Although it is sad to say, peoples prejudices towards immigrants most likely stems from not wanting people to have what they have- in this case the United States. From as long as we have history from there have been people not wanting other people to obtain power. People will do everything to get ahead and push people down to get there, which is similar to how most people discriminate against immigrants even though they are contributing people to the United States. Everyone who feels this way is selfish in this aspect. As Sam was saying in class, immigrants are the people from their respective countries who are the most motivated and the people who want to change their lives for the better the most. They are not complacent and have big dreams. Then, when they do come to the United States, most of them obtain the jobs that Americans do not want. If these people are taking these kinds of jobs then why are most of the American people so resentful towards them if they are essentially helping them in some way or other.

Immigrants are portrayed so badly because of what we see in the media and what is passed around through word of mouth. Also, being an illegal immigrant is against the law, which would make Americans dislike them for entering their country illegally. In the media we see areas that are filled with gangs and drug problems. There are, of course, areas with Americans who share those same characteristics, but the area with the immigrants is put on the front cover of the newspaper instead of the Americans. Also, a lot of towns with many immigrants are generally of a worse condition and families are more likely to make less money a year. I think that people see these types of areas and attribute it to them being immigrants to the United States when really they just may not have the opportunities available to them as the native born people have.

I think that the younger generation of Americans are more accepting of immigrants than the older ones, which will help our country out in the future with relations between other countries. This will also help resolve some of the hostility towards immigrants in genera in our country. If this generation passes it down to their children and they do the same then it will be more accepted. Also, as Sam has stated before, the world is getting “browner” anyways, which will make it so there is less discrimination between races, which will also help with the feelings towards immigration. Immigrants may not be portrayed as badly in 50 years as they are right now in 2011.

It was very sad to see the information on Native Americans. It is so true that they were the first ones on this land and then other people came and took it over and made them inferior without their consent on their own land. The song that we heard was astounding to me. I could not believe the lyrics. I have heard that song before and never had related it to Native Americans. I just liked the beat and the artist so I listened to it freely and did not have a care in the world. After hearing that song I have been listening more closely to other songs to see if there are hidden meanings behind some things that the artists say. It’s intriguing to interpret what they are saying and what they really mean.

When Sam showed us the list of all the terms that are used against Native Americans in a derogatory way I was flabbergasted. I feel that although other races have a lot of terms that people use against them, there was an especially large amount for Native Americans. Native Americans have never done anything against anyone else in the United States. They have never started a war or fought back at all so why were they not able to gain citizenship until so late and not able to vote? It does not add up that we are basically participating in racism right here in the United States in present day. Americans push Native Americans to the side and don’t see the repercussions of it. Native Americans could be our allies. They do not have to be the poorest people in the nation either. They just want to preserve their way of life for their children and children’s children. Their history is important to them, which is unlike how it is for most other races.

I think about their children and how they must view Americans. I’m sure they view us as greedy individuals who will do anything to reach success. I do not want to be viewed that way, of course, but if we continue on the path we are on now, there will be no escaping it. Native Americans are being pushed out of their lands more and more, too, which is sad. They used to “own” all of the United States at one point and now they are forced to reservations? It is absurd to think that they are bound to one area if they choose to continue practicing their native ways. I am trying to picture a girl of my age who is Native American and what she is doing right now…of all the opportunities she is or is not presented with. This makes me feel very lucky, but also very sad. I hope that one day Native Americans are not discriminated against for no reason like they are now.

When Sam first told us we’d be sitting through the class as Middle Easterners instead of Americans I was skeptical. I did not think it would change my views on the war in Iraq because my views are pretty set in place and usually don’t change very quickly. After the first couple times he showed us pictures and videos I did not think much of it, but after I saw more and more of them my views began to change. The media can misconstrue anything and everything they want to. They can make the war look like it is either sides fault with just one video or picture. The videos we saw in class made it clear that the Americans are the bad guys, but all that we’ve been seeing on tv and in the media here in the U.S. clearly place the blame elsewhere.

I thought it was very interesting how Sam was talking about the Christian invaders. They must think that we are all terrible people from the videos we saw! All the civilians that have died in this war whose lives did not need to be taken is ridiculous. It was eye opening when Sam said that those people could have been us! He pointed to us and said that we would be the ones killed because the war is going on in our country- this was when we were the Middle Easterners. It would be terrible to have army men standing all around where we live here in the U.S. and where we go to school. I just cannot imagine having somebody with a gun stand outside my school or apartment. It would scare me to death and at that moment I felt only a small twinge of what the Middle Easterners feel on a daily basis.

