en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3551671 Comments by seanwhitehead http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment231851942 After taking Soc 119, my viewpoint on race and religion has absolutely changed for the better in my opinion. Coming in to Soc, in no way would I have considered myself a racist or closed minded when it comes to racial or religious issues, and I still know that I was not either of those things before this class started, but what this class really did was open my mind up to issues that I never would have even thought of with lectures like the Christian Crusaders and Affirmative Action ones. What Sam really succeeded in throughout this entire semester was knowing what the general population’s minds are closed to without them even knowing it, and opening them up and leaving them capable of pondering these new ideas. Sam made me more understanding of the differences in the world and the major disadvantages that various races, cultures, and religions face throughout not just our country, but the entire world. One of the main points that I took away from all of Sam’s lectures was that the solution to all of these racial and religious issues, even if there is one, is extremely far away and is a very complicated solution to come to. Another focal point that I took away from Soc 119 is the concept of the “invisible strings” that Sam always talked about. This gave me reasoning as to why people act the way they do and do the things they do. The idea that there are such strong forces from the outside environment that the people cannot control that influence almost every single decision they make is mindboggling, but just makes perfect sense. It explains so many things in life and now whenever I encounter various situations pertaining to people of any race making questionable decisions, it will now make me think; “did they really make their own bad decision there, or was there some type of force that I cannot see that is making them do what they are doing?” This is a very important question not just for this Soc 119 class, but a question that can be useful for the rest of my life. Sam introduced and then reinforced the idea that there is inequality in the world and although there is a slim chance for equality that can never begin to be achieved if we are not aware of all of the problems in the first place. Although it is only my first year here at Penn State, taking Soc 119 has easily been my best decision so far and I will surely recommend it to any of my friends. The vast amount of different, out of the box ideas that I have heard this semester have been amazing and really gave me a new perspective on many issues. Fri, 2 Dec 2011 22:16:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment231851942 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348942 hate crimes towards either him or his family. He probably would have had some form of vandalism done to his house or car, would be relentlessly harassed when out in public, and would more than likely almost have absolutely no support from anybody. In my opinion, this is a heinous crime whether you are black, white, brown, or anything. It has changed or ruined many lives, and the focus should not be on the criminal, but on the victims. I think even with Sandusky being white, there has been too much focus on him and Joe Paterno and not enough on supporting the victims, but if he were black, it would sadly be far worse. Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:57:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348942 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348912 said and done and all of the victims eventually do come up, that is going to be the case anyway. There are statistics all over the place that show that colored people feel the wrath of the legal system way more frequently than white people, especially when it is a crime of a black person done to a white person. If a black person kills a black person, then it is not too much of a difference in terms of punishment compared to a white person killing a white person, although the black person still is more susceptible to serving more time, but if a black person kills a white person, they do not even have to bother to show up to the trial because the way that the biased and even racist legal system works, they are going to be punished to the fullest extent. Also if Sandusky were to be Latino or black, I would expect that there would have been a few Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:56:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348912 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348821 immediately by the law. If you think that things were out of control and big news nationally with Sandusky being white, then you could not even imagine what it would be like if he were a person of color. That does not even begin to talk about if he was black or Latino within the legal system. If Sandusky was of color, then Sandusky’s bail probably would have been either significantly higher, if he even received bail at all. And when Sandusky does get convicted, I believe that if he were of color, being that he is an older person, I guarantee it that they would have made sure that Sandusky died in prison, but I also think that when all is Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:56:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348821 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348704 If Sandusky were black or Latino, I think that this entire scandal would be completely different. Everything that has happened would have been done to a much greater extent, had Sandusky been black or Latino. The interviews would have been much more negative and biased, the riots would have