The videos were both very uplifting and it just goes to show that there should be no such thing as race. The second video proves that there is no reason for such hatred between anyone. There should be more simplicity in the world between religion, race, etc. Unfortunately, the world is not free of enmity between different social groups. It is really sad that people of different classes “shouldn’t” fall in love or get married. The world would be a much happier place of there was no hostility like this. I wish that we could also watch more videos like this in class, but I do understand that it would contrast with everything Sam is trying to teach.

This letter made me see a side of some people in jail that I never thought I would see, but it doesn’t change my thoughts about anything. He talks about a man who lost his son in an accident, what about the son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister, that this man killed. Where is the compassion for their family? People who are killed do not get a second chance at life, so I don’t see why inmates who are sentenced to life should. He says that there are some people in jail who are capable of compassion because they have a deep soulful understanding and can feel another’s pain. I’m sure the families who lost a loved one because of these men in jail can also feel the same compassion because of a deep soulful understanding and feeling another’s pain and wanting to help.

This issue is definitely not black and white. Money is always an issue and it is what causes problems and/or happiness. Look at the worth ethic in the United States versus the work ethic in Europe. I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain and most places were closed in the middle of the day for their siesta. By 2 PM, the metros were packed and my friends and I could never understand why no one was at work. Then you think about the U.S. and there are people who work from 9 to 7 or 8 at night. These differences are associated with the values of Americans versus the values of Europeans. Here in America, everything is based around money. When do Americans get to have lives outside of work?

I agree that some immigrants do not have the money to do it legally. Instead, they need to take hard working yet low paying jobs just to support their family. I always wonder why someone who does manual labor gets paid so much less than someone who sits at a desk all day. Physical labor is extremely extraneous and exhausting. There are so many jobs where the salary is way too low for the work that is being done and sometimes I do not understand it. I also do not think that this pertains to only immigrants. I believe there are many legal American citizens who work extremely hard and do not get compensated for it, while others work half as much or hard and get a high paying salary. There are both immigrants and American citizens who have to work 2 shifts of work a day just to get by and provide for their family. It is really unfortunate that if you do not come from money you need to work hard to get by.

My dad works extremely extremely hard as an accountant. During tax season he is up at 4 or 5 in the morning and on a train to the city by 5:30 or 6 am. There are some nights where he doesn’t walk in until 10 or 11 at night. I know he is an exceptionally hard worker and wants to provide for his family. Sometimes I feel like there are so many people who get paid so much more than he does and definitely do not work half as hard as him or the same hours as him.

I know that this question was aimed toward immigrants and what we spoke about in class, but I do not think that it is only immigrants who take illegal jobs or jobs no one would do. I definitely do believe that people need money to have a better life and if they do not have money they need to work very hard to get by in life.

I agree with you and I think that is what Sam tried to teach us the other day. He showed us that there were innocent Muslims who live their everyday lives like we do in America. Then he portrayed people who are radical like Osama Bin Laden. This is just like representing Hitler for all Germans or the Ku Klux Klan for all Americans. Like the media in different countries showed, their citizens were persuaded to believe that the war is a Christian Invasion. It is very unfortunate that extremists can represent an entire country. It is a shame that they are so uneducated and cannot realize that we all pray to the same god.

I don’t think there is a fine line between being racist or not, just as there is no true fine line about race. You may act one way in a certain situation that deals with race, and act differently in another and not even realize it. Like Sam has said, it is a political issue. However, if you think you are better than someone else because of your skin tone, then yea, I would probably say you are prejudice. On the other hand, if you feel you are better than someone because you have more wealth or are more privileged, then I probably say that it is not based on the color of your skin.

I was blown away by this lecture. I was very uncomfortable and actually wanted to leave but at the same time wanted to get credit for attending. Ironically on this particular day the attendance sheet was not passed around. I turned to my friend and said, "Why wouldn't the attendance sheet get passed around? I wish I that he wasn’t taking attendance today because this class made me really uncomfortable and I would have left". She responded, “Well that's the point". I am glad I sat through the entire class because it really made me think about Sam’s lecture. It is really unfortunate that there are some students who do not realize that he is not trying to persuade us to have the same beliefs that he does. Sam is trying to make us think outside the box and realize what is going on in the world.

