For my FINAL BLOG, I'd first like to start by saying hello to chris. so CHRIS WASSUP! Now, this class definitely came as a surprise for me especially. I would have never thought in a millions years there would be a white man teaching a racial relations class speaking on all races from all different race perspectives. He is a fearless man who has experienced many cultures and is free spirit about telling his story. I can not necessarily pin point what I took from this class, it would be impossible. I have learned to be observant and open minded about race. Do not attempt to stay within your own "box", and open up your mind. Put yourself into different shoes, even when it is not the same color as your own. Do not be afraid to let loose, expand your horizons. Sit in the front instead of the same old seat in the back once in a while. In this class, if it was not something I learned, it was something that enhanced my thoughts and given me a bigger look on what goes on in this world. In this class I have learned that we are not always going to have the answers. There will be questions that will not ever be answered until you ask. Now depending on who you ask will be up to you, may that person fill your thoughts with wisdom. The stages in white and people of color could not have been any more accurate. I have learned why most white people feel at times intimidated to speak to people of color, especially when that color is black. I have learned that most white people do not seem to get out of stage 2. They become aware that there are "others" out there but can not put a finger on why that is. They begin to watch the news and maybe see that all criminal acts might be cause from a black person, then broaden that idea and instantly that is their perception on color. They start to look at people of color in a negative way instead of physically having a conversation with them. If one wants to see what they do, you observe, but if one would like to know why they do, one must simply ask. Same goes for people of color, especially blacks. Not all white people are "crazy" or "simple minded", more than half the time, chances are they act like we do, do what we do, sometimes even think like we do. But we (Blacks) continue to be ignorant and ignore the fact because of our history or maybe we learned to grow up that way and that is the way we were taught to live. Like I said if a recent blog, if there was anytime that we (the world) would come together, we would not have any "thoughts" of having differences with one another. No one in this world would live in his or her own "box"; that box would be broken, better yet nonexistent, irrelevant.

For my FINAL BLOG, I'd first like to start by saying hello to chris. so CHRIS WASSUP! Now, this class definitely came as a surprise for me especially. I would have never thought in a millions years there would be a white man teaching a racial relations class speaking on all races from all different race perspectives. He is a fearless man who has experienced many cultures and is free spirit about telling his story. I can not necessarily pin point what I took from this class, it would be impossible. I have learned to be observant and open minded about race. Do not attempt to stay within your own "box", and open up your mind. Put yourself into different shoes, even when it is not the same color as your own. Do not be afraid to let loose, expand your horizons. Sit in the front instead of the same old seat in the back once in a while. In this class, if it was not something I learned, it was something that enhanced my thoughts and given me a bigger look on what goes on in this world. In this class I have learned that we are not always going to have the answers. There will be questions that will not ever be answered until you ask. Now depending on who you ask will be up to you, may that person fill your thoughts with wisdom. The stages in white and people of color could not have been any more accurate. I have learned why most white people feel at times intimidated to speak to people of color, especially when that color is black. I have learned that most white people do not seem to get out of stage 2. They become aware that there are "others" out there but can not put a finger on why that is. They begin to watch the news and maybe see that all criminal acts might be cause from a black person, then broaden that idea and instantly that is their perception on color. They start to look at people of color in a negative way instead of physically having a conversation with them. If one wants to see what they do, you observe, but if one would like to know why they do, one must simply ask. Same goes for people of color, especially blacks. Not all white people are "crazy" or "simple minded", more than half the time, chances are they act like we do, do what we do, sometimes even think like we do. But we (Blacks) continue to be ignorant and ignore the fact because of our history or maybe we learned to grow up that way and that is the way we were taught to live. Like I said if a recent blog, if there was anytime that we (the world) would come together, we would not have any "thoughts" of having differences with one another. No one in this world would live in his or her own "box"; that box would be broken, better yet nonexistent, irrelevant.

