It disturbs me that schools today are more segregated than they were in the 1970s, but it does not surprise me. In today’s society, there are so many private schools that people can send their children to instead of public school. My parents sent me to a Catholic school when I was younger. During the nine years I was there, there were only a handful of African American students in the school. In my grade alone, there was only one African American for the whole nine years I was there. This segregation is due to the fact of where people live, and to the high price of sending children to these schools. The price of the school along is the economic segregation that leads to schools being segregated.
We have learned in Soc 119, that white Americans earn more money in the United States than any other race. Because whites earn more, they have more resources at their exposure and can thus choose to send their children to a variety of schools, unlike African Americans and “brown” people. This means that people can go their whole grade school, middle school, and high school careers without experiencing any diversity. I was lucky to avoid that problem because after middle school I went to a public high school. My high school was about half black and half white, with a few people from different countries. One of my good friends is Persian and we openly talk about his religion and about his culture.
Due to these experiences, I have been able to understand where people come from and see that in many ways we are all similar. This gift however, is denied to others because they chose to go to schools whose populations are all of one race or ethnicity. This means that people do not get the basic understanding of other cultures or people of another race. In college, people tend to group with people that they feel most comfortable with, especially at Penn State. This is true because of Penn State being predominantly white, forcing minority students to group together because many of the white students have not gone to school with people of color or have not had the opportunity to associate with them.
Today, it is clear that segregation is still in progress because instead of making laws that create segregation we are relying on money as a way of segregating the population. The more money you have, the better chance that you will go to a private school or live in a wealthy community where the schools are not only better, but will probably be predominantly white. I hope that one-day, we can all be equal, economically equal and all have the same opportunities to education in our society.

When listening to the lecture in today’s class, I was deeply saddened by the fact that Native Americans are still suffering in the United States. Previous to the class, I had heard about the deplorable conditions that Native Americans lived in. I love to watch the History Channel, and on that station they have mentioned how Native Americans are living today. However on other stations or in regular society today, we do not talk about the issue. Part of the problem is that we do not want to see it and we do not want to think that we are still killing Native Americans. We might not be literally shooting them, but we are certainly not helping. I think that another part of the reason why we do not talk about it is due to white guilt. I know that I personally feel this when it comes to slavery and the Jim Crow laws in America. Even though I have done nothing wrong, I know that other white people in the past have and continue to do so. It is the same with the Native Americans. I think we all deep down feel guilty about what happened especially when we know that we can never really rectify the problem. When it comes to African Americans we have taken strides to combat racism and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to succeed. When it comes to Native Americans however, there is no way that the government or the American population will give land back to Native Americans. Part of this is due to the fact that the visible massacre of Native Americans happened over a century ago and several people have generations of their families living on certain plots of land. It also comes down to the fact that to give away land means to give away money and power. There is not one nation in the world that would forfeit land that is profitable.
Even with these roadblocks, I think it is our duty as Americans to understand what is going on in our country and to understand our history. This is true even with the history that we hope to forget. Even if we can never give back the land that was once theirs, we need to make sure that we try and understand where they are coming from when they are showing resentment towards our government. I believe that as Americans we need to understand our history so that we do not repeat it and make the same mistakes that our forefathers did.
It is my sincere hope that people will learn that Native Americans are still suffering and it is our fault that they are. We still discriminate and violently attack them because they are different. We must all understand that it was because of their help that America is what it is today and it was with their help that pilgrims even survived on this continent.

I think the idea of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes was a great idea especially when it comes to war. As Americans we have no idea what it is like to have a war in our backyard. We are used to being safe and having a feeling that we can walk down our street without the fear that foreign soldiers or nations is roaming around our cities and neighborhoods.

Due to these experiences, we do not understand what it must be like to live in that kind of environment day in and day out. It must be terrifying that at any moment a bomb may come fall from the sky, or that a soldier might terrorize my family because they have the weapons and we do not. I know, just like everyone else, that there are a few soldiers that are rogue soldiers who only bully innocent people because they can and it makes them feel superior. I know that there are several soldiers that are just trying to do their job and live through the experience and make it back home to their families. This is not the image that Afghani and Iraqi people are seeing. It goes for us here in the United States who are only seeing our troops get shot at by extremists who convert children to fight against our soldiers. On each side we are seeing extreme views of one another. It is hard because we are in a war against them and it is easier to look only from our perspective. I think it is important that we understand each side because it helps get rid of stereotypes about Muslims and Afghans and Iraqis that people might have here in the United States. I hope that it does eliminate some hatred that people have of the people from those nations. It is not their fault that the war started. If it were not for extremists then this might have never happened. If 9/11 never occurred then people would feel very differently about the war now.

