When asked if I had to choose to save my mother, my spouse or my child, I could not even begin to make a decision. All of those roles are immensely important in one’s life. How could I not save my mother? She is the person who gave me life, nurtured me from birth. Single handedly raised me and provided for me, loved me unconditionally and would give her own life for me. How could I not save my spouse? The one individual who I chose to spend the rest of my life with. This is the person I vowed to love and feel so close to. How could I not save my child? The person whom I gave life to and is my own flesh and blood. The person who looks like me and needs me to guide his or her path. It would be the hardest decision I would ever have to make but I think that if in the situation, both my spouse and my mother would want me to save my child. The love that a mother has for their child is undeniable. I would be a heartless parent to sit there and save my spouse and to say that we could just conceive another child. I feel as if my spouse would resent me if I did not save our child. I know that my mother would chose to save me and I know that if I were a mother, I would save my child. There is an innate ability in woman to nurture and care, which can specifically be seen when looking at a mother and their child. There would even be an option, my heart would act faster than my mind could and my child would be chosen without a blink of an eye. I would hope that no one would ever have to be in this situation though I am sure many have been in war zones but it would be the hardest to live with. To have on your shoulders your husband and mother’s deaths on your hands. To have your child grow up without a parent is a really hard thing to do. I basically grew up without my father being in my life and I know from personal experience that it leaves a void in your life. There is something missing and even if it is something you never knew, you know that there is something missing. I do not know what the relevance of this exercise was but I do know that it made me really thing about the suffering and poverty-stricken people living in the world. I am sure there are people out there that have to chose who to give food to out of those three because they do not have enough for everyone. It is heart breaking.

I think the huge difference between inner city predominately minority filled urban school and a wealthy predominately white suburban school is the level of expectancies that society has for the different areas. When it comes to lower income urban areas, people assume that there are more drugs and violence present in the school system. This notion is assumed due to the environment surrounding the school. In the urban areas, there are more incidents of crime related deaths and drug and substance abuse. In upper-middle class suburban areas, situations that involve violence and drugs are seldom and in many cases, it is swept under the rug.

With the implementation of security, bag searches and metal detectors, it instills a sense of present fear within those attending that specific school. It also allows many to feel a sense of inferiority to those mostly white schools that have the freedom to walk into an educational facility without fear that someone may have a knife, gun or drugs. Another huge difference between the suburban and urban schools is money. It is pretty simple to evaluate it. The suburban kids have money and the urban kids do not, both because of their parents’ resources. If the kids in suburbia get caught, their parents have the money, if even necessary, to pay court fees and begin exspongement processes. Kids in urban areas do not have that option. They are faced to deal with the consequences on their own.

Another issue and key difference between both is that in urban areas, police and other authorities are looking for weapons and drugs. They are aware that due to their surroundings, kids in urban schools have more access and have a higher chance of stumbling into the world of selling drugs and becoming gang affiliated. In suburban schools, there is that common misconception that everything is somewhat “Stepford-like.” This misinformation by society that the kid living in the white picket fenced house with the large freshly mowed lawn and brand new car would never be involved with drugs. Well at least not be chosen to be searched standing next to the minority from the projects.

I do believe that statistics do say something. The statistics of the drug and violence related crimes in urban school are astronomically higher than those in the suburbs. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are introduced to and are in situations involving these things at such a younger age. As anyone in any area, they become a product of their surroundings. If carrying a gun were the only way to protect your own life, wouldn’t you carry one? I know I would because at the end of the day, human’s innate desire for survival kicks in. I think with time, things will get a little stricter in suburban areas. I have seen this already in my high school and I think it only occurred because more minorities were moving into this predominately white neighborhood. White authorities implemented new procedures upon entering school in order to protect their children from the perceived dangers that come with people of color. As wrong as this may be, it is something irreversible in our society.

The video where the broadcaster was purposely targeting Asians on the USC campus was definitely a form of racism. When watching the video initially, I found humor in it. I am an Indian-American and many people attempt to humor me by doing a horrible Indian accent with stereotypical phrases such as, “Thank you, come again.” I am not offended and laugh it off because I am someone who is proud of my culture and a strong individual who embraces my differences from others. I know some Indian people who would be offended in that scenario, but that’s not me. The problem with the video is that the news reporter was purposely targeting Asians but not those who look Americanized but ones with backpacks and looked somewhat “nerdy.” To publicly broadcast a segment made to find humor in a specific race shows racism, stereotyping and closed mindedness. It was necessary for the channel to pull the segment because it was not politically correct to show on national television. If I were in an Asian country and I did not speak the native tongue, I would be offended and uncomfortable if a news reporter picked me for the sole purpose to make fun of me.
I do not think that the video would have even been thought of to try and find Russian foreigners because the notion of Asian accents seems to be comical to many Americans. I could not even recall every situation that I have been present where people have made fun or tried to immolate an Asian accent because there have been so many occasions. So no, I do not think that it would be seen as offensive because I do not think it would be created. I really liked how passionate the Asian woman in our class reacted to the video. She was offended and pissed off, as I would be if a video publicly aired exploited the lack of knowledge my race. You could visibly see the lack of comfort and confusion in the students’ faces when asked to talk about the college football team they were not familiar with. I know that if I was living in France and a television crew confronted me asking me questions about something I knew nothing about, I would be uncomfortable answering and being a part of it with my mediocre French skills. I would be confused and a little offended that someone would find humor in my struggle to assimilate. English is known to be a very difficult language to learn so to make fun of those struggling is unfair. Many people have to ask my mother to say something again because of her very thick South African accent. Yes, she speaks English fluently and has a vocabulary of a scholar but instantly people generalize that she is an uneducated foreigner. That could not be further from the truth but it is hard to see that misconception and amazing to watch her surprise them with her wits. I think that it was the right thing for people to get offended watching the video because it was made to ostracize and make fun of people who unaware which takes all the humor out of it and simply makes it racist.

