The videos of the American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that Sam showed to us in class on Tuesday were absolutely horrific to watch. It is shocking to see members of our military act so evil. They made me feel embarrassed for my country and all those participating in our military. I would be generalizing if I said the majority of American soldiers are this mean and sick in the head to destroy a man’s life only because he was trying to get some wood so he can LIVE. However, I would be ignorant if I said that all American soldiers are saints and have the best thoughts in mind when it comes to innocent civilians of a foreign country.
It is kind of like the situation with the riots here at Penn State. A select few knuckleheads destroy property on camera and make an entire group of people look like savages. In our case, it was the idiots who were tipping over news vans and streetlights. In the American soldiers’ case, it was that one team of soldiers who decided to demolish a taxi with their tank. It reflects badly on the entire American military, as well as the country itself.
However, there are no excuses for these heinous acts of buffoonery. To completely understand the situation, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the civilians in the countries that our military is occupying. A man’s taxi should not be destroyed just because he was “stealing” wood because he is poor and needs it desperately, no matter what country he is from. Nobody’s car should be pushed off of a road while they are driving it, no matter which military vehicle is following them.
The truth is that we as Americans are told that our military is out policing the world, helping out everybody in need that they come across. The videos that are shown to us in America display American soldiers receiving hugs from young children and shaking the hands of locals. However, the videos that are shown around the countries that our military is occupying are like the ones Sam showed us in class on Tuesday.
Think about if there were foreign soldiers occupying our country, for whatever reason. What if one day you were driving on a desolate road and got railed off the road by a bunch of soldiers? What if your father could no longer feed you because his wood was taken and his taxi (aka business aka income) was crushed by a tank driven by these soldiers? Personally, I would be outraged at the people who did this. This is probably how the Iraqi and Afghani citizens feel towards the Americans.

Should immigrants have to speak English? My answer to this question is no, they do not have to. If an immigrant moves to the United States and decided that they do not want to learn English, then that is their choice. It is their free will not to learn English, and that is what our country was founded on, free will. There should not be a law for a language test for immigrants to take before moving to the United States because that would just be unconstitutional and unethical.
However, I do believe that immigrants should learn English before moving or while acclimating themselves to living in the United States. I believe this because if one does not know English in this country, it could be very confusing for them and for other people. Not knowing English automatically eliminates immigrants from most job opportunities because they would not be able to communicate with their bosses or co-workers. And when I am talking immigrants, I mainly mean those immigrants who emigrate from Mexico and other Central American, Spanish-speaking countries. These are the majority of immigrants who come to the United States, and also the majority group of immigrants who do not know a lick of English. I believe this is why we see those immigrants all working together in lawn care and landscaping, whether they are legal or illegal. I’m not saying that all immigrants who do not speak English work in that field (pun intended), but since they are not able to find other jobs where they can work without knowing English, they are grouped together into that one where they can communicate with each other and most likely a bilingual boss. Other fields for non-English-speaking immigrants seem to include kitchen work at restaurants, home cleaning, and others.
Also, I think it is rude when someone knowingly speaks to an American they don’t know in a different language than English, especially if they are living in the United States. It would be as if I moved to Brazil or something and only spoke to people in English instead of learning Portuguese and speaking that.
Something else I find extremely rude is when tourists (especially American ones) go to another country and don’t even take the time or make the effort to learn the simple words and phrases of the language of the country they are in. For example, I traveled to Rome, Italy to visit my sister last spring with my mother and brother. I would always get really embarrassed whenever my ignorant mother walked into the hotel and said, “Hello!” and other blatant English words to the Italian people working in the hotel and they gave a bizarre confused look to her, as if they were annoyed she didn’t even have the courtesy to say “Buena cera” or any other simple Italian phrases.

When a person hangs out with a group of people whose race is primarily not their own, does that make them a poser? Well, I saw that this was one of the most popular questions on this week’s blog, and I understand why. Calling somebody a poser is one of the deepest insults you can give somebody. When one is called a poser, they feel as if their morals have been attacked. One of the harshest forms of criticisms for most people, a poser is defined as a person who acts in an affected manner in order to impress others.
Although many people are accused of being posers when they hang out with others who are primarily different race, I do not agree with the dubbing of the word “poser” on these people. People who are friends with and hang out with other people who are primarily a different race are just like the rest of us. They are friends with these people due mostly to factors that are outside of their control.
For example, let’s say that a wealthy black couple buys a house in a rich and predominantly white town. They have a baby and send him to the public schools where he is the only one or one of the very few black kids in the entire school. When this kid graduates high school, pretty much all of his friends growing up will have been white. Does that make him a poser? Obviously not, because he had no choice on whether he would become friends with the black kids or the white kids since there were only white kids surrounding him during childhood. However, the mother and father may have come from a primarily black neighborhood and therefore have mainly black friends. The point of this example is that factors outside your control, mainly where on this earth you are born and where your family raises you, have a huge impact on the race of the people you are friends with.
However, a more accurate definition of a poser that more people may use is somebody who acts like they are a different race. For example, if a group of white kids from Central Suburbia, New Jersey started dressing in baggy clothes and dew rags and addressing each other with the “N” word, they would be considered a blatant example of posers by society. That is not necessarily because of the way they dress since they may be inspired by the growing hip-hop culture in our country, but because they address each other as “N” words. The “N” word is a very racist and offensive word when used by somebody who is not black. In our society, that word is reserved for black people to casually call each other, and one who uses it who is not black is indeed a poser.

