Is it right for America to police the rest of the world? I think this is the question of the century. Honestly, I don’t think there is a right answer to this question at all. It can be easily argued for or against. I think that since we are such a super power, it is our obligation to help the other countries in need. It is just like how a multi millionaire donates some of their money to charities. We do the same regardless of whether or not we have some issues ourselves. The issues arise when we pretend to help other country, but invading is only for our benefit. We have seen this many times in our history. But, to this day, no one defends those actions. We feel bad about those instances.
So many people dislike America, but honestly, we do a lot for the world. We give so much money and resources for other countries and people to prosper. We have done more than most people think or know. We have no doubt made mistakes and regret some of our actions, but I feel like if we never helped others the world would still hate us. So, really it is a loose loose situation. No matter what we do, it will never satisfy the entire world. No one ever thinks they have enough. We are human, we want more no matter what.
With regards to our country having our own problems, everyone has problems and hardships. Everyone needs something selfless to do to make them feel good about themselves, and I think helping the world around us is the way to go. Really, we should all be helping both internal and external. It is not bad that we want to help the world even if we have issues. Some of the poorest people in the world are the ones that donate to the poor. That is a parallel to the U.S. helping other countries.
We have done so much good. There are so many funds for poor unstable countries and it is just part of our daily lives. Some of us don’t even think twice about donating or fundraising for others. It is sometimes hard to help your own people because it is too close to home. It can be emotional or hard to think about because it is so close to you. By donating outside, there is no personal tie, but good is still being done.
I think the world is harsh towards the U.S. Everyone likes to hate because it is much easier to hate than appreciate. It is easier to focus on the few bad things that have been done then the hundreds of good.

Coming from a journalism major, I feel obligated to defend the media. Unfortunately I think the media skewed Penn State’s image. The riots probably would not have gotten as big as they did and as much attention as they did if not for the media. The media advertised the rally as a riot, so at least half of the kids that were there were just there to see what was going to happen. All of my friends that went said they were just there to be able to say they saw everything first hand. After it, of course the 1,000 students that were peaceful were not portrayed in the paper or new, only the flipped car was. Of course in a school of 40,000 there will be a handful that are radical in their views. There will be a handful that is violent. But, that is not the accurate depiction of Penn State Students as a whole. What about the 20,000 people that attended the candle light vigil. Does that not deserve more media coverage? Of course that media blew up the, what was supposed to be a, peaceful rally. It was said that some media were instigating the kids telling them that this was not a riot. They were encouraging them to do something crazy. Some were lifting their arms implying make more noise. They wanted to report news and they felt the only good angle would be a riot. It is hard for me to put blame on the media since I hope to do their job one day, but they make mistakes. And, this was one of them. They are supposed to simply cover the news. They did not do that correctly. Even if they were not instigating, they did not balance the good and bad news, and that is their job. They have to be careful because people outside Penn State are judging us based on what the media tell them. I put some of the blame on the media and they deserve it. This definitely affected the way I read the paper now. I will never again judge a story simply by what and article says or what a news segment says. I will do my research. One day, when I am in the field, I will report the news ethically and fully. I will not skew my writing to create the best story possible. It is causing Penn State students to loose job opportunities and respect from the outside world. I think the media owes us, and they should have used the vigil to do this. They know what they did was wrong, and they really should run a story in return talking about all the good we are doing here.

I think immigrants should have to speak English 100 %. I don’t buy the excuse that it is too hard and they can just speak their own language. My ancestors did it. They were no smarter then Mexicans or any other group. When people come here and expect Americans to speak their language I think it is rude. This is why the French hate us so much. We go to France to visit and speak English to them expecting them to respond to us in English. If someone is going to travel to another country, have the courtesy to try and speak the language.
English is the unifying language of America. If you are going to just create a mini Armenia, or a mini Mexico and only speak that language, why move to the U.S. I just think its is unbelievable that I have to press one for English on the phone now. I live in America it should be assumed I speak English. I agree that Americans should learn other languages, but that doesn’t mean that other should stop learning English. I agree that being fluent in at least two languages should be an expectation for everyone. It makes you a cultured well-rounded person. But if you are living in America, English should undoubtedly be one of those two.
I am worried our country is going to lose its melting pot identity with the number of immigrants that are not immersing in the culture. My grandparents moved here because they loved the idea of American freedom. But that is disappearing when groups like Asians and Mexicans congregate and live in one area, practically creating a mini Korea or Mexico. Spanish is becoming as dominant a language as English, and I just do not understand why. Americans are going out of our way to learn Spanish, but the Spanish are not going out of their way to learn English. That seems wrong to me, especially since we are in America.
A lot of times it is not the legal immigrants that are not learning the language, it is the illegal immigrants. This makes sense because they were not forced to learn the language for the exam to be allowed in the country; they just snuck in illegally. But, these people should be learning English to fit in as much as possible. One would think they would try to fit in as much as possible to not get caught and be sent back. Sometimes people are just lazy. I really strongly believe you should make an attempt to learn a language even if you are traveling to a different country for two days. If other countries want us to do that when going to their countries, they should do it when coming to America.