The part of the class that shocked me the most were the videos about how America is fighting a crusade in the Middle East and how this war can be seen as a type of holy war in which American Christians are trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. I was raised a Christian, but over the years I have lost my faith because of certain actions done by the church and through my own personal experiences. However, I did not even consider the idea that people view the war as a crusade because I never made the connection that America is a Christian nation. Yes, we do have God written on our currency and it God is mentioned in our national anthem, but to make the assumption that we all practice the same faith is interesting. When we look at the Middle East we all assume that they are not only all Muslim, but that they are all extremists who want to destroy us. That is how they see us. I think that we all need to look at this perception and really rethink what this war means to people.

In today’s growing economy it is essential that people understand other cultures, or even better, other languages. Knowing about other cultures helps a person not only grow culturally but it expands your mind. Employers today want to hire people that are well educated and can add to an organization. I have tried to minor in Spanish, but the classes were just not for me. However, I am not deterred from learning more Spanish even if I do it with Rosetta Stone. I think that Spanish is becoming an important part of our country because as Sam said in class there are about 50 million Hispanic people in America.

My sister speaks Spanish and has learned French and some Portuguese. She was not asked to learn these languages, but she did it on her own. She learned these languages so that she could travel and understand the culture better. To her, it is a way for her to bond to people and to grow culturally. She travels the world at least once every year and for her it makes sense to learn the language because it breaks not only the language barrier, but it makes people more willing to help her or not think that they can easily con her since she understands their language. I have personally seen how people appreciate it when she can speak Spanish with them and how open and friendly they are with her than with another white person who can only say “holla”.

She is a reason why I want to learn another language especially Spanish because not only do I find it intriguing, but if a company is willing to spend money to teach me a language I am going to do it. What would be the downside? Not only do you learn new skills, but by learning a new language you increase your worth by 40 percent. That is a huge increase in someone’s worth especially in a time when people are trying to differentiate themselves from others. If money is a reason why people are willing to learn a new language, then so be it. I think that in the long run it helps because it is forcing people to go outside the box and learn something new that can challenge the way that they think about other people. Now I do not think that all companies can do this, but I think that for several jobs that this should be included since companies now are going global and dealing with other corporations that are located all over the world. If someone were to be a CEO or an executive, then they should try and learn new languages because when you can connect with people and demonstrate that you can speak their language, then people are willing to trust you more and open up to you. People are more willing to work alongside you than against you.

I think that interracial relationships are just like any other relationship. As long as the couple is happy and it is a positive relationship, then there should be nothing to worry about. I believe that people should not be divided by race or skin color. It all depends on what is important to the couple and what they are comfortable with. I think it is wrong to deny anyone from loving or marrying someone that they love no matter their gender or ethnicity. Even religion does not have to divide people. As long as each individual is old enough to consent to the relationship and it is not a violent relationship, then I believe we should leave people alone and make their own choices about who they want to date or marry. I am in a relationship with a person from a different culture than my own. We have practice different religions. For me, this is not a problem because I am not religious at all. I believe that we are all right and as long as we treat others the way we want to be treated, then we will all go to heaven or some form of it.

For me, I like the fact that we had different backgrounds and practiced different faiths because I am now able to learn more about other cultures faiths and their holidays. It is like a history lesson every day. My parents on the other hand, were worried that due to our religious differences his family would not accept me and treat me differently. They thought that his family would shun me because of the way I look and the fact that I practice a different faith. This was not the case however. His family accepted me with open arms and has never brought up in the past year the fact that I am different. They ask me about my Christmas celebrations and about my family traditions and they tell me about theirs. We can have an open dialogue with one another.

Again, my family was hesitant about the relationship. Over time however, this has changed and they see that no one is asking me to change who I am or how I feel about religion. I am the only one that will make those decisions. For me as I said earlier, I do not care and I have no problem raising kids in a different religion than the one I was raised in. I think it will be interesting to give the kids a choice and see what they want to believe.

I think that people need to give others a chance and see past race, religion, and gender. When you get rid of these roadblocks, life is much simpler and people can express how they really feel. We should encourage others to find love even if it is someone we might not expect.

