Being put in the Islamic perspective strongly changed my outlook on the war. Also, finding out that the main purpose of the war, inevitably the only purpose it seems to be is over oil, I was very shocked. We have been fighting, losing our own men, and killing innocent civilians in the Middle East over oil. Instead of coming to a proper, mature decision or treaty that allows us access to their oil, we decided to kill them for it. The rash decision of our government has cost Americans too much loss and heartbreak, losing brothers, fathers, uncles, sons, which can never be returned. With all of our technological innovations, I cannot understand how we cannot come up with an idea to slowly replace oil and the need for it. Oil will run out eventually, so why not reduce the need for it now and end this war.
The U.S. is going on property that is not ours, taking natural resources that are not ours, and killing people to do it. How would the United States feel if the Middle East came here, bombing innocent Americans to steal something that is not on their land? The U.S. would do everything in its power to stop this from happening, including terrorism against the Middle East, suicide bombings, etc., yet we look at Islam’s and think they are crazy, mean, and corrupt for doing so. Yes the Middle East prices the oil ridiculously high almost forcing American soldiers to cross into their lands. Instead of instigating war to lower prices, come up with a better consensus, deal, or even trade to lower the prices of oil. Inevitably, they help us out; we help them out. We could possibly offer being allies, offer medical relief, whatever their county needs most in return for oil at more affordable costs. It seems as though our county would rather go up in arms then try and save lives and discuss coming to terms on an agreement. With this war, we might have even lost the privilege of negotiation for all the pain and suffering we have already inflicted upon their county. Hopefully the believe in the saying it is never too late, forgive us of our unjust actions, and come to a peaceful settlement allowing us to obtain oil at a lower price.
With the hopes of bio-fuel and electronically run cars, hopefully soon enough our need for oil will end and we can leave the Middle East alone. The U.S. should maybe focus on other lands that are rich in oil or set out more drilling exhibitions to take the burden off of the Middle East from providing mostly all of our oil. Not only should we try and come to a settlement on the price of oil, we should try and implement other ideas to replace oil.

In questioning if there would be a difference if Sandusky were Black or Latino, one must look at the stereotypes that exist in society. Sadly, but true, I believe that our society would be not as shocked if they found out the scandal was done by a Black or Latino man. It goes back to the video we watched in class with the bike stealing. Everyone saw the white man blatantly stealing a bike, yet most people did nothing. Once the black man was stealing a bike, most people acted. They told him to stop, threatened to call the police, asked what he was doing, or called the police. People suspect black and Latino people to commit crime more often than whites. This is due to more black and Latino populations existing in lower SES housing. Most police focus their time and energy where there are more broken windows and run down houses-mostly lower SES areas. Criminals that are caught end up mostly being Black or Latino because police focus on the areas that they live. It has been proven that most drug -elated criminals are whites, yet mostly Blacks are in jail for drug crimes.
Our society is more trusting of white people and believe they are nicer. Even children of different races will pick a white doll over a black doll, even if the child is black. Stereotyping makes a black or Latino man walking down the street more threatening than a white man. Since Sandusky was supposedly a “white collared” man, people trusted him better. People put faith into what he did. I’m sure it was hard to believe that someone of this stature was doing such horrible things. Yes, the race of the man definitely made the scandal more shocking, since white men are never supposed to be seen in such a bad light. It would be a lot easier to believe or settle on the fact that Sandusky did these horrible acts if he was a different race. As sad as it is, it is true. It is what our society has categorized people as that allows people to judge them. Not only would it be different if Sandusky was a different race, I think it goes for Joe Paterno, Tim Curley, Graham Spanier, and Gary Shultz, and all the other people that are involved that are white. I think support especially for Joe Pa would be less if he were Black. It would be easier for people to point their finger at him if he was a Black man. It would be easier for people to realize that his morals were in the wrong. The race of someone partially defines who they are whether they like it or not, it is what society does.