I think it is equally a positive and negative thing that people of color have to deal with the issue of race so much earlier than white people do. As a person of color, I was well aware of my race at a young age. I attended the first few years of my education in southern Africa. I went to a private school where most the students were white and there were about 10 students who were Indian and 5 black. When I tell people this they are shocked since it was in Africa but at that point, segregation was still present as much as society allowed it to be. Being the one of few people of color, I felt how my skin colored effected the way I was treated in the school. I felt like I always had to prove my intelligence and that I deserved my place in the prestigious school I attended. I know that the other girls of color felt the same way because those were the only girls I was friends with. Soon after, I moved to the United States. My family moved to an immensely diverse part of North Jersey. The elementary school I attended had people of every ethnicity you could think of. It was such a drastic change from what I was used to. In this new environment, I was able to be proud of my ethnicity as everyone else was as well. My very early experiences with race made me a very diplomatic person when it comes to conversations with those not as knowledgeable. Some get angry when someone may say something offensive to their race but after many altercations in the past, I have learned that is the worst way to go about it. I try and make the person who does not know about my culture or race become educated. I try and remove that negative stigma that they may have for my color and make them try and see how wrong their notions are about my race. If they are not willing to listen, I will not force them. As we have seen in class, white people usually try and not get involved in race conversation but I think that it is not because they do not have something to say. It is because they have a lack of experience in comparison to the black and brown people. A negative for having to deal with the issue of race at such a younger age is that you do not get to enjoy the care free world that a child is supposed to enjoy. A child should not have to be worrying about what people think of their skin color when that is an issue that will follow them for the rest of their lives. I feel like white children did not even think about it unless it was to point out that a person of color was different from them. As a child, my mother would always remind me that I was different than the rest of the kids and that as I get older I would understand why. Now, I look back on many childhood experience where my race was a huge factor in feelings of discomfort and isolation that sadly should never be the case.

It makes me really sad to know that people who are the same age as me already have become so stuck in their views that they do not understand the perk of taking this class is to open your eyes and place yourself in someone else’s shoes. To think outside of your box in which you have stayed in your whole life. I love this class being as a Muslim American, I get offended by things that people say but I like to hear their input because if I were not in this situation, I usually am surrounded by people who know my religious beliefs and tend to be sensitive to my feeling about certain things. It is eye-opening to see what others believe. What I do know like is that people can be so complacent about things that Sam says if he does not mention their faith or culture but once he does say something relative to them, they freak out. It is absolutely ridiculous. People can bash and listen to others bash about all types of people but when it comes to the average white Christian American, they do not want to listen and storm out of the classroom. Grow up and listen to what the rest of the world sees us as. There is a reason that if you travel a lot (which I do) people look at me a certain way because I am American and it is not a good look. We are despised by a large majority of the world because our military’s invasive behavior and our terrible foreign policies.
If you do not question your government, you are just allowing your life to be chosen for you without a care in the world. Does that make any sense to you at all? After my Soc lab today there are many things that I have already questioned but now my senses are much more heightened to being open to conspiracy theories. Especially because all the information I was hearing was from an Iraqi veteran and his lack of faith and trust in the government. There are many feelings that I have on war and none are positive. In particular, I feel that the Iraqi war was disguised as another part of “The War on Terror” when really the only initiative for the United States to invade and behead Sadaam Hussein was the be able to control one of the world’s largest crude oil reserves. No one is saying that all the American lives that were lost in this war that have been ongoing for over a decade. What Sam is trying to say is what makes Iraqi or Afghani lives any more significant than ours? I have a bond with Americans because that’s where I was born and raised. I have a bond with Afghani and Iraqis because I share the same faith as them. Where do I stand if we have to pick? This tweet in particular annoyed me: @BeckySalman“Most disgusting anti-American thing I've ever heard. Government conspiracy? #Soc119” Open your eyes. Not everything the media tells you is the truth and the whole truth. Do not try and limit your knowledge to what you are told. Think for yourself.

