Immigration is a topic that is constantly being talked about in the news. It has been something that everyone has an opinion on, and there are constantly issues with immigration. I think society dislikes immigrants for a few reasons. They are portrayed badly in the media. I think this only increases societies bad feelings towards immigrants. It always seems like it is a big problem, and this only makes matters worse. The media always makes situations way worse than they are. Things are exaggerated so there is more hype and drama attached to things. People also jump on the band wagon often, and once one person starts hating something people will go along with it. I think in a way the media has made us dislike things. Immigrant may be a bad thing and an issue, but I think there is an increased amount of dislike for it because of the way it is portrayed and told to us.
People in our country do not usually take well to change. I am not saying that I want immigration to continue, but I do know that people are always skeptical to change. It is hard to adapt to knew things in general, but this is on a huge scale. I think people are always hesitant for change, and this is a change that would have a huge impact on our country as a whole. Having new people coming into the country affect many aspects of our society. It affects many people, jobs, and other things that we have to take into consideration. I also think people take change as a threat. It is something that could be potentially harmful in a way to our routine we are all used to.
Our country is in a state of worry when it comes to the economy and the job market. People have been worrying about jobs and money for years on end. It is hard to see new people coming into our country and potentially taking job away from the citizens. We always worry about job security and the job market. It is only natural for people to dislike people who are potentially a threat to jobs. Even blue collar jobs are being taken because immigrants are willing to be paid less. This is hard for U.S. citizens because we are scrambling to look for jobs and be paid well. We want to be paid enough to live in this country.
I do not necessary support immigration and people coming into the country. It could have a lot of consequences that could be a bad thing for our society. People are also not open to change, and I think this is why our society dislikes the idea so much.

I think the story was told in different ways for a few reasons. You can’t put it on a specific race for saying something a certain way. I think the people told the story in a certain way because of how they heard it and how they wanted to come off when they were retelling it. I know if I had been in front of a class room of seven hundred students I would not want to insult anyways. I noticed from the beginning that no one mentioned any insulting words in the story towards the black students in the story. I think that was interesting because no one wanted to use derogatory words. I feel as thought if I was standing in front of such a huge class full of such diverse students I would not want to use any words that would potentially insult any other students in the class. It was the first thing I noticed that people left out of the story. I think that whoever read the story first either forgot about it, or they purposely left it out to not say an insulting word infront of the class. I think that the students did not purposely leave anything else out of the story. I think that students just tried to sum up the story and pass it along. This is especially true because of the length of the story. It was a long story and you could tell that the girl who first had to repeat it was not ready to retell everything. She definitely did not remember the whole story, and was not prepared to retell each detail to the person who was next in line to tell the story.
I do not think any white student who retold the story purposely left anything out of it. I think if anything they maybe unconsciously retold the story in a specific way to not say anything insulting. I know that personally I would not have wanted to say anything that may have insulted another student. The white students who had to retell the story may have felt the same way. It could be an awkward situation to say something that could potential insult other students. I think this story scenario relates to the idea of political correctness. No one ever wants to say the “wrong” thing. No one wants to insult another person and there is always pressure to come off “correct” to not say something that will anger another person. I think in our scenario people just retold the story as they heard it. I also think that people retold it in a way that would sound correct to other people to not insult anyone in the classroom.

