I think that Sam brought up a great point in class when he talked about how making a joke about a certain culture is offensive unless you are a part of that culture. The idea that no one can talk bad about your own family except for you. He even came up with an example about jokes about suicide are especially not funny when you are around someone who has had experiences with losing a loved one to suicide or other experiences. This example really hit home for me and got me thinking about my experiences of people making light of situations that rubbed me the wrong way.
Close to two years ago, my aunt was killed by a drunk a driver in a car accident. She was 50 years old, had two daughters, her husband and was an extremely healthy and happy women. It was sad period of time for everyone in my family, but to watch my cousins and my uncle go through such a tragic loss was probably the hardest.
I know many people and have heard many people who will talk lightly about drinking and driving, and sometimes even wear their “ability” to drink and drive “successfully” as a badge of honor. It’s almost as if they think it’s funny or cool, or proves how well they can handle their liquor. It’s so hard for me to hear people talk about a situation that is capable of and has taken away many innocent lives so lightly.
People think they are invincible until they experience the hurt and pain that others have gone through. This is true with being part of different cultures and making fun of other cultures as well. The girls in the photo have never experienced the racial discrimination that Mexicans in America have. They don’t realize how deep their lightly spoken words resonate with the people of that culture. I think that until people feel that same discrimination, it is hard for them to develop sensitivity to it.
While I think that what the girls in the photo did was extremely ignorant, racially insensitive and completely idiotic to display their actions on social media, I feel as thought I must voice that I also feel bad for them. They are getting bad mouthed all over campus, the news and nationally for something that I am absolutely positive every other sorority on this campus and college campuses around the country are guilty of. I am not a part of the greek system, but that fact that people are acting “shocked” and “disappointed” in this sororities behavior is nothing but comical to me. If you didn’t realize that behaviors like this are “normal” within sororities and fraternities, than you too are ignorant. I’m not defending this behavior, and I do think that it should change. I am only saying I feel bad for this sorority who has the same values as every other sorority across the country, and like our football team, is being made an example of unfairly.

As a white female, my first boyfriend was black. I am from Baltimore, and although the area that I live in is pretty diverse, I went to a small private all girls catholic school which did not exhibit the same amount of diversity. We knew each other through mutual friends, and started dating towards the end of our senior year and took each other to one another’s prom. I never really thought much about it until I took him to my small little prep schools prom and actually introduced him to people that we didn’t already know. He was the only black kid and you could tell everyone I introduced him to tried their hardest to pretend they didn’t notice he was black. We were definitely very opposite when it comes to looks. Aside from skin color, I was little, blond and preppy looking. He was a big muscular kid with dreads. We were definitely not a couple that people would expect. I also noticed at my prom, when I walked in, all of the chaperones and teachers giving my date, a longer stare than everyone else. We never talked about it so I’m curious to know if he noticed the same things as I did, or maybe I was just being paranoid because I knew that he did look different from everyone else’s date.
But regardless, for me, nothing really held me back from dating a black kid. Of course I noticed we were different in a lot of ways, but I didn’t really look at our differences as a matter of race but I attributed them to personality, if that makes sense. Since we met through mutual friends, none of our friends thought it was weird, and aside from my prom, we didn’t really face any adversity or any sort of problems in that sense. Of course when we would go out together we would get some occasional stares, but nothing too out of the ordinary. My parents had no problems with him and really trusted him because he treated me right and always got me home safely and on time no matter what. Although we have since broken up because of distance, he is still one of my best friends back home.
I think that some people might be hesitant to get involved in an interracial relationship because there is a lot of outside judgment and possibly judgment from your family. Mt first boyfriend I were lucky enough that we did not have to face much adversity because of the area we lived in, but there are so many interracial couples that face those kinds of problems, especially within their families. I think that when people are hesitant to give an interracial relationship a chance, they are more worried about the thoughts, feelings and opinions of others than what’s in there own hearts.

