I really enjoyed this class so much, and there was a lot to take from this class. I think the most important thing that I learned from this class is that no matter what gender or race you are, we all have something within us that is curious to learn about other races and genders. Although there are many things that people would have wanted to say in class, I feel like the discussion groups were definitely a big help with allowing people to voice their opinions in a safe environment. Also coming into this class I really had an open mind, since I knew race and relations was the main focus of the class. I never really doubted that I would feel indifferent about any of the topics discussed within the class. In addition I think the most important thing that I took from this class was to just be yourself no matter what people think. I feel like people are going to judge other people until the day we die, so why not live the way we want to live. Surely at the end of the day, the only person's opinion that matters would be yourself. If you have internal issues, then this will allow for other people to come into your life and tell you different things about yourself that may not even be true. Through out this course, Sam has taught me that race will always be a subject at hand, but it's mostly about how you approach the subject is what matters the most. When I awake everyday, I don't look at myself as a color, I look at myself as a young woman whose trying to prosper in life and make something of myself. I feel as if many people would think this way and not identify themselves with race, then surely the world would be a better place. One thing that really sticks with me is that no matter what you look like on the outside, internally we all are structured and function the same way. Even though I may be black or African American, which ever one fits, I still bleed the same as someone else of a different race. The only difference is I may handle situations in a different manner as opposed to someone else. In conclusion, no matter at the end of the day I would hope that everyone gets the point that we are all on this Earth together, and we need to help each out to better the world instead of trying to judge one another. The most important thing that I took from this class is to learn to accept yourself for the race you are, and proceed to try and get along with other people because at the end of the we don’t live alone and we need to realize that.

I really enjoyed this class so much, and there was a lot to take from this class. I think the most important thing that I learned from this class is that no matter what gender or race you are, we all have something within us that is curious to learn about other races and genders. Although there are many things that people would have wanted to say in class, I feel like the discussion groups were definitely a big help with allowing people to voice their opinions in a safe environment. Also coming into this class I really had an open mind, since I knew race and relations was the main focus of the class. I never really doubted that I would feel indifferent about any of the topics discussed within the class. In addition I think the most important thing that I took from this class was to just be yourself no matter what people think. I feel like people are going to judge other people until the day we die, so why not live the way we want to live. Surely at the end of the day, the only person's opinion that matters would be yourself. If you have internal issues, then this will allow for other people to come into your life and tell you different things about yourself that may not even be true. Through out this course, Sam has taught me that race will always be a subject at hand, but it's mostly about how you approach the subject is what matters the most. When I awake everyday, I don't look at myself as a color, I look at myself as a young woman whose trying to prosper in life and make something of myself. I feel as if many people would think this way and not identify themselves with race, then surely the world would be a better place. One thing that really sticks with me is that no matter what you look like on the outside, internally we all are structured and function the same way. Even though I may be black or African American, which ever one fits, I still bleed the same as someone else of a different race. The only difference is I may handle situations in a different manner as opposed to someone else.
Overall, I think this class had just helped me to see that some people perceives things just the way I do, or they have shown me a different way of perceiving things. No matter what I will treat anyone the same, and that's with dignity and respect. In addition I feel like coming to Penn State period has broaden my horizons on so many different cultures and races here. For instance, just because someone looks black doesn't necessarily mean they are. They could be Haitian, Nigerian, or even Native American. The same goes for any other culture. Just because someone is white, doesn't mean they can't be of a different culture. To that end, I think the moral of the story is to never judge a book by it's cover.

After listening to this lecture on the "Needy Penis," I have come to the conclusion that Laurie is right about guys needing more attention when it comes to climaxing and fulfilling their needs. In a way I agree with Laurie that men want that fantasy sex with their partner because that's what they watch on pornos, but in reality people fail to forget that each person has their own tolerance for sex and can't perform at the levels in which their significant other would like for them to be. Surely majority of men would like to have a significant other that can perform like a porno star, but it's not like that in reality. I think some men only think about the sexual part in the relationship instead of the emotional and mind of the person in the relationship. I will also agree with Laurie that women definitely experience something differently than from men when they engage in intercourse. In addition, I think for some men it's all about the physical being, but for women it's more emotional than anything. I personally think that it's encoded in our DNA to be emotional creatures when referring to women. For men it's more masculine which could be the reason why they see sex as an outlet for there emotions as opposed to exposing them through word of mouth. Although this may be a valid thought, I do think that in today's society, sex plays a big factor in whether or not a person wants to actually be with you. I don't think this should be the only reason why someone would want to be with someone based on their sexual performance. Not everyone is sexually inclined, so that's just to say that you shouldn't treat everyone as such. Another thing I don't agree with is if a female doesn't have sex with a male right away, then she has no value or worth to them. On the flip side, even when a woman does have sex with a man, sometimes men often abandon the woman, and just get up and leave them without ever talking to them again. In my opinion I feel like that's pretty hard to deal with especially when sex is something that can take a toll on a person emotionally.In addition, I think sex is something that should be taken at both people's discretion. It is something passionate and meaningful that shouldn't be taken for granted. It is something so sacred that can only bring each person together as close as you can get. People tend to forget that sex can be a beautiful thing, but it can also bring out the worse in people. So I just want to conclude that sex can be an enjoyable experience, but you must first make sure you and you're are on the same level, and no one is trying to rush things more so than the other one.

