It was a very enjoyable semester sitting in and learning key concepts in Sociology 119. I commend Sam Richards on always keeping the attention of every student in Thomas 100 and always making the class fun and interactive. This class taught me to experience life from a different point of view and to put myself into the shoes of other groups of people with different ethnicities and race. The discussion groups helped me to communicate my thoughts in a smaller setting and I was never afraid to speak out to share what I believe in. I learned many things in Soc 119 and I would like to share a few concepts that really opened my eyes to the outside world. A main concept I learned was that in order to fully grasp racial differences I need to be open and willing to discuss race with anyone. I need to be comfortable with an individual’s race and open with him or her in order to converse ideas. Another thing that will always stick with me in my knowledge of sociology and the outside world would be Haiti. It was a great idea and opportunity to learn about Haiti in more detail and more importantly help the Haitian people in need. By learning what they went through and seeing how they live, I was really shocked, which motivated me to raise as much money as I possibly could in order to help improve their current lifestyle. Another key idea I learned from Soc 119 was not to be scared in approaching different people. I feel as though I am now more willing to approach people of color and people of different ethnic backgrounds than myself and carry out a conversation with these people. To me it is now interesting to hear the stories of different people and to ultimately be open with them. I would like to be a more diverse and traveled individual and not someone who is always closed off and always only thinking about the white race which I am a part of. After hearing how all kinds of people respond to different socials issues and the clashing viewpoints that people believe in, as shown when Sam passed microphones around the room, really made me feel more comfortable about who I am and how others think of certain things. Finally, Sam never forced ideas down our throats. He simply tossed out different opinions and allowed us to think how we want to. The main concept here is thinking. If we step back and think before we act we will become more well-rounded and more successful in life and adapt to change more easily. I am excited to pass ideas around that I have learned to my friends and family and further discuss with them many of the concepts we have discussed in class and get their opinions on things and their points of view.

In class last week, Sam posed a clicker question regarding whether or not we could kill someone. It would really take a lot out of me to go off on a frenzy and attempt to kill someone else. It would be very difficult for me to do regardless of any circumstance I feel. I guess I would only do it as a way of self defense if my life was on the line. I would need to be personally really violated in some way for me to kill. I have never been in a position where I have felt so much hatred towards another person and therefore want to kill them. When I think about killing, many thoughts go through my mind. It would be more than simply killing someone and being done with them. The pain and suffering that persons family will face for the rest of their lives will be absolutely horrible and something that no one should deal with. In addition, I believe that everyone has a place in American society and that people can make it. If we could think for a moment how lucky we are here in America to have freedoms and rights, then we would realize that other countries citizens are not born with such privileges. Other people around the world often do not have freedoms thus they kill each other to fight for such opportunities. I think everyone should have the benefit of human life and never being killed. Unfortunately, people are pushed to their outer limits at times and give in to killing because they are forced with no other option. Very simply when people are violated they kill. We see this on the news, TV shows and other dramas of day to day life. Another point that Sam made that was very interesting was the fact that killing someone is the easy part to do, but in fact it is disposing of the body without getting caught that is the tough part. This is very true. I have never thought about that before. It is like you just cannot kill someone. You must think through the consequences of your action in killing before you do so. How will it impact your life? What satisfaction will you receive? What will the outcome be if you get caught if you did not kill in a self defense scenario? All of these questions run through my mind and that is why I don’t think I could kill. I am personally afraid of being killed. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, a situation we all can justify. I would not ever be in a state of mind where killing is acceptable in society unless my life or family was threatened and on the line.

Sam’s lecture on Thursday, November 15 was extremely eye opening and challenged us to put ourselves into the shoes of a different group of people just for a moment. As American’s I think we find it difficult to think about other people and it is often hard to leave our perceptional box and attempt to see things in a different way. Our ideas of different ethnic groups are often shaped by what the media portrays them as and also what we learn and hear through personal experiences in life. Relating to class, I tend to think that negative ideas of Muslims only fill our minds because of events such as 9/11, which was obviously a very significant event. Many people blamed the Muslim race and frowned upon their beliefs simply because of what happened and they became portrayed as such a danger to society. We have this notion against all Muslims that they are all bad and evil people when in actuality not all of them are. As a country I think we always try to stand guard against Muslims and look out for our safety and well-being. It was until I watched the videos in class did my eyes really open. To see the way American soldiers treated helpless Muslims was just cruel and unjust. In one video we saw American army tanks just demolish a Muslim mans taxi because we wrongly accused him of something. It was almost like we associate Arab Muslims with terrorists just right of the bat upon seeing them when in fact that is not true at all and we should not make that judgment. For instance, in airports, I am sure Muslims get patted down and searched more thoroughly with extra precaution than normal citizens of the United States. This is not right at all but it is just how we view them: as a threat. When Sam wanted us as a class to put ourselves in the shoes of Muslim Arabs and envision what it would be like to see our country being invaded and everything taken away and being demolished, it was eye opening to me. Certainly after that scenario, we can feel pain and sorrow towards these Muslim people. I can conclude that I believe America should keep a strong relationship with the rest of the world but it is also our duty to know when to use force and fight in war. After Sam posed the question “Would we join the insurgence to fight against Americans if we were Muslims?” I would answer this personally by saying yes I would fight. It is my duty however to learn more about Muslim culture before I take a true stance on this issue. I feel as if we take the time to envision our lives in different shoes, then we would forget about stereotypes and start to respect that everyone is alike in some ways.

