I thought this whole situation was very interesting. At first when I saw this picture I really did not think much of it. It looked like a bunch of girls going to a mexican party theme. Then when I saw the signs that the two girls were holding up I realized that the signs were not appropriate to be holding up in a picture what so ever. I do not think the signs were acceptable at all but I do believe that this situation was completely blown out of proportion. It become so big and known that I had people from home asking me about the sorority at penn state that is getting in trouble. I completely agree that the signs were very offensive, I just do not believe this situation was handled in the right way at all. I think that penn state should have got involved and handled it and that would have been it. I don't think it should have been on the news for everyone to see. I think that only because it is penn state, and so much had happened in the past year is why people are blowing the situation of of proportion. I think the one thing that made this picture offensive was the signs. Without the signs I don't think people could have been that mad over this picture. Some one brought up a good point about how for St Patricks day we dress in green and drink a lot and when we think of mexican theme, a lot of people where sombreros. I don't really think it should be that offensive because no one is truly aiming to harm anyone. It was simply just for fun the theme. The only thing that was definitely wrong about this picture was the signs. I heard at another school, some girls had the same theme and had signs that were so much more offensive. This did not get brought up though because it was at a small school that not many people know of. The sorority should maybe have went on probation and that was it. It should not have been this drastic. These girls probably feel horrible because the obviously were just trying to have fun and yes, they should have thought about the signs but making it this national and writing the girls names in the paper is embarrassing. It just makes penn state look bad once again. There is so many horrible things going on in this world for people to be worrying about this. People need to look around and see that there is so much worse things in this world.

I thought this lecture was very interesting due to the fact that I am Jewish. Sam brought up some very interesting points that I had never really thought about before. I went to hebrew school all my life and learned all about the holocaust and how bad it was. I watched movies about how poorly the jews were treated and how person after person were being killed just for being a certain religion. I thought this was terrible and I could not believe how something like this could happen. Sam brought something up that really made me think about everything in a different perspective. He brought up about the war going on today between Israel and Gaza. He first made the point that I felt was very true about how if there was any group that would be free of this anti centrism it would be the jews because the jews know what their people have been through so they will do everything to see the world as different. They will keep an open mind about everything. I strongly support this because after everything the jews have been through, you would expect them to have so much hatred for everybody but thats not the case. They still don't want to intentionally harm anyone. Then the war between Gaza and Israel happened and you now see videos of Israel bombing and killing many innocent people in Gaza. This makes Israel look bad but can you blame them for wanting to protect their country. They have been through so much and sill do this day, people try to take things from them. Any person in this world can try to look at the good in things but there comes a point when you just have had it and need to fight back and defend yourself. If anyone has this right it would be the jews considering how much they have lived through already with everyone putting them down and hating them. I also liked the point Sam brought up when he said that this shows that know group in the world can say the won't kill because when they're under threat, anyone will try to protect themselves especially the jews considering they have already suffered so much. It is so terrible to see that after all these years after the holocaust, their is still so much hate towards the jews. The holocaust should have taught everyone a major lesson in life and yet, some people still see the jews as bad people and want them gone. It is not fair how much the jews have suffered. People make jew comments all the time but due to the fact of everything that happened in the past with the jews, these comments should not be said even if they don't mean any harm by them. People need to be more respectful.