For my FINAL BLOG, I'd first like to start by saying hello to chris. so CHRIS WASSUP! Now, this class definitely came as a surprise for me especially. I would have never thought in a millions years there would be a white man teaching a racial relations class speaking on all races from all different race perspectives. He is a fearless man who has experienced many cultures and is free spirit about telling his story. I can not necessarily pin point what I took from this class, it would be impossible. I have learned to be observant and open minded about race. Do not attempt to stay within your own "box", and open up your mind. Put yourself into different shoes, even when it is not the same color as your own. Do not be afraid to let loose, expand your horizons. Sit in the front instead of the same old seat in the back once in a while. In this class, if it was not something I learned, it was something that enhanced my thoughts and given me a bigger look on what goes on in this world. In this class I have learned that we are not always going to have the answers. There will be questions that will not ever be answered until you ask. Now depending on who you ask will be up to you, may that person fill your thoughts with wisdom. The stages in white and people of color could not have been any more accurate. I have learned why most white people feel at times intimidated to speak to people of color, especially when that color is black. I have learned that most white people do not seem to get out of stage 2. They become aware that there are "others" out there but can not put a finger on why that is. They begin to watch the news and maybe see that all criminal acts might be cause from a black person, then broaden that idea and instantly that is their perception on color. They start to look at people of color in a negative way instead of physically having a conversation with them. If one wants to see what they do, you observe, but if one would like to know why they do, one must simply ask. Same goes for people of color, especially blacks. Not all white people are "crazy" or "simple minded", more than half the time, chances are they act like we do, do what we do, sometimes even think like we do. But we (Blacks) continue to be ignorant and ignore the fact because of our history or maybe we learned to grow up that way and that is the way we were taught to live. Like I said if a recent blog, If there was anytime that we (the world) would come together, we would not have any "thoughts" of having differences with one another. No one would live in their own "box" of a world; that box would be broken, better yet nonexistent.

For my FINAL BLOG, I'd first like to start by saying hello to chris. so CHRIS WASSUP! Now, this class definitely came as a surprise for me especially. I would have never thought in a millions years there would be a white man teaching a racial relations class speaking on all races from all different race perspectives. He is a fearless man who has experienced many cultures and is free spirit about telling his story. I can not necessarily pin point what I took from this class, it would be impossible. I have learned to be observant and open minded about race. Do not attempt to stay within your own "box", and open up your mind. Put yourself into different shoes, even when it is not the same color as your own. Do not be afraid to let loose, expand your horizons. Sit in the front instead of the same old seat in the back once in a while. In this class, if it was not something I learned, it was something that enhanced my thoughts and given me a bigger look on what goes on in this world. In this class I have learned that we are not always going to have the answers. There will be questions that will not ever be answered until you ask. Now depending on who you ask will be up to you, may that person fill your thoughts with wisdom. The stages in white and people of color could not have been any more accurate. I have learned why most white people feel at times intimidated to speak to people of color, especially when that color is black. I have learned that most white people do not seem to get out of stage 2. They become aware that there are "others" out there but can not put a finger on why that is. They begin to watch the news and maybe see that all criminal acts might be cause from a black person, then broaden that idea and instantly that is their perception on color. They start to look at people of color in a negative way instead of physically having a conversation with them. If one wants to see what they do, you observe, but if one would like to know why they do, one must simply ask. Same goes for people of color, especially blacks. Not all white people are "crazy" or "simple minded", more than half the time, chances are they act like we do, do what we do, sometimes even think like we do. But we (Blacks) continue to be ignorant and ignore the fact because of our history or maybe we learned to grow up that way and that is the way we were taught to live. Like I said if a recent blog, If there was anytime that we (the world) would come together, we would not have any "thoughts" of having differences with one another. No one would live within their own "box" of a world; that box would be broken, better yet nonexistent. Before I took this course, I didn't know what to expect. Thought it may be just some teacher, teaching us what he perceived as race and then I would have to "agree" in order for a good grade. But I was wrong, completely through me off since the Day 1. Sam is a brilliant teacher and I for one am grateful to have taken this course as an elective. He taught more than just "race relations", he taught us what the world is and then what would it be like without race. YO CHRIS WASSUP

This is a great topic I feel. No one, to my knowledge, is a murderer or killer however I feel as though some of us, myself for example, if trained the proper way I would do anything to protect my family from someone who is a threat. Like in class Tuesday, we mentioned that killing someone in war, is sought to be liberty, although killing someone outside those walls count as murder and imprisonment; unless the odds were in your favor for self defense. Because this is not just simply killing, it is more or less protecting yourself and loved ones from threats. It would have to take a little of prior preparation to protect the ones I love and be ready for it. For instance, one day as I was viewing television, there was a show on the A&E network speaking about a family who physically prepares themselves from any or if any apocalyptic tragedy. The Husband of this particular family was a former policeman. Therefore he of the four already had experience with weaponry. The husband of the family also believes highly that one-day the world will experience an apocalypse and must be ready for what he thinks will be the inevitable. From this point, the husband has now gathered up his family and fellow neighbors and friends who were interested in the same deal. Using what he knows from being a cop, the husband is able to use and selected for weapons of choice if anything were to happen to his home; a pistol, a rifle, a knife, and a Samari sword. For the rest of the group, here comes the combat training and the booby traps surrounding the exterior and interior of the home. Friends would come and ask what other things they can do to at least prevent an intrusion and he would respond with recipes for something similar to pepper spray. Simply using water guns and instead of using water, it would be the pepper spray recipe along with some liquid material to spray violators. Finally, maybe twice a month, the family and the rest of the group schedule practical training when testing their abilities with test-runs. They split up between two groups; one group are the intruders, and the other are the ones in the home. They do this to see how efficient their tactical planning is and from there notice what they need to improve on. I hope I never have to kill anyone, whether it was a frenzy or even just one man. I’m not even a hot head individual, I can be the complete opposite. However, if it had to come down to something such as an apocalypse, I would get myself and my family ready in a similar way.

