After taking Soc119 how has your view of other races and ethnicities changed?
Taking this class really opened my eyes about other races. I’ve always been a strong believer that if you work hard you will get ahead in life and if you slack off it’s your fault for wherever you end up. I had no idea that other races and ethnicities are still so segregated against. It should not be harder for a black person to get a loan than a white person just because of the color of their skin. Also, the Christian Invaders lecture really helped me understand this whole situation more. I was completely shocked by what I heard during that lecture and I really learned a lot. I always felt so bad when I heard of American soldiers dying in Afghanistan because they got attacked. I would think the people who killed them were horrible people but now I realize how naïve and stupid I was to think that! If someone invaded the United States of America and expected to take our natural resources without us putting up a fight I would think they were crazy. I would fight for my home country and my family and friends who live here. We don’t have a right to take their oil and expect it to be ok. I feel like I am much more open minded and understanding about people of other races and ethnicities now because of this class and I am so glad I took it. I learned a lot about the hardships people of color have still had to face since the end of slavery and I learned a lot of information about the white race that I never knew before.
My high school was for the most part white students. There were other races as well but white people are the majority there. I’ve never had a class where there were so many people of a different race and/or ethnicity like I’ve experienced with Soc 119 and I think that makes a big difference as well. If the class was mostly white, I don’t think the information I learned would have had as big of an impact on me as it did because I wouldn’t be able to put faces to the facts. I would hear that black women don’t get loans as often as white women because of the color of their skin but seeing a white woman and black woman standing in front of me and having a common, every day situation being explained to me, I felt more close to the facts and I felt really bad for the people who aren’t treated as equally as me.
Like I said before, this class really opened my eyes on a lot of issues I’ve never had to face before but people of color have to face on a daily basis. My views have changed completely and I have a greater respect for people of color than I did before.

If you were a victim that was silenced, what would it take for you to speak up?
After the riot on Wednesday, November 9th, I would not speak up it I had been abused by Sandusky. Knowing how much damage was done by the students after Joe Paterno was fired, I would be worried about another riot occurring because of my testimony. I attended the riot (I didn’t tip over vans or light posts but I was still present) and I cannot believe all the felonies that happened. I felt bad for the victims because if it were me, I would feel responsible in a way. I’d just like to point out that in no way am I saying it is their fault what happened, but if I were them I would feel a sense of responsibility. The riots would make me nervous to speak out about what happened to me. I have personally seen what people who have been abused go through. They want to forget about it, move past it, and not talk about it. They feel like they are the reason they got abused. The riots would keep me silent for the rest of my lift; however, on a more positive note, I think the candlelight vigil on Friday, November 11th would show all the victims that they are not at fault. That showed that our school cares about them as much as, if not more than, Joe Paterno. We really care about what happened at our school and we want to make it right. If I was one of these people, hearing how much support I have from the school would definitely convince me to speak up more. At the same time, like I said before, I would just want to forget about the whole thing so I don’t think anything would be able to convince me to come forward and speak up about getting abused. It’s important for victims to know that whatever they choose to do is a good choice. If people feel pressured to come forward they will most likely panic and it won’t go over very well. To reiterate what I said before, I would need a lot of support from my friends and family (or whoever knew about what happened to me) to even consider coming out to the public about what happened to me.

Without facebook and twitter and social media, do you think the riots would have really happened and gained any attractions? Explain your reasoning. I think the riots would have happened no matter what, whether the outside world knew about them or not. I know that, personally, I attended one of the riots because for the most part I was curious about what happened, but I also wanted to show the outside world that I care about what’s going on. For me, it’s not all about Joe Paterno. The victims are huge and should be acknowledged. But as we talked about in class, I am ashamed, confused, upset, disappointed and so many more mixed emotions about what is happening to our school as we speak. I decided that going to one of the riots was a way for me to get some of those emotions out (without going too far like some other people did at the riot on Wednesday). I didn’t go to the riot so people would see that I was there. If it weren’t for the media, we could grieve in our own way and most likely, the rest of the world would see that we love our school and are upset about what’s happening. Everything negative that came out of the riots is what made it to the news. None of the good stuff made it to the news because it’s not as interesting to people not directly involved in the riots. Like I briefly stated, I definitely think the riots got out of hand. We should not have tipped over a media van or tipped over light poles. What is the point of that? Why was that necessary? It wasn’t. But at the same time, I don’t believe that things would have gotten so out of hand if the media had not played such a big role in this whole crisis at Penn State. The media spread the ideas that we are crazy students and all we do is riot. The media spread the idea that Joe Paterno is to blame for this whole situation. Ultimately, I strongly believe that the media played a big role in Joe Paterno getting fired and I don’t think that is fair at all. Also, facebook and twitter help spread the story throughout the entire world at the click of a button; but they aren’t the true stories. Some people have opinions different than other people and their friends agree with their opinions (for the most part). People aren’t getting all the facts through the media so they are making it so much worse that it should be (and I’m not saying it shouldn’t be a big deal. This is a big deal, but the less important parts of the case are getting more publicity than the actual victims which is the real problem here).