To start off, this lecture was an eye opener for me. It allowed me to see things in a different perspective then what I would normally think. The lecture that Sam gave on Thursday was something very interesting unlike any of the other classes we've ever had. I wanted to first talk about some of the videos that Sam showed us in class. The one video really caught my attention and actually scared me because of the many things that were talked about in the video. For one when the video talked about complete domination of America, and the destruction of it, I started to get scared and it made me think about many videos that I have seen about the Illuminati which talks about secret societies in which some of the most powerful people in the world belong to. In addition they also talk about how many people plan to dominate the minds of many people through media and subliminal messages. In my opinion I never believed that these things were real, but after seeing that video it had me wondering if these things are actually true somewhere in the world.
In contrast, the next video that really drew emotion to me was the one Sam had shown about the soldiers and the way they treated those innocent people all because they couldn't tell them about where the wood was located. To add, the soldiers retaliated and ran over this man's car and crushed it until it was left into pieces. Personally this made me very angry because as I stated in group discussion on Friday is American's were definitely portrayed wrongly in that video clip. To me that was like someone taking and breaking my IPad and because they couldn't find there own. In my opinion I feel like the soldiers could have retaliated in a different manner than what they did. Breaking someone's car isn't going to help find something that didn't even belong to the soldiers. I was in disbelief that they could do something like that and still be proud to say they served America. As I stated in group discussion, that's like me going out and stealing something knowing that my family has instilled morals and values into me. I would have a conscience if I were to do something like that. I don't even think I would have been able to sleep if I knew I went out and treated a person wrongly who did nothing to deserve what was bought upon to them. In return, I don't care who you are and what you've done in your life, no one deserves to be treated unfairly even if they were the worst person in the world. I say this because I believe in Karma, which I think would have it's own way of dealing with people, and they would end up getting just what they deserved whether good or bad.

Honestly this is a hard question to answer when it comes to immigrants migrating to the US, or just coming in illegally. First of all, when discussing this in our group on Friday, even then it was a tough topic to discuss. The conclusion that I came to after our discussion was that were all immigrants in some way. As for the people trying to cross the border into the US, they are just trying to make a better life for themselves and families, just like us. In addition I think the US government makes it hard for people to become US citizens. For example, in our group discussion we talked about the difficulty of the citizens test in which immigrants have to take in order for them to validate their citizenship. Clearly there should be something else that can be measured instead of one test dictating whether or not they are a citizen.
In contrast, there could be multiple solutions as to how to allow immigrants to become US citizens. Maybe one could be that they are allowed to come in the states for one year to help support their families back at home, and then when that time span is up then they would have to report to a special immigrant officer, and be monitored for about six months. Within that time they aren't allowed to do anything that would break the law. If they succeed then they would be allowed to have their citizenship. Then after that six months are up then they would have to wait another six months before their families could be brought over to also become a US citizen.
In contrast to that many people think that by immigrants coming over here, it allows us to have less jobs. In reality, many of the immigrants do the small jobs in which most Americans do not even look at. So in their defense, how are they taking all the jobs when people think their too good to do even some of the smallest tasks? For example, if an immigrant takes on a gardening job or working at a deli, then some people think there taking all the jobs, but in reality people have time to get these jobs way before people come over to the US. Another example is even when the Asian people and the Mexicans/ Hispanics open up their own establishments, people tend to think that they are taking over in the sense of owning their own business. Personally I don't think this is right, because if they can come over to the US and try to make a better life for their families, then why can't we do the same? We have all the opportunities right in front of us. Actually we have a head start on them, but people tend to be lazy because they know we have access to all of this. I think this goes back to the theory of Free Will Vs. Determinism. Are you willing to make a better life for yourself on your own out of free will, or is their something inside of you that drives you to make better decisions for yourself?

