I wouldn't say my opinion has changed, but has been reaffirmed. We are the United States of America, the land of immigrants. Immigration is what our nation was founded on. We neglect that there were people here before us, that this was not a no man's land. I look at illegal immigration as an unfortunate result of a hard life. With so many opportunities here I understand why so many flee to the United States for a better life and greater opportunities. I believe more needs to be done to encourage these immigrants to come here legally. If the process was easier, and not such a run around then I think more would pursue becoming citizens. I am from near Hazelton and I consider Lou Barletta a pig. He made national headlines for his hatred and discrimination. Thankfully his legislation against illegal immigrants was put down. I once had a teacher ask us if we supported building a wall along the southern border of the United States on a test. A few question later he asked us if we supported building a wall along the northern border of the United States. The question sparked much laughter around the room but it really made me think about the stance many Americans take on illegal immigration. There is no wall separating us from Canada. How would we react if the influx of illegal aliens were Canadian? For me, it just reassures me that people thinking a wall needs to be built is just outrageous. We tend to forget that no matter when our family came to the United States, they were immigrants as well. They were given the opportunity to come here for a new and better life. When did we reach the point that people can no longer do so? When did we decide that this is no longer an option? There is a sadness to peoples attitudes about this generations illegal immigrants. I support any and all people coming here if they believe this is where opportunities lie for them and their families. I do not believe they should all live here permanently undocumented, but I do believe they should be given the chance. I think there needs to be more positive activism for illegal immigrants than negative. There should be people fighting for them to be here, not people fighting to kick them out. What also bothers me is that many United States citizens claim they are taking our jobs, when in actuality they are taking jobs we as Americans think are beneath us, so in fact without the immigrants, the jobs would not be done at all. I think people need to open their eyes to the facts and become educated on the state of these illegal immigrants, and face that this influx of immigration will not slow down anytime soon.

As a country we advocate to stop horrific genocides occurring around the world. We act to stop these terrible actions by other governments against their people. But we neglect to acknowledge the actions of our own government, even in the past, and we ignore that the United States acted out the greatest genocide in the world: the wiping out and forced removal of the American Indian. We pushed them off their land, called them savages, attempted to change everything about their culture for the white man's benefit. I remember being in eighth grade and learning about the history of the Native Americans. My teacher asked how many of us were fans of teams like the Redskins, the Florida State Seminoles or the Cleveland Indians. A few boys scattered around the room raised their hands. She then played the song Cherokee Nation by Paul Revere and the Red Raiders and it completed changed my entire thoughts about the history of our nation. I always knew the white man came in and "took over" this land they claimed as their own. I never knew of the brutality and horror that occurred. I am from northeastern Pennsylvania, an area that was once populated by many Native American tribes. It is now no longer like that, and other than traveling to other parts of the country and seeing many reservations I have had no encounters with any Native Americans. I think everything that has happened is terrible, and what is even more terrible is that we ignore what has happened. And today to see the state that the Native Americans are living in is a shame. It is an absolute injustice and something needs to be done. How do people not react to this? How do we allow these injustices to occur? And one of the saddest things about this entire situation is that very few people know about this. My friend turned to me in class and in absolute shock asked me if I knew about these conditions. I could not believe she knew so little about it. She is an educated person but it was never included in her curriculum. The fact that it is being neglected in so many history text books and school lesson plans is absolutely outrageous. It is something that is so crucial and vital to our nation’s founding, but it puts a bad light on our founding fathers and former presidents. We as a nation want to only highlight the good that we have done, to show we are a great nation. It is sad. By neglecting this huge part of our history we are continuing to oppress this group of people. They are a minority that were once the majority, and the actions of our nations are continuing to wipe out these peoples.