In lecture on Tuesday we were told to change our perspective for the whole lecture. We were told to go into the lecture with the mind set of a Middle Easterner. It was definitely an eye opening experience to try to think how they would perceive American’s and the United States. I think being in this mind set made me think way differently about American people. The videos and information we were given made the American people seems so crazy and extreme. If this is all the information you are given, then you would automatically think its true.
Watching the videos of the extreme Christian people was probably the worst videos to see. It was crazy how some very religious people act. I do not think this represents Christian American’s well, and I think most people would agree with me. There are not a lot of Christians who act like that, and I think that it is only a small community of extremists. Since we were in the mind set of a Middle Easterner, seeing a video like that makes you think that all Americans act that way. If that is the only thing you are shown about Christians in the United States. I am sure the same applies to us in America seeing things on the news about people in the Middle East. We believe what we are shown because we do not know any better. If we see extremists in Iraq for example, we are probably going to assume that what we see is true.
I think this lecture taught us to not assume everything we see is true. We always see the Middle East as being full of poverty, destruction, and violence. In reality there is more to it than that. There are nice areas and people who are well off. We are only shown the bad side of the countries and things that are only related to violence and destruction. Seeing the videos of America and the people in our country, I would definitely think we were crazy people if I was living in the Middle East. Seeing the Christian video of the kids speaking in other tongues and shaking was funny because I even think that's weird. The kids looked like they were possessed, and I know people in America even think that's a bit crazy. I can only imagine what people in other countries would think of it.
I think lecture was a really good one because it showed us how other people can perceive other countries given only a certain amount of information. I think it taught me to not always judge a country and its people based on what we might see on the news. We can’t rely on the media to always tell us the truth and show us how things really are.

I have definitely felt uncomfortable around people who are speaking another language that I do not understand. I think I feel this way because I am not used to hearing people speaking anything but English a majority of the time I am out. I do not think it is a rare thing to hear especially at Penn State. There are so many different races and cultures on campus that hearing other languages is not really rare. I have become more comfortable when situations like that arise. If I am walking on campus and people are speaking another language it does not catch me off guard as much as it used to before I came to this school.
Being Armenian I understand how it is to be speaking another language around people. My friends and I usually speak Armenian around other people, and we sometimes joke about the people around us. So I sometimes think that people could be talking about me when I am walking or standing around them. I do not talk about people around me in Armenian to be mean, but sometimes my friends will make jokes or funny comments. It is nothing rude or mean, but just silly things. I think other people think the same thing when they hear people talking in another language. They probably think they might be talked about, or just wonder in general what they are talking about.
I think a lot of people do often feel uncomfortable around people who are speaking other languages. It is weird to think though because we are such a melting pot of a country. People always say how America is full of diverse people, and yet people do feel uncomfortable around those who speak another language. You can even tell that people get uncomfortable. It is obvious to see when people feel awkward around others speaking another language.
I think it is becoming more and more common for people to be speaking other languages. Especially today, more people are speaking Spanish for example. I know do not even realize when people are speaking Spanish. It has become so common. I think this will happen with more and more languages as time goes on. It will become like second nature to hear other languages being spoken when we go out in public to any types of places. I do not know when we are going to get to this point in our country, but I am sure it will happen sometime in the future. I think this will help people become more accepting of each other and not so racists and discriminatory. This is especially true because white people will become the minority one day in the future.

There are a few different factors that I have to take into consideration when answering this question. My parents are full Armenian, and as an Armenian my parents ideally want me to marry an Armenian male. I was born in America, and so where my parents and grandparents. I have grown up around white people and all different races my whole life. In our population, there is not a huge percentage of Armenian people. I know many different Armenian people, and they are all like my brothers and sisters. I would never even consider dating any of them because most of them are like family to me. It is such a small community that I know I will not end up with an Armenian guy. My parents do not really care if I end up marrying an Armenian, but I know they would not want me dating anyone who was not Armenian or white.
I am not a racist person and neither are my parents, I just know they would never approve of me dating an Asian, Indian, Black male etc. I do not think I could ever date someone who was not white or Armenian. It might sound closed minded, but it is how I personally feel. I do not think there is anything wrong with dating someone of another race. I just personally do not think I could ever do it. Armenian people tend to be closed minded when it comes to people of other races. I know my family does not think that way, but they also have their own expectations of me when it comes to dating.
I have been dating my current boyfriend for over a year. He is Irish and German, and my parents love him. I do not in any way have to date Armenian guys, and my parents totally support my dating decisions. They would just not support it if I was dating a black guy for example. I see where they come from, and I do agree with it. I just know not everyone would agree with it, and some people might think it is racist. I just can’t see myself with someone of a different race such as someone who is black or asian. I do not think it is wrong of me to say that. It is how I honestly feel. I know some people would definitely agree with me, and I do know some people would completely disagree. Each person has their own opinion on this topic. Inter racial relationships have been a topic of discussion for a long time. There is such a broad scale of where people have their opinions. I think it is up to the person to chose who they want to date.