Sam made it clear that this war is being fought over oil no matter what people say it is being fought over. People can deny it all they want, but Americans need that resource and will do whatever they can to obtain it, including kill innocent people. I could not imagine if other people came to my country trying to take a resource that is natural to my environment and kill me when I do not comply. Although this war may not have been started because of oil, it is definitely being continued because of oil. For the whole class I saw the oil as “my” oil- since we were Middle Easterners for the hour. I was getting more and more upset as the class drew on as to why these Americans are basically using me for my oil. This lecture was particularly of interest because of the perspective play. I think it’d be useful for everyone to see the war in this light because I think it would change a lot of peoples perspectives, just like it changed mine.

I have not met one person in my entire life that loves heels! I know some girls that are so used to heels that they do not hurt their feet as much anymore, but come on heels aren’t comfortable and there was a point in time where their feet did hurt bad- there has to be! I had only worn heels a few times before coming to college- for special occasions only. Once I saw that a large majority of girls at Penn State wear heels out at night, especially going to fraternities, I figured I would have to conform. I bought a few pairs my freshman year, but instantly had blisters and achy feet! I definitely do not wear them as much as my friends, especially now that I am more comfortable with myself and the friends I have here at college. Even though I am sometimes the only one wearing heels out of all my friends I know that I am comfortable and that is all that matters.

I think it would be so much easier to be a guy, especially at college. They have it so easy to go out! At parties girls will think a guy with a t shirt, jeans, and sneakers has a super cute outfit on whereas if a girl was wearing that most guys wouldn’t think twice about talking to her just because of the way she is dressed. This frustrates me, but not as much now as it did when I was a freshman. Like I said previously I am more comfortable with myself as I have grown older so I do not feel the need to conform as much anymore. This trend of girls wearing heels and tiny dresses in the middle of winter will never change because there will always be girls who say it doesn’t bother them and they want to dress that way and then the others who don’t feel the same will feel pressured to conform to the others standards. It’s sad that girls don’t wear coats in the middle of winter! You have to be cold! When I go out at night my friends usually make fun of me for wearing a zip-up hoodie underneath my coat, but I’m always the warmest one and rarely get sick!

Looks will always be an issue for women also because of the way they want to look for the opposite sex. Why do we all groom ourselves so much? Why do we wear makeup and do our hair? If it was a woman-centered world there definitely wouldn’t be women getting their hair, nails, and makeup done nearly as much as now. Some women want to feel special for themselves by doing all this extra grooming, which is great, but some do not.

I would definitely consider dating a black man. I grew up in a household where interracial dating was accepted. My parents have been divorced since I was about two years old so my mother has been dating throughout the whole time I was growing up. She dated a black man when I was about 12 years old and from then on I did not think interracial dating was a big deal. I also attended schools where there were more black people than white people so I was very comfortable with being around black people. This does not only go for black men, however. I have dated a Korean boy and my sister is currently dating an Indian boy. My sister has also dated a black boy so it’d be very normal if I did date a black guy. The reason why I have not experimented very much with black men is probably attributed to the fact have been in 2 long term relationships, combining to be a total of 5 years. If the black man I was considering to date had all the qualities I was looking for I would not discriminate solely upon race. It is comforting to know that my family would not judge the boyfriend I bring home based on race as well. As long as he made me happy and was good to me they would accept him.

If I did decide to date black guy I think my friends at home would accept me more than my friends here at Penn State would. I always tell people that I think Penn State is more of a racist town than where I grew up, which is the opposite of what most of my friends here at PSU would say. Most of my friends only had a couple black people graduate from high school with them which is absurd to me. When they come to Penn State they think this is a diverse school, which I do not agree with. I think Penn State is so far from diverse. My high school was extremely diverse so I cannot even begin to accept that Penn State is diverse. My friends at Penn State know that I typically find black men attractive so whenever one passes by us or is brought up in conversation they tend to look over at me to see my reaction. I think mixed babies are just the cutest and would have no problem having mixed children. I feel that sometimes mixed children are discriminated against from white people and black people, and can’t figure out their identity as quickly. I also think that sometimes mixed children feel they must choose one side- black or white- which is sad. Maybe I am just overreacting and that doesn’t happen (I hope!), but that is what I have felt, especially from having mixed friends.