i thought putting us in the "shoes" or position of the Iraqi citizen was a powerful message. i think in war time, many of us justify actions taking place to defend our country. we do not think about the others involved in the conflict. for me, the lecture was not as eye opening as it was to others. i knew much of the information sam shared with us. i knew that many politicians have claimed the war is over oil, a fact a relative of mine told me after a tour of duty. i think the interesting twist, in referring to all the Americans in Iraq as "Christians" did help me reevaluate what the people in that country really do think of us. religion is so closely tied to the nations of the Middle East and is a huge part of their culture, where here religion is not even something everyone practices. I remember when September 11th happened. I remember where I was and what I was thinking. I was nine years old. Nine years old and saw these terrible men fly planes into buildings in New York City, buildings where my uncle worked every day of the week. I remember crying and hugging classmates around me. I wore my American Flag pin and proclaimed my patriotism in every way my fourth grade self could. I saw the enemy in Osama Bin Laden. But my parents educated me. They sat me down and told me that in a country called Afghanistan certain men, “extremists”, had attacked the United States. It wasn’t the actions of their whole nation, but rather carried out by a smaller number of men. So when President Bush declared war on Iraq, as a thirteen year-old girl I knew it was not over the attacks on the United States. But somehow the media and our political system construed us to believe that this war was the war on terror. Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Eight years later, and wow what do you know there are no weapons of mass destruction. We have been lied to. And I have to look at all the lives lost, all the families torn apart by the actions of the United States. And not just the lives of American soldiers, but innocent Iraqi lives have been lost. I understand their perceptions of us. We as Americans generalize all peoples of the Middle East as extremists and terrorists and members carrying out the holy war of jihad. And they look at us as these Christians invading their homeland, destroying their lives everyday. Imagine if they declared war on our soil. Putting ourselves in their shoes was one of the best things Sam could have done. It showed many students who don’t have an understanding of what is going on the perceptions the people of Iraq have of us. Something we must always be aware of is that there is never one viewpoint or answer.

ever since i was a little girl, i have loved putting on my mother's heels and wearing them around the house. its just something i have always done and i remember getting my first pair of heels. i was so excited to have my own. my collection has grown significantly since then and at least once a weekend i can be found going out in my various heels. does the stereotype of women looking good for men come into play when i wear them? yes. but honestly, for me at least, there is also the actual feeling good about yourself while wearing them. for starters, i'm short. i have not grown since about the seventh or eighth grade. so when i wear the heels, they are giving me that extra height boost i have always wanted. but don't get me wrong, i am the first woman to say that it is not fair that a guy can go out in jeans and a plain old tshirt while i have to dress to impress. and this not only goes into what they are wearing. women have to apply makeup and do their hair and make sure absolutely everything is in its place. guys can look like they just rolled out of bed, and i am sure some of them have, and the way they look is totally acceptable. and let's be serious, this is not going to change. but, last weekend i went out dressed like a "bro." now, it was for a themed party but nonetheless i wasn't in my usual dressed up style. and it was great. i wore sneakers and a baseball hat and was comfortable. just like one of the guys. also, i think the the shift in dressing up definitely comes in college. in high school it didn't matter what we wore, but here the pressures of drinking and hooking up put things into a different light. girls want to impress the asshole frat boy, so they strap on the heels and short skirts. and as a women, i admit i do this too. but sometimes it is taken too far. and i know that this weekend, most likely, the heels will come out one night. and i am ok with that. as a woman, i can say that the heels make me feel pretty. i am making the choice whether or not to wear them. i don't wear them to impress anyone, though this may occur. i wear them because they are part of me and my style. i think if anything has changed, it is what i am going to be thinking about when i do get dressed and wear heels. i am going to be thinking why am i subjecting myself to this when every guy in the world is going to be comfortable. it can be compared to women being put on display. we are dressed up and dolled up for everyone to see.

All my life I have been raised to not see color. I have taught that all people are equal no matter their skin color, background, religion, race, or economic status. So, as a white female, yes I would date a black man. I know there are many women and girls who have friends and family that would not approve of them dating a man of a different race or with a different skin color. I know that this is not the case for my family. If the man treated me right, respected me and my family, and if I loved him the people in my life would fully support our relationship. It is sad to think that at this stage in society so many people are still against interracial relationships and marriages. Not only that, some people are against different races even intermingling at all. I once heard a person remark that she had no black friends here at school because they all chose to only hang out with other black students, and that she was fine with that. I think as a society we turn towards what is comfortable and what we know. In my discussion class, the question was raised whether or not the white students make the conscious decision to not look like a racist towards black and brown people. We used the example of choosing a seat on the bus. This topic always seems to bother me because I do not believe I make a conscious decision to sit next to a white person or a black person on the bus, I choose the available seat I find, not wondering a thing about the person in the seat next to it. This is in large part the way I was raised. I was raised to not see color, it is as simple as that. My parents would have no problem with the color of skin the man I would date has, they would be welcoming and understanding. I know plenty of white men they would never approve of me dating. To them, skin color has nothing to do with it. it all comes down to the man behind the skin if you will. I know there are girls who date men of other races and with different skin colors just to bother their parents or send a shockwave through their community or high school, but I firmly believe that you cannot help who you fall in love with. It is something that we have no control over. Sometimes we make stupid mistakes and fall in love with the wrong person, but it is not like we choose to love someone who will hurt us. I would date a black man, if that is where my feelings lay. Currently I am not dating anyone, but who knows who will enter my life in the near future.