As someone of Indian decent, I feel a certain pressure to try harder not only due to the color of my skin but now the way my name appears. People can never pronounce my name and sometimes do not even attempt to. It saddens me to know that even with the same qualifications as a girl for instance named Katelyn, she has 50% more of a chance of a call back. I am a graduating senior who now is troubled by the thought of putting my name, my identity on my resume with the chance of being disregarded because I belong to what can be seen as an inferior race. This is absolutely terrible. When it comes to affirmative action, I believe that is necessary in this society where white supremacy is so deeply rooted. What is the big deal if I get an extra couple of points because of my race on a test? It is only an attempt to almost level the playing field for the future and it still is not successful. I will still not be chosen over a white female with a anglo-saxin name.
I always grew up hearing from my single parent mother that I will always have to try harder at everything I do in life just to be seen as equal. That I always need to go above and beyond what is asked of me because I am not white. As a child, I often snickered and felt that she had that "old-school" mentality and had no idea that we were living in a different world than the one she grew up in. As I aged, I truly have seen how different things can be for people of color and white people. The opportunities vary with the situations and the visibility of racism is sometimes not in your face, but it is still there.
There are other values I attain that can be seen as disadvantages such as my faith. I am a very modernized American-bred woman. I was born here and educated here yet when I travel (which I do frequently) I still get pulled aside for a "random search" after the immigration officer takes one look at my name and where I traveled from. This is frustrating because it is never in any other country that I get treated with such distain and disrespect. It is in the country of my birth and what I consider to be my home. How will this differ when my resume comes in along many "Katelyns" so to speak? Will I not be considered because it is evident that I am not an average white American,
This brings me back to affirmative action and why I get so angry when people talk about how they do not think it is fair that people with the same credentials as them but they are white do not get into the same schools that minorities do. This is only one chapter of our lives. Yes, it is an important on but it is not the one that pays the bills. Actually getting the job is what does that and if you are not white, lets be frank, you are not getting the job if someone else applied who is white and has the same exact resume as you.
This world has never been fair and that is something that we all know. As we get older, it just becomes more apparent of how race will never lose its place in society because it is in us. In all of us. As much as we want to deny the prejudices that live within us, they are still there. They will always be there.

I feel like people are quick to clarify what ethnicity they really are opposed to the one that has been assumed due to negative connotations that have been imposed upon that specific race due to society. I have noticed many people that deny their racial identity simply because it has become looked at as an inferior race. Many Hispanic people are instantly offended if someone assumed that they are Mexican. This comes with the notion that Mexicans are poor, illegal immigrants and attain the lowest financial status. Naturally, people would not want to be categorized into that class. From personal experience, I have previously been offended and quick to correct people when they assume that I am Guyanese. Indian people and Guyanese people have very similar facial features and genetic characteristics. The difference is that Guyanese people are much darker than the average Indian and to Indian people, the lighter you are, the prettier you are seen to be. I never felt that I ever gave into that negative stereotype but subconsciously I am. It is evident that my stepmother has African heritage because of her thick, course hair. She denies it constantly and says, “there is no black blood in me.” This I find to be absolutely ridiculous. Why deny who you are? I personally believe that children with mixed ethnicities come out far more exotic and beautiful than those with one race. People want to be specific when it comes to their actual race because others view that race disapprovingly. As for people who lie about their heritage, they have bigger issues than perceived. They have issues with their identity that can metastasize to self-loathing and other self esteem disorders.

America is the land of immigrants. We should not try and hinder Spanish from evolving into our dominant language because that counteracts what this country is all about. I think with a little more time, people will become more interested in learning Spanish primarily to help themselves out. There are an immense amounts of people completely opposed to catering to the Hispanic population but I think that is pure ignorance. English has been our official language because the majority is English speaking. Why would it not change to Spanish if the majority becomes Spanish. I do not think that it will ever be the replacement of English, but I do feel that many more things such as street sign etc will be in duel languages. What I do not understand is why people would be offended seeing Spanish signs. Read the sign you understand and native Spanish speakers will read theirs.

I grew up in North Jersey where almost 50 percent of my high school was Hispanic. Hearing them speak in their native tongue was the norm. It did not make me have distain for the language, only admiration and incentive to learn. My family is originally from the southern African country Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a previously British colony where the official language is English. The African people speak English secondary to their native tongue of Shona. My grandparents migrated there with hundreds of other Indians due to the gold rush and seeking opportunity. They learned quickly that English was not the language to become proficient in, it was Shona. To be successful in establishing flourishing businesses, they needed to attract the majority of the population which were Shona speakers. Even though English was the language documented, the African people were able to reestablish their language as superior because they were the masses. What makes the case different in America. Being the majority usually means that more things are catered to you so naturally if Hispanics become the majority, why should things not become easier for them?