been a lot more rowdy and instead of rioting more for Joe Paterno, the riots would have been aimed more towards Sandusky, and there would have been many people at the national level calling for Sandusky to be brought down Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:56:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment227348704 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220637348 To start off, I must say that the riots that occurred for two consecutive nights at Penn State were disgusting. I went out just to watch the events with a couple of friends and I was appalled when the news van was tipped over. With that being said, I believe that these riots were going to happen regardless of whether social media was involved or not. Without checking my Twitter or Facebook, as soon as I heard the news of Joe Paterno being fired, I immediately knew that people were going to take to the streets to cause destruction. I also feel like that most people that went out for those riots did not even care about the firing of Joe Paterno, but rather people were definitely just looking to cause some trouble and destruction. The news of Joe Paterno being fired was just one of those things that as soon as you heard it, regardless of if you were on a social media website or not, you just immediately knew that all hell was going to break loose and that everyone’s first reaction was to go to the streets. With that being said, however, I also believe that social media did in fact help pour some extra fuel into the riot fire. If people did in fact have any doubt that a riot was occurring outside, all they had to do was simply check their Twitter or Facebook and their hunch would have been confirmed in a matter of seconds. People’s statuses and tweets were either telling people to come out and join them as they attempt to destroy the town, or were condemning the attacks as unnecessary and stupid. Where social media also chipped in to the chaos was by allowing people to mobile upload pictures and videos of the riots to their profiles in a matter of seconds. If people were just sitting back and were on the fence about whether they were going to go out and riot or stay in their room, then seeing these pictures of the chaos may have persuaded people to go out if they are in to that kind of thing. In my opinion, social media’s main damage was caused by alerting the media of the riots and giving the media valuable pictures and videos to use against Penn State. With all of these smartphones and camera phones around, I could not even begin to imagine how many pictures and videos of the riots were taken, prime material for the media to use to tarnish the reputation of Penn State and make their story seem more appealing. Without social media, the nation would not have seen as many vulgar pictures and videos of the sickening acts that occurred, and maybe a few people would have stayed indoors instead of going out to riot. Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:09:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220637348 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-60/#IDComment217022250 Hiring illegal immigrants is a touchy subject. Illegal immigrants do have many benefits for not only individual businesses, but for our country as a whole as well. If I were a business owner and was seeking new workers, I would probably shy away from illegal immigrants, not that I have anything against them but I just do not think that it is worth the risk. Hiring illegal immigrants is dangerous because if your business gets busted for having them, it faces steep fines and will more than likely constantly be under the microscope of the government or law officials. I feel like that although you are saving a considerable amount of money by giving them way too low of wages, depending on how many illegal immigrants you have in your establishment, the fines and sanctions could far outweigh the benefit. I am not sure as to whether a business owner could find legal, American citizens that would be willing to work for as cheap at some of the jobs that illegal immigrants do, but I assume that for only a few cents or dollars more an hour, there would definitely be some takers. It is my honest opinions that Americans do not mind doing the labor the illegal immigrants do, it is just that most Americans are not as desperate or needy for work compared to illegal immigrants that just freshly crossed the border, so the legal citizens prefer to get a higher wage. Also, although I do acknowledge that illegal immigrants do help this country go around by taking the jobs that Americans will not take at such a low pay rate, I do not like how they are avoiding taxes, which is my second biggest concern with hiring illegal immigrants, first of course being the risk of being caught. Now, it would be closed minded to think that illegal immigrants do not offer benefits, on top of taking hard labor jobs. Another benefit is that they are extremely hard workers. I have personally worked side by side with an illegal immigrant and he outworked me five times over. They do a great job and focus on the task at hand. This is not to mention the fact that they do all of that great labor for next to nothing. Honestly, although this sounds weird and contradictory, if it was legal to hire illegal immigrants, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat, because it definitely makes business sense and you get the most “bang for your buck.” To still get the benefits of the strong work ethic that these illegal immigrants supply, I would recommend that the government makes it a hell of a lot easier to become a legal citizen because quite frankly, the current system is a disgrace. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 22:55:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-60/#IDComment217022250 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment213602244 Just thinking about the fact that in the near future white people are going to be the minority is mind-boggling. It is a very odd thing to think of and the thought that white people would be the minority has never ever even come close to crossing my mind, and that is not because I refuse to believe it or whatever, but rather simply because I never was aware of how low the birth rates are for white people compared to other races. Now that I am aware of what is currently happening, I do not really know how I actually feel. I do not necessarily feel scared or afraid, but at the same time I also do. At a minimum, I feel nervous. If it is not already blatantly obvious to everybody that white people do receive preferential treatment and special privileges, Sam definitely made sure that everyone was aware of this, and to be honest, I kind of like and appreciate the special privileges, although I do absolutely acknowledge the fact that it is not morally, socially, or in any way, shape, or form, correct. I think that at a worst-case scenario from the white person’s perspective, if the white people do actually end up becoming the minority, we will end up being on the wrong side of these special privileges. However, I think if this 180-degree shift of special privileges does occur, it will be in the very distant long run. It is not like that as soon as the number of minorities outnumbers the number of white people, they automatically have special privileges. Rather, it will be a slow, gradual shift that will take quite some time to take affect, if it ever does. That is of course the worst-case scenario for the white person, and I actually believe that the change will be a lot less drastic. If and when the minorities to surpass the white people and become the majority in this country, I honestly believe that nothing will really change. The special privileges, etc, are what they are currently not so much because of the skin color anymore, but rather because it is woven into our cultural and social fabric, and it will be that way for a long time. When the minorities become the majority, the people who conduct the interviews and choose the job applicants will still be impartial and prefer white people, and the minorities becoming the majority could even become a disadvantage for current minorities in the long run, as another worst-case scenario. If the white people become the minority then I am sure that there will be some ridiculous affirmative action for white people that will still give them an upper hand. Like I said, I do not support people have special privileges for anything because it just is not fair, but it is human nature to enjoy that privilege while you have it. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:41:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment213602244 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210789021 When thinking about the question of whether a person who hangs out with or befriends a group of people whose race is primarily not their own, it is definitely apparent that there is not a clear answer and whatever answer you do give definitely can vary from individual case to individual case. For instance, if a black person goes to a predominately white school with only a few other black people, then I think that it is obvious that if they hang out with a bunch of white kids that they are not a poser, they are just simply working with whatever resources they have at their disposal. What is the kid supposed to do, sit in class and at lunch by himself and not talk to anyone all day? Another example of when somebody who hangs out with group of people whose race is not the same as their own can be if a white person goes to a predominately white person school that only has a few black kids, but that white person hangs out with those few black kids because maybe they are on the same sports team together, take part in some of the same hobbies, like the same things, or whatever. The white kid is not trying to make a point or look cool or pose off of these black people just because he is hanging out with them when there are more white people to hang out with, it is just the way that his friendship circle was kind of determined by his interests or hobbies. However on the other end of things, if the kid kind of forces the relationship with the group of people of different races and is not a part of the group he wants to be but rather is trying to make a point that he or she can fit in with another race, then that person is definitely a poser. People who do this tend to change the way they talk, the way they dress, the people they hang out with, but do this only to impress other people, just because they want to look “cool.” This is the prime example of a poser. These people are fake and are just putting on a show. I feel like eventually the people will realize that they are hanging out with people not for themselves but for other people and this person will probably stop hanging out with this group eventually and find a group that actually has common interests with them, etc. In the end, things will work out, but for the time being the people are just putting on a front for some kind of personal gain or something, I cannot really explain what that gain is because I am not one of those people, but the gain is there. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 04:00:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210789021 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207615309 There really is no definite answer as to why we use racial labels because they most certainly are not needed. Racial labels, stereotypes, etc, are all things that have kind of been engrained into each person’s culture and it would take generations, if ever, for a person to drop the “habit” of using racial labels. However, although I acknowledge there isn’t a definite answer, I still think I might have an idea as to what one of the answers might be. My hypothesis as to why we continue to unnecessarily use racial labels is because, like I said before, it is a “habit” of our individual cultures. I will be the first to admit that I do occasionally use racial labels, but I honestly do not use them in a derogatory or offensive way, like some people may do. I mainly use racial labels when I am telling a story and am just trying to be descriptive or put a clearer image of the scenario into the listener’s head. For instance, I may have been in a crowded mall and took note of the fact that there were significantly more black people in the mall than any other race, and during a story I would say something along the lines of “In the mall today, there were a lot of black people.” I am not saying this in a negative or demeaning manor, just simply making a statement. Now if I were to say something that crosses racist lines that should never be crossed, then that is when things get out of hand. But, when it comes down to it, racial labels are just completely unnecessary. The story would probably have around the same impact on my listener where I said that there were a lot of black people or just simply a lot of people. But, for some reason, I just throw that descriptive word in there, and in my estimation, it is because it is a “habit.” Now whether this habit can eventually be kicked is another discussion, but I believe that if it we were to get rid of these racial labels as a society, it would take many years. We are definitely taking steps in the right direction by being able to openly discuss sensitive topics such as race in classes today, but like I said, it is something that is going to take time. Although it will take time, you can already tell that things have gotten better from 30 years ago until now. Racism and racial labels still exist today, but are no where close to the level that they used to be, and that goes to show that widespread changes are absolutely possible. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:26:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207615309 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-40/#IDComment204494156 When it comes to the question of why women have to sacrifice comfort when getting dresses up and guys don’t, I think that I have a decent idea as to how to answer this question. I believe that it is just simply the human nature of guys and the human nature of girls that aid in deciding how they dress. You can definitely see this at a high school that is either all girls or all boys. At these two different types of high schools, the way that the girls view their appearance at their school and guys view their appearance at their school, is totally different. I personally attended a co-ed school, so I have not experienced this first hand, but I have in fact talked to a few people about their experiences at all boys schools and even have a very good friend that attended an all boys school. When asked how they liked it, they almost always respond with that they loved it so much. When you then ask them why, they almost always tell you because they could do whatever they want. They said it did not matter how their uniform looked, whether it was wrinkled or not, it was not mandatory that they had to shower before school or comb their hair because there was no one to impress, they could fart whenever they felt the need to, they could partake in chewing tobacco when the teachers would not notice without having to worry about girls judging them, and so on. This just shows that guys, generally, just do not care at all about their appearance. Now, if you change directions and go to an all girls schools, then you will notice that girls do still care about their appearance. I am sure that there are some girls who do not care at all or just roll out of bed like the guys, but for the most part, girls still take the time to put their make up on, do their hair, make sure their uniform looks nice, check their make up in the bathroom during school, and so on. This goes to show you that naturally, girls do still care about their appearance, even when there are not any guys around to impress. If you mix the two sexes together, then not too much changes. There will still be some girls who do not care, some guys that start to care, some guys that still do not care, etc. At risk of making a generalization, I feel like the answer to this question is because naturally, women like to dress better, compared to guys who just don’t care. Another possible answer to this is that it is just simply a choice, which is what it should be! Wear whatever you choose to wear and like to wear. Fri, 7 Oct 2011 20:08:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-40/#IDComment204494156 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-23/#IDComment201520016 In my honest opinion, my race, or anybody’s race in general, absolutely, 100 percent, in no way, shape, or form, dictates the usage of drugs. Although I understand that people can think whatever they want and that this may come off as a little harsh, but it is one of my firm beliefs that people who do believe that it is race that helps decide if I person does or does not partake in drugs are guilty of grossly stereotyping different races. The one may ask, if it is not race that is a main factor in whether a person uses drugs or not, then what is it? Well, my answer to this question is quite simple; it’s the environment that the person grows up in. There