This is by far one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It moved me to tears. Zach Walls is an outstanding example of courage, character, and resilience. The topic of gay marriage is one that is always on my mind. I am a Roman Catholic and was educated in Catholic schools. the Catholic church teaches that being gay is wrong, that gay marriage is wrong. My parents, both Catholic, have long taught me the opposite. I do not believe that being gay is wrong, nor do I believe that being gay is a choice. Being gay is part of who someone is, but it is not something that should define them. We do not define heterosexuals based on their sexual orientation, yet homosexuals are constantly judged and given preconceived notions based on their sexual orientation. Just as Sam said in class, if we knew a student was gay and they gave their opinion in class, in their heads many students would say "Oh that is the gay kid's opinion." well why can't it be that kids opinion? what does being gay have to do with their opinion? I think my personal stance comes from the fact that I have a gay family member who is not married. the older generations in my family do not discuss this family member's sexuality because it is not the norm, but they love her still the same. for my siblings and cousins and I, we see not problem and nothing strange about this, because our generation is much more accustomed to this. it all comes down to the generational opinions. my relative lives with their partner and there is nothing more I would love for them to marry, but the state they live in does not allow it. their sexuality makes them no less a decent, moral human being. the only difference is who they love. their lifestyle affects no one else they know, and it certainly does not affect those they don't know. People are ignorant and they are unwilling to change. People fear what they don't know and refuse to accept things they do not understand. I am a firm supporter and believer in gay rights, and I see no reason why there is any argument. They are not second class citizens. They are no less than any other human being, and yet they are treated as such. I am confident that maybe not in the next ten years, but in the next twenty or thirty, there will be significant changes in this country in gay rights, because our children and our children's children will live in a more accepting world. and we will see justice for families like Zach Wall's.

Yes, I feel some level of guilt. I am a very sensitive person and when I see the plight of others my heart goes out to them and I wish that there was more I could no, more that anyone could do. I constantly question where I would be in my life had I not been born into the socioeconomic status I am in. I am very blessed to be where I am in my life and I know my background is a major contribution to that. I am a white woman from a middle class family. I have had many opportunities presented to me, opportunities that may not have been available to others because of their skin color. Even as a woman there are missed opportunities and disadvantages in my life, but nonetheless I am still a member of white society. I am still of member of the “ruling class” so to speak, the powerful majority. It is sickening and saddening that so many years after the abolishment of slavery in the United States there is still oppression against black members of society and African Americans. I was raised a very conscious person and I believe in equality for all. This class has really opened my eyes to the fact that we are so far off from this equality we are. I do not understand injustice, especially injustices to those here living in the United States. I do not tolerate ignorance nor do I promote the racial jokes so commonly used today. I do not think my guilt stems from this alone though. There is a certain level of determinism that contributes to a person’s life. Yes as a member of white middle class society I have certain advantages and opportunities. But as hardworking person with a go-getter attitude I have achieved many of my dreams and aspirations. There is never one factor or one cause; everything that occurs is a result of many and multiple forces. My guilt comes from knowing that not everyone sees the injustices and see the wrong in them as I do. My guilt stems from knowing the opportunities exist for me and not necessarily for others, but I know that opportunities do exist. I cannot stand to here people saying “well those advantages don’t exist for me.” Fortunately, we are living in a very forward time. For the first time in our nation’s history we have a non-white, mixed race president. That to me in the epitome of the American dream, of this land of the free persona. That anything can do anything. There is no limit in today’s society. My guilt exists because there are still those who think in backwards terms and there are those who see themselves as oppressed or misfortunate. I wish others felt my guilt as well.