I think that I am in the pre-awakening stage. I probably would have felt before this class that I was beyond that stage, but to be perfectly honest I don’t think I am. I think that people wish they were a stage or two beyond the one they actually are, but it is not the case. Before this class I did not realize how much my white skin affected my life. After Sam awakened my eyes to how much getting jobs, recognition, and just every day life affects the white woman/man to an advantage. I feel bad that I am privileged over others, but at the same time I did not choose to be white and also do not discriminate myself so I am not adding to the problem. I think I am in the pre-awakening stage because I am still learning about other races and how we all have our place in the world, which is also changing. I think that 10 years from now our place in the world will be totally different, obviously hopefully for the better. If we were all more open to other races and did not agree with/stick to what our parents and grandparents think then our world would be a lot more equal. I hope that more white people and people of color realize that, for the most part, we all just want to get along. There are obviously people who are outliers, as always, but a few people give a whole group a bad name sometimes. It’s terrible sometimes to be associated with a certain group because of the things that some people do. I am ashamed sometimes because of the things that some white people do. On the other hand though I am very proud sometimes of the work that white people do. It’s very hard to gauge a race as a whole and say how one or the other feels because everyone is so different. I grew up in an area where there where white was the minority. I think that my experience got me ready for the real world because that is what I will most likely experience once I move away from home. A lot of my white friends at school only graduated with one or two black people, which is just so crazy for me to think about! I am very close with some black girls and do not understand how some people can generalize. When I do not like a person it’s not because of their race it’s because of their actions. I think that a lot of people misconstrue the way certain people of a race act. Hopefully we can all understand each other one day and be more okay with every race.

I do not feel guilty about the disadvantages that freed slaves had in American history. It just as easily could have been my family members or I. I think it is so hard to look back and say what you would do in that situation if you were living. As Sam was saying, that was all they knew- blacks and whites alike. Of course this practice of slavery wasn’t right, which is why it was abolished, but none of us were around so there is no reason to feel guilt. An emotion to feel would obviously be sadness, but guilt makes it seem like there was some responsibility by the white people living today, which of course there isn’t. All we can do today is teach about slavery and prevent it from happening again, just like all other events in history that have damaged our nation. Just as we teach about the Holocaust, we need to teach about slavery, especially because there is still some going on today. Sam showed us a video about the modern day slavery going on in the Ivory Coast. This type of slavery is horrible because these people are helpless and cannot do what they please by any means. Although not as widespread and huge, this slavery is almost worse. These men in the Ivory Coast are beaten to the point when they come out of their habitat they have to be re-civilized. Something needs to be done about this modern day slavery since it is so clearly wrong.

Getting back to the issue of freed slaves, there are always going to be people who are more fortunate than others. There will never be a world where we are all truly equal in what we have or own. All of us are so totally different whether it pertains to how we think, feel, or act. The only thing that us who are more fortunate can do is help those not as fortunate. I say us because as Sam was saying our whole class is better off than so many other people in the world. Even the poorest of the people in our class are more fortunate than a good part of the world. When he said that it really opened my eyes to how true that is. I think it is so trivial how we judge people on what type of car they drive or what brands they wear. In other countries there are people struggling to even get by with having enough food for the day and we are worried about brands over here? It sounds so ridiculous and I am glad that Sam pointed it out to us so we can be more sensitive to others and hopefully one day be able to help them since it could just as easily be us.

First off, I do not think that races other than whites are more willing to say they are racist. This was a huge generalization of millions of people. Going back to what Sam was saying, we all have these schemas of what we believe. We usually don’t think these affect us, but they do subconsciously. Schemas are how we define things in our own mind, how we interpret things and how we see the world. I think a lot of our schemas toward race come from our family and are formed during our childhood. If a white child grows up around people of other races and is exposed to other races in a positive light, they are more likely to have a positive perception of other races as compared to a white child who grew up in a predominately white community with citizens who are more racist. I believe a lot of people are racist and don’t even know it. I’ve never heard a person of color say they are racist towards whites so this statement that only whites are reluctant to admit they have discriminations towards certain people has no grounds whatsoever. Of course there are whites that are racist, as in any race. I think whites get the finger pointed at and are blamed for a lot of the racism in this country when there are millions of whites that are so far from being racist.