I was moved by the video not only due to the fact that Zack Wahls gave an eloquent and compelling speech, but to the fact that he has the courage to talk about his parents and how they are a gay couple. Most people want to hide the fact, but he embraces his background and is willing to educate others around him about the issue. This issue is difficult for many to not only talk about but to relate to. Most of us come from a background with a father and mother and who have never had experiences with not only gay people, but with families that are different from our own.

How can a society judge someone or something when they know nothing about it? How can such a developed and educated society regulate an issue that they do not even understand nor have statistics on an issue? In America, it has happened and has continued to happen. Whites thought that people of color were inferior beings because of their skin pigmentation and because of its color, they were less human. We used this “knowledge” to make interracial marriages illegal and it has not been until recently that we have changed our opinions and allowed people to marry those with a different skin color.

Today, the challenge now rests with make it illegal for same sex couples to get married. Why do we do this? It is due to the fact that it is different from what we know and for religious purposes we deny people the basic right to get married between two consenting adults. Not only do we not allow them to get married, but we refuse to let them adopt children because of an unfounded fear that the children will become gay. If people actually took the time to read up on some scientific research done by different people, they would see that homosexuality or heterosexuality is not a biological issue. Instead of letting capable loving people adopt children who desperately need a loving home, we let the children stay in the unstable foster system where they will be moved from house to house and receive no consistent care. Do you think the children actually care if their foster parents were gay? Of course they do not care. All they want is someone to love them and want to take care of them. We allow thousands of children to remain in the foster system because we tell gay and lesbian couples that they cannot raise families. Instead we allow children to be adopted by criminals and by people who just want a monthly paycheck. We need to make a change and see that as long as these people love each other and are willing to make a lifelong commitment to each other, we should let them. As a society we need to make sure that we all have equal rights and are allowed to marry the person we fall in love with.

The idea to create a scholarship for poor white males is an interesting idea. The fact of the matter is, there are people who fit that description that do need money to go to college. However, there are several scholarships that are created for people (not gender specific) that are for people in are in certain degrees and who come from poor backgrounds. The scholarships that are based on someone’s major in a way are gender specific because that particular major might be male dominated or female dominated. It is hard for me to feel sympathy to white males because they are born with advantages that the rest of the population do not have because they are female and/or are not white. These groups have suffered for so long because they were seen as inferior in different ways and even today people seem to trust the experience and opinion of white men than any other person. So why should I feel compelled to create a specific scholarship for white males? I really do not because white men, no matter their occupation, will make more than me (a white woman) because they are white men.
While listening to the man talk in the interview, I found it interesting that to qualify for the scholarship you only have to be 25 percent Caucasian American. Does that mean that a man who looks black and is 75 percent African American but has 25 percent Caucasian blood be considered? What about the other men that are Asian or Mexican that have 25 percent Caucasian blood? In that sense, then the scholarship would not necessarily be for white men because the majority of their blood type can be of another race. So I am confused by the argument that it is a truly white male scholarship, which I am surprised that was not addressed in the interview. It is as if people want to make the scholarship controversial when in reality it is not. It could still be controversial if they end up only picking recipients who are only white and American. Then the requirement to be 25 percent white would be null and void and the only way to be chosen would be for the male to be 100 percent white American. I guess it will only be a matter of time for the nation to see what the real agenda of the nonprofit group. I hope that their efforts result in men of different ethnicities being chosen along with white men for the scholarship. In this day and age money is an issue and race is still an issue when it comes to success. We cannot say things have truly changed and everything is better for minority groups. This is not the case and we need to be aware that even though we have made strides to treat everyone as equals, there is still underlining racism and inequality that exists.

People believe that hard work can lead to success due to the fact that we have been raised that way. Parents instill the idea that working hard is the only way to make it in the business world because in a way it is. If people do not work hard, then they will have a hard time making anything of themselves. Parents instill hard work as a key to success because they want us to work hard in school and get good grades. They want us to rely on ourselves so that we do not take the easy way out. Another reason would be to encourage us that we can be anything we want to be. If kids knew that all it took was the right connections to make it, they might not even try if they are from a low income family that has no connections that could get them a higher status. America was built on the idea that with determination and hard work we can succeed. That is what got our ancestors through tough jobs and low pay. They believed that they could achieve anything as long as they remained determined to not give up.

Even with this belief system, there is more to success than hard work and determination. There are several other factors that come into play. For example, who we know can get us ahead in life. Some people might be born with the right connections, while others will work hard and make connections with the right people. Then with these connections, the hard working people can get a raise or transfer to a bigger and better company.

