someone you don’t know over someone you do.
Overall i feel that even though nepotism may not always be the best choice. We as humans are more inclined to choose someone we know to work for or with us. However there are those people who don’t believe that someone is better than other because of their social status. My father has always strived to hire people who are best suited for the job. He believes that even though connections help, in the long run it is always the person who is better overall even though not personally connected might be better for the job.

I don’t agree when foreign aid agencies and new channels use pictures of children in hardship and misery , to make people around the world donate money for their relief. However I do understand the idea of why such images are used. People need powerful images to realize the idea being put across. For example, showing someone pictures of little children homeless and hungry will make people donate money because those images are very powerful in evoking emotion. However to look at it from another from the point of view of the country in question, is that the images are used to evoke pity in people around the world. And people don’t want pity, if anything they would like some sort of help. Ernso was very adamant in that the entrepreneurs from Haiti aren’t looking for something to just come and give them some money, they are looking for something who can guide them in what they are trying to achieve. Such as engineers and business minded people who can help them figure out how to make their businesses grow.
Furthermore it is understandable that people of any country in peril don’t want to be portrayed in a negative or demeaning way. They want an image of happiness and beauty. Over the years we have seen so many pictures and videos of the poverty in Africa. And now when someone mentions Africa, a dark and gloomy place comes to mind where everyone is poor and hungry. But Africa is a lot more than just that. Last year when the FIFA world cup was played in South Africa, people finally got a look into Africa and the fact that even though there is a lot of poverty, there are also many other things there. Also people have been desensitized to the idea of donating money to every cause. People will see the pictures of kids in need and just say oh that’s very sad and move on. People wont just donate for sake of helping someone anymore, However helping people help themselves is a much more appealing idea. Rather than just one time relief, by helping someone build a business you can help them for their entire lives. At the end it just comes down to the image of the country. And Ernso was right, he doesn’t want Haiti to be portrayed as a poor country where everyone is living in tents surrounded by rubble. He was Haiti to be shown as country trying to develop itself out of poverty and all that it asks for is help, and not help in terms of money but rather help in terms of volunteers and business minded people that can teach them to work their way out of poverty.

I think that feeling uncomfortable with people speaking a different language around you depends from person to person. Being from London, walking around the street you are bound to hear many different languages being spoken, therefore people who live in the city have become used to the idea. However in Penn State you are not likely to hear many different languages being spoken, therefore when a situation like it does come up, people become uncomfortable. Since I speak four languages I understand the feeling people have. And the main idea behind being uncomfortable is that people think that it might be them being talked about. However it really shouldn’t be a problem for people because as an American when you visit another country and speak English with your family or friends, the people of that country might have the same feeling. There is no need to be very self-conscious and uncomfortable around people speaking another language. When I talk to my family and friends back home, I noticed that it makes my roommate uncomfortable; I never did ask him why because at that point in made no sense to me. But talking to other people who were in the same situation, I understood that it was awkward for him because he might think that I was talking about him.
It definitely depends on the situation though, if you’re in a team for a class with two other people and they are speaking their own language it can definitely become an uncomfortable situation. I spent last summer in France with my cousins who have lived there all their lives. They spoke fluent French and English just enough for us to communicate easily. What I noticed was that when we out somewhere with friends, they made sure to speak English just so that I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or left out of the conversation. But when some of them would talk to other people outside the group they would speak French. And it wouldn’t matter to me at all because they were talking amongst themselves. And just because you are in a different place or with different people doesn’t mean that you have to change everything you do, however it is respectable to be speak in a language common to everyone, and if you are speaking to your peers and then speak how you normally would. People become uncomfortable because of their own insecurities, learning any other language can teach you that just because someone is speaking in a different language around you doesn’t mean that they have to be talking about you. People should be more open minded and accept the differences around them. As Sam said in class, English will always be the first language of the US.