This is a question that puzzles many of us guys, including myself. However, the nature of this question is only true to a degree. Men cannot “wear whatever they want” and “not look good” before going out. If that was the case, guys would be going out to parties with sweatpants and a sweatshirt The answer to this question simply is the fact that we live in a world that is run by men, has been run by men for as long as we can date back, and probably will be run by men for the foreseeable future.
Personally, I think a more specific reason why girls sacrifice their comfort when going out is because they have curves that can be shown off in skinny dresses and high heels while men do not really have that. For example, a girl can wear a push up bra and a thong in a skinny one-piece dress with high heels to show off her assets (basically meaning long legs, nice butt, nice boobs, etc.) However, for a guy to show off his assets, he would have to go out shirtless with short shorts. Guys won’t stand for that.
It’s almost as if girls feel insecure about who they really are and therefore have to show off their body to get guys to be attracted to them. I am not saying that girls do this consciously because this is what society has become accustomed to. Traditionally, women have been required to cover up as much as possible when being in public. A hundred years ago in America, women would never get away with what you see them wear on Beaver Ave on a Saturday night.

The definition of a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. I am a white person, so common stereotypes for people of my race are both positive and negative. For example, whites are stereotyped as intelligent, socially diverse, well off financially, and unlikely to commit a crime. However, negative stereotypes of whites include being racist, prejudiced, uneasy around minorities, and biased. I, personally, do not associate myself with any of those stereotypes (except maybe the positive ones). Therefore, I do not really believe that stereotypes are necessarily true for a significant amount of people, especially of the younger generations.
However, stereotypes exist for a reason. Although case-by-case, you will definitely find some discrepancies within stereotypes of certain races with certain people of that race. Let me list a couple black stereotypes that I have seen to be true in many cases. Black people are good at dancing. Black people love fried chicken. Now one may think I am a racist for agreeing with these stereotypes, but in my lifetime I have seen them to be true. If I am ever at a party or something, the best dancers in the room are most likely black. Maybe it is because they have are born with better rhythm than the other races, just like they were born with darker skin. Also, even though this may sound extremely racist, whenever I go into Popeye’s or KFC a majority of the people in there are indeed black. Maybe it is because black people have an acquired taste for fried chicken or because it is something like a cultural tradition. Whatever it is, it still is, and that is why those stereotypes continue to exist.
For the record, I only used black stereotypes because they are prominent examples of stereotypes of other races. For example, I also recognize the drunken Irish stereotype and the mathematically talented Asian stereotype. I am of Irish descendants, so I know a lot about the drunken Irish stereotype and find it to be true. I am not saying that all Irish people are drunkards, but a part of Irish culture and tradition is indeed drinking beer. Isn’t that why we get extra drunk on St. Patrick’s Day (or State Patty’s Day here), the patron saint of Ireland? Also, I come from an area in New Jersey where there are a large amount of Asian people, almost enough to make them not a minority. Therefore, I have many Asian friends and for the most part they are way better at math than I am. This is probably due to some biological advantage they have as a race.
Although I am vouching for the truth behind stereotypes, I do realize that many stereotypes that exist are viewed way more ridiculous and racist than the ones I just explained. However, stereotypes do exist for a reason, whether it be truth or racism, or a bit of both.