I personally do no think that being gay is simply a choice. I agree with what Sam said in class about who would choose to be a part of a group that has so many struggles in today’s society. However, I’m sure there are always going to be those people that do choose to be gay, I think for most people it is something they are born with and struggle with throughout their life.
Both of my parents are very religious and involved in the church and their Christian faith. I know that they struggle with the facts and issues with the gay community, while I am much more comfortable with it. I am also from Maryland where they recently voted in favor of marriage equality for gay couples. This is something that I was very in favor of and voted for myself. I went home for a wedding this weekend and decided to get my parents take on the bill passing. I started the conversation by just expressing my feelings about it and how happy I was that it had passed, knowing full well that my parents were struggling with the issue. My dad was a lot more accepting and admitted that although he was struggling with it, he knows that world is changing and it’s something that he is going to have to try to be comfortable with. My mother on the other hand is a lot more stubborn. She and I went back and for arguing for and against gay marriage. Every reason she gave me just made me angry because it just sounded so old world and not accepting. I think most of her reasons stemmed from the fact that she just didn’t understand. She didn’t understand that many people in the gay community don’t choose to be gay. How can we deny rights to someone because of the way they were born? For being something that they did not choose to be?
I think people fall into thinking that people who are gay choose to be gay, because it allows them to stand behind all of their prior beliefs about being gay and thinking it’s a sin and that those who are gay shouldn’t have the same rights as the rest of us. People don’t like things that they do not understand, and saying that being gay is simply a choice makes it easy to understand and allows people to stand behind their stubborn beliefs.

I grew up in a catholic home and went to catholic for 12 years of my life. My parents are extremely pro life with no questions asked, and pro life was something that was taught at my school, not discussed. I grew up in a world where pro choice wasn’t even a discussion, it was just wrong. They taught all about how early the baby starts to develop, when it is an actual living thing inside the mother and that killing a child is wrong whether they are outside or inside the womb. However, no one ever talked about what sort of situation the mother was in to conceive the child in the first place. They always made it sound like only irresponsible women who engage in casual, unprotected premarital sex want abortions. No one ever talked about the situation of rape.
While I do believe that it is a living child in the early weeks of pregnancy and that abortion is killing that child, I also know that not every woman who considers abortion is simply irresponsible, and sometimes bad things happen that are beyond our control. Rape is horrific experience for anyone to go through. It is a traumatizing experience that will be with you for the rest of your life, and to have a child as an outcome of that experience would be a constant reminder and a trigger of the horrifying experience. When Sam put it into terms of it even being someone’s twelve year old daughter, that really got me thinking. A 12 year old who has been raped, something they will deal with their whole life, and got pregnant because of it. This twelve year old isn’t one of the girls you see on MTV’s 16 and pregnant. She’s a victim of a horrific, scarring crime. How are you going to tell that little innocent girl that she is going to have to go through being pregnant after that?
My theory on all these people running their mouths about pro life and abortion are putting their empathy in the wrong place. They feel empathy towards the child inside the womb, who although is living, they do not have any thoughts or feelings or even a conscious. I think the empathy needs to be more with the woman, and her situation, and how it will affect her life and well-being. People need to put themselves in someone else’s shoes before preaching about such a clear line between what’s right or wrong.

I have mixed feelings about affirmative action. On one hand, I understand why many people are against it. Typically those against it are white males. I can see how it is unfair to them. It gives jobs to those not because they have the best credentials, but because they are of a different race or gender. I don’t think it is right to give someone a job based on their race or gender. I feel as though it should be based on how qualified they are for the job. If a white male has the best credentials, he should be the one to get the job. If a black person has the right credentials, they should be the one to get the job. If a female has the best credentials, she should get the hob. It shouldn’t be based on race or gender.
However, we do live in a white dominant society and I see the need for a little help for minority groups. In the past, advancement was made so hard for blacks and other minority groups. We need affirmative action to give equal opportunity to everyone.
Affirmative action is not set into place to discriminate against white people and put them down, but it was set into place to give opportunities to qualified and educated minorities that wouldn’t typically get that break.
There is always going to be two sides to this controversial topic, and not policy is perfect. However, as a white female, I am in favor of affirmative action. While I don’t think it’s perfect, I think it is necessary and I understand it’s purpose.

