Our discussion on Tuesday really hit me hard. I was very surprised by the videos that Sam showed us. Growing up, we are always taught that the soldiers and our army deserve the most utmost respect. After watching these videos, I was shocked to see that the respect we give to these soldiers is not how they treat these people. I always believed that the soldiers were there to do only good for the people of that country, to bring stability and a brighter future. The video of the soldiers destroying that man’s car was absolutely disgusting. That car was the man’s only form of income and he used it to support his family. The fact that they got such joy out of destroying it made me so angry. I never considered that the soldiers would be causing distress to these people. I was also blown away by the statistics of the number of civilians killed during these wars. It is so sad how there lives are being affected by these wars and how so many innocent lives are taken. It is safe to say that after this discussion, my feelings were very mixed about the military and the way they were running things. That being said, after our discussion group on Friday, when one of the group members who had grown up on a military base, shared some scenarios and stories I understood a little more. She talked about how her Dad was in the military and he would explain to her how certain things he really did not want to do. He told her that sometimes you have to just follow your orders and complete a task in order to move forward. I can imagine how this could be a tough thing to deal with and justify. She also spoke about how so many soldiers witness their friends die as a result of car and street bombs set by the people there. It is hard to not want to get back at them and not care who dies when you just witness someone you cared about die. I do not think this justifies what occurred in the videos at all. However, I think it is important as with anything, to think about the whole picture. It is important to imagine the severity and high emotions of the situation before you judge. I think it was important for Sam to show us these videos though and I thought it was great the way set up the lecture because I feel that many of us do not fully understand. It was a great way for us to see the other side of things and how those people are feeling. I hope for the future that us as Americans can open our minds up and put ourselves in the shoes of others in order to work together for a brighter future.

As a Penn State student the events that took place these past couple weeks have been heartbreaking and emotional. I have watched the school I love become tarnished and ripped apart. The action of a few individuals are truly disgusting and disappointing. When this all came out, I really did not know what to think. I did not know the extent of what occurred and who exactly was affected. As the news began to surface, and kept growing deeper emotions ran wild. What Sandusky is alleged to have done to those children is horrible and terrifying. My heart and prayers go out to them and to their families. I hope they come forward and get the justice they deserve. Having this occur at our school and listen to the varying and often strong opinions have really put things into new perspectives for me. Growing up you really don’t talk about sexual assault and when you do it is often just awkward. However, having to deal with this situation has forced many of us to open our eyes and see what is happening in the world around us. I think a lot of us have been impacted by this situation. We are forced to realize you can’t live a “Happy Valley” bubble. These things can happen anywhere. As the media and the world began to shift all of their focus on our home, emotions grew. I think students were deeply affected by how the media represented our school as a whole. The actions of a few should not define the actions of thousands. For me personally, I will never look at the media and believe it just based on what they portray. Having this occur has also affected me in such that I really don’t trust people that much. As you can see through this monster’s actions, people can act like someone on the outside but be very different on the inside. Although all these events have deeply affected our university, I think it has also brought us closer together as a community and definitely more aware. The candlelight vigil we held on friday was unbelievable. To see the Penn State community come together and hold those candles for the victims brought tears to my eyes. The students are coming together to bring justice to the victims affected. Raising over 300,000 dollars already and more each day. The way our student body and our football team represented themselves on Saturday was also something I think was amazing. When the teams came together and prayed my heart was racing, when we stood for that moment of silence, my heart was racing, and when I did not see one student leave early or right at the end I felt so proud. After all that has occurred I am still proud to be a Penn State student. We are a family and we are a support system. We will get justice for these victims. We will rebuild our name and most importantly we will become more aware of the world around us.

First of all, I am still in shock by what has taken place this past week. I think the events that took place regarding Sandusky are absolutely horrible. It is hard for me to comprehend how a person could be that sick in the head. He deserves everything that is coming to him and I pray for the victims that were affected. I think this was a great question to ask. I never really thought about how we are actually going through the stages of grief, but we really are. The stages of grief include shock & denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. When these events first surfaced last week, we were all in complete shock. Shocked that something this horrific could have taken place in our very own home and we had no idea. As things started to come into the light we didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to imagine something this awful. As the days went on an the case started revealing itself we became to get angry. Angry at the fact that this sick individual was doing harm to these kids, angry at the administration for not doing more, and angry at the media that is not giving the entire story to their viewers. This anger grew even further when Wednesday night it was announced that they fired legendary Coach Joe Paterno. REALLY? Fire him after 61 years and all he has done for this school?! It makes me sick that McQuery and Tim Curley are still employed in this school. Joe Paterno has done so much for this university, a 10 million dollar library, rebuilding the program, and just being a father figure to so many. He deserved a lot more than being fired over the phone nonetheless. I am not saying that he could not have done more. However, you have to consider everything in this situation. He was informed of these acts as “horsing around”, he reported it to his supervisor who he believed to be someone that could be trusted and take action. He did what he was supposed to do and I honestly believe if he knew these acts to be as bad as they were, he definitely would have done more. I don’t believe he knew the severity and all that was going on. Back to comparing this to the stages of grief. This anger turned came to a head with kids rioting in the streets, flipping over news vans and knocking down light poles. We are all angry and upset however most of the students at that riot were chanting peacefully and without harm. We wanted to show our support as students for someone who holds a dear place in our hearts. The media however has been twisting everything to show what they want. They continuously film the 1% of students being destructive and making us appear like savages. The number one feeling in my heart is sorrow and hope for this victims. They did not deserve that and I hope they know they are all in our hearts. I know that as a Penn State community we will get through this and I hope that these kids will be able to move forward in there lives. As for the next 3 stages of grief, I can only hope that we as a community remain peaceful, and for JoePa to know he will always be a legend to so many.

