I think the worst stage for a white person to be in would be stage four. I believe this is the stage where a white person identifies more with people of color than white people. I think this is a rather dangerous stage to be in. Before this class, I had no idea there were stages of racial development and awareness. I assume that the majority of white people and people of color are unaware as well. Due to this fact, a white person in stage four may come off as racist or insincere with their actions.
During this stage, while people are more likely to identify with the struggles and accomplishments of people of color. Sam showed us a website mocking how much white people love to be loved by black people. One of the follow-up questions after seeing this was what would a person in stage four most likely do. The obvious answer was they would find it humorous. Since an individual in stage four is disconnected from his or her own race, jokes about white people are amusing and do not negatively affect the person at all. Stage four people seek out people of color as friends because at this point, they can really relate to the same issues.
Now the reason I believe this is the worst stage is because I can see a stage four person easily being rejected from a group he or she is trying to become a part of. Sam is a big supporter of new experiences and meeting new people. In reality, people stick to the same group of people because they are familiar. Therefore you get groups of Asians, blacks, whites and Hispanics without much crossover. Of all the groups to attempt joining another group, I think white people would be least accepted. White people are stereotyped as naïve and unknowing of other cultures. A person in stage four could be making jokes and saying certain words that may offend many people and they can be taken as racist. Little does everyone else know that this individual is quite knowledgeable on whatever he or she is joking about, but there is no way for passers by to distinguish this.
I am in stage two. I am aware of racial differences, but not that involved in them. I think that I would get along with people in stage two the best. Anyone above stage two would be too much for me. A person in stage three would be committed to racial differences and actively protesting them. Since I am not committed to anything like that, we would not be on the same level. Anyone in stage one would be a little naïve for me. Stage two people are right up my ally.

At some point in our schooling we have all learned about the Holocaust. We all know how huge of a mark in history it has made. It is hard to believe such an event happened and that it could ever happen again. I personally do not have as much knowledge as others on the Holocaust, but the immense hatred interests me. In my life I have “hated” people, but did I really? Most definitely not the way others hate. Not like many hate the Jewish people. It baffles me that, without even speaking to someone, people can deeply hate an entire culture of people enough to try and exterminate them from Earth. It is hard to grasp the hatred during the Holocaust, but it is even harder to see this hatred continue even in the present day. I am disgusted to learn that this anti-Semitism still exists in today’s world.
In class Sam showed us pictures of the Nazi concentration camps. Sam explained that the Nazi’s were incredibly organized in the way they killed 6 million Jewish people. It was astonishing to learn how they gathered everyone together and started systematically killing millions of people. It was even more surprising to learn that people in surrounding towns had no clue about the extent of the atrocities that occurred behind the concentration camp’s walls. Something that always baffled me was the fact that Hitler could gain so much support for such hatred. Hitler scared so many people into thinking that the Jewish people were a danger to their lifestyle and were truly lesser human beings that he gained enough support to take over a country and commit genocide. There is no doubt that the Holocaust was the greatest act of anti-Semitism in history.
The fact that anti-Semitism still exists and is prevalent today shows that people need to learn more about this issue. This issue is not unlike the issue of race in a way. This issue goes so deep into history just as racism, and as Sam says, it needs to be talked about. This issue needs to be brought to the table and understood. As I said earlier, everyone learned about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism in school, but I do not believe people learn how prevalent this issue is.
Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust are not the only forms of horrific hatred. This hatred can be seen in Rwanda. The tragedy in Rwanda is not considered genocide, but the same hatred that was present during the Holocaust was present during the Rwanda slaughter. Over 500,000 people were slaughtered in just 100 days. Women, children and elderly were all victims to this senseless hatred. I believe that people must learn about both the Holocaust and Rwanda and really discover the root of this hatred and evil.