The Haiti Group Project goes far beyond what most other foreign aid projects in the United States do for Haiti. Most other people who are looking to support and aid the Haitians who are struggling today are part of a Christian church group or something. Those who are not just do it because of the moral goodness that exists in their hearts. However, what most of these groups do is send things they do not necessarily need, such as sneakers, clothes, and food rations.
Donating these things to the Haitians seems like the right thing to do, since they did just get hit with one of the deadliest earthquakes ever. However, the best thing for us to do is not to donate, but to microfinance things to Haitian business owners. As I watched and learned about the Haitian entrepreneurs, I realized that they are just like any other entrepreneurs. They follow very similar processes to many businesses in the United States today, because the language of business is indeed universal.
For foreigners to donate things such as sneakers, peanut butter, and clothing is actually detrimental to the Haitian economy as a whole. And us Americans should know that a poor economy equates to poor people. Although the goal of donating such things to Haitians is to improve their quality of life, it really does not. Donated goods to Haiti significantly hurt Haitian entrepreneur’s businesses, giving them unfair competition that they cannot compete with in price. I now know never to do this, and I plan on telling all my friends and family who have never to do it again.
The real answer to help improve their quality of life in Haiti is micro financing business materials, such as laptops, machinery, and raw materials. If all the attention given to donating useless things that are already made in Haiti was given to micro financing business materials, we could really help improve the stability of the Haitian economy.
It seemed like one of the main problems with these Haitian businesses is funding. They have trouble receiving loans from the government. Therefore, their businesses cannot grow. They cannot hire more employees or buy the proper materials for their businesses. If these Haitian entrepreneurs were able to expand their businesses more easily, their economy would slowly but surely improve over time.
By individually micro financing business materials to Haitian entrepreneurs, we help their businesses to steadily grow. For example, if you were to sell a laptop and receive payments over time for it from a Haitian entrepreneur, everybody wins. You make money from their payments, they make money from their improved business, the economy gets boosted from their improved business, and you satisfy your moral obligation to help those in need.

Determinism or free will… Doesn’t our free will determine who we are though? Or is our free will determined by biology and genetics, and all that DNA stuff? People question whether things are “predetermined destiny” or whether we are born with a live soul that makes unique decisions based on our life specifically.
But the answer to the overall question on which one of those shapes people lives more is impossible to find out. It is obviously a combination between the two.
Like Sam said, the fact that you are genetically born into the body you were born into certainly plays a huge role in how you are going to live your life. Take myself for example; I was born a white male in a middle-class Catholic family in New Jersey. I am obviously going to live a much different life than say the adopted child of a billionaire in France of the child of a starving mother with AIDS in Africa. There is no specific scientific reason as to why we are born into certain bodies, other than the theory that there is in fact an almighty Creator. But then again, wouldn’t we be “determined” by God’s will as to how we are going to live our lives?
Ultimately, however, the choices we make with our free will have about the same amount of affect on our lives. For example, if I chose not to attend Penn State, I would be at a different school, miles and miles away, with totally different people having completely different impacts on my life than the people I know now. The decisions we make with our free will determine who we are and who we become in the future. Therefore, determinism and free will work together to shape our lives.

Indeed, there are an abundance of different ways to classify yourself, including your race, gender, age, job, hometown, political views, religious views, and your history. But if someone were to ask me to classify myself in ten words or less, I would say I’m an upper-middle-class white American teenage straight male from New Jersey. Why do I classify myself as that? It is because I have no choice but to classify myself as those certain things. However, I can go much more in depth as to how I classify myself within my religious views, political views, and the hobbies I have. So, depending on who is asking, I can either respond by saying “I am an upper-middle-class white American teenage straight male from New Jersey ” or by saying “a broke Penn State student referee with slightly agnostic religious views and independent yet slightly liberal political views.”
I could expand about my personality but I won’t. What boldly classifies me, not what I choose to be, is an upper-middle-class white American teenage straight male, all things I never chose to be. I grew up into a somewhat upper middle class family; happen to be white basically from my genetics; am nineteen years old because I was born in 1992, in the United States of America, New Jersey specifically, with a natural preference for females.
So by telling somebody I come from an upper middle class family, they may have first thoughts to think that I spend carelessly and live an easy comfortable life. However, I don’t do any of those things because I simply do not choose to. That is not the way I live. For example, I have attended private Catholic School for thirteen years of my nineteen (and change) years of life so far. Although, that does not mean I consider myself Catholic. Sure, I was taught everyday from ages five to seventeen about everything Catholic, but somewhere in the middle I decided that was not what I truly believed. That’s my personal example of choosing my religion, even if I chose not to consider myself to be any specific denomination of any religion.
Another thing about me that I don’t choose to be is my origin in New Jersey. Of course, I have pride in being from the Garden State, but sometimes people bother me with a question about Jersey Shore. I am not a huge fan of the show (haven’t kept up since season 1). Although I was one for Halloween my sophomore year in high school, I am not one of those gelled out over tanned muscle heads who follow the GTL lifestyle. I actually don’t know that many people like that in New Jersey, even if it may be more than most other states. So yeah, it kind of bothers me when people automatically associate people from New Jersey with the characters of Jersey Shore. However, the South Park episode about it was hilarious.
Those are only a couple of my few classifications I was born into that could be misconceived. However, there is an infinite amount of different ways I could classify of who I choose to be.