The video of the Jihads frightened me the most. It shows Muslims in dark masks and uniforms holding huge weapons. The music was very eerie and the bombing noises frightened me. It depicted them with swastikas and overall the video was very scary. I just cannot understand why people would want to murder other human beings just because they are not the same race or religion. I also do not understand the thought process of people who want to spread their religion to everyone, like some Islam’s do. Why would they want to murder people just because they do not have the same beliefs? I agree with Sam, why would the god everyone prays to tell one person to murder another human being just because they are not the same religion? I think people who act this way are extremely ignorant.

I was also really disgusted by the video Sam showed of the American soldiers. It made sick to my stomach. It was like watching a bully in high school pick on a little kid. I was heartbroken while I watched this video. The American soldiers destroyed these innocent people’s car with a bulldozer. The citizens were minding their own business and were completely helpless. The American soldiers were on a power trip. It is so sad and terrible that we are invading guiltless people’s homes. People in America never get to see this side.

I was astonished to watch the news reports that are shown to citizens in other countries. I cannot believe the media was actually persuading their citizens that the war is a Christian invasion. This just goes to show the amount of power the media has on society. I was honestly laughing at the footage of the Christian Americans. I thought they sounded ridiculous and it is unfortunate these Christians represent Americans as a whole.

I am glad I sat through this entire class. It is one of the first classes that was entirely focused on current events that is presently spoken about in the news. I saw so many different views of different people and feel that I learned a lot.

I agree with you, women are women and they are beautiful. The media plays a huge role on the body image of a woman. Magazines, movies, and television shows are a huge part of our American culture. These methods of the media advertise women who are all beautiful. I have recently started to realize that more and more shows’ characters are women in their late forties out fifties who are beautiful and extremely fit. These celebrities have millions of dollars and can afford the methods it takes to look a certain way. However, this is not reality and it is unfortunate that young girls are growing up with this new type of Hollywood.

I don’t really agree with you. I think that maybe schools might fill its spots with people who should not be getting in over someone else. However, when it comes to employment I would hope and think that businesses would not employ someone just to meet affirmative action standards. Firms or medical practices should look for people who are first qualified for the job. They should not hire someone to meet affirmative actions standards if that person is not as qualified for the job as someone else may be. I believe a company should wait for the right candidate if they need to fill a quota.

I think the two questions go hand in hand. If something has changed my opinion it has definitely made an impact on me and has changed my actions. I was really surprised to read that most people feel that Sam has not greatly influenced a change in them. I was also surprised when people said they really do not feel they learned a lot from him. Obviously there are some things that I may not 100 percent agree with, but his points during the lectures are valid enough to make me review my thoughts and actions. I am especially interested to know if these people are extremists or very religious that they do not feel Sam can impact their beliefs in any way.

One lecture we did in class that affected me was our lecture on being “black” in America. How can we judge someone just because they have a different color skin? It is ironic that people did not vote for Obama because of the color of his skin. He is not even African American. He is Kenyan and has an Irish mother. Obama may identify himself as black, but technically he is not. Race is clearly a political issue and it is not as easy to just say what race you are. Obama should have been judged on his future plans for America, not by the color of his skin.

Maybe the things Sam has said or taught us has not changed your opinion, but can it really be said that Sam has not stimulated your brain to start thinking about things either differently or more in depth? I am sure some people were offended by the image of the “real” Jesus. However, I would hope people started to think if they would follow him if he did not actually look the way he does. Another lecture that really affected me was, Sociology of Race. Sam showed us several different pictures of pigment variations. For example we viewed images of Native Americans, Asians, Oceanians. All of these people looked so different. It was hard to tell where they were actually all from. There are several different skin pigmentations throughout a country. It just really made me think what is the point of being prejudice when we may not even actually know what race or ethnicity someone is. Another eye opener for me was the skin whitening cream and also the video where the children picked dolls that were not even their own race. Everyone should be proud of who they are and should not judge anyone unless based on his or her character. I believe that this is what this class is all about and it has greatly changed my perspective on things.

Race is just always such a hard issue because it is not black and white; there is a grey area. I honestly think the whole issue with race is ridiculous. How can we place people into a category based on their coloring and how they look? It’s not just white, black, yellow, and brown; people are all different colors and tones. I think you should just identify yourself with your ethnicity and the way you were brought up. It should not have to be a question whether you’re brown or white. I guess that’s really the entire point of this class. There are no correct answers when it comes to race.