It was really interesting to hear Sam bring up the topic of the Native Americans views on immigration. Many Americans are easily angered by the topic of foreigners, particularly Mexicans, illegally immigrating. Americans are quick to judge that these illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from legal United States citizens and taking advantage of rights that they do not have. Many Americans say terrible things about the entire Mexican culture and ethnicity solely because they illegally cross the United States’ border. It is ironic that certain Americans say this because they have failed to look into our own past and realize that, unless they are Native American, they are technically illegal immigrants.
At this time period, it seems that Americans have forgotten the past. We are known as the Nation of Immigrants. Just because an individuals family has been in the United States for a few generations does not erase where they are originally from. When this country was founded, our ancestors stole the land from its original inhabitants, the Native Americans. Our ancestors did unspeakable things to the Native Americans in order to gain more land. The Native Americans never gave them permission to have any of the land and our ancestors were therefore thieves and illegal immigrants.
So, it is completely logical for Americans to persecute Mexicans for illegally immigrating to the United States, right? Sam’s lecture on this topic was completely eye opening. Americans never seem to place the critical scope on themselves. Calling Mexicans illegal immigrants and saying it is wrong for them to even come to the United States is completely hypocritical. Look into our past and you realize we are illegal immigrants as well.
Although I agree that if an individual wants to come to the United States, he or she should do this legally, I understand that for the most part, individuals who immigrant illegally are hard working people who have good intentions. Some Americans see these immigrants as deliberately cheating the system for their own benefit. While this may be the case for a select few, it is not for most. It was interesting to hear Erik tell his story of how he crossed the border. His father entered the country legally and when he had enough money and everything was in order, he went back to Mexico to retrieve his family. They were very poor and it would have been a long and laborious process for the entire family to immigrate to the United States. Even though Erik’s father had his green card, he risked his life and crossed the border with his family to guarantee their safe arrival.
If I were Native American, I would be outraged at the way Americans view illegal immigration. Can’t they see that their ancestors illegally immigrated and did horrible things to the Native Americans? Native Americans used to occupy the entire nation, but after our ancestors came and conquered the land they only occupy bits and pieces of the most ravaged land in the country.

In class this week Sam listed all of the sins that send people to hell. Out of all of them, the class did not laugh at homosexuality. I believe that what makes homosexuality a “special” sin is the fact that it is not universally accepted. The class laughed at the majority of the sins because they were things that, as college students, we indulge frequently. When it comes to homosexuality, though, only a small percentage indulges in this sin. Among the sins were drinking, regardless of age, sex before marriage, and deception.
I do not drink often and when I tell people this, they seem to be put off. It is almost expected that you drink if you are a college student. Almost all of the people I know have had pre-marital sex. Since people are waiting longer to marry, sex before marriage is becoming more acceptable. I know extremely religious people who go as far as not kissing because that is somehow a sin before marriage. Tell me someone who has not lied to get what they want. I do not think you could. Deception is so common in daily life. I truly believe that all of the sins are widely accepted as commonplace in society. Then there is homosexuality.
Homosexuality is a whole other ball game. Most of society is heterosexual and are less comfortable with homosexuality. It is a fear of the unknown. They do not know what it is like to be attracted to someone of the same sex, and homosexuals confuse them. Since homosexuality is not commonplace, although it is becoming so, it is considered a “special” sin for most. It has definitely come a long way considering its acceptance in society, but it is not quite there yet. I believe one day it will be. People now need to start to understand that it is here, and there is nothing wrong with it. As my mother always says, “As long as they aren’t hookin’ up with me, I have no problem with it.” This is a more comical viewpoint compared to others. It seems that anti-homosexual campaigns like to dig at the fact that somehow homosexuals and pedophiles are in the same boat. This is clearly untrue and absurd.
The fact that almost all of the sins except homosexuality are accepted in society shows that this long list of sins should not really be taken seriously. I believe that this list is outdated in today’s society. Only a select few abide closely to avoid these sins. Homosexuality is on its way to becoming more accepted. I believe that within the next few generations, people will be totally comfortable seeing two people of the same sex holding hands walking down town.