After learning about the different stages, I would have to say that the higher stages such as stage four and stage five are better to be in as appose to stage one two and three. Stage four and five you basically know your race and accept your race and other races around you. You understand different cultures and you are more accepting. In stage one, you don't really have an understanding of anything. You should have an idea of different races and different cultures so stage one is definitely not a good stage to be in. Stage two it seems that you are just very confused and don't know much either. You are basically just learning the different races around you and getting more knowledgeable about them. Stage three seems the worse because this stage you really look into your race and others. You might think your race is better than others and you may also not be comfortable with different races. In this stage you don't really know what to do but racism is definitely a bigger issue in this stage. The fourth and Fifth stage are the best stages because your finally at stages where you are very knowledgeable of different races but your also more accepting. You want to meet people of different races and this will help with life in general when your not as judgmental. You create relationships with everyone. Although your race might be more important to you, you still accept and want to learn about other peoples cultures and races. Even though I believe that the fourth stage and the fifth stage are most important, this does not mean that every stage isn't important. i believe that you need each stage to you the the fourth and fifth stage. It is a learning process and you will need each stage to get you to a point where you want to learn about others races and you want to make relationships with other people. When your younger you do not know much about anything. You do not know between different races but as you get older you begin to learn about everything. It takes some time to get into that stage where you are very accepting but that is normal. It shows that you are learning and you will at some point get to that stage. Not many people can just start out being in the fifth stage unless they grew up and that was all they knew. For most people it takes a lot of going through life and learning about the different races and cultures to get to that certain point. I liked learning about the different stages. I thought it was very interesting and I tried to relate it to my own life and where I would fit.

The past Tuesday's class really made me think about the issue of being gay and if people are born like this or if it is their choice. I believe that you are born gay and being gay is not a choice. One of the guys that spoke in class tuesday really made me think about this. He said that when he was younger he would be more attracted to boys than he would be to girls. He kept saying to himself that he wanted to like the girls so he would be "normal" but he just kept going towards the boys. He was 4 years old when this happened so therefore there is no way he could have chosen to be gay because at 4 years old you would not know how to make a decision like this. I believe that some gay people try to tell themselves that they are not gay. They will act straight most of their lives but they are going to realize at some point that they are gay. I do not believe that people choose to like the same sex. This just causes a lot of stress because of everyone in this worlds different opinions on gays. It just happens this way that they wind up liking and being attracted to people of the same sex. People need to learn how to accept this because it is not fair to discriminate against people that might be different than you. As I stated earlier I do not believe that it was their choice to be gay, it just happened this way so there is no reason to look down upon people that are homosexual and think anything differently of them. I think that some people have difficulties in their lives and they might go through a stage of liking the same sex but I think in the end, you are born like this and you can't try to change how you are. I thought it was interesting what one of the guy's on Tuesday said that his dad wound up being gay. This might have been because he was trying to not admit to it but eventually just had to. It's is just like any straight person, we do not chose who we are attracted to. We are simply just attracted to certain people and this is exactly how it is for homosexuals too. They don't chose who to like, it simply just happens this way. This is why no one should treat any homosexuals different because in reality they are very similar to anyone else who is not gay. People in this world are too judgmental and that is the problem. People need to learn to accept other people's differences.

When Sam brought up a major issue of rape and pregnancy I completely agree with the statement that people need to have more empathy for this major issue. Some people are so quick to judge and come to a conclusion when they are looking at other people or they are looking at the other side of things. We must take the time to really put ourselves in the position and how we would feel if we were being judged about this issue. When it comes to Rape and abortion, it is a woman's choice whether or not to have the baby and I do not think anyone else can really have that much of an opinion on it because it is not happening to them. Until it happens to that person or a loved one of theirs, they do not really know what to say and how it feels. Abortion is a major issue in todays world and it is very controversal. People have very strong beliefs and things to say about this issue. Sam brought up that we must have more empathy for these issues because think about if it happened to your 12 year old daughter or mother etc, you might have a different answer to this issue not that it has hit close to home and you have to deal with it. Now your not just looking at this extreme issue from and outsiders prospective. I think it is completely that person's choice and I also think that when we look at other people with these same issues, we have to have the same approach to looking at them in the same way we would look at our mother or sister if this happened to them. Some people look at abortion in such a negative way and very mean about it when they hear someone got abortion. Everyone is different and everyone has different stories so you must try to find empathy for every single person or you will always have a negative view towards people because you will only believe what you want to believe. If your 12 year old daughter got raped and got pregnant, most likely you would want her to get an abortion but before this you might have looked at abortion in such a negative way. This is why you must always put yourself in someone else's shoes. No one can decide for someone else whats right for that person when it comes to a child. No one can say "Well it was their fault for not being on birth control." You don't know that persons life or story and if it happened to your younger sister, most likely you would not be saying it's her fault. You would help her to make the best decision possible.