In our society today, I am not at all surprised by the lack of Americans willing to do these jobs. Americans today are taught that these jobs are supposed to be for the “lower class” and that we are better than that. Growing up in a family that owns two businesses I quickly learned what having a work ethic is. I am sorry to say that the quality of having a work ethic is very rare to find in my generation. Living in a middle class society, many of my friends don’t know what it is like to have to work for what you have. I am not at all saying that I do not live a prestigious life, I have been giving amazing opportunities, I go to a great school, live in a nice apartment and eat decent meals. I have a great family support system, but it is in fact that support system that taught me what it means to have to work. It is these immigrants that know exactly what it means to have to work for what you have and to provide for your family. That is why they are willing to do these jobs, like picking produce for hours and working long hours. The immigrants do not grow up expecting to be giving opportunities and given jobs that don’t require hard labor. They come here looking for work and looking for ways to provide for their family back home. I am not trying to say that all Americans are lazy, we all expect to have to work in order to succeed in life. I just believe that Americans do not believe they should have to do that hard labor in order to make a living. Which really does not make sense that we get all up in arms over immigration and illegal immigrants. The clip about Alabama making a big deal over illegal immigrants and then being left with that crisis was ridiculous. It really opened my eyes to how RETARDED our government and policies are. We as Americans have let our country get to this point though, we elected these people into office and just sat back as the bribery and scandals occurred. In order to get America and the economy back on track many changes need to be made. WE as Americans need to figure out what we would be an acceptable immigration policy and we need to learn to compromise. We also need to realize that these immigrants are not coming here looking to cause harm. They are looking to do exactly what we are looking to do in life. They want to provide a good life for their loved ones and become successful for them and for themselves. Everyone deserves to live a fruitful life....no matter where that life begins.

After listening to all of these lectures on racial identity and the different types of stages, I am a little confused. I think that I would consider myself to be in stage 2 maybe 3. I am aware of the fact that there are differences between white people and black people and other races but I do not consider it to be a big deal. I also realize that because we are of different races there are different advantages and disadvantages that we are given. I am a white girl and I would say that the town I grew up in was pretty diverse. I had many friends of different races but the majority of my friends were white. I also went to a predominantly white all- girls high school. That being said I would say that most of the girls I went to school with were in the first stage. Race was never talked about in my school and we only had about four black girls in my entire high school. Growing up in the town I did was the only way I was exposed to diversity. I think that white people definitely have many advantages in our society still and are treated better than most minorities. Although I realize that this still exists, I do not think it is right. I think that we should just be considered to be people. I think everyone deserves to be treated the way they treat others, and that should be with respect. When we talked about the next level stages 3 and 4 there were aspects I could identify with but not fully. I do not think that I am at the stage where I feel the need to hang out with all other different races. I choose to hang out with people if I have fun with them and have things in common with them. I don’t believe that I am experiencing white guilt. Yes I do feel bad for what the blacks encountered and how they are treated even until this day. However, I do not feel as though all white people are responsible for this. I know that I treat black people with the same respect I do for white people. I have encountered many genuine and friendly black people and I have encountered many obnoxious black people. But I can say the same about white people. I treat people how they deserve to be treated. I am not going to say that I have not stereotyped people and that “I love everyone”, I have my faults. I think that although our society has made a lot of progress in the past years with letting go of prejudice, we still have a long way to go. I think that our generation is making a real difference with breaking these molds. The fact that we are able to sit in a classroom full of 700 people and talk about race is a huge step. I think that in years to come I myself and many others will be able to progress through the stages.

