First I want to start off by saying that skyping Basum during class was one of the coolest things we have done all year. It’s one thing to just talk about race relations, but to get the perspective from someone actually living in the Middle East who has seen Sam’s lecture is another thing. Kudos to Sam for, once again, pulling off a really awesome class.
As for Basum’s response, most of what he said was predictable. Not all Muslims are terrorists, war is a terrible thing, etc. But there were a few things that really stuck out to me.
The biggest thing was the emphasis on Saddam. He had said that, on a scale of 1 to 10, his freedom pre-war with Saddam was a 0, and after Saddam was about a 7. This was pretty eye opening, because I think a lot of people forget about Saddam Hussein here in America and what he did to his own people. As Basum said, he was a dictator, and “what Saddam wants, Saddam gets.” So at least, he is out of the picture. But Basum still expressed his dissatisfaction with the war. It is a war about oil, all about oil, and about greed. However, he acknowledged the fact that the Iraqi government cannot yet stand on its own, and still needs the U.S.’s help. He said he thinks they should stay a few more years to provide stabilization.
Why can we trust Basum? Well, for one thing, he is educated and has experienced American culture. He isn’t going to be extremely biased one way or another because, well, he agreed to skype with us in the first place. He is an Iraqi citizen, but also has lived amongst Americans. He sees the war from two angles.
What are my thoughts on this war after hearing Basum and listening to Sam? I agree oil is a valuable resource that we cannot let slip away. And considering our own reserves in Alaska would never hold us over, it seems logical to some for us to fight for what’s over in the Middle East. However, they have the claims and rights to that resource. As with Sam’s example with the coal and China, we are taking something that is not under our own feet.
Why do we blame this on terrorism? Well, 9/11 was scary for everyone, not just Americans. Even Basum said that the 9/11 attacks frightened him, and he is a Muslim. He knows that the Taliban and the Muslim extremists have given Islam as a whole a bad name. Many people use this religious back story as a convoluted sort of justification for a war on oil. But in the end, there are extremists in every religion, as we have seen with Christians and Muslims alike.

There are many reasons for why we know so little. I think it’s mostly that we know that what we’ve done to the Native Americans is shameless, and so we just put it out of our mind that way we don’t have to come to terms with it. When we think of racism, we think of the KKK. Few people think of the Native Americans.
What can we do to better the situation? I think the biggest thing is to alter the education system put in place. We need to explain the atrocities that occurred, and the effect that European actions have had on Native Americans. Many people know about the French and Indian War, the Trail of Tears, and little else. We must also better inform ourselves of what the reservations are like in present day. They aren’t housing developments, but often times closely resemble shanty towns.

As a history major, I know that historians write the facts the way they want them. We, as Americans, are taught from day one in school that America was the land of opportunity, and that this is a melting pot of cultures. What they don’t emphasize in our school system is the fact that we took this land, this “land of opportunity,” from someone who had already been living here for thousands of years.
How can I not feel guilty? It’s my people who did this. It’s my white blood that killed thousands of Native Americans and corralled the rest of them on reservations. And even after all of the civil rights revolutions that have occurred in this country (for African Americans, women’s suffrage, etc.), the treatment of Native Americans has changed very little over time. We saw in class the data that stated that Native American women were more likely to be assaulted than any other ethnic group—and the perpetrators are almost always white. The suicide rate on the reservations is off the charts, alcoholism among many Native Americans is rampant… what have done to change these disturbing trends?

The lecture on Tuesday regarding Native Americans was incredibly telling. I know Sam says all the time that he doesn’t want us to feel “guilty,” but I couldn’t help but feel guilty afterward for being so ignorant. It’s one thing to know about something and try to make a difference. It’s another thing to not even know about Native American reservations and what life on them is like. I think many Americans, regardless of race, are also uninformed. I remember talking to my dad about this at the beginning of the semester, and talking to him about how the European extermination of the Native Americans was the biggest genocide in history. He seemed taken aback by the statement.