When happiness and money are discussed, the saying always goes money can’t buy you happiness. But in today’s standards, living in a world that is driven by money, financial wealth escalating power, the endless consumption of the dollar, money and happiness usually tend to go hand in hand.
Yes, money can cause people to be corrupt, greedy, overbearing, with a sense of supremacy, money allows people to maintain a healthy lifestyle-one with food, shelter, the ability to be educated, a stable job, the ability to support your kids, provide clothing. Money can help the arousal of happiness if it’s in the right hands. We all hear of money causing people to indulge in drugs, alcohol, etc. Money in the wrong hands can get people into a lot of trouble, since they may think that enough money can get them out of trouble-which sadly is the truth in some cases. For enough money, some people can be manipulated into breaking laws, doing things for other people, letting people off, and many other bad things. Money can lead someone down a horrible path of destruction when one is engulfed with the power they could possibly possess. Some people are simply damaged in the path to acquiring a lot of money, since some people can never have enough. When as the rich get richer their limitations expand immensely, increasing spreading the lines between rich and poor and what it right and what is wrong. Money has the power to rot the mind for what it is able to provide. Money is so important, because it is seen as the key to success and for most success equals happiness. Inevitably, money indicates happiness.
For the people that are untroubled by the lust of money and the power it possess, money helps them simply live their life without having to worry about scrapping together funds to put food on the table, or keep the water heater on. Money allows for a better life, a stable life, a-more or less-stress free life. Money can bring happiness by providing the gift of relaxation, success, a sense of accomplishment. Without money, marriages can be strained through trying to support a family, luxuries will be limited, and necessities may also begin to slip away. Money provides a key to happiness, however some people continually open up the wrong door.
Money, when in the right hands, may not only provider the keeper of wealth happiness, but others happiness. When money is not an issue for some, hopefully they will donate money to those in need, to the people that are just getting by. Donation in its self should lead to happiness due to the selfless, kind act it is. Helping others, seeing the smile brought upon their face, will also lead to happiness.

If I were a business owner, depending on the type of work, I would hire illegal immigrants. When it comes to owning a business, I would obviously select the most skilled people for the job. It is true that illegal immigrants will usually work for lower wages while doing more hands-on hard work then most Americans.
Watching the video in class and seeing just how much our economy and produce system revolve around the hard work of illegal immigrants, they should only have a right to work. If Americans are too lazy or incapable of handling such time consuming, laborious jobs, why not give them to illegal immigrants. They work hard, get the job done, and are trying to support a family somewhere else. By not allowing illegal immigrants to work in our country it not only takes away money, food, and shelter for them, it takes away from there families income back home that are living off check by check that comes in from the illegal immigrant.
When it comes to illegal immigrants taking jobs away from Americans, I believe that yes, Americans should be entitled to have the first pick of a job over an illegal immigrant and should be chosen over an illegal immigrant. However, if no American is willing to do the job, or quits soon after they realize it is too hard to do and you are paid to little, I do not see the problem in hiring an illegal immigrant to do the work. Not only will the business thrive by having people work harder for lower wages, it will not be taking jobs away from Americans since they would have already been given a chance to receive that job that the illegal immigrant now has. Illegal immigrants come to America to find work, with a dream in mind to support themselves and their family, providing a good life. By not allowing them to work just shows that we are selfish and greedy as a nation.
Inmates should not be given tasks that illegal immigrants need to survive and to help their family survive. Inmates should be doing volunteer work and community service projects in order to better the county and the environment. Why take work away from someone that is doing it faster and better than inmates. Jailhouse workers should not substitute illegal immigrants just to prove a point. It not only is damaging to the economy and businesses that have done this-especially in Alabama-it effects the fresh produce around the nation. I honestly do not see a problem in hiring Illegal Immigrants unless there are Americans that are better suited for the job. Obviously we must take care of our own country before we take care of others, yet if our own country cannot do the work, what is the problem in having someone else that is more capable doing it? There should not be one.

I believe that it is right to give back what we originally took from the indigenous people, since they have the right to the land. The natives of the Americas had the land stripped right from under their feet and were given a small, insubstantial place to live. It is only right to give back what is rightfully theirs. However, so much is established on the land that was taken, so giving it back would destroy the lives of others that are now living on the land.
If we were able to give back the land before civilizations were established among the Europeans and all the other immigrants, then yes, giving back the land would be a workable process. As of now, with all the buildings, homes, communities, cities, towns, traditions, etc, that have been established, we would interrupt the lives of too many people by giving them back all the land that is rightfully theirs. Yes it is the right and proper thing to do, but all of the establishment that has occurred on the land and profited (or not) would be ruined.
Since we can obviously not give all of the land back that is “theirs,” I think that our nation should provide better means of living, education, groceries, and job offerings then we do now. Learning that they live worse than Haitians, some of the poorest people in the world is unreal. Also, their lifespan of 50 years of age is very shocking as well, and something that shouldn’t be going on. It is an abomination that people living in the United States are that low in SES and suffering that much. Our nation needs to spend more time helping these people build up a profitable lifestyle and acquire proper health care that is needed to live a healthy life. Instead of focusing on things like gay marriage, abortion, and other topics that cover up the real problems in our nation, we should be spending time focusing on people that don’t have the funding to put any food on their table.
We should help them re-establish their lives, by helping to educate them so they have a better life for themselves. We should not isolate them to reserves and try to adapt them to society and learn how to be profitable. We need to respect their culture and traditional values. We cannot allow these constant disparities in access to food, health, education, etc. to weaken themselves and their outlook on life. Instead of looking to suicide as a way out, they should look at our government as a support system and our nation. Our nation needs to come together and help these indigenous people that began our civilization and had the first look at the Americas and help them establish a life with land that is rightfully theirs.