I enjoy talking about the political issues and rights that are tied into the issue of rape. I am a republican and I am pro-choice and some of the things republicans are saying about rape are outrageous and inciting. Clearly not all republicans believe these statements and they are the few outspoken bunch, but overall the issue of rape laws is important.
I believe that what Sam said about how people need to incorporate empathy into this issue is absolutely true. In any issue, really, empathy is an important emotion to have. How can you tell someone what to do when you do not understand his or her situation fully? Being a bystander and not knowing how this person is feeling does not help the situation. Considering rape, it is easy for a bystander to say if a woman is raped she should keep the baby if she becomes pregnant. Place this situation on this bystander and it becomes personal. What if your wife, sister, daughter or mother had been raped and became pregnant? What would you feel is the right thing to do? I personally believe that people opinions do matter, but the ultimate decision is the victim’s.
When a woman is raped, her life has been changed forever. She has just been violated and she feels that all her power and rights have been stolen from her. Add a child to this ordeal and the woman is reminded every day of this trauma. Her right to choose whether she wanted to keep the child or not has been revoked and she yet again feels violated and powerless. Yes, adoption is an option, but think about what Sam said in class. Your twelve-year-old daughter has gotten raped and is now pregnant. Should she still be burdened with pregnancy and judgment of her peers and society? I think not. If I was a man and my wife had gotten raped and had this child, would I accept it as my own? Men in our discussion group were not all right with their wives accepting another man’s sperm donation, so I find it hard to believe they would accept this forcible occurrence. Suppose that a woman was legally obligated to keep the baby. What if there were complications during the pregnancy or childbirth and the mother dies? If she had been able to terminate the pregnancy she would still be alive.
The main idea of “it is a life” and that “it is murder” is purely one sided. People that use this as their reasoning for their beliefs have not used empathy. My dad is pro-life and whenever I ask him if I were raped and got pregnant, what would he think then? He has never given me an answer and this shows that empathy is a use part of understanding the issue of rape and the consequent pregnancy.

Even though basically everyone is taught to not judge people solely on their looks, it is pretty damn difficult not to. During previous lectures Sam has spoken about the approachability of a person based on race and how we generally search for friends who are similar to us, including similar racial and ethnic backgrounds. White people sometimes feel that people of color are more dangerous and somewhat less approachable. Everyone likes to say that they do not judge people by how they look, but just like latent prejudice, you cannot always know when your judgments are based off of looks or character.
When asked to make judgments, or state my beliefs, about these individuals, the thought of race and “approachability” was the first thing that came to my mind. The best way I can come up to describe the first guy would be a “bro”. He has that classic head tilt that just screams bro. We discussed in class if anyone had asked him how he got his hair to be like that and he said that no people of color had ever asked him that question. Normally, people with dreads are chill reggae people, so I am assuming he is a fairly laid back person.
The second guy seems shifty. He did not really want to look at the camera and seemed severely disinterested. Seeing as we are supposed to make judgments about their appearance, I assume that he is not a shifty, criminal in real life. From the video, though, I can say this guy would not be a person I would trust.
Both the women are very friendly looking and are professionally dressed. They seem very happy and approachable. When Sam spoke in class about job interviews and what the interviewee felt was a comfortable distance was, I feel like these women would be in the comfortable seating zone. They seem intelligent and willing to help. If I were an interviewer, I would not doubt lead more towards these ladies rather than any of the other men.
The only white guy in the bunch seemed very weak compared to the other men. He, like the others, did not smile. Somehow his lack of emotion was not as threatening as it was on the other men. I cannot say much about him because he just seemed very bland. I believe that he would appear less threatening to an interviewer for sure.
The last two individuals were intimidating and shifty respectfully. The guy in the red hat just seemed like he was ready to fight. He does not look friendly or approachable. His hat covers his face, which is normally a sign of deceit. The other guy had shifty eyes. He did not want to look at the camera and seemed uncomfortable. I would not feel comfortable trusting either of these individuals based on how they presented themselves.