After the lecture about “Free Will vs. Determinism,” I didn’t think this class could get any better. But honestly, this week’s lecture regarding the war in the Middle East was extremely insightful, and incredibly interesting. I agree with Sam: this was the best lecture of the semester.
Last semester, I took a comparative literature course about Human Rights. It was one of the best classes I think I could’ve scheduled, and the professor (Dr. Sophia McClennen) was rather inspiring. At one point in the semester, we talked about the suicide bombers in Baghdad, and why they are the way they are. Her entire lecture was, like Sam, not about BASHING the U.S. Army, but rather about putting things into perspective. She talked about oil, invasions, as well as seeing people as just a religion and not an individual. She also revealed that she was half Afghan, and was emotionally invested in the U.S.’s involvement in the Middle East.
At first, Dr. McClennen’s words were hard to take. I grew up in an ultra-Conservative town, with a relatively conservative family. And though I myself am relatively liberal and/or moderate, it’s hard for me not to be affected by the views of my family and friends. These types of things would probably have never crossed their minds. Taking SOC 119 this semester reinforced everything that Dr. McClennen said to me last semester. By having Sam, another teacher I respect immensely, tell me virtually the same thing that Dr. McClennen said, it allowed me to, not only understand the given viewpoint, but actually embrace it.
Since the lecture, I have talked about this issue with numerous friends of mine here at Penn State, as well as at home. I sent my mom the video of Sam’s TEDtalk, which was a 19 minute version of his lecture. I feel that this is a message that needs to get out there. In light of racial profiling, burning of Korans, the WTC mosque controversy, things must change. The biggest step to making a change is by educating Americans about this war and who exactly we are fighting.
Everything that we as Americans see is through the eyes of a very biased media. It’s hard to constantly blame everything on the media, but many people are gullible and impressionable. What is so important about this talk is that it shows us a different side to things. As Sam said, he wants us, not to necessarily agree with the Iraqi citizens, but at least UNDERSTAND them. He doesn’t want us to be a bunch of anti-American, atheist liberals. Sam just wants us to “wrestle” with this stuff, challenge ourselves, and understand the other side. After all, isn’t that what this class is all about?

The video asks why we often utilize funny videos in SOC 119 when it comes to talking about race. I believe that there are several reasons that Sam uses this teaching method.
One of the reasons for this is that the videos help lighten the mood. Everyone can agree that the Sam’s lectures have, at one time during the semester, been uncomfortable for most students. It may be because he was talking about something we didn’t normally discuss, or maybe he was trying to get us to respond to a question in our heads that we didn’t know how to answer. Whatever the case, the class is about race and ethnic relations, so it’s not always going to be easy to talk about all the time. Through the use of comedy and stand-up videos, Sam can get the class to relax. He wants us to laugh and to not take some things so seriously.
Also, another reason is that the comedian can use comedy to say something that may be taken offensively in another way. Through the use of comedy, things that would be considered very serious can be discussed in a light hearted manner. Today, we watched the Chris Rock bit where he discusses the lack of LGBT support from much of the African American community. Rock’s audience was predominately black, but we can hear in the clip that they were laughing and enjoying his show regardless of him poking fun at them. He gets his point across—even alienating his audience—and still manages to be entertaining. If a person had come in and simply given a lecture about the things that Rock discussed in his show, than the audience reaction probably would be quite different. Another example of this was the comedian in the beginning of the year who discussed the difference between Iranians and Persians. He makes fun of both groups, but because it is done in jest, the audience enjoys the show.
Lastly, comedians can unite audiences of different races and ethnic backgrounds, which is important when discussing race and ethnic relations. As Sam has said, the SOC 119 lecture, though mostly white, is a diverse class by Penn State’s standards. As a white female, I have found all of the comedians that he has shown us in class to be funny, and he has used clips from comedians of all different races. After watching the Chris Rock clip today, I looked around. Not only was I laughing, but so were the people sitting next to me, and in front of me, and all around me. Not everyone was the same race; not all of those people had the exact same ethnic makeup. It goes to show you that people of all different races and cultures can find the same things funny.

The video we watched in class was beyond heart wrenching. Seeing the young black children choose the white baby doll, time and again, over the black baby doll definitely says a lot about the society in which we live. Why is there so much emphasis put on lighter skin being better? And how is this being transmitted to young black children so early on?

We saw in the beginning of the video the young women discuss their issues with being African American and the standards of beauty set by our world. They explained how they used relaxers in their hair, and how some even bleached their skin with skin whitener. This alone is alarming. As Sam said at the beginning of the year, all of us are BEAUTIFUL because our ancestors survived based on how we look now. Africans were ABLE to live in the African climate because of their darker skin and kinkier hair. So where does the emphasis on whiteness come into play? It stems back to slavery and the inequality embedded into America from so long ago. But even in today’s day in age, these ideas still exist. After all, if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be having a Race Relations Class here at Penn State.