Do you think your friends are in the same stage you are? And if you are then how do they have an influence on you? I would definitely say that my friends are at the same stage as me or at least a stage close to mine because I don’t think I would get along with someone who was at a different stage than me. As I said before, I believe I am in stage two. I’m not blind to race which makes me past stage one, but at the same time, I’m not getting mad at white people for all the racism that has ever happened. I feel like I watch what I say more around black people than if I was in a group of all white people and I do feel a sense of “white guilt” because of what many black people’s ancestors had to go through. This being said, I couldn’t see myself being friends with someone who was so oblivious to race because although it doesn’t bother me, it would bother me that my friend is that naïve. I also couldn’t see myself being friends with someone who is mad at white people because since I’m white, I would get annoyed if they were constantly yelling at me and getting mad at me. Similarly, I couldn’t see myself being friends with someone who was constantly getting angry at black people (stage four) because even though I sometimes get annoyed when black people call me racist for something stupid, I couldn’t deal with someone criticizing black people for every little thing they ever do. I couldn’t see myself being friends with someone in stage five either because it would get boring to be friends with someone who was constantly trying to please and get approval from black people. The only stage that I could see myself being friends with is stage six because people in stage six don’t put a lot of emphasis on race. It doesn’t dominate their lives and they’re not constantly stressing about it or worrying about always saying the right thing. I see this person as being more laid back and I could see myself being friends with a person like that. I think friends have a big impact on your views on race because racial issues surround us. We are constantly hearing things based on race so when a discussion is brought up, you will constantly be sharing views with the same person and you will all eventually gain the same perspective as your close friends.

At what stage do you think you’re at and why do you think you’re at that stage? How long do you think it will take to get out of that stage?
I think I am at stage two, the awakening stage. I have no problem with people of a different race (black, Mexican, Asian, etc.). I take the thought process that everyone is a person; their race is insignificant when it comes to that. I am definitely not at the angry stage because although I can see why some white people would get angry at black people for constantly calling them racist for everything they do, I’m not there. It bothers me when someone says I’m racist for something that wasn’t even racist at all; however, I’d rather hold my tongue and not say anything than say something that could offend anyone. I worry about saying certain things if I’m around other people because I don’t want to think I’m being racist or prejudice against another group. One of my close friends is black and I’ll always joke around with her saying things like, “Oh, I’m hanging out with my black friend this weekend,” just like she’ll call me “white girl” or something like that. We both know that it’s just a joke and not meaning anything but I sometimes get worried saying that stuff to her because if anyone else hears me, they will with out a doubt think I’m just being racist. That’s why I put myself in the second stage. I feel like I’m always on edge if a black person is around because I don’t want to say the wrong thing and get myself in trouble or make that person feel like I’m just a stupid white girl who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I don’t think I’ll get to stage three because I can’t see myself getting mad at other white people for what happened in the past. My parents started with very little and worked their way up so I don’t agree that everything is handed to us on a silver platter. On the contrary, this class has opened up my eyes to how much harder black people had it that I never knew before. I was naïve and thought free will was the most dominant factor in how a person ended up but obviously now I realize how wrong I was (but I still think it plays a big part). I could see myself getting to stage four if I talk normally and get called racist for something because especially now that there is much more equality than there has been in the past, black people have more opportunities and the fact that they constantly play the sympathy card and the racist card and the slave card gets old and annoying really fast, so I could see myself eventually getting there. I don’t really say enough to get called racist at the moment, though, so I think I’ll be stuck in stage two for a while. I don’t think it would talk long for me to get over stage four though and move into stage five and like Sam said in class, it’s very rare that white people make it to stage six so at this point all I can do is wait and see where I end up.

