The situation at hand is very sticky. There were a lot of different reactions to the events that happened leading up to today. Everybody has their own opinion and everybody is a critic. Everybody with a voice is not properly educated on what took place. Everybody with an opinion may only view things as black and white and see no gray area. So the way Penn State students are perceived amongst a large pool of people will vary from person to person with some similar views and some different views. I think many people will look at the situation and think negative things about Penn State based off of Sandusky and all of his allegations. Even though it may seem somewhat unfair since Penn State and Sandusky are not actually synonymous but some people may see one name and think of the other so its very easy to having negative feelings about the school after hearing about what Sandusky did. With that being said there will be people who just looks at Penn State in disgust because of the violent reaction to Joe Paterno’s firing. Flipping over media vans, breaking light fixtures, resisting arrest and turning rocks and beer bottles into projectiles is not a good way to show that the student body actually care for the victims. A person who actually goes here can tell you that there is a large body of students who do not feel the same way as the thousands of angry students who rioted the streets of downtown. Any student here could tell you that the whole campus was not in frenzy and there were actually peaceful and quiet protest taking place on that same night. The thing is that the majority of people tuning in to the dilemma are not students of this campus. The media did their jobs and brought the whole world to State College via Twitter and video cameras at the time of the riot. They may have only shed light on the negative reactions but at the same time that is what people watch tv and the news for. People would not be as interested on the coverage of State College if the news showed a bunch of people peacefully protesting. Students created the chaotic environment and the media gave the world what they wanted, a reason to have a biased opinion of Penn State. With all that being said, I believe the events leading up to this vary instant affected the way people view Penn State drastically. This campus had a squeaky clean reputation. Having a school possibly covering child abuse is a huge ordeal. People rioting because of the firing of someone who may have been involved in the process of covering up is even bigger. So Penn State now looks like a place that was built on no morals and a place that will do anything to cover its ass and I do not think that sits well with people.

The foundation of this country was built by hard labor being done by other people other than the white man. To be an American used to mean being white and Anglo Saxon. Anybody else was not considered an American. In my opinion not being American or white basically meant being sub human or a lower life form. So to some Americans doing hard labor was not something that was meant for them. That could be a small reason to why Americans relied on slavery to drive the countries economy. The economy is another reason why Americans relied on others to hard labor. Slavery was basically free labor. The only thing that slave masters had to pay for was the cost of living for the slaves and that was the minimum most of the time. The same thing applies today. Most mexicans are already viewed as illegal immigrants whether they are legal or not. That already projects a negative image in the minds of most Americans. When you have that and the fact that migrant workers are usually willing to work for less than the average American then it starts to make sense why Americans rely on Mexicans for hard labor. You can pay a Mexican way less than minimum wage to do task that is far more demanding the a minimum wage job and they will still come back for more work. They will not complain and you can always be sure that they will do a good job and work hard at whatever they are being hired to do. If people can pay a small amount for labor then that means that they are bringing in more money essentially. Another reason why Americans rely on Mexicans is because Americans are down right too lazy to do the work. For the most part Americans are used to getting everything easy compared to the way things are obtained in other countries. When you are too lazy to do a job and you can pay somebody a little bit of money to do a job then you will usually pay someone. This is not really rocket science why Americans rather have Mexicans do the hard labor. In most cases if someone could pay for someone to take an exam for you and get a good grade and not pay much that person would do that hands down. It is fool proof and the only consequences may be getting in trouble for acedemic integrity if you get caught. It is the same with using Mexican workers to do hard labor. In conclusion Americans are lazy and used to others doing manual labor for the country. It will never change and it will be a cycle that happens over and over again until we die.