Hiring illegal immigrants: I understand why people that are in charge of major companies hire illegal immigrant. They are in need of factory workers, but not just factory workers, they need cheap ones. In the short run this helps their company because they don’t have to pay a lot, but in the long run it ruins our economic system. I think it is really wrong to employ illegal immigrants. People come to America and spend the time to get their citizenship, and these people are just getting handed work without going through the process. They don’t have to pay for health care or taxes and so much more. I find it odd that legal immigrants are not more upset about this. Essentially they are taking away from all jobs, including from those immigrants that took the time to become a citizen. The process can take years and years. I think I would be even more upset about it if I had to go through the process.
Taking businesses out of our country, I think, is just as bad as employing illegal immigrants. People are upset that our economy sucks, but I think we contribute a lot to that. If we did not outsource as much and employed Americans instead of just hiring the cheapest option, maybe our economy would not be in shambles. By moving businesses to places like China where there is cheap labor, we are helping their economy, not our own. We are handing jobs away and causing our own unemployment rate to keep going up. We are too caught up in the cheapest option, but we do not think about the long run!
The argument that our country would not run without illegal immigrants is completely ridiculous. These people argue that Americans do not want to work in those bad jobs, but there are some that would. If it comes to that they will. The pay will not be so low if there were not those illegal immigrants to compete against. The unemployment rate would undoubtedly go up. There are so many Americans that would much rather pick crops then live on the street. I understand we have expectations especially if we are educated. That is a good thing. People are not just settling, they are trying to get the best job possible. But, if my only option to live and feed my family was to be a factory worker, I would do it. The issue comes in because we have to compete against people that will take $2 an hour. If they did not exist, it would be better for Americans in the short run and long run. I think it is so wrong to employ any illegal immigrant for any position.

I do not think hanging out with people that are a majority different than you is a bad thing. And, I really do not think it makes you a poser at all. I have tons of friends who are a different race then me. I think having a variety of friends makes people more cultured and accepting of others. Who cares what peoples’ outside appearances are. If they are the type of friends that are compatible with your personality, be their friend. I went to a Catholic school when I was young which was completely white. I then went to a public high school and a public college (here). Both of which are very diverse. This was not an issue for me because I was raised to look at people on the inside not on the outside, by my parents of course. Now, my little sister goes to the Catholic school I did, and there are 3 Asian children attending! I think it is great that even an Armenian Catholic school is branching out of their bubble. I think that means really big things for our world. We are becoming more and more diverse and accepting of all races and people. That is not to say that there will never be people who stereotype and discriminate ever again, but it means we are close. There are all different types of people in the world that will always hate for no reason, but I think we are headed in the right direction.
A poser is someone who is fake. People that hang out with a group of people who look differently then they do, are probably not faking anything. They probably feel like they identify better with those people then people that look like they do. The only thing that may be misconstrued would be having one or two friends that are different then you. I also do not think it means that they are trying to be something that they are not either. Nobody’s life is exactly the same as someone else’s and that goes for groups of people as well. Just because skin color is different does not mean that all other aspects of their life is the same as that specific group. I do not think it is fair to judge anyone’s situation if it is not your own. There are always hidden aspects of people’s lives that no one knows about, and if a white kid hanging out with all black kids makes him/her feel better and comfortable, then who cares. Whose business is it other then his/her own? Everyone should be able to experience happiness in whatever form of the word that means for them.