When Sam touched on the issue of rape, I do empathize with many women who has experienced that and abortion. I feel as though rape is such a sensitive topic, some women may shy away from it, because they may have fell victim to this disgusting act. I feel as though if you took a poll and if women were honest, their would probably be almost a quarter of women who have been raped, or know someone who has been raped. Personally my brother almost raped me. The only thing stopping it was the fact that my opening was too small for my brother to proceed. It still sticks with me to this very day, but it is something that I have learned to deal with, and move on with my life. Now I feel as though if it were to happen and end up pregnant, I think abortion may have been the proper way to handle that situation, because it would have been incest, and more than likely the baby would have been born with down syndrome. On the contrary it's sad that a lot of women out here use abortion as a contraceptive instead of it being a last resort. Surely I empathize with them, but then I don't especially if women, or even teens use abortion as an excuse for having unprotected sex. For example, I remember in 9th grade, a girl that was in my class had her first abortion. Out of all of the people in class she had a friends, she came and told me about her first abortion. I didn't know what to think. I felt bad that she had to go through such an experience, but then she turned around and got another abortion!!! After that I didn't really feel bad for her, because now she just didn't care about her body or well being. An abortion is something that should be well thought out, and someone who should give it a lot of thought before proceeding with the procedure. Many people in my community that I know just doesn't even care how many times they get pregnant, because they know they can just go and get and abortion. It's like why would you go out and get pregnant again if you didn't want to have the first one? Surely I empathize with people, but don't go and put yourself in certain situations when you clearly know the consequences.
To that end, I definitely appreciate that abortion exists, however I think some women take the situation too lightly, which makes it hard for other women who really have a excuse to get an abortion look bad. I can understand what women go through because I am one myself, but I feel like some women just take advantage of the whole abortion thing, which isn't right. If I were to ever get pregnant, I would keep my child, but right now I'm okay with just being a college student and focusing on my studies. If some women were to just focus on their career, and know what they want in life, then I think everyone would be in a better place in life.

When Sam touched on the issue of rape, I do empathize with many women who has experienced that and abortion. I feel as though rape is such a sensitive topic, some women may shy away from it, because they may have fell victim to this disgusting act. I feel as though if you took a poll and if women were honest, their would probably be almost a quarter of women who have been raped, or know someone who has been raped. Personally my brother almost raped me. The only thing stopping it was the fact that my opening was too small for my brother to proceed. It still sticks with me to this very day, but it is something that I have learned to deal with, and move on with my life. Now I feel as though if it were to happen and end up pregnant, I think abortion may have been the proper way to handle that situation, because it would have been incest, and more than likely the baby would have been born with down syndrome. On the contrary it's sad that a lot of women out here use abortion as a contraceptive instead of it being a last resort. Surely I empathize with them, but then I don't especially if women, or even teens use abortion as an excuse for having unprotected sex. For example, I remember in 9th grade, a girl that was in my class had her first abortion. Out of all of the people in class she had a friends, she came and told me about her first abortion. I didn't know what to think. I felt bad that she had to go through such an experience, but then she turned around and got another abortion!!! After that I didn't really feel bad for her, because now she just didn't care about her body or well being. An abortion is something that should be well thought out, and someone who should give it a lot of thought before proceeding with the procedure. Many people in my community that I know just doesn't even care how many times they get pregnant, because they know they can just go and get and abortion. It's like why would you go out and get pregnant again if you didn't want to have the first one? Surely I empathize with people, but don't go and put yourself in certain situations when you clearly know the consequences.
To that end, I definitely appreciate that abortion exists, however I think some women take the situation too lightly, which makes it hard for other women who really have a excuse to get an abortion look bad. I can understand what women go through because I am one myself, but I feel like some women just take advantage of the whole abortion thing, which isn't right. If I were to ever get pregnant, I would keep my child, but right now I'm okay with just being a college student and focusing on my studies. If some women were to just focus on their career, and know what they want in life, then I think everyone would be in a better place in life.

After hearing most of the things that Sam was saying about being approachable, I still stick to my opinion that he is in fact approachable. Maybe it's just me, but I am never the one to judge anyone by the way they dress, or appearance in general. For me, the personality that captures my attention. The old cliche saying "never judge a book by it's cover" still has some affect behind it today. Who knows this guy might be a millionaire looking for his future wife. Clearly I watch too much television to think of that last statement, but it just goes to show you that you never know a person's status in the world. In addition, I am a very bold person, so I wouldn't mind approaching him although he looks a certain way. Now don't get me wrong, I just don't randomly walk up to every person I see and start have random conversations with them, however in this case I wouldn't see a problem with it. To add, although I am a woman of color, it still has no effect on whether or not I would approach him. He doesn't seem like a threat to me so why not. Also when I read other blogs, I saw some people saying that people tend to approach people who are like them, meaning race, or common interests, etc. However for me, I would approach anyone. I like to step outside of my race and expand my horizons. I mean why wouldn't you want to see what the rest of the world has to offer in terms of different cultures, religions etc.?