When comparing my racial identity stage and my outlook on different cultures and races, I can see a big difference between my family and I. Many of my friends, like me, grew up in predominately white environment. I began in a stage one category not really noticing people’s racial identities- one, because I was too young to understand the difference of people’s skin colors, but also because I was not exposed to other races very often. My father who is very old fashion has his beliefs that white men and women are to marry and colored men and women are to marry. He believes this to be “proper” in his eyes. My mom also thinks this way, but that is because that was the norm in their community. Through generations, race and the way we look at it, has changed. Presently, inter-racial marriages are more common and accepted then they used to be. Just living in the generation that I do, separates my parent’s stage and mine.
Ever since I came to State College, I have found myself in more of a stage two view. I do understand that there is an ‘us’ and ‘them’, but do feel guilty on the prejudices that exist. I also feel uncomfortable in speaking about people in other racial groups for I do not want them to be offended by anything I have said. I always try to monitor what I am saying so it is not offensive. However, I think I shift from stage 2 to stage 4 in that I think that whites should not be “privileged.” I want to be seen as though I am not racist, yet I’m not sure if how I describe some people or say something will make me seem racist. Now that I have a lot more friends of many different cultures and races, I constantly find myself trying not to offend anyone. It is easier, however, when people are very understanding of people stuck in between stages or especially in stage 2.
My roommate is Persian, and before I was very close with her and her family, I never wanted to say anything or seem offensive to them. I would always find myself feeling guilty if someone treated her differently or acted a certain way towards her. Being able to see that she understands that I have this guilt and worry to not be offensive has helped me almost to get out of stage 2. I have realized that offensiveness and guilt goes across the boards whether you are white or not. And the thing that I found out while in this stage is that everyone is different no matter their race, and one person may take offense to something while the other might not.

For the question-how do you think your race shape the way you see the world, I believe that it becomes shaped as you get older. When you are young, your innocent and don’t notice differences in skin color. You play with whichever children you make friends. I especially was not exposed to different races in my elementary school, since it was predominately white. I did not learn anything about other races, cultures, or ethnic groups at a younger age. Once I reached middle school, there were a few more races intermixed among the predominant white. As I noticed the differences, it did not shape the way I looked at the world until I started learning stereotypes. It also started to change when I saw how different cultures and religions acted and celebrated certain things. Living in America-a mostly white nation, I seem that I have an easier lifestyle. My race has shaped the way I see the world by allowing me to view it as a more dominant race. Yes, Asians are the model minority; overall whites have the easiest lifestyle. White stereotypes are not as offensive as minorities. Living in a white world, I am not affected by racism yet see it to others.
My race shapes my views on the world as a happier place so to say. Hispanics and blacks have high rates of homicide and violence. Being white automatically places you in a lifestyle with better health care, better income, and an overall better lifestyle statistically speaking. Whites are supposed to be seen as the superior race however putting stress on the shoulders of whites. This could indicate the high suicide rates of whites, especially in men and elderly for not reaching certain “white” expectations. It has shaped my world to be more privileged in a way to not be the minority. However, being white doesn’t allow me to fully understand other cultures. I will never fully understand why certain races act they way they do, dress the way they do, or think the things they do. I am less rateable to minorities, since I am not one of them. I feel compassion for them and the stereotypes they suffer from and the inequality they face, yet I will never completely be able to see it the way they do.
I see the world by comparing myself to others and seeing the “white” in them and how they are similar to me. In a world of chaos, it is normal for people to search for patterns and similarities to organize the chaos. I organize the world into people that are similar to me or identify themselves as white.

Finding out your roommate, friend, family member, classmate, or anyone you know will always come as a shock, unless you were expecting it. If I found out my roommate was gay, I would initially be surprised, but I would not judge or resent them. I would respect them for building up the courage and being comfortable with not only themselves but myself as well. Different people would look at it with different reactions. Depending on a persons values, moral beliefs, religion, culture, etc. they may be more or less accepting of it. For me personally, I have no reason to judge someone if they are interested in the same gender as themselves. It is their feelings and their lifestyle.
If I originally found out when I first move in with them, before getting to know them, it would originally be awkward. Since I have never been in major contact or friendship with a gay person, I would be unsure how to initially react to them coming out or act around them. I would be worried about making them feel uncomfortable. I would be unsure how to talk to them about relationships with other females and how they would react to me undressing in front of them or them undressing in front of me. Once I got to know them better, and began to understand their feelings and lifestyle better, I would be a lot more comfortable with it. I also have to realize, they need to accept me for being straight just as much as I have to accept them for being gay.
If I found out a while after I had been their roommate, it wouldn’t make much difference to me. If I were very good friends with them or even if I weren’t it would not change my feelings towards them or change any judgments about them. It would definitely be a lot easier to deal with and talk to them about, since we would have a closer relationship and know each other better. Also, if they acted a certain way, I could maybe expect them to be gay, and then it would not come as a shock. I would feel more comfortable talking to them about it if I knew them better. The only time it would be awkward or make me feel uncomfortable, would be if they told me they were attracted to me or came on to me. Yet again, this would put anyone if someone they were friends with came out and said they had feelings towards you or made a move no matter if they were gay or straight. Just as long as the roommate respects you being straight and you are able to respect that they are gay, I do not see a problem with the situation unless feelings start to get involved. Then the topic becomes a little uncomfortable.