I do not think anyone should ever feel guilty about what race they are. I know I have never felt guilty for my race because I know I did not have any control over it. I did not pick to be white. You are born into whatever race your parents are, and therefore have no choice. Being white has its advantages, and I know that because I am white I will have some opportunities that other races will not. This does not make me feel guilty, but it does make me feel bad for other races. Because this is not something that any race can control, I feel bad in general that this is the way our society is. I know I can’t feel guilty because it is not like I personally did something to put myself in this position. I did not wrong anyone or put someone down to get to where I am. I have no control over how certain races are treated in society and how some have an advantage over another.
I think that no matter how much we try to change our society and make it more equal, there will always be inequality. I think people will always have a sense of inequality, and people will always treat others differently. As much as we would like to say we are not racist people, each one of us will always have our unconscious tendencies towards people of other races. I also think that people will have some level of sympathy towards other races. I feel bad that some people will not be given certain opportunities that I will be given. I wish I could say that one day this will change, but I honestly think that no matter what happens this will exist. It will be really hard for everyone to be equal. It is so hard to put thoughts and feelings aside when it comes to unconscious actions.
This makes me think if I was to be apart of another race if I would feel differently about this question. Would I want someone feeling guilty about their own race because I was not given certain advantages? I do not think I would want another race feeling guilty about their race. If I was black I would not want white people feeling bad. You can’t feel bad about something you do not have any control over. I did not chose to be born the race I am. No one gets to pick. It is unfortunate that some races do not get the same advantages as other races, but you still need to be proud of who you are. I would not want anyone not feeling proud of their race.

Affirmative action is something that has been apart of our society to try and make equal opportunities for people of different minorities. I think the initial idea and intention was great, but I think realistically it did not work out that way. Why not make a system to create an equal chance for people of different races to have the same chances to get into college, and other various opportunities. But as the idea moved along, I think more people began to realize that it started to make an unfair system. This was then taking away opportunities for white people who deserved them. It tried to create more equality but this only takes away from people who have more deserving chances. I think if jobs and college acceptances are taken away from a white person with better qualification, then there is an issue.
As a white female, if my spot for a job was given to someone just because of their color and not their qualifications I would be furious. I know we do not live in a perfect world, but in today’s society jobs and other opportunities should be given to people who have the best qualifications for the jobs. I know discrimination occurs in the work place, but creating more inequality would only creating a bigger problem.
I think there will always been some amount of inequality in the world. Maybe I have my opinions because I am not of a minority, but speaking from my point of view I think affirmative action is not the way to fix this ongoing problem of inequality. Affirmative action maybe help one group of people, but then it only angers another group. All racial groups will not be happy. There is always going to be some level of inequality in opportunities such as job positions, but I think its each companies own responsibility to be proactive about not discriminating against minorities.
I do not think there is a solution to the problem of inequality because there is always going to be a group of people who are unhappy. I think improvements can be made, but I think affirmative action just makes things worse. It ends up making for of an issues for white people. I know there should not be an unfair advantages for white people, but it also is not our fault that companies do discriminate when hiring people for positions in their company. I think we can have more equality if we wanted to, but then you risk having a system that ends up creating more inequality than we started with. It is just a hard situation that will be in our society for years to come until a perfect system is created.