In my opinion, the lecture held on Thursday might be the most powerful yet. Although Sam was not physically there, his digital self worked just as good. There were many times when watching the video that I remember feeling upset. I enjoy when Sam has lectures that involves putting us in different shoes because not everyone does this! We need this, especially our own military. I was upset to see them just destroy all life no matter how innocent the situation was. Immaturity runs through the soldiers in the army. Why would anyone, and I mean ANYONE turn over a moving vehicle with passengers in it!? This builds up so many questions for our country. Who are we? Are we really defending our country by doing so? Are we just as bad as they are? Are we the bad guys? Is it us, not them, who started this from the beginning? Are we bullies? These were the general thoughts as I was watching the video and without question, I would not be surprised if it did start with us. In my 21 years of existence and being exposed to all this media and government, it would not surprise me. The tables could turn at any moment, and it would be us who are the innocent by-standards who get shot for just showing our face outdoors.

Then came the religious side of the video. It became obvious why Muslims came and made it about Religion. Christian Soldiers? Innocent small adolescent kids are training for battle through Jesus? THAT IS NOT THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. Who idea was to have a school like that and why would any parent have their child enrolled in something like that? It's ridiculous! Do the parents even know? Are they aware? Maybe the faculty keeps it on the low and does not mention it to the parents. I don't know but that is insane. Children should not have to go through such things and have those thoughts of, "I'm not afraid to die, many have died for Jesus." This should not be the choice of words coming from a 10 year old! It was such a hard thing to watch, I was not aware this country had such schools. If I was a Muslim in Stage 3 like most of which were in the video, and I saw the videos of what Christian Faith was perceived to be, I would be furious! I most certainly know and realize why they feel the need to attack. If that was us, or if we were them, we would do the same I feel like. When Sam asked if we would join them, my answer would most definitely be yes. Because the Muslim people act just like we do, they just live with different circumstances. Put yourself in their shoes.

In my opinion, the lecture held on Thursday might be the most powerful yet. Although Sam was not physically there, his digital self worked just as good. There were many times when watching the video that I remember feeling upset. I enjoy when Sam has lectures that involves putting us in different shoes because not everyone does this! We need this, especially our own military. I was upset to see them just destroy all life no matter how innocent the situation was. Immaturity runs through the soldiers in the army. Why would anyone, and I mean ANYONE turn over a moving vehicle with passengers in it!? This builds up so many questions for our country. Who are we? Are we really defending our country by doing so? Are we just as bad as they are? Are we the bad guys? Is it us, not them, who started this from the beginning? Are we bullies? These were the general thoughts as I was watching the video and without question, I would not be surprised if it did start with us. In my 21 years of existence and being exposed to all this media and government, it would not surprise me. The tables could turn at any moment, and it would be us who are the innocent by-standards who get shot for just showing our face outdoors.

Then came the religious side of the video. It became obvious why Muslims came and made it about Religion. Christian Soldiers? Innocent small adolescent kids are training for battle through Jesus? THAT IS NOT THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. Who idea was to have a school like that and why would any parent have their child enrolled in something like that? It's ridiculous! Do the parents even know? Are they aware? Maybe the faculty keeps it on the low and does not mention it to the parents. I don't know but that is insane. Children should not have to go through such things and have those thoughts of, "I'm not afraid to die, many have died for Jesus." This should not be the choice of words coming from a 10 year old! It was such a hard thing to watch, I was not aware this country had such schools. If I was a Muslim in Stage 3 like most of which were in the video, and I saw the videos of what Christian Faith was perceived to be, I would be furious! I most certainly know and realize why they feel the need to attack. If that was us, or if we were them, we would do the same I feel like. When Sam asked if we would join them, my answer would most definitely be yes. Because the Muslim people act just like we do, they just live with different circumstances. Put yourself in their shoes.