I hate the double standard that’s given to women because it’s not fair that if a girl goes to a party wearing jeans, UGG boots, and a long sleeve shirt, she “looks like she just rolled out of bed”. If we don’t give up our comfort to look pretty in our heels and short skirts and/or dresses, we are judged without anyone even getting to know us. Of course it’s different for different kinds of parties you can go to (frat houses, small apartment parties, big apartment parties, house parties, etc.) but why are girls expected to spend all their time getting ready just to go out and get drunk? Guys could show up in sweatpants and no one would think twice about it. But no matter how unfair I think it is, it will never change because there will always be the girls willing to wear heels and short skirts when the go out which will cause guys to pay more attention to them, which in turn will make other girls dress the same way to get more attention from guys. We truly live in a male centered world; yet, no one is willing to challenge it. We’ve gotten used to our roles in society and that can’t change over night. I’m not saying I want to change that either. I don’t want to go out on weekends looking like I just rolled out of bed. It is fun getting dressed up every once in a while and receiving compliments on how I look. I’m in the middle on this issue; I understand why girls dress the way they do when they go out on weekends but I also understand the girl’s view on how it is unfair and unjust to be expected to dress as sluts.
Reading some of the previous comments, people are right. No, there is no rule written down that girls have to dress that way when they go out; however, can guys honestly say that if a girl showed up to a huge party wearing comfy clothes that he would choose to talk to her over a girl wearing hot heels and a skin tight dress that shows everything pretty much? As we were talking about in our weekly discussion groups, people don’t expect to go to a party and meet the person they are going to marry. Keeping that in mind, guys will be more inclined to talk with the girl who looks better.

Seeing the videos online of all the entrepreneurs really inspired me. They are all working so hard, doing what they do best, and trying to earn their own living. A lot of people who have nothing have the tendency to just give up; but every single person in each video was working hard to earn a living for herself and they were also creating jobs for other people as well. One part that caught my attention was in Anaes’ video about handbags. People who make and design handbags usually have their own style and don’t want to change the way they make their products; however, when Sam told her that the straps had to be stronger, she agreed to change them even though she didn’t agree with what he was saying. She put up a little fight at first because she didn’t agree with Sam, but after a little bit, she said she would change the handles because Sam gave her his opinion and you could tell she valued his opinion. Anaes’ main goal was to make her bags well enough to sell.
Another part of the Haiti Project that stuck out in my mind was the part about hospitals. It makes me so sad to think that when people go to hospitals, they are put at the back of the line because they have no money. I can’t imagine what a poor person would go through just to receive medical attention! First, they get put at the back because of lack of money. Then, when they get inside, they are still in pain because there isn’t enough medicine for them. Also while they are inside, there is a good chance they go hungry because they don’t have anyone to bring them food while they are stuck at the hospital. Finally, they may not be wearing any clothes because the hospital can’t even supply them with gowns. In a way it made me mad reading about the horrible conditions they have to live with because they went to the hospital to be helped and just to get the attention they require, they have to suffer through all this first. No one should have to deal with this but unfortunately there’s not a lot we can do to fix this problem. I think the Haiti Project is a really good idea. People need to make livings for themselves no matter where they live. After everything these people have been with, they are still willing to work extremely hard to survive. More people in America need to have that thought process and devotion to their work.

I strongly believe that free will affects people’s lives more than determinism. On the other hand, I understand that determinism plays a part as well. I agree with the example in class that most of our children will never have the same opportunities as Obama’s children; however, free will is more important. We can choose to be lazy and not work hard which will ultimately end up with us having poor jobs and not earning as much money as we would like or we can choose to study hard and really focus on our studies which will most likely result in a good job with good pay and good benefits. I truly believe this because I have lived it and experienced it. My parents grew up with nothing. They didn’t have a lot of money; my dad grew up on a farm in Iowa and had to wake up early every morning to take care of the cows before going to school. My mom lived in a small house in Wisconsin and their idea of a vacation was going to their “vacation house”, a small, one bedroom house (more like a shed) that was supposed to hold five people in it. My parents had to work for everything they ever got. When they got married, they only bought things that were essential (food, a small apartment, work clothes, etc.). They didn’t go out to eat or buy non-essential items because they wanted to save their money. My dad has worked at the same job since he was in college so over the years he has gotten promoted and has gotten many raises that he has earned. I would now consider my family to be upper middle class but we only got to this place in society because of the choices my parents made early on in their lives. If they went out to eat all the time or bought big screen TVs (or other objects they didn’t need) when they first started living together, we could be in debt or have a smaller house or be worse off. There are many different things that could be right now if they hadn’t chosen to save their money for essential objects. Again, I’m a strong believer in free will because my parents truly started with nothing and earned everything they have now. I know I am spoiled when it comes to certain things, but I also appreciate that I am only spoiled because my parents made all the right choices and earned everything we have. Like I said before, I understand that determinism plays a role as well; however, I believe free will plays a bigger part. That is why I don’t agree with people who say we should take from the rich and give to the poor. A lot of people surviving off welfare made poor choices that got them to where they are.