Watching the video in class about Tammy, I felt compassion and sympathy for her. It was hard to watch someone who had so little. She had to walk to work everyday. Ten miles to walk every day is not an easy thing to do. It is hard enough to walk around campus in the snow, and that is only a few blocks. Walking ten miles seems nearly impossible to me. I do not think I feel more compassion for Tammy because she is white. I think I would feel bad for anyone of any race in this situation. It is hard not to feel bad for someone like that. I think that no matter what the race is, I would still feel bad for any one who lived like Tammy did. It is hard to not feel bad. Some things are hard to not feel bad for. I think she does not help herself with having so many kids.
I think black people would also feel bad for the white people in that situation. I think anyone would feel bad for any race. I think I would feel bad but I think I would be able to be more judgmental because she is of my own race. I would not be able to judge someone of a different race though. Most people think white people are very racists to begin with. I do not think I would be able to say anything bad about a black person though. I do even think I would. Being white makes it all the more hard to be judgmental of other races because of our place in society. We are look at as the most racist of racial groups. It is hard being a white person to ever say anything bad about another race. I think most would agree with me. I even sometimes feel bad about saying things about other white people. I know Tammy is in a bad spot and a horrible situation, but there are things that she could have done to be in a better situation. I feel bad, but she did not need to have four kids. That just makes all the more financial burden. I think that people can feel a certain amount of sympathy for people, but at the same time you have to put the responsibility somewhat on the person for the situation they are in.
This takes us back to the argument of free will versus determinism. Tammy was raised in a family of twenty two children. She knows how it is to be in a family with financial problems. She was born into that and has in turn put herself into the same situation.

I think many people like to use the ignorance card because its an excuse. It is human nature to blame other people for our own wrong doing. It is so much easier to just say it is somebody else’s fault and put the blame on someone else instead of stepping up and taking responsibility for our own mistakes. When it comes to issues in the media, we are definitely censored on many issues and topics. I think it is partially the media’s fault for censoring serious issues. The newspapers, magazines, and news reports on the television are our main sources of information for the current events going on in the world. If we do not know about an issue, it is probably because it was not on the news.
On the other hand, we have access to the world wide web. We can get almost any information on the internet. Unlike many other countries who have many websites and internet access blocked, we as Americans are very lucky to have all of the freedoms we are guaranteed. We have so much more access to information than many other people in other countries. I think we have an advantages over other people. It is nice to have the freedom to search for information online, but there are so many people who do not even know where to begin to find information.
Learning about the slaves on the Ivory Coast was something that I had no idea about. I usually do not keep up on the news often, but this is something that would not even be on the news. I feel like so many people do not even know about these types of issues, such as slavery in other countries. It is not that American’s do not care, it is just that we do not really have the information coming to us. I am not saying we should have this information handed to us. I just feel as though it is harder to come by. We are sheltered by what the media feeds to us through the news and magazines. But on the other hand, where would I even begin to look for things on the internet on these types of issues? I know there is so much available on the internet, I just would not even know what sources to trust or not. Anyone can write anything on the internet. I trust the news channels on the TV because they are credible sources. The credible sources are sometimes the ones that hide information, and this just continues the issue of being ignorant on issues such as slavery. If the information was available I am so sure that more people would be involved in trying to help the problem.

I think determinism and free will both play equal roles in our lives. I know this is true for me personally. There are equal reasons that both have played an important role in getting me where I am today. I was lucky enough to have parents that were more than able to provide for me. My parents have always been there for me, and I did not have to worry about money and financial issues as much as other people have. This has many obvious advantages that I am very thankful for. It has helped me go to a good school, and even more importantly pay for a great college education. I know that if my parents were not paying for my college education at Penn State, I would have a lot of debt after graduation to pay off student loans. I know I am luckier than most people, and I will always be so grateful for what my parents have be able to give to me.
On the free will side of my life, I know my hard work in school, especially high school, has helped me get where I am today, which is Penn State. If I did not study hard, get good grades, and involve myself in many after school activities, I know I would not have been accepted into Penn State. It is not the easiest school to get into, so my hard work paid off. It was not anything my parents did or having connections to anything. I even went to a public high school, so it was not a private school that put me ahead. I really do think my hard work and good decisions played a large role in how I have made it to Penn State. If I was lazy and slacked off in high school, I know I would not have gotten into this school, or have gotten far with anything I have done in my life. Everything I have done and worked hard towards were all decisions and choices that I made that have affect me and where I am in my life.
I think many people would agree that free will and determinism play pretty equal roles in our live. In my opinion, some people sometimes put the blame on determinism as the reason they have not been able to get very far in life. I definitely think it is easier to blame other uncontrollable reasons, but in the end we are responsible for where we get in life. Other factors such as where we grew up do influence our lives also, but there is an equal amount that is our own responsibility too. People have to accept the fact that both determinism and free will play an equal role in each one of our lives.