When Sam brought up a major issue of rape and pregnancy I completely agree with the statement that people need to have more empathy for this major issue. Some people are so quick to judge and come to a conclusion when they are looking at other people or they are looking at the other side of things. We must take the time to really put ourselves in the position and how we would feel if we were being judged about this issue. When it comes to Rape and abortion, it is a woman's choice whether or not to have the baby and I do not think anyone else can really have that much of an opinion on it because it is not happening to them. Until it happens to that person or a loved one of theirs, they do not really know what to say and how it feels. Abortion is a major issue in todays world and it is very controversal. People have very strong beliefs and things to say about this issue. Sam brought up that we must have more empathy for these issues because think about if it happened to your 12 year old daughter or mother etc, you might have a different answer to this issue not that it has hit close to home and you have to deal with it. Now your not just looking at this extreme issue from and outsiders prospective. I think it is completely that person's choice and I also think that when we look at other people with these same issues, we have to have the same approach to looking at them in the same way we would look at our mother or sister if this happened to them. Some people look at abortion in such a negative way and very mean about it when they hear someone got abortion. Everyone is different and everyone has different stories so you must try to find empathy for every single person or you will always have a negative view towards people because you will only believe what you want to believe. If your 12 year old daughter got raped and got pregnant, most likely you would want her to get an abortion but before this you might have looked at abortion in such a negative way. This is why you must always put yourself in someone else's shoes. No one can decide for someone else whats right for that person when it comes to a child. No one can say "Well it was their fault for not being on birth control." You don't know that persons life or story and if it happened to your younger sister, most likely you would not be saying it's her fault. You would help her to make the best decision possible.

When Sam brought up a major issue of rape and pregnancy I completely agree with the statement that people need to have more empathy for this major issue. Some people are so quick to judge and come to a conclusion when they are looking at other people or they are looking at the other side of things. We must take the time to really put ourselves in the position and how we would feel if we were being judged about this issue. When it comes to Rape and abortion, it is a woman's choice whether or not to have the baby and I do not think anyone else can really have that much of an opinion on it because it is not happening to them. Until it happens to that person or a loved one of theirs, they do not really know what to say and how it feels. Abortion is a major issue in todays world and it is very controversal. People have very strong beliefs and things to say about this issue. Sam brought up that we must have more empathy for these issues because think about if it happened to your 12 year old daughter or mother etc, you might have a different answer to this issue not that it has hit close to home and you have to deal with it. Now your not just looking at this extreme issue from and outsiders prospective. I think it is completely that person's choice and I also think that when we look at other people with these same issues, we have to have the same approach to looking at them in the same way we would look at our mother or sister if this happened to them. Some people look at abortion in such a negative way and very mean about it when they hear someone got abortion. Everyone is different and everyone has different stories so you must try to find empathy for every single person or you will always have a negative view towards people because you will only believe what you want to believe. If your 12 year old daughter got raped and got pregnant, most likely you would want her to get an abortion but before this you might have looked at abortion in such a negative way. This is why you must always put yourself in someone else's shoes. No one can decide for someone else whats right for that person when it comes to a child. No one can say "Well it was their fault for not being on birth control." You don't know that persons life or story and if it happened to your younger sister, most likely you would not be saying it's her fault. You would help her to make the best decision possible.