are a few different factors that you have to take a look at when talking about the “environment.” When talking about this environment, you are not only talking about the surrounding neighborhood(s), but also what it is like on the inside of someone’s house, behind closed doors. If a person grows up in a neighborhood where drug use is prominent, I believe that it is fairly obvious that that person will have a much greater chance of using drugs, whether they are white, black, Hispanic, or any other race around. If you compare the person that grows up in the neighborhood with heavy drug use to a person that grows up in a nice, clean, friendly neighborhood where there is little or maybe even no drug use at all, then it is almost a guarantee that the person growing up in the drug infested neighborhood will have a greater chance of using drugs than the person from the clean neighborhood. And again, this works equally for all races! If a white person grows up in a drug filled neighborhood and a black person grows up in a clean neighborhood, then the white person will have a greater chance of using drugs. If that was switched, and a black person grew up in a drug filled neighborhood and the white person grew up in a drug free neighborhood, then the black person will be more likely to use drugs. And I realize that not all people who live in neighborhoods with heavy drug use will end up using drugs, which is why I believe that there is also a micro portion to the “environment,” which is what goes on inside the persons house with their family. There are statistics everywhere that show that a person who lives in a household where a guardian is a cigarette smoker, then that person is more likely to smoke cigarettes. I believe that this same theory applies to drugs. If parents use drugs, then in my opinion, the kids have a greater chance of using drugs. I do not care if the parents are the only ones in the neighborhood that do drugs or if they are one of many in the neighborhood, if they do drugs then it will definitely increase the risk of their children doing drugs. This theory of mine is again race neutral, and applies to all races equally. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:40:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-23/#IDComment201520016 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197523766 I am sure that this applies to many kids in Soc 119, but sadly I for one never really thought too long and hard about ways that I can help a developing and struggling country. I sit in my posh apartment at Penn State, playing video games and doing some schoolwork, not really thinking twice about a struggling clothing manufacturer or baker in Haiti. What I also did not realize were the vast ways that I can begin to make a change. Haiti is obviously a country that has many needs and problems that, honestly, one person and one project cannot fix. But, when you start thinking of 1,500 student in Soc 119 a year, 15 students in a group, which equates to 100 projects a year now, that’s where change happens. 1,500 students all working towards one purpose is an excellent step in the right direction. I believe that Sam realizes that in the short term, these projects will not have too much of an impact, but where I see this all really coming to play is down the road, when hopefully word passes about this great project that Penn State students do to other universities, causing them to do the same thing, and so on. When I watched the videos, I decided to pick three different entrepreneurs from three different areas of expertise, so I ended up watching Clorene Blaise (clothing manufacturing), Figaro Louis (pastries and cordials), and Sonia Joseph (insulated lunch-bags). What Clorene, Figaro, and Sonia really need is money for upgrades. Their desire, business idea and success, and quality of product is already there, but now it is time to expand their business, like any successful business eventually has to do. I could not even begin to imagine how Clorene’s business might take off if she actually had the opportunity to put some tags on her different clothing and purses, because not only does it make everything look more professional, but it will greatly help out with spreading her business name around. It is also amazing that in the United States, people get upset when they have an “old” model of an iPod, yet Clorene is able to produce such fine quality clothing with equipment that has been outdated in the United States for over thirty years. Figaro also could thrive if she could only get a larger unit with more “tools” for her to use. She literally has about as much tools to run her business as I do in my apartment, with a staff that is not nearly large enough to support an expanding business. What Figaro mainly needs though is either new staffers that are simply dedicated to picking up the supplies for her, or a new mode of transportation (bike or a car, although that is very expensive). Watching the video on Sonia was cool seeing how proud she was of her new contract, yet it will be hard for her to live up to the contract with that little sewing machine. What we need to do as a group is find a way to set up a model to raise the necessary monetary funds for all of the struggling entrepreneurs. I cannot tell you how excited I am to hopefully be part of something that changes an entire country forever. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:59:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197523766 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-11/#IDComment194310620 I actually took a long, not so direct route to finally end up at University Park. My freshman year of college I went to a very small Division III school in Ohio, Kenyon College, and played lacrosse there. With only a little over 1,600 students in the entire college, I deemed it to be way to small for me and ended up transferring out. Since I decided to transfer out in early April, my choices of where to transfer were slim, so I decided to just stay local and go to the Penn State-Brandywine campus for a year and play it from there, while also waiting tables at Applebee’s to make a little extra money. Early on in the first semester of my sophomore year, I visited my best friend from high school who goes to Penn State University Park and immediately fell in love with the place; it was everything I wanted in a college. Growing up I had season football tickets to Notre Dame, so I knew I loved college football. When I came to visit, my friend and I went to the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game, and taking in everything from the stadium actually gave me goose bumps. However, it wasn’t just the pride of the student body that intrigued me about this school. I also loved the campus, and the fact that there was a town within the campus. At my previous school there were 3 different places to eat on campus and a little convenience store, and that was it. At Penn State, there is absolutely no shortage of places to go to or eat at on the weekends. I also loved the fact that there were so many kids here, because I know that if I play my cards right, the networking possibilities at Penn State would be crucial to my success when I get into the “real world.” It also did not hurt that Penn State is so highly regarded both academically and for partying across the country. Honestly, something that I did not factor into my decision of coming to Penn State, but that I absolutely appreciate now that I am here, is the wide range of diversity in race, religion, everything. Going from a small school of mostly white people my freshman year, I was not exposed to anything like this. It is amazing the different languages you hear, clothes and races you see, cultures you notice, all during a simple walk down College Ave to get to the Thomas building for class. Noticing things like this that I never even thought of when considering transferring to Penn State caused me to inquire about joining the Lion Ambassador’s so that I can talk about my experiences to potential students and open their eyes to things that mine were temporarily closed to. It was a long road to University Park, but I could not be happier to be here. Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:50:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-11/#IDComment194310620 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189148067 Interracial dating is a topic that I can comment on from personal experience, which is why I was extremely excited when I saw this as one of the topic questions. In my opinion, interracial dating really is no big deal, and for some people in schools that are either enormously diverse or where they are a blatant minority, it is almost inevitable. With that being said, I must admit that neither of these things were the case in my scenario. I grew up in a semi-wealthy suburb of Philadelphia, where whites far outnumbered any other race. There were plenty of pretty white girls in my school and honestly if I had to describe my dream girl, it would probably be a tan, blond, blue-eyes hottie that wouldn’t cheat on me. However, for two years of my high school career, I ended up with a girl that was totally the opposite, except for cheating part; she was definitely loyal. My only official, long-term relationship of high school was with a lighter skinned, half black, half white girl. Although her skin was not “blue-black” as Dr. Richards describes it, she was absolutely dark enough where it was known that she had black in her, and in fact I believe that since her father was the black one and was the head of the household, that described why when people asked her what she was, she responded with “black,” and if they asked anymore questions, she would then explain that she does how a white mother. Being in this interracial relationship was one of the best things that could have happened to me. She came and cheered me on at all of my sporting events, her mom could cook her ass off, and we just genuinely cared about each other. Since as I explained earlier I am usually into blonds, what lured me into my ex-girlfriend was really her amazing personality. Whenever we were out in public holding hands, we both would notice awkward looks and stares from other people. We are two smart people, and we knew when we started that we would have those types of growing pains together, but we made light of it usually, by either staring directly back and laughing about it afterwards, or making some kind of smart remark about it later. I also caught some expected jokes from my friends, but they were just messing around, none of them cared at all. They would occasionally make a “bootylicious” reference, or simple jokes like that from time to time, but again, it was nothing I didn’t expect or care too much about. What I was mainly not so much worried about, but more nervous, was my parents’ initial reaction, which ended up loving her from the start, and since her parents were an interracial couple, I was also accepted immediately. The point of this is for whoever is going to read this is that if you think you want to try it, do it. I didn’t suffer any offensive ridicule or shunning from my parents and friends, and if your friends were to judge you on something like interracial dating, are they really your friends? I haven’t dedicated my future romances to all interracial relationships, but I definitely am not opposed if she is the right one. Fri, 2 Sep 2011 21:35:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189148067