Watching this video didn’t surprise me that only thirteen customers stood up for the Muslim girl. Majority of people tend to not stand up for people who are victims in a situation. If you think about it, if more people stood up then I feel there would be less of hate crimes and other issues. Not many people stand up and I think its pathetic. When people say “it’s not their business” I find it as just an excuse and they’re scared. However, if I was in that situation I would of absolutely said something to put the clerk in his place. I was actually in a similar situation this year when someone was being extremely rude to me and no said anything. I went to subway and it was at 2:30 am so most people were drunk, but I was standing in line and there were a group of guys that were being loud and obnoxious. One actually pointed me out and said " Look at this Indian girl... I think I smell curry." I tried to correct him by telling him I wasn't Indian in the first place but he was listening and kept going on and on about me being Indian and making fun of me. I never had this happen to me before so I was in complete shock and got so angry. I was even with my friends who didn't stand up for me but at the time I wanted to handle the situation on my own. I ended up basically attacking the kid. I got out of line and started yelling at him and I was filled with so much emotion and adrenaline that I didn't care who was watching. I ended up throwing his sub in his face and calling him an asshole because he was extremely disrespectful to me. As I was yelling at him and standing up for myself, my friend later told me that not one person flinched... and she ended up saying something to the guy after the fact but earlier when he was saying all those rude and racist things, not one person said a thing. His group of friends laughed and everyone else" minded their own business" It just showed that majority of people in this world won't stick up for someone if a person is doing something wrong. Granted, I did handle the situation in my own way but if I wouldn't of done anything he would of gotten away with it and no one would of told him he was wrong. I had to be the one to shut him up and make him feel like an idiot.

I wish people would start to realize that people are extremely mean and cruel out there. Yes, not everyone would act like that but when someone does something wrong, people need to start sticking up or correcting people who are ignorant. The video with the Muslim girl made me angry too when some of the customers would agree with the Clerk. It made America look really bad because people still don't accept people that are different. What does America even mean when you have citizens calling other people of different religions not American. It just shows that the reason all the negative things happen in this world is because not enough people say anything and let things happen.

Watching this video didn’t surprise me that only thirteen customers stood up for the Muslim girl. Majority of people tend to not stand up for people who are victims are being made of in a situation. If you think about it, if more people stood up then I feel there would be less of hate crimes and other issues. Not many people stand up and I think its pathetic. When people say “it’s not their business” I find it as just an excuse and they’re scared. However, if I was in that situation I would of absolutely said something to put the clerk in his place. I was actually in a similar situation this year.

I thought tuesday's lecture was very interesting and eye opening for many of us. I think Sam nailed his point on ethnocentrism by showing the video of the tribes and how they're culture is and comparing it to our culture and how we idolize sports teams. Not even sports teams do Americans get worked up over its even celebrity's. I've heard and even seen people go absolutely crazy over a celebrity they meet. There are people who literally make shrines and scream and cry when they are at concerts. I find it pathetic but it's "culturally" okay. Not even that but there are a lot of things that we Americans find normal that other cultures find absurd. If we think of India, they believe the cow is sacred and don't eat them. Here we love our cheesteaks and cheeseburgers and don't think anything of it. (unless you're a vegetarian) but it's obvious to know that every culture has their certain ways of doing things and people need to realize that and be more open minded. Thats the problem with Americans, we only think our way is the right way when thats not true. Yes, things may be different but people need to start saying "different" than using the word "weird" Its only weird because we aren't exposed to it but thats a word that I think is insulting. When Sam showed the video of the Africans coming to America it also made me think differently of America. We are a "free" country but like the African boys were saying no one here is friendly and they couldn't even go to places in groups because people felt threatened. That actually made me mad that they would enforce a law or rule for them that they cant travel in groups. That right there is racist in my eyes and discriminating. Not only that but it was funny how we do things a certain way, like the butter thing. It wouldn't be ideal for someone to eat butter right out of the container we use it as a spread. The only thing I disagreed with was the milk picture with the little boy sucking the milk out of the cows utters. Yes, it was different but the only reason why I didnt agree with it is because it isn't exactly healthy, granted the milk in the containers we drink out of is filled with steroids and chemicals but at least its pasteurized. I also liked the Muslim discussion when Sam brought up the four girls in front of the class and did a question and answer type of thing. Its amazing that even though Western culture is different than Muslim they both are male dominated. Here, in America, women are allowed to whatever they want, and show how much they want to show, whereas in the Muslim culture women are covered. Before, this class I would think yeah I would hate to have to wear that. But after listening to the girls express how they felt and mention that they choose to do it and they don't mind it made me think differently. I kind of agree in a way with the Muslim culture that instead of judging a women on how they look and what they wear, its more about getting to know the person. All in all I enjoyed the lecture and was able to have a more open mind and understanding of other cultures.