It is always interesting to see how people react in different circumstances. In the video we watched, it was definitely interesting to observe how people treated the white thief compared to the black thief. There almost always is a disconnect between what people say they would do and what they would actually do. When the white thief was trying to steal the bike people just kept walking by and the few that did ask if the bike was his or not just kept on walking. He blatantly told them that the bike was not his. When the actors were switched and it then was a black man the reactions of the bystanders changed dramatically. Almost immediately people came up and asked if this was his bike. When he answered truthfully, one man started violently yelling at him. This man even tried to take the thief’s materials. The different reactions of the people were amazing to see.
When the host interviewed a group of black women on why they did not do anything to the white actor their answers consisted of, “I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.” These women correctly guessed that there would be more of a reaction if the person trying to steal the bike were black. I honestly think that these women were more truthful than another notable response given. They actually identified race as a factor for not stopping him. The one woman said that no one expects a white kid to be stealing a bike.
The man who yelled at the black actor was still yelling that he was a thief even when the cameras came out. After he was clued in, he said he would have acted the same in any situation; race had no effect. This clashed with the obvious results of this experiment. People clearly make judgments in their heads base on color alone. For all intensive purposes these two actors were the same. They were wearing generally the same type of clothing and were acting the exact same way as they tried to steal the bike. It is interesting, though, to see that even though they were basically the same, people had dramatically different reactions. This clearly exemplifies that race is still an important issue in today’s society.
People always like to see the good in themselves rather than the bad. I personally do not think it is a bad thing to recognize race. Discriminating against races is wrong though. I believe that people say that they would not discriminate between a black and a white man then do the opposite because they only see the good in themselves. When someone is given this situation, they are going to choose the outcome that is the most fair: confronting the individual and/or calling the police. This explains why people say the would not discriminate, but actually do.

I can honestly say that I never really thought about how free will and determinism played a roll in someone’s day to day life. When Sam first posed the question, “Which is more important: free will or determinism?” I did not know an answer right there and then. On the first clicker question, I said that determinism was more important because you cannot control the things that happen around you. As Sam spoke more and tried to convince us that you could not distinguish between which has more power over the other, I was swayed. I now believe that you truly cannot distinguish between free will and determinism.
One of the examples in class involved grades. A student received a bad grade. Now some may say he or she needed to study more or harder. Studying is not the only factor, though. Throw in the fact that his or her father had a heart attack a few days before the exam and he or she needed to rush home. This tragic event prevented the student from studying as hard or at all. This example leans towards determinism being the stronger of the two. It is easy to make examples of determinism up, but free will examples are all around.
Free will examples are more individual. Stories such as when families are poor, but they work hard and eventually rise to the top. These one in a million stories are not very prevalent though. As Sam continually says, “Sociology is not about the individual.” Free will comes into place in every situation be it through grades or in your social life. Yes, the student mentioned before could have chosen to study instead of visiting their father, but really? Is that even a choice? No, there are certain determining factors that restrict free will. There are also situations where free will prevails. For that group of high class, privileged people, they ride through life by determinism. What happens when they are on their own in college and get bad grades? They need to buckle down and study, just as Sam did. The choice to finally study and do work despite being born well off is an example of free will.
I have been giving examples of each free will and determinism, but when Sam described his story he combined them. This was the point where I truly agreed with him that the two are inseparable. Sam grew up privileged and did not put much effort into school as he should have. In his school, someone determined that if a student did not show up for class at all they would receive a deferred grade. If someone had not made this determination, it may not have been possible for Sam to make his free will choice of getting his act together and becoming a serious student. For this case, determinism and free will are inseparable.