In America people with skin of color went through way more than white people. West Africans were forced onto ships to become slaves for 400 plus years. Native Americans were essentially exterminated from the land just ensure that Europeans could gain control over land that was self-proclaimed. Blood was shed and people were mistreated just for the benefit of the white man. This caused of a lot of hate to build up against white people in America. At the same time it caused a lot of white guilt. Some white people now feel that they have to be extra empathetic because of the evil doings of their ancestors. It is not their fault that their skin is white and prior white people were so evil. The same thing applies with black people. It is not black people fault that are skin is black and we were looked at as sub human beings thus being forced into slavery. All of this leads to black people being able to say almost whatever they feel about white people and it not seeming as horrible as a white person makes an equal statement about black or white person. I do not only think that the past creates the situation that is question. I also think that the past creates the stage 5 white people. Some white people feel that the best way to feel comfortable as a white person is to try and surround themselves with many black people. I am not saying there is anything wrong with being friends with black people if you are white. I am just saying sometimes it often appears strange when a white person only wants to be around black people. There is no need to feel that guilty. People should feel comfortable being around everybody.
I am from an inner city where the majority of the residents are black and coming to Penn State was a culture shock. At the same time it helped me to compare different type of white people. Going to school a school where the majority of the people are black helped me to see whites who actually were cool white people and white people who tried too hard to be down with black people. The white people who were just cool hung out with everybody. They were not pressed to be seen with blacks and they had a well-rounded group of friends despite the school being majority black. The white people that tried hard were the whites that a lot of black people didn’t like most of the time. They tried way to hard. They were often the white people who were itching to use the N word casually. These are just my thoughts.

How does race shape the way you view the world?

Even though many people may like to believe that they are stuck in Sam Richards stage one, race does alter the way everybody look at the world. Everybody in America anyways. The media does such a good job portraying different races as what they may or may not be. People being grouped into races make it easier for people to misjudge and make horrible assumptions. Race makes it easy to become very ignorant towards people of different backgrounds. For instance people of color are often viewed as violent, deviant, unintelligent, irresponsible and anything other negative term that could be used to degrade a human being. People of color are often called loud and obnoxious. Everything I described could easily describe a white man but its typically associated with black and brown people. Whites are usually associated with prestige and wealth. White people are known for using good manners and sounding intellectual when they speak. You could easily describe a person with color the same way. Even though it is common sense that we should not use stereotypes to form opinions against people it is a very hard thing not to do.

I guess I would say that race doesn’t really affect the way I view the world. I take things for what they are and I try not to let them bother me. The only thing that really bothers me is people bluntly being racist. I grew up in a city that is filled with mostly blacks and Hispanics. There were few white people in my high school. Of the white people in my high school. The majority of them lived in the better parts of the city and were usually in all of the honor and AP classes. There were a few that grew up poor like the majority of black and brown students in my school. With that being said it made it easy for me to assume that most white people come from money and are usually better off than most blacks and Hispanics. That thought never really bothered me. It just made me think that I need to set myself apart and try to beat the odds and actually go to school. Growing up in a city like that also makes me think that there isn’t much hope for black people in America. Yes we have come a long way but at the same time we are so behind. The same patterns repeat over and over again and it seems like it will never end. As far as the world I really don’t have much of an opinion on race outside of America because I have yet to experience race relations outside of the country besides a Caribbean island that I vacationed at.

Why do women want to dress a certain way and expect to be treated a certain way?
I think this is for a number of reasons. In America women used to be limited to a very small amount of things to do such as being a housewife or maid. Things changed drastically over time. In today’s society women are free to do what they please and for the most part are equal with men. Some women probably just dress a certain way to make themselves feel more attractive. Some women probably do it to out due other women. Others may do it to attract a man. The reason will vary for different type of women. With that being said women now feel like they should be able to express themselves however they please, as they should. Women have every right to dress however they want. If a female wants to walk down college avenue butt ass naked then they should do so. At the same time if a women is willing to dress a certain way she should also expect to be perceived as something that she may not be. I am not saying that this is right but it is the truth. This world is dominated by men and women dressing revealing just feeds into the desires and fantasies of men. A man would love to just walk up to any women that dress revealing and be able to take them home that night. To men, women dressing the way they do at parties is just eye candy. It is almost like a kid in candy store who sees every piece of candy that they desire. Of course every women at a night club or party is not willing to just have sex and give it up freely but that is the thought that goes through most minds of men. There is a common misconception when women dress very revealing and isn’t actually slutty. I am not saying that women should behave like a slut because she is wearing a short skirt and a shirt that reveals her bust. All I am saying is that a woman should not be surprised if a man thinks that she will be an easy fuck. If anybody sees someone walking down the street wearing a police uniform that person would expect the person to arrest a criminal. If you were to see someone with a clown suit you would think that they were an actual clown. In both situations the people dressed as something might not be what you think they are. They might just like to dress that way. It is the same thing with women. Things are not always what they seem.