Sam’s lecture on Thursday, November 15 was extremely eye opening and challenged us to put ourselves into the shoes of a different group of people just for a moment. As American’s I think we find it difficult to think about other people and it is often hard to leave our perceptional box and attempt to see things in a different way. Our ideas of different ethnic groups are often shaped by what the media portrays them as and also what we learn and hear through personal experiences in life. Relating to class, I tend to think that negative ideas of Muslims only fill our minds because of events such as 9/11, which was obviously a very significant event. Many people blamed the Muslim race and frowned upon their beliefs simply because of what happened and they became portrayed as such a danger to society. We have this notion against all Muslims that they are all bad and evil people when in actuality not all of them are. As a country I think we always try to stand guard against Muslims and look out for our safety and well-being. It was until I watched the videos in class did my eyes really open. To see the way American soldiers treated helpless Muslims was just cruel and unjust. In one video we saw American army tanks just demolish a Muslim mans taxi because we wrongly accused him of something. It was almost like we associate Arab Muslims with terrorists just right of the bat upon seeing them when in fact that is not true at all and we should not make that judgment. For instance, in airports, I am sure Muslims get patted down and searched more thoroughly with extra precaution than normal citizens of the United States. This is not right at all but it is just how we view them: as a threat. When Sam wanted us as a class to put ourselves in the shoes of Muslim Arabs and envision what it would be like to see our country being invaded and everything taken away and being demolished, it was eye opening to me. Certainly after that scenario, we can feel pain and sorrow towards these Muslim people. I can conclude that I believe America should keep a strong relationship with the rest of the world but it is also our duty to know when to use force and fight in war. After Sam posed the question “Would we join the insurgence to fight against Americans if we were Muslims?” I would answer this personally by saying yes I would fight. It is my duty however to learn more about Muslim culture before I take a true stance on this issue. I feel as if we take the time to envision our lives in different shoes, then we would forget about stereotypes and start to respect that everyone is alike in some ways.

Over the last decade, homosexuality has become a well-known hot topic and many people have been exposed to it in some way or another. It is no longer just a secret that people try to hide and ignore but it has now become a wide open fact with people admitting they are attracted to others of the same sex. The reality is that yes, gay people do indeed exist. The controversy arises not only when people start talking about the rights of homosexuals, but when everyone starts to discuss and share their opinion and beliefs on how exactly homosexuality and those gay feelings came to be. There are two main arguments which center in on this issue of homosexuality: whether these feelings and impulses are an innate part of these individuals which they have possessed since they were born, or if these attractions are merely a choice that homosexuals agree to live by on their own free will. So why is it that certain people believe loving someone of the same sex must be a choice? I think it has to do with the fact that they are afraid to accept the possibility that anyone could potentially be gay if it is something you are born with and cannot change. Many fear that someone close to them might be gay and cannot accept the truth, insisting that if you really want to you can put those homosexual feelings aside. However, even if people believe homosexuals have the choice of choosing to follow those gay impulses and feelings or refusing to listen to their heart and continue dating the opposite sex, already proves the fact that being gay is not a choice by just admitting that those tendencies are present within the human body. Also, many people who take the choice stance on the issue might be fighting their own gay feelings. They might be afraid to explore deeper into what they are experiencing, so instead, they choose to ignore it and continue being a heterosexual. As a result, they form the argument that it is a choice since they have decided to push them aside. It also seems to me that often, those who proclaim that being gay is a choice are those people who are religious. It appears as if they believe that there is no possible way someone could be born gay because god made every person, implying that he must have made certain people gay. This statement, however, would defy people’s religions since for example, in the bible, a passage reads that homosexuals are sinners and will go to hell because they are a product of the devil. Therefore, it is almost as if religious people find comfort and have to believe and hold firm their stance on this issue that gay people are making the choice to be attracted to the same sex. Otherwise, their whole faith and belief system would be shattered.