It’s not surprising to see that whites and Asians are at the top while Hispanics and blacks come last respectively in the list of wealth presented in class. Some of the people near me had explanations for why this was. Someone said it was due to the area that each group lived in. Another person said it was because white are born into the wealth and Asians are so smart they get the better paying jobs. That second opinion was quite extreme and I believe Sam would have liked to hear his perspective. My explanation for why whites and Asians are on the top is not a concrete one. As I was listening to other people’s opinions and Sam talk in class, I was constantly changing or mostly adding to my explanation. I honestly do not think there is a clear-cut explanation for why whites and Asians are continually at the top of the wealth list.
The explanation I came up with has many parts. One of the parts would definitely be where certain people live. Especially when Hispanics move to the United States, they do not come with loads of money or education. They are drawn to cities where living is cheap and opportunities are great. I worked in the restaurant business my entire high school career and I worked and befriended many Hispanics. They are some of the hardest working people I have met and yet, as a whole, the Hispanics are third on the salary list. I believe that the jobs that are available for immigrants without an education are slim. If they do get a job, rising in the ranks can only go so far. The “rags to riches” stories are the exceptions that are few and far between.
Since I have been mentioning education, I feel like that’s the next huge component to why whites and Asians are first and second. White people generally get decent educations and with an education one can have a career rather than a “job”. An Asian girl in class said that specifically in China they get really good, expensive educations and in order to even consider getting to the United States, they must be wealthy. So the immigrants from Asia who come to the United States are already wealthy to begin with. Top that off with an extraordinary education and of course they will receive high paying jobs. Now I know that education is a huge component, but my friend brought up a good point: “Not everyone can get a decent education, let alone pay for college,”. This is totally true! Black and Hispanics are set back from the beginning because if they do not make enough money, they cannot even get the education they need for a high paying job. There are multiple other factors that contribute to the gap of salaries among whites, Asians, Hispanics and blacks, but I believe these are the two most important ones we touched on in class.

The exercise that we did in class the other day confirms what Sam wrote about in one of his articles: that there are really no racial groups. When someone says “Asian” a certain image comes to mind. We see more narrow eyes, more olive skin tone and generally we assume this “Asian” person is short and thin. Sam showed the map of Asia including what most people consider to be the Middle East. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and India are included in Asia. This explains the difficulty of the Pakistan born student and the 4.0 student who tried to guess each person’s race. The guy from Pakistan definitely did better than the 4.0 girl, which was the point of Sam’s exercise. It does not matter how smart a person is; distinguishing race is pretty impossible. This exercise or game is the equivalent to looking at people from the United States or Europe and guessing which state or country they are from. Certain traits are prominent in certain countries, but when it comes to neighboring countries, things can get tricky. Consider a Taiwanese person with a Chinese person. With their history, they should have almost identical features. Or how about Northern China and Southeast Russia? Russia can be considered European and Asian with its massive size. It is hard to pinpoint a person’s origin based on how they look. During class I did get a lot of them correct, but the really tough ones like the girl from Kazakhstan or the guy from Kuwait were very difficult and I probably never would have guessed them correctly.
It is a bit cliché to say we can’t judge a book by its cover, but I believe the phrase fits perfectly for this situation. With the amount of interracial couples having mixed babies and the ease of immigration, it is hard to pinpoint where a person is from base on looks. People generally give themselves too much credit when it comes to knowledge. You may think that picking out an Asian in a group of people would be easy. Dump a bunch of South Americans and Indonesians together, though, and you suddenly doubt your ability to distinguish between them. With all the immigration that happened and is still happening around the world, it is becoming harder and harder to detect a particular race. The topic of “one mega race” was brought up in our discussion group. This meant that eventually due to immigration and interracial couples, we would all just be somewhat every race. I do not think this is plausible even with the amount of mixed people in the world. There will always be someone who is darker compared to someone else. Even based on the video we watched about UV rays and skin tone. Evolution will balance race out based on various characteristics.