In today’s society, people are definitely more racist towards Muslims rather than blacks. As a whole, our society is very uninformed. We take what the media feeds us and buy into that. I know many people who believe that all Muslims and all those who practice the Islamic faith are terrorists. We believe that they all practice the extremist side of Islam and hate America and its citizens. The line that gets blurred and what we fail to realize is the Islam is a religion, just as Christianity is a religion, Judaism is a religion and Buddhism is a religion. As a whole, we are in ignorant society. Forty and fifty years ago, we were ignorant to different colors of skin, particularly blacks. Society was fed the belief that blacks were barbaric and not people, that they were lower beings. And we were able to break through this. As a nation and society we transformed our view. Yes today racism towards blacks still exists. It is my belief racism will always exist, as it does today in the fact that we need to discuss race shows it is an issue. We have overcome this, case in point Barack Obama is our president, but we have a long way to go. With Muslims, we have not come anywhere at all. Unfortunately, the extremists are what we see as a representation of the entire culture and fail to recognize that that is not what Islam is. I thought it was very interesting when Sam brought five Muslim students to the front of the room. They were from five different countries and all looked very different from one another. For me, this shattered the image of a Muslim. The media portrays someone we are not supposed to trust, someone who will harm this country and us. We are led to believe that Muslims hate us for our freedom and democracy. I found it eye opening that the one Muslim student said the dislike lies in the fact that we support a Jewish homeland in the Gaza strip. There is such a cultural difference between American society and Muslim society. Muslims make the effort to understand our culture but we put up these blinders and walls and fail to accept their culture. We want to believe that we are safe; the events in our countries’ past give us this want and need to feel like we are no longer at risk. So, as a whole we place all the blame on every Muslim from the Middle East. We broke out of our discrimination against blacks, and through acceptance and knowledge we can come out of this discrimination and racism against Muslims. It's unfortunate that this is the way it is.

I have always been taught that if I work hard, I will succeed. I have been taught that success comes from discipline, determination and hard work. And that makes sense. And that is exactly how it should be. But unfortunately, that is not the way things work anymore. Too often, connections take the place of hard work and determination. I come from an average family. We are not wealthy, we are not poor. I have two parents who have successful jobs. They went to college and they worked hard. Their parents went to college and worked hard. Their brothers and sisters went to college and worked hard. See the trend? Like so many other things, the changes are generational. What worked twenty, thirty, and forty years ago, no longer works today. Today, “it’s all about who you know.” Who you know gets you the concert tickets, it gets you the job, it gets you into college, and it leaves those who don’t know anyone lacking the rewards they deserve. I worked hard all through high school to get the grades that would get me into good schools and be successful. Many of my classmates slacked off and performed at a mediocre level, and when it came time to apply to college they simply had their parents write a few letters to alumni and prominent figures, and like that they were accepted in the school. To put it lightly, it made me really mad. I had put in the work, I deserved the acceptance, not them. Where was the fairness in this situation? Why had I even put the work in if I knew this was an option? For me, connections aren’t an option. Working hard is the only option for me to gain success. I understand circumstances can really change how things happen and how people’s lives play out, but hard work in the long run pays off. You can get the job, but if you don’t have the determination and drive to work hard once you have the job then most likely you cannot keep the job. Students who get into college because the right person wrote them a letter, will most likely not have the ability to maintain the necessary grades to be successful in college. Hard work really does pay off. It is the foundation of our country, without hard work we would not be the nation we are today. I believe I will continue to work hard, even if I know people who with a phone call or email can lead me to success. Hard work is ingrained in me. It got my parents to where they are today and it has gotten me to where I am today. Success can be defined in a number of ways, for all different people, but the common link is hard work.

I believe both determinism and free will have shaped my life. I come from a working middle class family. Both my parents came from slightly less well off families. They both attended college and were pushed by their parents to work hard in order to create even better lives than their children. They both attended college, worked hard, found jobs and provided a wonderful life for their children. I grew up in a nice middle class suburban neighborhood. I attended Catholic school and Jesuit high school. Unlike public education, my parents have been paying for my education my entire life. Paying for this education, the best education possible in my area, they “determined” the rate of my success. But did they? I knew many kids who went to my high school that had a life better off than me; their parents were wealthier and they came from better families. Yet, when it came to school, I worked harder. I achieved better grades. I made the effort to stand out in extra curriculars. This is because I knew if I wanted to go to the schools I esteemed for, I would have to have the grades and resume to get in. My parents didn’t have the money to just send me to any school like some of the other students. I had to work hard, simply put. This work ethic, comes from my own free will. I could have chosen to just simply float by in school, get mediocre grades, and go to a small, low cost, low standard college. Out of my own free will, I made the effort to succeed. And based on my hard work and free will, I am here today at Penn State, a school many of my high school graduating class could not get accepted to. I do realize the based on determinism, I was able to attend my private high school because of my parents money and lifestyle. My morals, personality, lifestyle and materialistic view also come from my parents, but I have the free will to become whomever I want and to live the life I want. I am a product of my parents but I am not forced into their life. Anyone can move up in their life, just as my parents did. All the time they tell me that I can do better and be more successful than them, I just have to want it. Yes certain factors are in favor for me that others may not have, but their belief is a truth. With a little bit of determination and will power, not to be mistaken with determinism and free will, anyone can be anything and anyone they want. I am who I am today and where I am today because of both.