We have also talked in class, and read in the textbook, about black people favoring their own children or grandchildren who are lighter skinned over others who are darker skinned. But with the way society has been structured for so long, I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising. We see beauty products worldwide that emphasis White Beauty (skin whiteners like Perfect White, products used to get “good hair”). This is also why darker skinned blacks are less likely to get hired than lighter skinned blacks. No matter how hard we try to shift away from this mindset, however, the test with the baby dolls shows that we are still sending this message loud and clear. These young children, too young to have been heavily influenced by the media, doubt their own race, even calling the black dolls “bad.”

What do I think of this? Well, I think of it is as disturbing. I had heard of this experiment before, but watching it on the big screen in class give it new meaning. As young kids, it’s almost as if they’ve already lost their innocence before they’ve had a chance to live.

What can we do to change this? Well, for one thing, incorporate more African Americans into the mainstream children’s programming. Many students in class complained that cartoons always feature white protagonists, and Disney didn’t even have a black princess until a few years ago. But this alone will not solve the problem. We have to talk about race relations in a productive manner, and make it a priority. Because otherwise, what are we telling these kids?

It’s hard to truly to compare which race is more oppressed, because there is no perfect way to measure this. However, after my section this week, I feel as though Muslims are more frequently discriminated against due to the events on September 11. Though it is common knowledge that the acts committed against this country on that day were the work of Islamic fundamentalist radicals, the entire religion is usually held accountable by the American people. Not only are Muslims discriminated against in the workplace like blacks (as we saw with the résumé experiment where people with Muslim and black sounding names were less likely to get hired), but they are also generally feared. Much of the American population is ignorant to the difference between Muslims and Muslim extremists, and are therefore fearful when they see a Muslim on an airplane or in an airport.

In my opinion, I feel it’s a completely different kind of discrimination. The racism that occurs against blacks is usually because white feel as though they are superior. It all stems back to slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, etc. But the discrimination against Muslims isn’t because whites feel superior to Muslims, but because they are actually angry at them or afraid of them. It’s more personal, more emotionally charged.
This topic was discussed in my group on Thursday, things got personal. Several of the students from my class are from New York City and lost friends and family in the World Trade Center. Though they said that they do not discriminate against people of the Islamic faith, all of them opposed the construction of a giant mosque next to the future WTC memorial. One student said that it was a “slap in the face,” and was a hurtful “reminder” of the attacks.

Because of 9/11, Muslims may not face more discrimination than blacks, but I feel their discrimination is harsher because it is usually associated with the loss of American lives. Another great example of this was the video we watched in class of a simulation when the Muslim woman was refused service in the store. Though many people stood up for the woman, there were more people who either encouraged the store clerk or did nothing at all.

In all honesty, I do not know where I stand on this issue. When the idea of the mosque first became public last year, I supported it. I was hoping that, through the construction of it, it would symbolize a growing change in the attitude held by many Americans. But after hearing the thoughts of my fellow classmates from New York, I’m torn. They had family in the Twin Towers, they have gone to therapy and saw the smoke with their own eyes. For them, this mosque perhaps has more meaning. I would be the person in the store standing up for the Muslim woman. Yet, I’m still wrestling with what I think of the mosque being built across the street from the former WTC.

So to answer the question, how much can we REALLY play the ignorance card? Well, as long as you try to take in as much as you can from an unbiased source, I think you are doing our best. Places like NPR are probably more credible than, say, Fox News. And when you learn of something and think you can make a difference, than you probably should. But as Sam said in class, “you can’t save the world.” You can’t buy everything free-trade AND save the whales AND fight global warming AND free Tibet AND beat cancer AND blah blah blah blah. There’s only so much that one person can do. But if you do as much as possible, and then at least learn about the rest, you are better off than someone doing nothing.

The fact of the matter is that, no matter how intelligent or worldly people in America may be, they cannot know everything. Many people give their money and effort to a specific cause. I know that, with my family, we devote our time to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Others focus on doing work with The Heifer Project or, like Sam, in Haiti. So I don’t think it’s bad for people to no know about every single cause, because many people have certain issues that are close to their heart or very personal to their family.

This is not to say that this question being asked is not a valid one. Though many people make an effort to stay up to date on news and current events, many other Americans simply shut out the outside world. Newspaper subscriptions are lower than ever, and many people who think they are “getting the news” get it from unreliable, polarized cable stations. The fact of the matter is that, while some people are informed, many college graduates are so consumed in their own lives (jobs, family, etc.) that they do forget what is happening outside of our borders.