There is not one set reason I came to Penn State. Race played a small part. I knew there were mainly white students at Penn State. Along with the large body of white students I knew there were other racial groups that are small compared to the white student body but still pretty large at the same time. I feel that is the type of environment that I will be working once I leave college. For example now that I am in my major classes I am one of about two black people in some of those classes. I have an uncle who works in the field that I plan on entering and he tells me all the time that he usually the only black man at his job. I also have a mom who works in a similar field and she tells me the same thing that my uncle tells me. I feel like being at a predominantly white school will prepare me for possibly being the only black guy at my job. Another reason I came to Penn State was an organization called SHPE. The organization allowed me and other classmates to come visit for a weekend my junior and senior year of high school. It was then that I realized the benefits of being a student at Penn State. The students did a wonderful job of recruiting and informing about everything that I could do while I was and how being a Penn State graduate would benefit my future. The first thing that made me want to go Penn State was my first visit in eighth grade. I did not know much about what I wanted to do or what the school had to offer as far as academics but the campus wowed me. The first building I entered at Penn State was the IST building and when I saw the computer labs I fell in love. I already had an interest in computers since a young age and everything about that building heightened my interest in computers and actually working with them for a career. A school being attractive and beautiful is a great way to reel students in and Penn State did a great job with the campus and the architecture of the buildings. I did not really come to Penn State for social standing. That would be a retarded to go to a school in my opinion. I feel like when you go away to school it should be in an environment where you are going to be comfortable because you have to live at the place for at least for years. If someone was to choose Penn State for social status they would risk being here and not even liking the campus.

Barack Obama's father is from Africa and his mother is white. So I guess I would consider him biracial but I mostly view him as a black man. It is the easiest to identify him with because he is a man of color. To be honest his race does not alter my opinion of him but it does scare me. It makes me afraid for him, for me and for blacks in general. There is a ton of pressure on anybody who decides to become the president of the United States. Him being the first black president brings added pressure because he is the first of his kind to be in such a high position of power. This is a double edged sword because though he is in the position to knock down barriers and give more people of color the opportunity to become president he is also in position to give white America a reason to not vote for another candidate of color.

Obama being a black president should not change anybodies opinion of him. Him being the president does not alter my opinion. He is the president whether he is white, black, brown or red he is the president of the United States. He should be held at the same standards and viewed in the same light as any other president. He should not have to go through anything that seems remotely racist. He is the commander in chief and that should be the only light he is viewed in as far as his capability of doing his job. His skin color does not have anything to do with him being president. The sad thing is that because he is biracial and is considered black by most, he deals with things that no other president had to deal with. For instance is citizenship was at question. No other president was asked about their birth certificate but yet America wanted proof of his birth certificate. Him saying that he is a United States citizen should be enough but people are never satisfied when the truth when it involves somebody different than the usual is involved. John McCain was born on a military base outside of the United States and a big deal was not made of this because he is white. I remember Another instance of Obama being treated differently because of his race which was a comment made by George Bush. George Bush was asked what he thought about Obama while he was running for president. One of his responses is that he is articulate. This is bothersome because every president of the United States to that point has been articulate and most presidents graduated from an IV league school or some type of prestigious college. With that being said, there was no need for George Bush to point out the way Obama speaks and the way he goes about delivering his speeches. I perceived that comment as George Bush saying,
“Oh he is a black man he can speak just as well or better than all the previous presidents. What a surprise”.