I think that Obamas presidency has definitely helped the race movement in many ways. As the video we saw in class, the first icon of the civil rights movement was MLK and about 40 years later Barack Obama was elected president of the US. This was definitely a big step in changing the representation of African Americans. This is not to say African Americans haven’t excelled in other areas of America. There are many African Americas in high places all across the country from scientists to entertainer and artists. However a black president was something that would show that America was becoming a ‘colour-blind’ nation. It was a message not only to the black community but all minorities that with struggle people can achieve their goal.
However just because Obama was elected doesn’t mean that racism has come to an end, but that people with racist ideas have become more extreme and similarly it has made liberals a lot more liberal. A black president being elected was the best thing that could happen for the civil rights movement however it has stirred up a lot of people who are against it. The election similar to MLK movement has definitely increased many people curiosity in different races. Much of Middle America is white, therefore bringing about a change in people thinking is different. However you have to make a start somewhere. And Obamas election shows the world that we are moving in the right direction. Across in the pond, the Brits have already had a woman prime minister. Even though many of the Members of Parliament are from minorities, it won’t be long before we see a minority prime minister elected in the UK as well.
Obamas election is similar to the king of the mountain theory, for the first time a black president was elected in the highest position of public office. It should that after so many years of slavery and the civil rights movement minorities had a level playing field with everyone else.
The election although had some other problems, many people advocated Obama based on the fact that it would cool and interesting to have someone new run for office. His policies and views were of little significance. People wanted to see a change however all they saw was a change in colour. There was an experiment done where McCain’s policies were taken and given as Obamas and people sided with them whole heartedly. With the current financial crisis it may or may not have been a good idea to choose a man only based on the colour of his skin.
Overall, I feel that electing Obama was a very good decision because not only for Americans but internationally people felt more connected to him. As he is a minority, people felt that he could maybe better understand where they are coming from.

I think that these messages are all around us. Everywhere you look such as movies, cartoons and advertisements. A family is always portrayed as being white. Try and remember a movie or a cartoon, where there was a multiracial couple. Every time the image of a happy family is meant to be portrayed, it is always happy white couple.
Over the years looking at these images many of us have become desensitized by them. We no longer focus on the colour of the people’s skin. However kids don’t understand this imagery. Everywhere they look, they see that happiness and all things good are always associated with white people. Kids feel that if they are white they will be perfectly fine; therefore most of the kids chose the white doll. Try to think of a doll commercial that used black dolls. It will be very difficult to recall such a moment.
The example of Disney characters was also used in class, the first every black Disney cartoon was released last year. Historically the princesses in Disney movies have always been white and this was first cartoon ever to have a black Disney princess. Therefore the kids preference to choose white dolls is very understandable. From a very young age they are shown that being lighter skinned and having straighter hair is the best thing. I have seen examples where a black person has made fun of another black person for have ‘bad’ hair. We can’t just blame the media portrayals of black people having to do with this idea. In class we have heard example of mixed race families in that the grandparents will usually favour the lighter skinned child.
The idea that having straighter and ‘whiter’ hair is a good thing also shifts the blame to people of dark sins themselves. They favour having lighter skin and ‘whiter’ features such as blonde hair or lighter eyes. This in turns ‘tells’ kids that being white is the best.
We have also seen that being black is seen as bad when crimes involving black people are always publicised more than crimes involving white people. However people can argue that the problems can be a bit deeper. The image of bad and evil is also portrayed with black, and the good is always personified as white light. It could be this deep rooted idea of seeing the defeat of the dark evil by white light the reason why most kids will prefer the white doll.
Overall I feel that we have consciously work to remove this race bias we see around us because we have become immune to it, however what we have to understand is that even though when we are older we have a better understanding of race. I feel that our social structure could be changed to end this race issue.