Tammy’s situation is a complicated one. I have mixed feelings about her situation. Part of me feels like just because she grew up poor and that’s the life that she knows, she hasn’t tried very hard to get herself out of it on her own and break out. I feel like she blames her situation on the fact that she was born into it and hasn’t put in a whole lot of effort into getting herself out. However, another part of me does feel bad for Tammy. She is in a very tough situation, one that I can’t even imagine being in or relate to. I’m sure It’s extremely hard to get out of situations like that especially when it’s all you have known your whole life. Tammy does try and she works to support her family. Not only does she work, but she walks ten miles to work everyday, and that definitely shows some sort of determination. She says she’s not happy because of the way people treat her which is extremely sad. People should treat Tammy with disrespect when they don’t know her no matter how she looks, talks or lives. Tammy has dreams of going to college and being a school teacher. I’m not sure if this is entirely possible for Tammy at this point in her life, however I would never say that it isn’t possible.
Although Tammy has dreams of her own, it seems as though she isn’t very supportive of helping her own children out of the situation. She thinks that her son acts as though he is better than the rest of them by dressing nicely and trying to impress his friends. She doesn’t see the motivated side of her son that sees what he needs to do to break out of the situation. She is insulted by the steps her son is taking to get out, which only makes it harder for him and pulls him back in. I don’t think she teaches her kids to be better. The other son even admits that he likes being a couch potato.
If Tammy came into class, I would try to tell her that she needs to support her kids more by motivating them to want to do better. By teaching them about hard work to get where they really want to be in life, because life is going to be harder for them. Its going to be harder for them to have the same opportunities as kids who are more well off. She needs to teach them that being a couch potato isn’t going to get them anywhere, and support her sons motivation to want to be different and break out of the mold that Tammy has set for their family.

I definitely feel that we have responsibility to those born less fortunate than ourselves. It’s not our fault that they are less fortunate, but if we have the means to help people than we should. We should want to help people out and give them opportunities that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. I feel as though helping those less fortunate than ourselves is a basic morale responsibility. When we were talking to the girl from Haiti in class, and everything that they do to help those who are less fortunate even when they themselves are struggling as well, it really put things in perspective. We may not have asked for the responsibility, but those who are born into unfortunate situations didn’t ask to be either. If those who have the means to help don’t help, then who will? How will things get better? Just because we aren’t responsible for their situation, doesn’t mean we don’t have the responsibility to help.
I think to say that because you worked hard and earned what you received it isn’t you’re responsibility to help those less fortunate is probably one of the most selfish things to say. You don’t have to give everything, you don’t even have to give money, but a little bit of time spent volunteering at a homeless shelter, or a little bit of spare cash in your glove box really does make a difference. It’s cliché, but it’s what we’re called to do as human beings. I guaranteed that helping someone out will make you feel a whole lot better than buying than buying a pair of Ray-Bans. That’s not to say we shouldn’t buy ourselves nice things, just as long as we remember to think of others every once and a while too. If you worked hard and earned what you got, than it’s time to help someone else up too. Remember the little people.
We have a responsibility as humans to make this world a better place for ourselves and for our future generations. If we don’t feel a responsibility to help those less fortunate, than the richer will richer and the poorer will get poor and the gap between the two will only become greater.
I’m a Christian, I’m not sure if that has anything to do with my answer or not, but I believe that God calls us all to be good Samaritans. To help those who are less fortunate than myself is something that has been instilled in my head since birth. We need to think of others, not just ourselves. To me these are basic morals that I have grown up with and I can’t even imagine feeling absolutely zero responsibility to help someone who was less fortunate than me.
I do not feel responsible for the situations of those less fortunate, but I do feel a responsibility to help them simply because it’s the right thing to do.