Why America is not mentioned when asked about heritage?
When I think of heritage I think of many of things. The first thing that comes to mind is where my elders originated. I then think about the different things they experienced in their everyday life that I may not experience in my everyday life. Things such as the type food they ate from day to day. I think of the way they may have dressed and what type of clothing they wore at different events. I think of the way they communicated with amongst their peers. I think of the major religion of that region. For the most part the life of my elders in their countries differed from my life growing up in America. The same goes for the people that my elders came across everyday meaning that there were many similarities as far as everyday life in their countries. America is the total opposite of many countries in the world. America is truly a melting pot. There are so many different types of people in America and it would be very hard to define an American culture. Defining a culture would mean describing the everyday life of the mass majority of the country. Across America the daily life of citizens differ according to where you are. In Pennsylvania there exist people such as the Amish who believe they should live life without the luxuries of electronics and lavish houses. In places like Los Angeles there are people who live in mansions. Some people in this country prefer to be Christian, some people prefer to be Muslim and some people prefer to not believe in anything at all. I can make a million and one examples of how things differ in America amongst the daily lives of citizens. The only thing that every all American truly have in common is being free to practice whichever heritage they desire.
Is America a less united nation opposed to nations like Russia and Japan.
In some ways America being so diverse does makes the country less united. Everything in America is separated by race and ethnicity. Everything being separate helped to create and drive racism. Even though people would like to think racism is gone it still remains a problem today. When a country is started by enslaving a group of people and deeming them the inferior race then you’re sure to have problems with a nation being united. In this country whites are seen as the superior race and everyone else is seen as inferior. It is hard to be united as a nation when everybody is not equal. Inequality creates hate, envy and the desire to be the superior race.

This post is very interesting and very relevant to some ideas that have been thrown at me in this past week. Sam speaks about war being about resources opposed to a difference in ideology and beliefs. As of now the region that possesses a highly coveted resource is the Middle East. That resource happens to be oil. For almost the past decade the United States army has spent time in the middle east post the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During this time Americans have been brained washed into thinking that people from the Middle East region are horrible. I believe this a tactic used by the United States to gain supports of the citizens of this country to actually “go to war” and protect oil that isn’t ours. It is videos like this that allows Americans to stay brain washed in the thought that people from the Middle East are horrible. Another reason I found this interesting is because this week I attended an event about segregation and at the event I watched a video about an Islamic women who agreed to stage racial conflict with an actor. This was an experiment to see how witnesses would react. I found it sad that some people condoned the Islamic woman being verbally attacked. I believe that the people that condoned this are victims of the brain washing imposed on citizens by the government. It is all fine and dandy while we are in America being able to take advantage of the resources from other countries, but imagine how life is for the countries being stripped of their oil. This goes back to the TED TALK video that Sam showed in class. While America is living in luxury countries like Iraq are barely getting by. It is easy to not give a damn about another country because the problems of other countries do not exist here. Having some empathy and compassion for others will help one to understand exactly what another country or another human being on the opposite side of the world is going through. I feel like this also will allow for people to stop and think before they verbally or physically abuse someone because our country have brained washed one to hate.

I like this posting because it well written and has a lot of meaning. This article makes me feel somewhat wrong for referring to the “lifers” as lifers because like the man said in the article it’s a title and usually wit that title comes a negative perception. I can relate to what the message that the author is trying to convey because being a black. Black people especially black males are sometimes labeled a number of things. It is very easy to become caught up with stereotypes and stigmas and forget that people are human beings and are not always what they are classified as. I feel like some labels are warranted. Most people would think that prisoners are bad because society made it so that when you do something extremely bad you go to prison. This makes it very easy to forget that inmates are human as well. A mistake should not define them as a person yet we allow ourselves to make that judgment. The sad part about this is that there is almost no way of avoid labeling people. It is almost a natural instinct to place a label on someone upon meeting and to place a label on something that is unfamiliar to one. Most people would agree when that upon meeting someone that there is already some type label going through your head. This would definitely occur upon meeting someone associated with negative things such as inmates. Just because labels are sometimes warranted doesn’t mean it is right to use them. Imagine how being falsely labeled feels. I’m black and I know it feels to be falsely labeled. I think the best way to cut down labels is to try to picture people as you picture yourself. It goes back to what Sam spoke about in class when he spoke about thinking sociologically and having empathy. When you can put yourself in someone else shoes or picture them as yourself it will help to limit the amount of times you pass judgment on someone. This is a sure way to cut down the amount of unnecessary labels.