Abigail and Brittany—People complain about their problems often, but when you step outside of yourself you realize how many other people have bigger problems. You realize yours are not all that important. Not being able to go to a party, or having to explain to people what nationality you are because you are mixed is really miniscule when compared to actual problems people face. I know things feel like a big deal in the moment, but I always look past myself in situations. Nothing is really as bad as it seems. I have had experience in awful situations, and know when to not blow something up. Sometimes something should be said or done, but other times it is unnecessary. I think people like to cause drama and be the center of attention so they blow things out of proportion. It is the people that have serious problems and can look past them that we should all admire and aspire to be like.
Abigail and Brittany’s life is the definition of hard. Though sharing a body it is all they know, it is still difficult. There is no doubt in my mind that sometimes they wish they had their own identity, their own 2 hands, their own alone time. They say at the end of the video that they love having someone there for them all the time and that they are never alone, but everyone needs a little bit of alone time.
I can only imagine what it would be like to be in their situation. The awful part about all of this is that I am in a way judging their situation. I don’t know first hand what it is like to have my own head, lungs and heart but share a hand, leg and stomach, so I cannot judge it. I can’t even say, “wow that really stinks,” because maybe it doesn’t. No one should judge anyone before they have first hand experience. I will never understand, no one will ever understand their situation.
The hardest part for me is knowing when they walk around in public, people stare at them and ask questions non stop. They don’t get to live a “normal” life because are always too busy judging them. In a way it relates to race and sexual preference. When people focus more on color of skin and whether you are heterosexual or homosexual then personality traits, it is not fair. We do not get to choose the color of our skin or the type of people we are attracted to, the same way these girls did not get to choose to share a body. It’s hurtful when people put more focus or outer appearance then inner, so I feel for these girls as well as all people that get stereotyped or judged.

Compromising looks for comfort- I think the fact the girls sacrifice their comfort by what they wear is half for themselves and half for men. In our society today, men subconsciously tell women that the less clothes you wear, the better. I know I go out in jeans all the time because I am confident. Many girls do not have this ability. They feel like the only way they will get into a party, or be liked by a guy, is if they wear a short skirt and a skimpy top. Guys in college a lot of times do give off that vibe. They judge girls by what they look like on whether or not they get into the fraternity house or not, or whether they are given a beer at the bar or not. I think if women are confident and don’t feed into that, they will not happen anymore. If women all stopped wearing skimpy clothes, there would be no discrimination based on looks.
Dove has been creating ads recently that show all body types and styles. This is their contribution to women self esteem. I think it is awesome, and more agencies should be doing it. Our mentality of things comes greatly from the media. If the media changes, then our world will too.
I do have to mention, though, that a lot of times women dress nicely for themselves. I know, my mom was very heavy a few years ago, and when she lost all her weight for health reasons, she was so excited. Her gift to herself was to dress cuter and sexier. This does not mean she goes around wearing nothing, but she enjoys wearing tighter clothes because she is proud that all of her hard work paid off. So, not everything can be blamed on men and the male media industry, although much of it can.
Statistics have been done that shows girls as young as 12-years-old are becoming anorexic, and that is most definitely not for themselves. A little girl does not want to not eat, but she grows up seeing women on TV sickly skinny, and believes she is not pretty if she does not look like that. All little girls should think they are beautiful. The media should be encouraging internal beauty and all different kinds of external beauty.
College attire does have much to do with men and getting acknowledged by them. There is this unsaid competition between which girl looks sluttier. I think it is truly up to girls to start dressing for themselves and not for men. It is the only way we can walk with our heads held high and get the respect we deserve.

What would I do if my child were gay? If my child was gay… I would love every part of it. I understand people say “why would you ever want your child to have to go through that,” but it would make me happy. I would be there for him/her and defend them until the day I died. I think I could handle a gay child well. I thought for the longest time that my brother was going to be gay. As weird as it sounds, I was excited. I was rooting for him to come out. Turns out he as straight as a line.
Bullying in middle school, I think, would be the most difficult thing. It’s not right that children’s parents allow them to say some of the things that they do. But, you cannot control what is said (especially when they are young kids.) My family would definitely embrace him/her into our family because we are a very accepting group. Plus, I think the world is changing, and it may be easier for a gay girl or boy in society. It would still be tough, but the world is a much more accepting place than it used to be.
Being gay used to be considered a disease. People would be sent to doctors and clinics to turn them back to being straight. We have at least moved past that. We saw that clearly it is not a disease because these people couldn’t change their preferences. Whether it is genetic or not, I cannot say. I don’t think anyone can say. But, many people who are gay do not have a choice in the matter. They did not choose to be bullied and, in a sense, be “abnormal. Some gay people may choose to be gay, but a majority of them have no say in the matter.
I think the worst part is when people try to be straight. It is like telling a straight person to ignore the fact they are straight and be gay. It is very hard to fake your identity. You are who you are, and no one should determine what that is. No one should even guide you in one way or another. Thankfully, today most people just do not care. Most people say you live your life and I will live mine. Which is a fine mentality if everyone is treated the same. This goes for all rights that citizens of the U.S. should get: marriage, adoption etc.
If my child were gay I would probably advocate for gays even more than I do already. I would feel obligated and have a strong desire to if anyone close to me was gay.