After watching the video from yesterday's lecture on the video with the black and spanish kids picking the baby doll I thought of myself right away. I would only play with white barbie dolls and never liked the black ones when I was younger. I never knew why but I just thought the white barbie dolls were prettier. I am an hispanic american girl but I also have european ancestry which is Greek and Irish. I also have very tan skin so if it wasn't for my facial features and hair I could pass as a black girl. Growing up I always been asked what my nationality was... I realized I was different probably around 6 or 7 years old. I lived in two different parts of Philadelphia growing up which was the northeast where it was a mix of races but predominately white and I also lived in North Philly which is predominately blacks and hispanics. Living in North Philly, I caught on that most of the hispanics and blacks didn't like white people... I never understood why but they would make fun of my friends who I brought over if they were white. My best friend at the time was a white girl too. It bothered me and made me realize that color and race did matter and I was caught in between because I had friends that were white, black and spanish and race never mattered to me. Once my family moved out of Philadelphia and into the suburbs when I was in 4th grade, I finally felt different and entered stage two. I didn't see any other students that looked like me because most of the kids in the class were white. But I still remember being the only spanish girl but that didn't bother me as much as the fact that I was in a new school and shy. For some reason, as time went on I realized I was more comfortable with being around white kids.
Although I'm hispanic I'm not fluent and I often feel left out. My family even make references to me like shes a "gringa" meaning white girl. It doesn't bother me but it does get annoying that I don't fit in with them. I'm the most comfortable when I am with my white friends but, I do have black, hispanic, and asian friends. So basically i've been at this stage for a while where I really don't care that I'm hispanic and have white friends. I never bring up race if ever, and the only time i really make references to my culture is when someone asks me. I think if I just tried to be friends with only hispanic people then I would make myself out to be as more of a minority. I also get along with different groups of people. Looking different I use to my advantage because I notice that no one can automatically put me in a category they try to get to know me first.

My opinion on war hasnt changed at all, if anything our class discussions only reinforced my opinions about it. I don't like war, and think the world would be a better place without it. Its eye opening to think how many lives are taken and how traumatizing it must be for the people in the middle east to have to experience the war in front of their doorstep. I got very emotional in yesterdays class, I felt sad and bad for the people in the middle east. Being an American and living in the united states is a luxury and we are so fortunate to have all the things we need. When Sam showed the video of the soldiers destroying the civilians car because they stole wood, I knew off the bat that most likely they were good people just trying to survive and support their family. I thought that the soldiers, even though they were doing their job should of had more sympathy for them because obviously they are poor and dont have anything close to the resouces, that we do in the United States. I think it showed a lack of heart that some of the U.S military has. We appear like bullies to the third world countries and sometimes take advantage of our power. If I was from a different country I would feel terrified of us. We are extremely intimidating and the fact that some of the soldiers over in the middle east get a kick out of being mean and cruel to the innocent civilians, makes me sick to my stomach. When the veterans were speaking, I also felt a certain way. Like the female veteran said (i forget her name) she went into the war having this idea that they were the bad guys and we are the good guys. But after being their and experiencing what she did, she came out actually being an advocate for the middle east. I thought that was amazing because im sure most people in our country who don’t know everything assume the same thing, when really there are good people there too. Just like she said, there’s good people and bad people in this world,regardless of where they come from. More people need to realize that and for some reason I had that idea which made me not too surprised about the videos and how the American soldiers treated some of the civilians. My friend who is a veteran told me how cruel a lot of the civilians were treated by our soldiers. He said " they were treated like they were sub human" He told me that it was sad and he was different and actually made friends with some afgani's. Not only him but there were some nice soldiers too. He said he that there was a time when an Afgani handed his small son to a soldier to get him help. It was a moment he will never forget. The other veteran who suffered a brain injury also gave me a different perspective. I felt very sympathetic towards him. I definitely respect them and although I don’t support war, I support people who feel that they are doing the right thing and who have good intentions.