When I first look at someone, I identify them by the color of their skin. Without talking to someone and finding out how he or she identifies him/herself, that’s all I can go by. With that idea in mind, I identify Barack Obama as a black male because his skin is clearly darker than mine and other white people. That does not affect my views, though. I did not vote for Obama because I do not agree with his principles and his way of solving problems. The color of his skin has nothing to do with my not voting for him. I know that some people did not vote for him because he is not white and I do not agree with that. People shouldn’t vote for the person or the color of his or her skin. We should be voting for the changes and ideas the candidates have.
Going off of this topic, it bothers me when people find out that I did not vote for Obama and they call me a racist. Just because I have different ideas and opinions than Obama does not mean that I hate black people and would never want a black president. A person with the darkest skin ever could run for president and if I shared the same views as him I would be more than happy to vote for him. It is not my fault that the first black man to run for presidency did not share my ideas, and therefore, I get upset and angry when people would immediately call me a racist for saying I am not an Obama fan. On the other hand, I know of some people who voted for Obama because they wanted to see a change. They wanted to see a black man become president even if they didn’t completely understand or hear out what he had to say for how he was going to bring about change. I don’t agree with this either. As I said before, people should vote for the views they share, not for the color of skin the candidate has.
Speaking more generally, I know that there are still people around the United States who would not vote for a black man, even if they shared the same ideals and opinions as that man. A lot of people are still uncomfortable with the idea of a black person running the country. Especially in this day and age, we have come so far since slavery and I get mad when I see people still having a racist attitude. White people, black people, Hispanic people, etc., we’re all people! One race isn’t better than another and it’s about time everybody starts realizing that.

I’m not extremely religious in the sense that I don’t go to church every Sunday and other aspects of religion such as this; however, I still believe there is a God who watches over us and created us. I never really thought of God as a person; He was always just there. If someone mentions Jesus to me, the common image of the man with the long beard and long hair pops into my head. If someone mentions God, I usually imagine a clear blue sky with clouds or some other vague image that doesn’t have a specific person or object. I’ve never thought of this before but I think it’s interesting that He has never taken a shape in my mind just as other people thousands of years ago said the first form of life was a double helix rather than a person. I think that’s incredible that people and communities, who do not base their entire lives off scientific research as we do, draw a double helix which we have proven is a strand of DNA when asked what God looks like. They would not know what DNA was if we mentioned it or even explained it to them and the fact that there have been multiple instances where this sort of event has occurred I find fascinating. For me and my religious beliefs personally, these stories confirm my belief that there is a God and He does watch over us. Also, I find it weird and interesting that I have never had a set image of who or what I think God is. Just like the shaman, I do not see him as a person but more of an idea (a very strong idea) so it makes sense to me that while following their cultural rituals that allow them to see God, he is seen simply as a double helix.
Learning about the double helix reminded me of a story I was recently told about. A young girl was having visions of Jesus and she drew a picture of how she saw him. Later on a little boy, four years old at the time, went through a near death experience when his appendix burst and wasn’t treated until five days later. When he came out of surgery, he told his parents that angels picked him up and brought him to heaven where he saw Jesus and met his grandfather whom he had never met before. He was able to give details of things he could have never known otherwise. When asked what Jesus and heaven looked like he described it and when he saw the painting the little girl made, he pointed at it and said that was the Jesus he met when he was up in heaven. When I hear stories like this and stories like the shaman, I am inspired and even more interested. It definitely confirms my faith even more when I hear of events like these.