Why are women more innocent? I think this question is a great one. Often times when discussing statistics about anything, women are forgotten to be taken into account. The difference between men and women in statistics is completely different. Clumping the two together gives you incorrect data. When it comes to crimes, there is a huge difference. You can say blacks are more likely to be arrested for drugs, but what about black women? What about white women? As shown in the video in class about the bike stealing, people are much more likely to let women off the hook. People look at women as though they are in need of a mans’ help. They are not looked at, at first, as a criminal. That is why there are so many less women convicted than men. It is not because women do not do as bad of things as men do. They do drugs, and steal the same as men do. This idea is bedded into our minds as children from the media. We are taught that men are bad; they rape, steal, fight, and do drugs. Parents constantly tell their daughters to never walk alone at night and to be ready to call 911. They hardly ever tell this to their sons. That is because we are raised to think the only bad guys are men. I do not think you can ignore gender differences when doing any statistics. Statistics can change immensely just by incorporating differences between men and women.
Race also plays a big role in discrimination. Often times a black man will take the fall for something he and a white man did together. I heard a story from my friend once who was in fact black. His friend, who was white, got a hold of his paper in high school. So, when they submitted them, they submitted the same paper. The teacher did not believe that the black student actually wrote the paper, so he got in trouble and the white boy did not get in trouble at all. That is not fair at all. The reasoning behind who got in trouble was simply race. These types of things happen all the time! A lot of times it happens on a bigger scale. A person could unfairly end up in jail, or on death row because of it. Like we discussed in class, there have been so many people that were wrongly accused and put to death. Much of it had to do with their race. That should not determine who gets punished and who gets off free. It is not right at all and we should do something about it as a country. Racism may not be as out in the open as it used to be, but it is still prevalent.

Which is true, free will or determinism? I think life is all about free will. We are free to make any and all decisions as humans. You may be born into a certain group, but in this day and age, that does not mean you are stuck there. Years and years ago, being born into certain groups meant you were stuck there forever. In essence life was determined for you. Today, the world is different. It may be easier for some people to get to where they want to be, but anyone can get there. In class we spoke about how Obama’s children will have advantages over others, but how do you think their father got to where he is? He had to start somewhere from scratch the same way most of us will have to. His children may have advantages, but if they do not use them correctly they will achieve nothing. Excelling has everything to do with self-determination. Life is not planned out for you. You plan it out yourself, leading your future wherever you would like it to go.
Blaming others for not being able to succeed is wrong. You can’t blame anyone for your own failures. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, if you try hard enough, you can get whatever it is you want. This does not mean you will not have to work for it. Anything you want in life takes time and effort. The argument about Obama’s kids may simply mean that the time it takes them to achieve their goals is shorter than others. Connections definitely help people get ahead, but that is not the only factor. So much more goes into life and thriving.
The true definition of determinism is “for everything that happens there are conditions such that, given them, nothing else could happen.” I don’t believe this at all. I think anything is possible. I do, on the other hand, believe that everything happens for a reason. Some may think determinism and everything happens for a reason go hand in hand, but I do not. There is a reason for everything, in the sense that everything has a purpose. Whether it is supposed to teach a lesson, or help someone else, or even to prevent you from doing something, it still has a reason behind it. But even still, if you want something badly enough in your life, you can get it, so both to me are true.
Life is not easy, and never will be. For some it is without a doubt easier than others. But, never is it easy. It is, though, especially easy to fall into blaming others. But even if you are at the bottom of the pyramid, there is hope for you. With a little bit of faith, persistence, and will power, anything is possible.