I think that it is very selfish for people with very low income to have a lot of kids. Since there is no way they can care for them and properly support them. In tammy’s case she was from a household with 21 kids so for her to have few kids can be seen as a sort of achievement however it is still a big problem. Everyone has the right to procreate however; it is important whether your financial situation is adequate enough to support one or more children.
But I feel rather than determining whether it is selfish or not to have a lot of kids on a low income it is more informative to figure out why its happens.
There are many cases of unplanned pregnancies however this is not an excuse. Being from a low income family also means that you are unlikely to have attended high school. Therefore not many people are educated about the problems that come with unplanned pregnancies. In the US, there are many ways that the government tries to educate people on the use of contraception such as in schools and public service announcements. Most of us know about the use of contraception; however someone who really doesn’t have any formal education is less likely to know.
I also understand that many people don’t believe in having abortions because it is the termination of a life. If such the case then adoption is a much better option. But many people find that adoption is not the way to go either. So people may end up having a lot of kids with no way of supporting them.
I have read about the idea that most people with low incomes have many kids because they feel that once the kids grow, they will be able to support their parents. This is very common practice in countries such as India and Bangladesh. What people don’t understand is that for those children to be support properly there must be enough income. In countries with a welfare system such as the UK; many low income families will have a lot of kids to get benefits such as government provided housing and child support payments.
You can see that the reason that low income families have a lot of kids is basically based of the fact that people at ‘the bottom of the barrel’ aren’t educated enough to understand financial responsibilities that come with having a child. There needs to be more awareness created on the use of contraception so that people are able to understand that having a child without any money is very difficult. In tammy’s case we see that her son is finally trying to do something with his life, instead of supporting him, she believes that he is embarrassed of who he is and that he should be happy with what he has.

It is not surprising to see that as people get more educated they start understanding that success is less a product of hard work and bit more based of ‘luck’. Coming out of high school, SAT scores, GPA, and transcripts are our proof of the hard work we’ve done in school. The countless hours of fun put aside to achieve better grades. At that time we feel that we have achieved all this on our own merit, however that is not always the case. It is not that people in college work a different way, but the fact that as we mature we finally figure out that our success is not only there by what we have done ourselves. There were many people along the way helping out such as teachers, parents and siblings.
Once you go through college you finally understand the phrase “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Grades and GPA can only get you so far, the rest is based off who you know.
I have two friends who are both excellent soccer players. One of them used to go to a very prestigious prep school with an excellent soccer program. He spent most of his time practising and conditioning for the games. He was guaranteed for a scholarship to play college soccer. However the day of his final game, he sprained his ankle practising before the game, and didn’t end up getting the scholarship and play college soccer. On the other hand my other friend was just about in the park dribbling around the ball when a recruit saw him play; he was asked to trout for a division team and ended up play college soccer. The idea I want to put forward it that even though hard work may play a part in success, it is not the only reason for it. My friend practised everyday didn’t end up making it, but my other friend ended up playing college soccer because a recruit ‘luckily’ saw him playing in the park.
Looking back at my semesters at Penn State, I can realize how much of my success is attributed to my friends and professors. My friends have helped me with many assignments; sometimes they have held classes so that I can register them later. My professors have given me extensions and discounting of assignments I had problems with. All along my college career, people have been helping me, so that success is not only because of my hard work but because of who I know. After graduating, jobs will work in the same way as well. With the current economic situation getting jobs are very difficult, but if you know someone in the company who can recommend you, the likeliness of getting that job increase. Overall we have to understand that our success is not only because of our hard work but also the help we are given by the people we know.

I have always believed that the choice someone makes is what determines your future. My choice to come to Penn state was based on my choice to take up engineering as a major. However I never thought that the idea that I would go to college was predetermined. Both my parents are highly educated in their respective fields and they have always pushed me to take my own decisions and do what I feel is right in a situation. But what if I chose not go to college. Would they be alright with that idea? I made a choice to go a specific college but was the idea that I would attend any college already predetermined. I feel that both the ideas of free will and determinism are closely related to the nature vs. nurture debate. It is difficult to figure out which one truly matters. We can observe cases where kids from bad neighbourhoods, who grew up in a difficult household go to college and make something of them. There are also examples of people who have access to many facilities but still end up making poor decisions. However these exist as the exceptions, and mostly we will take decision based on the society we have lived in.
Free will and determinism are opposing ideas, either one exists or doesn’t. Sam once mentioned that we think we are free thinking, that for example we think that the clothes we wear are representative of our own will but they actually aren’t. We live in a world where the media determines greatly impacts society and is able to manipulate our social structure. The media is able to change our thought process such as a cause and effect relationship. Similarly there are ideas that state, that our social interactions determine our behaviour as people. As we learned in class we are all 99.99% genetically the same therefore it must be our social constructs that determines our behaviours.
It confuses to think that the decisions I made such as going to college in another country or picking my major were picked on the basis of factors that determined them. I thought I picked them because I had a will to do these things, but it might have already been determined.
Theories of determinism state that reality follows a sort of predetermined path. However in my case I would describe it as Penn state on one side and me on the other, with many roads going towards Penn State and many going in other directions. So my paths are determined however the path I will choose is up to me. That is the part that free will comes into play. We may have many predetermined paths in our lives but the choice of which option to take depend on the person.