They say looks can only take you so far, but honestly in the world we live in, being "attractive" is a big advantage. However, there are times when looks don’t matter. It may seem superficial but the reality is some jobs look for people who look presentable, and good looking. I actually thought about whether or not I should put my picture on my resume because I felt that if employers saw me they might be interested in possibly setting up an interview. My friend actually put her picture in her resume and told me that I quote “ I think I got the job because of my looks” I laughed and thought wow, thats so pathetic because what if someone else who applied was more qualified but didn’t get the interview or job because my friend was the better looking applicant. The only thing is, everything is super competitive and if someone is going for a job that is based on selling beauty products, or even more professional like being on TV as a host or news anchor, looks do matter. As absurd an unfair as that may sound it is what it is and companies want to be successful. Therefore, they most likely would want attractive and young looking people to represent there company. For instance, I am a promotional model for Bud Light. In order to even be considered, they want to see what you look like. They want “attractive” girls to represent the beverage and our job is to promote and socialize with customers to sell products and get people drawn into whatever it is we are marketing. However, in some instances, good looks can be a disadvantage too. I know that there are some companies who don’t want good looking females to work there because they may feel that they will cause or a distraction. And if two ladies were to apply for the job and both have the same qualifications, they would choose the less attractive female because they think they would be better workers or taken more seriously. Think about it, in some fields such as medicine, looks really don’t matter at all. Not to say that doctors are uglier or whatever, but most are average looking and no one cares. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that jobs are becoming more superficial and so focused on looks is going to be a downfall. I think that employers should start realizing that they need to be more concerned with people who will do the best at the job instead of look the best. I’m not saying I would complain if I got a job over someone because of my looks, however, I think employers should give everyone a fair shot and not be so shallow.

The reason I think some races dominate certain sports are due to the fact that some sports are more expensive to play than others. For example, hockey equipment alone is one of the most expensive and to practice you need to have access to a hockey rink. That's why most whites dominate hockey because they have the resources to afford it. However, sports like basketball, and football you see a lot of black athletes because they have easier access to equipment. Not only is the socioeconomic issue a factor but I think it could also be the fact African Americans are naturally more athletic. They run faster, jump higher, and are overall more capable of quick movements. But why? Some say that it had to do with slavery. And how the white plantation owners would "breed" them with the strongest woman and man to produce strong offsprings. I think that sounds ignorant and not completely true. Every race has different traits. Even if we look at track. African and African Americans are normally the fasted on the track. Many olympic track runners are Africans. I remember going to the penn relays and it was either the 3 mile or 2 mile race with hurtles. A runner from Kenya was at least a lap ahead all the rest of the runners and it was amazing to see. He made it look so easy while the other runners who were white seemed to struggle. For some reason, African Americans have more muscle and are faster. I have heard that they have more fast twitch muscles, whether that’s a fact, im not sure but it does make sense. It's true that they do dominate the sports that are the least expensive but there is no denying that they are just more athletic for some reason. Every race has different traits. Asians for example are known to be weaker and smaller biologically. However, Geremy Lin is dominating the MBA and is chinese. If you look at golf, golf is another mostly white dominant sport. Tiger woods is one of the leading athletes in that sport and he is half asian and black. Polo is another all white sport and basically for all rich people, but recently there has been a change in that because a group of African American players had the resources, from the depths of Philadelphia to actually participate in a polo tournament and won. That made them the first African American group to do that. This shows that if given the resources, I believe that African Americans can excel in any sport. It just shows that it comes down to money and who can afford to play a particular sport. The question is, does it come down to work ethic or are they more naturally gifted. Can a white athlete train his whole life for a particular sport and have the same result as an African American who made not need as much training and be just as good. It could come down to nature vs. nurture.

I never felt so bad after Sam made that comment that we basically say “ fuck you” to God when we complain or dislike some of our bodily/ facial features. I never thought of it that way. The only thing is i’m not exactly religious, more spiritual and I do pray and believe in him. I think that because our society is so wrapped up on how people look and have set standards of beauty, everyone has some sort of insecurities because of it. I believe there’s a part in the bible that says people shouldn’t be ashamed or unhappy with the color of their skin. That applies to last weeks class when Sam brought out the skin lightener to demonstrate how dark skinned people tend to try to lighten their complexion by using ointments to do so. That right there is what I think is wrong and people shouldn’t be ashamed of the color of their skin. I will admit that when I was younger I didn’t like how tan I was. I wanted to have lighter skin and didn’t even like going to the beach because I would get a really dark tan that made me look black. I didn’t like the idea of being so dark. My mom would always say that I had beautiful skin color and many people go tanning just to be my color. She was right. I realized that my thought process has a lot to do with society and how being white or light skin is what’s beautiful. When now, I realize being tan and being happy with what you were born with is the most important. Everyone seems to be caught up on looks and trying to be pretty or handsome and if you think about it, its so pathetic. Women, especially pay so much money on make-up and everyday have to straighten or curl their hair. Im at the point where I can careless unless i’m going out to party but generally speaking everyone tries to impress others or fix their insecurities. We see and hear everyday how celebrities, people idolize get cosmetic surgery or breast implants or take steroids to enhance their look. So what happens? average people tend to follow the lead and do the same thing. It sucks because if Sam is right... everyone in this world is saying “ fuck you God.” Im glad he made that point though because I think many people will realize that they should be happy with what they have and how they look. There is no such thing as being perfect and people may spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgery but in the end they need to realize they are still the same person and if anything they lose their beauty by trying to change their beauty. We are all God’s children and although we may not find the person next to us as pretty or handsome, there’s always someone out there who may see that person as the most beautiful person in their life. That is why I really believe everyone is beautiful in their own way.