I have always loved to think that one person can make a difference and therefore create a huge impact on society. It is sad to say, but I do not think much of an impact is being made at all just because of one man’s decision to not buy a new phone but rather keep and use old technology. Certainly this act is very meaningful since it is meant to protest the slave labor that occurs and we should all follow and support this but we simply do not. I have been an avid Iphone user and buyer now for over 5 years. Until Sociology 119 when Sam stated that parts of phones were made by slave labor, I had never ever pictured that before or even conceived the idea that slavery still existed in the world of today. My eyes were immediately opened and it made me really sad to hear that and almost ashamed for having the phone that I do as well as other technology I own. I would like to think that if more people would have known that slave labor is going into making the phones, fewer people would buy phones as frequently. However, we live in a society in which technology is everything and one cannot simply survive without it, especially when it comes to owning a phone. One other concept that we should realize is that almost everything we own is made through slave labor that occurs in other countries. In order to truly combat this injustice, we would all have to completely refuse to purchase or own several pieces of technology not only limited to phones, but also laptops, cameras, and Ipads. Even take our clothes and pieces of jewelry for example. These are all things that we need to live but at some point or another, we are bound to buy something that was made as a result of slave labor. As for the man in the video with the old phone, I believe that he is trying to do a good thing and not support these technology companies and their slave labor by refusing to buy their products. However, he is not making much of a difference in the world unless he really starts spreading his beliefs and encourages others to join him in this cause and support him. He could really start a movement and begin to educate people on this topic. So I think by keeping our valuables like technology, in particular cell phones, for long periods of time we can start to make a difference. But the true difference will show once people like the man on the video get people to join them and make them all aware of this issue.

Given his appearance I would still approach him and not be intimidated at all because of his size or color. In most cases I feel that people are most comfortable approaching and talking to someone of their own race but that is no reason to quickly judge or not approach this man. While Blacks are often intimidating to most people due to how they are portrayed on television and the news, that does not mean that other races should be scared to approach them just based on appearance. It is until we get to know the person and his or her personality until we finally see if they are nice or not. We can be drawn away from his attitudes and beliefs after conversing but we do not know until we talk first. This man appears to be a nice person and easy to talk to so I would definitely approach him. The hair of this man is one thing I think would scare people away. The dreads and length could easily make a person who is of different race and is not black feel uncomfortable. The space activity that Sam showed us during class regarding people hiring individuals based on a different race or how they come off in appearance really hit me. If the person hiring feels uncomfortable with being close and sitting by a person of different race, that then automatically means that person is at a disadvantage. Certainly it is not right to think that a white person being interviewed who dresses the part and gives a warming appearance would be better fit for the job even before saying one thing to the interviewer. The sad thing is that happens all the time. Black people just generally are not given the same opportunity as whites and other races at times here in America. Sitting in class and hearing Sam’s lectures made me open my eyes about how other people are viewed who are different than me. I do not want to pass judgements quickly when viewing certain people of different race because that is selfish of me because I am not giving myself a chance to even talk and see how I differ with certain people. I find that it would be interesting to sit down with this man, get to know him, and see how we are different. The saying “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” really holds true for this scenario. You should not be quick to just think a certain way or act a certain way around a person that looks different than you. Instead, sit down, make a friend and find out how much you may have common with that person. The man is a Penn State student just like all of us and we should not judge him because of race or appearance.

In class on Thursday, October 18 we watched a segment from the television show What Would You Do. I have always been a fan of this show since it first aired a short time ago on ABC. It is always interesting to see people’s reactions to things that the actors are doing in the show that may be illegal or threatening to another individual. This segment really expressed stereotypes to me and opened my eyes about what people walking by would say to someone that is doing something that they should not be doing. We see a white man trying to steal a bike attached to a pole on the street. He uses many tools and clearly drew attention to himself to walkers passing by. In this situation people generally just kept walking even though they may have known he was attempting to steal. The scenario changed when in the next scene we saw a black guy doing the same thing and immediately people took out there cell phones and called the police and some people even flat out went up to the man and confronted him in a demanding and mad fashion. His dress was obviously more worn down and his actions towards stealing were livelier. Now you may think these people are racist but I don’t think that is always the case. It is simply how individuals are brought up. The white guy is viewed as good in every aspect where as black people stealing are often viewed as bad figures. One woman said in the film that she would never just suspect a white man to be a stealing a bike, that is why she thought nothing of the scene. Now because blacks generally have higher crime rates than whites, it is no wonder why people immediately lashed out at the black man for stealing because we see that happen so frequently in America. We simply associate crime with black individuals because of their low economic and social class. I also find that people sometimes display discrimination without even realizing it. Finally we see a very pretty blonde haired woman trying to steal the bike. I was surprised to see that men would go up to her and actually help her steal it and talk to her even though they knew it was wrong. Women however did not say a word to her. After watching this clip my thoughts and reactions changed a bit about how people are discriminated against in society. It is sad that people always called out the black man and not the white man. We cannot always control how we think in a situation like the video, but sometimes we need to see the situation without stereotyping and report a wrong doing regardless of the person’s race.