In class we discussed a women from Ohio State University who did not shave any of her body hair, including facial her hair, based on her Sikh beliefs. I say more power to her. I read her response to her picture and other comments on Reddit and I applaud her gracious explanation to those her mocked her as to why she lets her hair grow freely. I also read other comments regarding how males will not be attracted to her to and she’s going to have difficulty in that area. To that I say, there is someone for everyone. She will find someone who respects and believes in the same values as her and finds her just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. For her to be worried about not finding a man based on her bodies natural appearance would defeat the purpose of her beliefs.
However, I don’t think it’s wrong that most men are more attracted to women that are mostly hairless. Men are instinctively attracted to the soft smooth touch of a woman and this is the image of women that has been socially accepted in our society. Shaving is also something that many women are taught as hygienic practices by their mothers from the time that they are little girls. Just like not shaving is a way of life for the woman from Ohio State, shaving is a way for many other women. Neither is right or wrong. My mother taught me how to shave my legs when I was 12 or 13 years old and it has been apart of my showering ritual ever since. Until I got older, I never once thought about it as something I had to do to please a man, I just thought it was something women did when they got older and hit puberty.
I think the men mocking the woman from Ohio State for not shaving show immaturity, ignorance and a lack of respect for other cultures and ways of life. They don’t have to be attracted to her, but they should respect her. What a courageous and interesting young woman. I found her religious beliefs and reasons for not shaving extremely interesting and they made a lot of sense to me. I think we can learn from people like her who are not afraid to educate the world on alternative ways of life that go against societal norms.
I do not think it is wrong for men to prefer women who shave their body hair, however, I think there should still be respect for the women who don’t. Instead of making fun of them or ridiculing them, we can learn from them. If they aren’t following such accepted social norms, they have a reason for it that we can learn from.

Skyping with Pedrum was a really cool experience. It’s awesome that we are able to connect and communicate with people across the world so easily. I think this type of networking and communicating is so important ro help us understand and accept different cultures and racial differences.
I don’t really know much about the culture and the people in the Middle East and Iran, but I was definitely surprised to hear Pedrum talk about all the similarities they had with Americans. I was surprised to hear how familiar they were with our culture with things even as simple as television shows. I was surprised to hear that many of them speak English fluently as well. Aside from the images that I see on the news, I had no idea what daily life in the Middle East would be life, and definitely never expected it to be so similar, or expect them to be so knowledgeable about American culture as well. It’s a little embarrassing to hear how much they know about our daily life when I know absolutely nothing about theirs. If I were to base my take on their daily life just off of the images I see on television, I would just assume everyone in the middle east is angry and obsessed with political and government issues. Of course I know this is not true, but before talking to Pedrum I never had another example to base my perspectives off of.
I thought Sam’s question to Pedrum about Iranians being intimidated by Americans was extremely interesting. Americans hold all of these assumptions and prejudices about people from the Middle East based on the clips and images we see on television. The clips of people rioting or protesting lead us to be intimidated and scared of people from the Middle East. It was interesting to hear Sam ask if people from the middle east felt the same intimidating towards Americans and for Pedrum to giggle a little bit and say no. People from the Middle East don’t seem to think twice about their our differences but with Americans it seems to be something that’s hard for us to get past.
I think I would like to ask Pedrum how he became so familiar with American culture and if that is the same standard for others as well. What made him and so many others in Iran interested in the United States and our culture?

I think Sam’s idea of focusing on differences, as a way to ultimately not focus on them is exactly what we need to do in order to understand and accept our differences as human beings and move forward with respect for each other’s different cultures and backgrounds. I think this idea absolutely makes sense.
We need to acknowledge that fact that we all call from different places and backgrounds. I think it’s disrespectful not to acknowledge someone’s background and beliefs. We need to understand where people are coming from in order to have mutual respect for one another and move on knowing how the person feels. Without understanding someone’s beliefs and values, you can’t know what it going to offend them and what isn’t. It’s important to put those issues right on the table to know them and accept them in order to movie forward.
When the girl in our class who was in a wheel chair was talking about her experiences with her friends and them acknowledging that she was in a wheelchair, it sounds like they had this same idea. Her friends seem to have fully accepted the fact that she was in a wheel chair, and since it was something that had already been focused on, they were able to move past it to the point where they would sometimes suggest taking the stairs until they were reminded. This was not her friends disregarding their knowledge of her being in a wheelchair, but rather that they were so comfortable with it and so used to it that they forgot and it wasn’t an issue in their relationship anymore.