I am first generation American Citizen but i'm not fluent in spanish. That may sound surprising considering my family speaks spanish (except my first cousins) who are also first generation. For some reason english was the language I picked up because of going to school here. My mom moved here when she was fifteen years old, along with my grandmother and uncles. They didn't know much english but they now are bilingual. Even my grandmother can speak english, yeah it's hard to understand her, and she has broken english but she still is able to communicate with people. Now the fact that my grandmother could of easily stuck to just knowing spanish and not learn english after moving here, shows she made an effort to truly become apart of America and the United States. I envy her for that because most hispanic families or any older immigrants who moved here never really learned english and just stuck with whatever language they knew. It does bothers me that I cant speak spanish. Especially after Sam said how important it is to know it. I really wish I was bilingual because not only would it have helped me get more jobs, I would be able to communicate with my extended family without feeling embarrassed about it. I don't feel connected with my culture because of it and it sucks.
Thats why I think people should start learning another language especially spanish since it's becoming the next big language in our country. I don't think we should keep spanish speaking immigrants from coming into out country. Just because they can't speak english doesn't mean they aren't capable of working and doing jobs. If it wasn't for them many of the things we have wouldn't be here. Or things would be more expensive since Americans would want to be paid more for the labor. Not only that, just like my family coming to the States, they came here to better their lives and they didn't know english at first, but eventually learned and are living a great life. If America didn't let non- english speaking people here then America wouldn't be diverse or what is it today. So it's ridiculous that people would say things like that. Especially since we ALL are immigrants, according to Sam.
I don’t think this country should be an all english speaking country. This country is supposed to be diverse so it would be completely contradicting if no one could speak another language. I think it’s ignorant when people get mad at people who speak other languages. I already mentioned my grandmother and how she can speak english too, but she does speak spanish more than english. Mainly because that’s her first language and she’s more comfortable speaking it. It could also be because it’s hard to understand her, and many times she has ran into situations where someone couldn’t tell what she was saying and needed me or her husband, who is american to talk for her. I think spanish should start being taught in elementary schools. Children can learn other languages easier when they start young and if they start doing that then we wouldn’t run into the problems we have today.

The American Dream... what's that even mean to Americans anymore? Its crazy to see how our culture shifted and to see the transformations America has made from the beginning when people were trying to pursue and create the American Dream for themselves. Right away I thought of The Great Gatsby and how he wanted the American Dream and how he was able to get rich and live the luxurious life many people want and in the end lost it all. However, we do see people in the world who do want to fulfill this dream and thats the immigrants. I am first generation American citizen. My mom and her family moved here when she was a teenager so for them they came here to have a better life and to have more opportunity. Even though I come from a working class family, I have been fortunate enough to have had a lot handed to me in my life. My mom wanted to give me a life she wasn't able to have and although she still struggles to make a living I have been blessed with many things. I noticed that my family looks at me as the child to make a difference. To become successful. Im also the first to go to college let alone a University like Penn State. I do admit I take a lot for granted even coming from a working class family. But I am aware that they want the American Dream more than anything. To be able to have money and provide for the family without having to worry. I have first hand experience with knowing that the majority of my family are legal immigrants and they are very hard workers. As for the “illegal” immigrants and most immigrants from Mexico, I feel they have the same goal and ambition to fulfill the American dream more so than your average American. We have so much and access to everything. Where in Mexico, there’s a lot of problems they cant seem to escape it unless they come here. Can you blame them? They just want what they don’t have and when they are given the opportunity to come to America and live here they are less likely to take things for granted and take full advantage of opportunity and work hard. My mom always gets on me because she doesn’t think I work that hard. I do well in school, but I will admit I haven’t taken advantage of everything from joining clubs and organizations and putting myself out there in school. She always says, “ If I had the opportunities like you did I would be doing so much right now” I never thought about it till now but I realized she’s right and I should be doing more and not taking things for granted. But at the same time I do have a dream and always had one. After I graduate I hope I can start my career and become successful. I want to be able to make a living and be able to provide for my family in the future. I have more of a far-fetched dream being that I would love to be on TV and land my own talk show but at the end of the day I just want to make a lot of money, like most people do.