I felt a sense of sorrow overpower me as I watched the life story film of Tammy and her family. It made me realize how lucky I am and how fortunate I am to not live in poverty and to have basic resources in everyday life. Certainly Tammy grew up in a bad situation from the get-go. Coming from a family of 22 kids, life for her was very difficult. Her father could definitely not support everyone and as a result she was living in poverty and never seemed to climb out of that hole today. If I could tell her one thing it would be that there are government programs available to her in order to help her and her family out, and ultimately a way for her to get money to fix her car so she can drive to work or even a different job that she could acquire. Walking ten miles to work is absolutely ridiculous but we see that Tammy accepts that and is content with her life. Another question I would ask her regards her son. I would ask “why would you continue to pull your family down and keep them at rock bottom and not let them experience a better lifestyle?” In the documentary we see Tammy basically frowning upon her son’s actions to make his life better. The one son wants to get a degree, better himself, and go somewhere in life. In contrast, I did not respect the other son who refuses to clean up the clothes and items tossed around in the backyard, and instead would rather lie on the couch and watch TV. Another huge question I would ask her would be “why did you have so many children?” Obviously children are expensive and a lot for her to handle considering she has no real job or way to supply for their needs as a single parent. By having that many kids, she is basically pulling down the whole family, not caring for each of them, and letting them do as they wish with their lives in pure poverty. Also, Tammy’s dream of becoming a school teacher just is not going to happen. At her age with no education or real work experience it is difficult to really make a change. However, her sons can still work towards their goals and I hope Tammy learns quickly to become supportive of what her sons decide to do in life. If I could talk to this family now, I would love to know what Tammy’s sons are up to and to see where they have gone in life. As for Tammy, I would like to talk to her to see if she attempted a little more each day to turn life around to someday get out of poverty.

I was not surprised at all to see that Asians and Whites were at the top as far as having a higher income than Hispanics and Blacks. Asians are very intelligent people and always work hard and in return they usually hold really good or executive jobs. They generally make lots of money to support their families and to even send their kids here to America for a great education that is very expensive to receive. Whites are people that have been given a huge opportunity in America and by employers hiring them. Often times, Whites and Asians receive jobs from knowing people and from being born into money. Whites have been established for a very long period of time in America and often take jobs that could be filled by Hispanics or Blacks. Whites founded this country and won the race to push other ethnic groups off the edge of “the hill.” When trying to analyze why I think Hispanics are lower on the food chain of wealth than Whites and Asians, I can put a few ideas into perspective. Very simply, Hispanics come to America in order to seek an opportunity and improve their quality of life. Many Hispanics are willing to take anything they can get as far as jobs. Hard labor for cheap pay is what drives them. Supplying food to their families is of utmost importance in trying to live like happy individuals and follow the ways of Whites here in the US. Another factor that makes it hard for Hispanics to maximize income is discrimination. We see that many companies just do not want to hire Hispanics because of the language barrier and even lack of education separating them from the more skilled workers with knowledge. Finally, Blacks are at the bottom of the food chain of wealth for a variety of reasons. Slavery was the main issue and ever since the days when Blacks were told by Whites what to do they never fully recovered and did not have an equal right or place here in America. They were forced to stay on plantations. Discrimination also is a reoccurring theme with Blacks. They have and probably never will be treated fully equal to different races ever since the 1940’s. In Black society it can be acceptable by selling drugs as a means of getting ahead and making money to support their families. Another huge factor regards the households of Blacks. Many are only single parent households (parents divorced) with many kids in which the mother or father simply cannot make enough money to support everyone. After analyzing my thoughts on the food chain of wealth discussed in class it makes me wonder. Will we ever see a day when the lower income ethnic groups in America can get ahead and try to keep up with the Asians and Whites in American society today?