I would consider this article to be one of the best I have ever read. I have always had these ideas of happiness but this article brought clarity to my thoughts. I think that people in our society are consumed by so many aspects of their lives, from work to chores to taking care of the kids. People are always on the go and always “connected” through cell phones, TV, and internet. They are constantly looking for the next best thing or another alternative rather than just enjoying what they have. I really liked the paragraph about how money can’t buy happiness. I think that this is a misconception that a lot of people have. They live their whole lives working like a dog for money to buy materialistic things. The attitude of always wanting more and more can consume people’s lives entirely. I think this constant desire of wanting bigger and better things prevents people from being able to enjoy what they have and enjoy it with the people they love. It is sort of like being in a cloud but instead of being surrounded by precipitation you are rather clouded by materialistic things, which prevents you from seeing that ray of sunshine. The point they made about people being the happiest when they were anticipating that vacation is so true. We often get so excited with planning and the idea of the unknown that we are filled with excitement. Then when we reach the vacation that feeling of excitement slowly fades away. I think it fades because we realize there is an end coming and we want it to last. I do agree that spending your money on a vacation that will create lasting memories is money better spent than on material goods that will become outdated. #2 on the list talked about how having all these choices does not lead to happiness. I COMPLETELY agree with this, I am the worst decision maker in the world and hate making them. I think that having so many choices always makes you wonder what would happen if you chose something else. If we had a few less options I think it would help people to be more confident and enjoy the choice they make. Finally, when I reached #1 in the article everything came into perspective. HAPPINESS SHOULD NOT BE A GOAL. I think that a lot more people would realize that they truly are “happy” if they took the time to realize the good in their life. Instead of trying to constantly achieve more and looking towards the future, look in the present. One of my favorite quotes is “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.” I truly believe that if we slowed down our lifestyle, realized the value of the people we surround ourself with and just take each day and enjoy the sunshine (or cuddle up on a rainy day with a good movie), we would realize how happy we are.

I think this is a great question to ask and being a girl myself I probably view things from a different perspective. I think that the reason so many girls dress the way they do is not only to attract the attention of males but also to gain acceptance and approval of the other girls. Look at sorority girls (not bashing you! I have a lot of friends in sororities) but seriously they all dress the same. If you walked down frat row on a friday night you would see the same outfit in different variations. Tight skirt, small shirt or a tight unbelievably short dress and likely to be worn with highly uncomfortable high heels. I have heard a few stories about girls not wearing the normal “going out” clothes and being bashed for it by their fellow “sisters”. All a girl wants is to be accepted and to fit in. Therefore for some that involves completely changing your style and personality. I actually shouldn’t even say just sorority girls because in reality most girls these days have come to dress and act this way....they just always are walking together like a pack. It is the way our society has become, the ideal body is tall, thin, huge boobs and a huge butt. So many girls put pressure on themselves to look a certain way, “the ideal girl” and that is why so many eating disorders and self esteem issues have come about. I know I I am not directly answering your question but I think that many factors have to be considered before you can come to the reason why girls act and dress the way they do. I myself have felt the pressures that come with being a girl, but I am fortunate enough to have the self- confidence that many lack. I am not perfect I have an average body and I have my flaws. I accept the way I am and I am perfectly fine with it but I cannot say that I always had this confidence. Many guys don’t understand the difficulties that girls go through and when they see these girls they automatically think “wow slut” when in actuality there are many girls that are respectable and pretty awesome. I know that it is hard to imagine a respectable girl dressing in these outfits but you have to understand what pressures the society puts on us. Girls want to be considered sexy and desired by guys so they think that if you wear jeans a t shirt to a party they will stand no chance compared to that girl wearing the tight black dress and heels that make her legs miles long. So although you say you would be more attracted to the girl in the more casual clothes, in that setting would you still feel the same way with that girl in the tight dress right next to you. I think your hormones would tell you differently. I do agree with you that dressing this way doesn’t make us look like smart, respectable girls who really deserve to be treated with respect. I just want you to realize the pressures society puts on us make us feel although this is the “proper” way to dress in order to be accepted. And I definitely do not speak for all girls on this matter, this is just the way I think that girls justify it.