After hearing most of the things that Sam was saying about being approachable, I still stick to my opinion that he is in fact approachable. Maybe it's just me, but I am never the one to judge anyone by the way they dress, or appearance in general. For me, the personality that captures my attention. The old cliche saying "never judge a book by it's cover" still has some affect behind it today. Who knows this guy might be a millionaire looking for his future wife. Clearly I watch too much television to think of that last statement, but it just goes to show you that you never know a person's status in the world. In addition, I am a very bold person, so I wouldn't mind approaching him although he looks a certain way. Now don't get me wrong, I just don't randomly walk up to every person I see and start have random conversations with them, however in this case I wouldn't see a problem with it. To add, although I am a woman of color, it still has no effect on whether or not I would approach him. He doesn't seem like a threat to me so why not. Also when I read other blogs, I saw some people saying that people tend to approach people who are like them, meaning race, or common interests, etc. However for me, I would approach anyone. I like to step outside of my race and expand my horizons. I mean why wouldn't you want to see what the rest of the world has to offer in terms of different cultures, religions etc.?
On another note, my group project for Haiti has definitely made me step out and approach people of many different perspectives in the world. I have to sell a product which requires me to approach random people and ask them for contributions. So with this being said, I feel like it's my job not to be picky and judge people by the way they look, and just go out there and being the nicest person I can be. I won't know unless I try. If it came down to it and if I had to ask this guy with dread locks, his pants hanging low and other physical features to contribute to my project, then I surely wouldn't have any problems with talking with him.
On the contrast I think people are so quick too judge instead of actually getting to know a person before passing judgment that they would be scared to approach someone different from them. Personally I do things to other people as I would want to be done on to me. Since I have this way of thinking I wouldn't want anyone to pass judgment on to me, so why would I do it to them? I think that's a question for everyone to answer for themselves.

In response to this video, I definitely think a lot of common stereotyping and racism played a key role in the behavior of the people who were standing by. As I watched the video, I thought to myself how sad our society is as a whole. People walk pass, and see someone stealing, whether black or white, and yet only really cared when they saw a young black man stealing it, that's only then when they took action. What made me really think into the entire situation was when the camera men pulled some of the people aside and asked them why didn't they take action when the white guy tried to steal a bike. The fact that they responded they didn't want to get involved baffled me. I say this because if they didn't want to get involved, then why would they only take action and call the police on the black guy? Clearly there was some type of thought in their head about stereotyping of the black person as opposed to a white person.
In addition, later on in the video when a female came, not only did a man question her as to who the bike belonged to, but helped her steal the bike! This plays a part in being sexist. The behavior of the man that helped her steal the bike in the video definitely wasn't right. I think people think just because were females that we aren't capable of doing any type of wrong what so ever. The man in the video probably thought the female was in some type of trouble with the bike and tried to help her, instead of questioning who the bike really belonged to. In response to this, looks aren't everything. Just because the girl was pretty and seemed weak and helpless doesn't mean she isn't capable of committing some type of wrong.
The man's behavior in the video really disgusted me, because he seemed so eager to help her, and probably would have still helped her even if she told him that she was trying to steal it. Regardless of this, everyone should be treated equal especially when it comes to things like breaking the law. Technically that was theft, but people would turn a blind eye to it if it was it was a girl, or white guy. This is what I learned throughout the video.
In contrast, I actually had an experience today that was very relate able to the video. I was shopping at the mall in Charlotte Russe. I had a couple items in my hand, and as I was walking around in the store, I came to close to the security scanner. As soon as the sound went off, all the people in the store stopped to give me dirty looks as if I were actually trying to steal the clothes. I was totally unaware that I had gotten to close, because I was just walking around looking for other clothes. I feel like if the tables were turned, and a white girl did it, people would have looked up, but probably would have told her not to get too close, but instead I just got evil glares, which made me feel very uneasy and not want to even shop there at the store anymore. Surely this made me think of how that black guy felt in the video that people took no pity on him as he attempted to steal the bike, but he stood by and watched a white guy practically get away with it.