When Sam brought up a major issue of rape and pregnancy I completely agree with the statement that people need to have more empathy for this major issue. Some people are so quick to judge and come to a conclusion when they are looking at other people or they are looking at the other side of things. We must take the time to really put ourselves in the position and how we would feel if we were being judged about this issue. When it comes to Rape and abortion, it is a woman's choice whether or not to have the baby and I do not think anyone else can really have that much of an opinion on it because it is not happening to them. Until it happens to that person or a loved one of theirs, they do not really know what to say and how it feels. Abortion is a major issue in todays world and it is very controversal. People have very strong beliefs and things to say about this issue. Sam brought up that we must have more empathy for these issues because think about if it happened to your 12 year old daughter or mother etc, you might have a different answer to this issue not that it has hit close to home and you have to deal with it. Now your not just looking at this extreme issue from and outsiders prospective. I think it is completely that person's choice and I also think that when we look at other people with these same issues, we have to have the same approach to looking at them in the same way we would look at our mother or sister if this happened to them. Some people look at abortion in such a negative way and very mean about it when they hear someone got abortion. Everyone is different and everyone has different stories so you must try to find empathy for every single person or you will always have a negative view towards people because you will only believe what you want to believe. If your 12 year old daughter got raped and got pregnant, most likely you would want her to get an abortion but before this you might have looked at abortion in such a negative way. This is why you must always put yourself in someone else's shoes. No one can decide for someone else whats right for that person when it comes to a child. No one can say "Well it was their fault for not being on birth control." You don't know that persons life or story and if it happened to your younger sister, most likely you would not be saying it's her fault. You would help her to make the best decision possible.

When Sam brought up a major issue of rape and pregnancy I completely agree with the statement that people need to have more empathy for this major issue. Some people are so quick to judge and come to a conclusion when they are looking at other people or they are looking at the other side of things. We must take the time to really put ourselves in the position and how we would feel if we were being judged about this issue. When it comes to Rape and abortion, it is a woman's choice whether or not to have the baby and I do not think anyone else can really have that much of an opinion on it because it is not happening to them. Until it happens to that person or a loved one of theirs, they do not really know what to say and how it feels. Abortion is a major issue in todays world and it is very controversial. People have very strong beliefs and things to say about this issue. Sam brought up that we must have more empathy for these issues because think about if it happened to your 12 year old daughter or mother etc, you might have a different answer to this issue not that it has hit close to home and you have to deal with it. Now your not just looking at this extreme issue from and outsiders prospective. I think it is completely that person's choice and I also think that when we look at other people with these same issues, we have to have the same approach to looking at them in the same way we would look at our mother or sister if this happened to them. Some people look at abortion in such a negative way and very mean about it when they hear someone got abortion. Everyone is different and everyone has different stories so you must try to find empathy for every single person or you will always have a negative view towards people because you will only believe what you want to believe. If your 12 year old daughter got raped and got pregnant, most likely you would want her to get an abortion but before this you might have looked at abortion in such a negative way. This is why you must always put yourself in someone else's shoes. No one can decide for someone else whats right for that person when it comes to a child. No one can say "Well it was their fault for not being on birth control." You don't know that persons life or story and if it happened to your younger sister, most likely you would not be saying it's her fault. You would help her to make the best decision possible.

When I see this African American man, I do not think of him any differently then anyone else. Maybe some people may think he comes off intimidating because of his hair and maybe because he is not the same race as them, but he seemed like a very nice guy. If he had came off rude and not nice then I would think differently about this guy. I try my best not to judge people on the way that they look, but by their personality and the person that they are. If someone came up to me that was an African American man but was very nice, easy to talk to, and was very respectful, I would not think any differently of him just because he is African American. On the other hand, if a African American male came up to me and was very rude and ignorant, I would not like this but it would be strictly due to the fact that he was not a nice person, not because he was a different race. When this black male spoke, he seemed like a nice guy and he seemed approachable. I like being around people that are happy and funny, no matter what their race or ethnicity is, or even if that person is very different it does not matter much to me. What matters is how that person is deep down and how they present themselves and come off. If a person is to come off very friendly, I will talk to them no matter what their background is. In our world today, people need to be able to open up and need to be able to be more willing to accept different people. There are a million different people in this world and not everyone is going to look the way they do because this should not shy them away or make them intimidated to talk to because that "intimidating" person might be one of the nicest people you will meet. You must give people chances and not judge so quickly or you will never be able to see the good in people and people that do this will miss out on some extroardinary people. The more people get out into the world and meet different people, this mans appearance will be nothing new and you won't even think twice about it. If you go to jamaica there are many people with dreads and also so many other parts of the world, these people are some of the coolest people so this did not scare me away just because this man is and African American and has dreads. Honestly, the more I talked to this guy I would probably find him very interesting and I would like talking to him.