The worst thing to me is getting blamed for things I did not do. When people bring up slavery and being oppressed I just want to scream! I did not partake in slavery and neither did my parents so it is frustrating when people bring that topic up and act like I had some say in the situation. Obviously slavery was a dark time in American history and I in no shape agree with it and am exceedingly happy it ended, but give it up! I think that people who bring up slavery all the time and then talk about how racism needs to end are just contradicting themselves. How can we move on if people keep bringing it up? It’s over and I don’t need to hear about it! I am not saying to end the education surrounded by slavery. Our children definitely need to be educated on it so history does not repeat itself, like so many other events in history that were detrimental to this country. Race is such a taboo subject and nobody wants to hurt anyone’s feelings- usually. People are always tiptoeing around the subject of race even in this class. It’s just so hard to combat a subject such as this when people are not open to talk about it. If you feel somebody is going to pounce on you because you are voicing you opinion/concerns, you are obviously not going to speak without limits. You are going to censor yourself or not speak at all. I just wish everyone in society would be able to discuss race openly and not get offended as easily.

I think that although a lot of the worlds living conditions are terrible, everyone cannot be wealthy and have all of their needs and wants fulfilled. If everyone was rich the world would be a completely different place, and I don’t think it would be different for the better. Even with all of the pushes for equality we are never equal to others with regards to living conditions. I think the life you live is a mix between determinism and free-will. Being born in America with certain privileges will obviously allow you to reach your highest potential a lot more than being born in another country with no resources. Going along with that your individual hard work and motivation can change how you grew up. It can go in either direction, too. Because of low motivation you can end up being less well off as your parents or you could have high motivation and be more well off than your parents.

I think it is sad the way some people are forced to live, but I do not feel guilty for living the way I do. I always think that it could’ve just as easily been me who was born into a poor family in another country with little to no resources. It’s just the cards we are dealt and we have to make due with what we have. I hope that those people born into poverty and slavery don’t hate us Americans for being born into more wealthy families since it just the luck of the draw and we cannot determine where and what type of family we are born into. Since 97% of the U.S. population is better off than the rest of the world I would hope that Americans would help others in need. This especially applies to people in other countries. Sam mentioned the great work he has done in Haiti to help certain people. As Sam was saying, it is not feasible to save the world, but helping a couple individuals is a start that we should all try to achieve. Helping only two or three people throughout your lifetime is very easy. It is not even money that you’d have to donate, it’s the time and compassion that these people would be so happy with.

I think Americans need to realize how good they have it so they can appreciate it more. I think a lot of us take for granted the experiences we are granted and the great things that our parents sometimes provide us. For example, my education is extremely important to me, but I think of all the people who want to go to school, but can’t. Sam mentioned the man from Haiti is extremely hard-working and wants to go to college so bad. That made me sad because a lot of people don’t want to go to school, but just go because it is a norm in our society and especially where some people grow up.

Racism continues to exist in the world because of people’s ancestors and the views we pass through the generations. It is rare for a child to have completely different opinions from their parents because they were most likely their first role models in life. When every child is little they want to be just like their mom or dad and typically look up to them. If your mother is racist against a certain group then you are likely to be racist against them as well. Passing down this hatred will only continue the trend of racism existing in the world.

I also believe that racist is a strong word and some people may not view themselves as racist, but in actuality they are racist towards a certain group of people. Some blacks, for example, trace their ancestry back to slavery, which would make them more susceptible to be racist towards whites even though the whites living today did not make or support that decision for slavery because we were not alive at the time. I think that at some point the past needs to be put behind us. By people bringing it up all the time, it’s not going to help change the way people view others in their mind. The media also does not help in relation to this topic because there is too much separation between races in the media. For example, there are magazines primarily for whites, magazines primarily for Asians, and magazines primarily for blacks. This is the same for television shows as well. It makes sense if they are in a different language, but most are not. Why did Oprah show an all black and poor school when she could have shown an all white and poor school? People are just finding more and more ways to separate themselves from other groups.

The place you grow up in also definitely has an impact on how you view other races. The high school I attended was 45% black and 38% white while being in a well-respected area with a great school system. The county I live in is the second richest in the state. I say that not to toot my own horn, but to imply that this does not add up to what most people would assume of where I live. They may assume that my school isn’t as good because of the ethnic breakdown when in fact that is false. It is a very good school system and also very diverse. We need to break peoples opinions to get to the root of the problem with race. By growing up in the area I did I have become accepting of all races. Others who do not have the background I do will probably tend to be more racist than I. Of course it would be impossible to make all areas of the United States just as diverse as where I grew up, but it was definitely beneficial for me. I know that when I choose to have kids I will settle down in a diverse place so they can have the same education of races that I did.