After watching a few of the videos on the entrepreneurs in Haiti and their different businesses, I am really excited to meet and brainstorm ideas with my group. I think it was so interesting to watch how these people run these businesses and support their families from the profits. Many of these entrepreneurs work out of little shops or their homes and with very few employees. I think it is great that Sam is incorporating this initiative into our classroom and forcing us to recognize what is occurring in other parts of the world. I think our generation can sometimes be very lazy and lacks knowledge of the world around us. I hope that the ideas our Soc 119 class comes up with can really help aid the businesses of these entrepreneurs and help them progress.
I myself watched a few of the videos including Manouchka and Sonia Joseph. As I was watching these videos I thought it was really interesting to see how their businesses operate. It is so different than the way things work here that is often difficult to imagine how they are making a living off of this. I think that Sonia’s bags are very useful and durable for the people of haiti and I think that we could possibly help her expand her business by showing her quicker techniques and different fabrics to work with. We could also possibly equip her with better tools to make the process faster and more efficient. With Manouchka’s businesses I think she has a real passion for what she does. She makes beautiful picture frames and useful hair products. I think we could possibly help her with the business by setting up a better location to market her products, maybe create stands for displays. I also think we could show her more modern and efficient techniques to help speed up the process. We could show her new styles to try out. I think her businesses will succeed as Haiti’s economy continues to grow. She helps to brighten the lives of the Haitians with her unique designs. I also watched the video coverage of Suze Fleuriza with her candied and roasted peanuts. I think her concept of wanting to expand and sell them as snacks for children to take to school. As I said before with the other entrepreneurs I think we could help her by setting her up with more efficient techniques and machinery. We could also set her up with a display stand or even just give her better things to carry and distribute the peanuts in. All of these entrepreneurs are headed in the right direction and I think that we could just educate and provide them with even more opportunities to grow and succeed. I look forward to seeing what my group and other groups come up with.

I believe that there is a strong correlation between the scores on the SATs and the income supporting the student taking them. Growing up in a mostly upper middle class area I was very lucky with the opportunities I was given. I attended a private all girls prep school which put a lot of emphasis on the SAT tests and the classes in general. From day one of freshman year I knew I would have to prepare myself to take the SATs and that I would probably have to start taking SAT prep classes the end of sophomore year going into junior year. For me, I did not think of it as something that was optional, this was the norm for everyone in my area. All throughout high school they offered us SAT study tips and informed us of all the things we should be doing to prepare for the SAT tests. The summer going into junior year my mom made me go to a private SAT tutor. My tutor went through practice problem after practice problem showing me different techniques and things to be doing to save time. She helped me to mentally prepare for the test as well. Although she was a very good tutor, she was very pricey. I know that if I didn’t have the income of my parents helping me along the way I would not have had theses opportunities. My high school also offered many SAT prep courses throughout the year but for hefty fees. These courses provided time saving techniques and different approaches to the problems. They allowed students to take sample tests and worked with them on their weak spots. I think it was these courses and all the study tips given to us that helped many students improve their SAT scores. However, all of these courses, tutors and tips would not have been available to us if we didn’t have the money. It is unfortunate and unfair that many students do not have the chance to take these courses and learn how the SATs work. Especially since this is supposed to be a “fair” test of everyone’s abilities. How can it be fair to judge their abilities though when one student has had tons of practice and the other has not? This is the reason why so many low income and inner city areas have lower SAT scores. Those students do not have the opportunity to learn skills and tricks because they don’t have the money for it. It is unfair but true. I think the SATs are a bad indicator of the type of student someone is. I know plenty of smart kids who receive low scores on the SATs because they haven’t learned any techniques on approaching them. I also think many people are just bad test takers and they shouldn’t be judged only on their ability to take a high pressured test like the SATS. Colleges should focus more on the overall well- rounded student and look at all the qualities they have to offer.

Discussing gender and sexual orientation in class today I was forced to think about some things. After some thought, I believe that we are born as a female or male and we do not have control over that. Although we do not have control over what gender we are born, I think we all have the freedom to express our gender how we want too. Women have the freedom to express themselves whether they choose to act in “girly” activities or play sports and do things that are considered to be for the boys. The same freedom applies to boys as well. For example, dance and hair are considered to be “girly” things but many men are interested and involved in those activities. However, the problem in today’s world is that we live among many judgmental people. When men and women choose to express themselves in ways other than the norm, people do not know how to react. They instead turn to ridicule and belittling. Just because someone chooses to express themselves differently than others think is the normal thing doesn’t mean that is wrong or should be “weird”. So I think that although we truly do have freedom to express ourselves the way we want too many people choose to suppress their true feelings and conform to what everyone else is doing. I think as a society we are growing more and more open and accepting to new things and accepting people for who they are. The idea of who we are also brings up the idea of sexual orientation. I think that a person’s sexual orientation is something that you are born with. I think that we are born either Gay, Lesbian, Straight or Bisexual. I may or may not be correct but I think we are born with these feelings. I believe this because I have seen or heard a number of stories with people being ashamed or embarrassed of their sexuality. If we had the ability to choose our sexuality why would these people be ashamed or embarrassed? They would just choose to be straight. Although I think that you are born with a certain sexual orientation, you do have the ability to choose to embrace or suppress these feelings. Like I mentioned earlier our society is one that is very judgmental and does not always fully embrace everyone. I think this is a major reason why many gays and lesbians suppress their feelings and try to change their orientation. This also plays a part in the sad tragic stories we hear of suicide, after many are ridiculed and made fun of for their orientation. Although I do believe a lot of society is judgmental I do believe that we are moving towards a more accepting and open society. One in where we can live and express ourselves how we want too.