Just because you might have the right connections, does not mean that any person can succeed if they do not put in the proper time and effort into their work. Yes, they might be able to get a great job, but they will not be able to become a CEO or board member that way. Those people know the right people, but work very hard to remain on top.

I believe that even with this knowledge in hand, most of us do not want to admit to the fact that our work might be in vain, that we might never achieve more in life because we lack connections to the right kind of people. It makes looking or even applying for a job daunting when you do not have that extra leg up. I guess for us at Penn State we are all lucky because in the end we all have a connection in the business world, we all went to a school where hundreds of thousands of others went to. We can use the fact that we went to Penn State as a connection to get us a job over someone else.

Determinism has affected my life in several ways. That is not to say that I do have free will and have made choices, but those choices have been influenced by outside factors. When I was younger, I knew I wanted to go to college and get good grades in school. I worked hard to get those grades, but I was impeded by the fact that I went to a poorer high school, where the facilities were poor and fights were an everyday occurrence. This was a setback due to the fact that it interrupted students who wanted to go to class and learn. These fights made it hard to get to class and the noise was highly distracting. My mother could not afford to send me to a private high school due to the fact that if she spent money on a private education for high school, then we could not afford college.

Through these distractions, I was able to graduate from high school at the top of my class. Even with my hard work, I was limited to what kind of colleges I could attend. The problem stemmed from the fact that I have 3 older siblings who went off to college. I was raised by a single mother who put us all through school. By the time I was able to go to college, there was little money to fund my college tuition. Even with the help of my grandparents, my college decision came down to the fact at which one was cheaper. I was accepted to three colleges, two in the south and the third was Penn State. I wanted to go down south for the warm weather, but that was not even an option because the tuition was expensive for my mother to afford. Luckily, I am from Pennsylvania so I could pay the in-state tuition, but even so it has gone up every year. I have also been fortunate to receive some scholarships so that I can afford to attend this great college. I do not regret coming to Penn State. I have grown to love it, but there was a good possibility that I would have not come to this college if it were not for the fact that the tuition was cheaper.

My upbringing and lack of financial stability was something that I could not control. Because of those factors, I had to act in certain ways. For example, when I was in high school I had to have a job so that I could have money in my pocket. Even now that I am in college, I work so that I can buy food and my books for each semester. All of that impacts my abilities to go out and on the amount of time I have to do homework. Others do not have to worry about these factors, but because I have to work and go to school, I am more determined to graduate with a high GPA and make a better life not only for myself, but for my children (when I decide to have them).

The difference between a black comedian and a white comedian is the fact that what people are limited to the kind of racial jokes they can make. When it comes to talking about and pointing out flaws in one’s race, people are open and accept the jokes. However, if a white person talks about another race, such as African Americans, people feel awkward and will not respond to the jokes because they fear that they will be labeled as racists even if the joke is funny and even true.

It is not socially acceptable for whites to make racial jokes because there is still an underlying division between the races, even though there have been strides to have racial equality. People still feel angry, judged and put down by white people. African Americans may feel that whites cannot understand them, so how can whites make jokes about them.

I wish that the division between the races was gone and that people can speak freely without the fear of being politically correct. I must admit that I would feel completely uncomfortable if a white comedian makes jokes about African Americans. Most of the audience would cringe in their seats and not laugh. The African Americans in the room would either leave or get angry.

However, if an Asian makes racial jokes about whites and African Americans people would not be as upset. The reason for this is the fact that whites are seen as the “man” the person that is trying to put down all races and maintain power and control over them. Asians on the other hand, are seen as a part of the minority culture. They are more able to relate to the African American experience than white people. Also, Asians are not seen as a threat as white people are.

Asians are not the only ones who can make racial jokes about several races. It is socially acceptable for Latinos and Hispanics to make racial jokes. This again is due to the fact that people believe that they can relate more to African Americans in America. It could also be due to the fact that they are not seen as much of a threat as whites.

Now I am not an expert on this matter, but due to my experiences with watching different comedians, this hypothesis seems to be true. Since I do not know what it is like to be a minority, I cannot profess to know how these people feel about other races making racial jokes. I just wish that someday we can move above this divide because we are all in essence the same. As Sam Richards said, there is only .01% difference between humans. That percentage accounts for the reason we look different. That means that we need to look past our skin colors because that is the only thing that separates us from each other.