I do think that eventually in the very distance future race will probably not be that much of an issue. As Sam said in class a few years ago the concept of a black quarterback for football teams would be unacceptable by people, however now that concept is long gone. The problem is that it takes a long time for people to accept changes in what is acceptable in the world around them. Growing up in London, race wasn’t a very big issue and this was due to a few factors such as the rest of the world is much more connected geographically. Europe is close to Africa and most of Western Asia, therefore people from all these nations around the UK can be found in a metropolitan city like London. Secondly the size of the UK also makes it easier for changes to take place. As it is such a small island, when people from all over the world come there, it is easier to make people understand that there are much fewer differences between them. However bringing about a change like that is much more difficult in a country such as the US because of its size. Also most of the minorities living in the US live along the coastal regions; the central of the US is predominately inhabited by white people. I personally think that even though television and classes such as Soc119 can help inform people about the similarities between races, only when you meet people from other races will you learn about them. Therefore you can’t just tell people to spread out everywhere, it will take a lot of time but eventually race should stop becoming an issue.
I remember a stand-up routine by Dave Chappelle when he said, slowly but surely the boundaries created by races will break down and then there will be no black or white; we’re all just going to be beige. The fact that we are all 99.99% the same should make people understand that the colour of skin is an issue that doesn’t really matter. It is that 00.01% that makes us different from each other. People have to understand that 00.01% should be unsubstantial. People who have gone to a predominately white school don’t know how to mix with people from other races. It is in college that people come and realize that there is a lot about people they don’t know. Such perceptions are also greatly skewed by the media. The media has a tendency to portray people of races in extreme situations such as Asians being bad driver or black people living in ghettos It is these racial stereo types that work against bring people together.

I think that people know that their body type is hereditary however the problem is that people aren’t happy with that body image. Just looking at a family you can see that the grandparents, parents and children will have certain similarities such as hair, eye or skin color. But that won’t just let people accept their body image. Most people’s definition of a perfect body is what they see on TV. Sam talked about a few such aspects in class such as people in Asia use skin whiting cream to get a much lighter complexion similarly many Asian people also subject themselves to eyelid surgery to make their eyes look bigger. Another such topic is the acceptable look of African Americans women’s hair in society. It was the topic of documentary by Chris Rock called “Good Hair”. According to Rock, he was prompted to make the movie after his 5-year-old daughter Lola asked him that why she didn’t have good hair. The issue that came to his mind is that why did she think her hair was bad. So what is the definition of good hair? The issue is what is defined as the perfect body image. The problem lies with the commercial definition of beauty around us. Society greatly plays a role on how people perceive themselves. Factors like height and weight also play a major role of our representation in society. The accepted idea is that men should be tall and women shouldn’t be too tall, similarly people prefer skinnier people rather than fat people.
Finding out that body image is inherited won’t change people view about themselves. However the main idea is that people should be strong and confident in whom they are. Studies have shown that people with severe body image issues suffer from severe depression, low self-esteem, anxiety and other disorders such as withdrawal or complete social isolation.
Over the past few years, plastic surgery has increased exponentially. People with body image issues are very easily drawn to such procedures. These procedures have caused many people with serious self-image issues to become plastic surgery addicts, constantly finding insignificant problems with themselves. The media around us has also greatly propelled this movement for perfects bodies. Shows such as “Dr.90210” show that people with any sort of image issues can be corrected. This is further endorsed by many celebrities who are deemed to have perfect bodies. Most guys want to have bodies with greater muscle definition and women strive to achieve an hour glass figure. Overall we should understand that our bodies are perfectly suited for our lives and that we should be confident and have self-esteem to be comfortable with ourselves. We should accept the way we are as it is not really very important.