Watching the white man, black man, and blonde “attractive” woman steal the bikes was a very stereotypical and shocking experience. As it was funny to see the different people’s reactions to each different person stealing the bike, it is actually anything but close to comical. This was just on little example of how stereotypical and emerged in physical appearance our nation really is.
When the white male and black male were dressed in exactly the same manner, why is it more okay or acceptable for the white man to be stealing a bike then a black man? It is the predetermined judgment that our nation has given to the black man to be more criminal like. The black man will always appear more threatening, rebellious, and dangerous if standing next to a white man that is dressed the same as them. Is this because black men are more likely to commit a crime or because people have placed the criminal label on African Americans? Whether it is both or one or the other, it is a scary thing that the same criminal act done by two men of a different race, are not treated the same. People were far more alarmed when the African American man was stealing the bike and were more likely to stop and ask questions and phone the police. Where as for the white man, only a few questioned him with slim amounts of phone calls to the police. Our society has labeled blacks to be more criminal and threatening, yet the white man could possess the same amount of threat. It is sad that this stereotype exists in what we weakly attempt at calling a free and equal nation. We need to be able to treat circumstances the same for people of different ethnicities and color. The white man could have been wanted for murder and the black man just committing his first crime, yet that predetermined judgment we set would never place a white man as a murderer over a black man. It is an absolute injustice on how we criminalize people solely based on their skin color.
As for the woman, a sole physical appearance will apparently let a woman get away with theft. What if that girl was ugly, maybe overweight, had a lot of tattoos and piercings, would she have been treated the same as the blonde, attractive woman? I’m going to venture a guess, no, the tattooed woman would not be treated the same. Our world’s skewed perception of what beauty is comes from what the media and Hollywood wants us to believe it is. People would never portray an attractive woman stealing a bike, because that’s just not the stereotype she would be placed in. Our stereotypical world in which the media and people’s invalid perceptions control our judgments lead us to negligible actions-not acting more strictly upon the white man and woman stealing the bike.

After watching a lot of the videos with the various entrepreneur projects, I found Yvrose Noncent’s project making sandals and evening wear. I think the creativity of the sandals that I saw, with the hand made bottoms along with the braided tongs were made precisely and beautifully. This project will provide many shoeless Haitians with the proper protection they need on a daily basis. The project also provides jobs for people who need to support their families. Hopefully as this mission grows, so can its staff and its ability to hire people. This will lead to more jobs available with more people having a steady income.
In order to advance this project, one subtle change needs to be made. Making a cutter for different sizes of shoes, will speed up the process of cutting out the sandal outline. However, for this development to actually expand and grow, financers need to be found. People need to hear and learn about this company and believe in it. Investors who are passionate about helping our Haitians and have faith in this project to be profitable will aid in funding. Financers will allow for a bigger factory to be bought with machines that are capable of cutting out shoes along with making the thongs used on the sandals. Financers are the main concern in order to get this project up and running.
In terms of the evening wear, financers can provide more people to either hand make the dresses to keep the culture and elaborateness of hand made gowns or build machines to manufacture the evening gowns. Investors will allow for more manpower and a more advanced system of manufacturing so more evening clothes can be produced and sold. Instead of turning down offers due to the order being too large, this project will be able to fulfill its quota in a timely manner with advancements from financers.
To advertise this mission, a brand name needs to be developed. A difference needs to be shown making these products better and more appealing to the average person. If an incentive is provided in buying the shoe or eveningwear outfit, I believe that more people will be likely to buy the product. For example, TOM’s shoe brand became so popular due to the fact that, not only are they supportive, cute flats, for every pair of TOM’s that someone buys, a pair is donated to those in need of shoes. If we incorporated an incentive like this, but also made the merchandise very appealing yet unique enough to start a trend, these products will be appealing commodities.
Yvrose Noncent has a very good idea that just needs funding towards the idea to expand the product and target audience, especially into the United States.