I, myself am also going to join in on the whole "Why not open borders" thing. Only for the simple fact of no matter how many walls you build, no matter how many laws are passed down, rules are GOING to be broken whether the government likes it or not. Apart of me after typing that, gives me a sense of racism coming from the government. Not so much about making laws, just racism. The Government above all else WOULD KNOW that rules will be broken, no matter the consequences that are laid out. The Government, I'm sure, is aware of many and this is for sure without a doubt true. I think honestly, they must want to punish those who cross. It's wrong that WE in the US can just automatically go to Mexico with no problem, however for Mexicans in Mexico, it is a whole different story. So what if their from Mexico, put yourself in their shoes! The Government is selfish and wrong for doing so. The world is much larger than that, and for them not to care about it questions their authority a tad bit. What if it was us that could not leave the country, for whatever reason? I mean, probably would not be much of a problem for the simple fact we can still travel within it but even then! It's wrong for such rule to apply and approved.

Being a human being in this day and age, and in everyday society, we will always have a choice. Each of us choose our sexuality. Whether we are heterosexual, homosexual, transgendered, it is our freedom of choice. To believe that one is born into liking a certain gender is ridiculous and wrong. No one is ever born with a mindset that they will be attracted to one gender for the rest of their lives. It is a choice and one's decision can start any time they begin to feel curious. Curiosity can be anywhere from the age of 5 and on. Typically the change occurs in High School as far as I can tell. It is then that you learn more about yourself and want to explore new things. Whether it may be with females or males, you choose! Cannot tell me it isn't.
Now back to Sam's question, what is it about the comfort of knowing it is a choice to be gay for gays? It brings, what we call in the US, a sense of pride. A sense of pride; something that you are not afraid to admit. It sends a message to everyone that that's who they choose to be. Same goes with being heterosexual, as well as any other sexual orientation. Although being homosexual in this country is slowly but surely being accepted, the older generation and even some who have not been associated with them, still feel as though it is an uncomfortable situation to be around. Thus begins the worry for gays to come out. When gays start to show pride and show that they love who they are, then just doing that brings other gays a sense that it is okay coming out of the closet. It is not an easy process for anyone to come out, I'm sure. Just as if the tables were turned and only homosexuals were accepted, it would be just as hard for heterosexuals like myself to decide to make such a decision where society does not appreciate the opinion. It's like breaking an unwritten law. Although it may seem harmless, it could also be a drastic change that causes an emotional out-break such as family members. Whereas some families are more accepting, some would not be so much. It varies with different race and generation in families, some more or less than others when it comes to acceptance. The mentality for them must feel at times like everyone is against them, but they continue to be strong and pride in who they are. It is not easy being homosexual in this society that we live in, yet they continue to make that decision and continue to be themselves. Knowing that it is someone's decision to be homosexual brings great triumph, one might say, and it should be respected, not neglected.

I guess to start, this is a touchy, and sensitive topic. I feel as though this fits perfectly in the same category as Hidden secrets from the Government. This was always something I felt is never mentioned; the government hides at least 95% of everything, maybe even more. We, as a society will never know what goes on behind the scenes of the government. It's things like this that will always have me hesitant towards any donation that is run by anyone in a US Organization. If the majority of the donations come right back then what is the point of donating? After all the conspiracies and theories backed by the government, I was always curious about this issue; whether or not the government truly send donations out to the third world countries. These countries are in terrible poverty and in need of the most care. Why is the money coming back to the US? For what reason do we honestly need money that is intended for countries who need it more? The government is taking candy from a baby, so to speak. They are ripping the souls out of people's lives who are dying each day to survive and the government clearly we are far more important. If leads me to question so much. What else is the government hiding? Is tax money going to where it's suppose too? Was 9/11 really Bin Laden's idea or was the government trying to mind trick us into believing that? I question our nation sometimes. Our intentions are not where they need to be, and they have no intention to change. If anything at all, they will only get worse. Charge higher prices along with higher gas prices. This country is in serious debt and as bad as that is, it does not give us the RIGHT to take what is not ours. I feel ashamed, I honestly do. I will, from now on, only donate my money for countries who are in desperate need. I will physically go to that country and somehow MAKE SURE that it is going directly to that specific country. I will not put my money towards any US-run organization fund raising no longer. It is just disrespectful, not towards the thirds world countries, but to US citizens. There are many citizens who are not even aware of the government's actions, and even more who just do not have a care, nonetheless need to be notified! We need and should take a stand, but will it help? That's up to the government, as is all things. Things will only escalate here in the states, and if I cannot find myself a successful enough job to keep me financially stable, I will end up taking my things and buying a plane ticket.