Have my views for race changed since I took Soc119? Honestly, taking this class was an eye opener in some aspects, but in reality most of the things we discussed in class are issues that I already face. I feel as if Soc119 is a class where it’s safe to talk about the daily stereotypes different races encounter. Everyone knows that when Sam says something about Blacks, Hispanics, or whites, he’s speaking the truth, but no one dares talk about those things out of class.
I do feel as if this class emphasizes more on the aspect that racism still does exist. Although I already know that racism will always be present, I didn’t know that it was still such a big issue. The main reason why this may be is because no one addresses the situation, since it’s easier to ignore it. Sadly that’s the life we all live in because it a lot easier to ignore a problem than to solve it. There were many videos that we watched in class that were very surprising and shocking. There were two videos in particular that I remember clearly when it comes to race. The first video was the one of the lil kids picking the white or black baby. It was crazy to see how at such a young age these kids know what’s wrong and what’s right according to society. They obviously have to witness racism or the negative stereotypes in their surroundings to come to the conclusion that the white baby is the good one. The other video that dealt with race and gender would have to be the one where they were trying to steal a bike at a park and see how the visitors would react. When the white person tries to steal the bike everyone witnesses what he is doing but they don’t do anything about, but when the black person tries to take the bike he had a crowd surrounding him calling the cops. It’s so crazy how people or so naïve to the fact that race always comes into play when it comes to things like this.
Being Puerto Rican I have to deal with the typical stereotypes and it is very frustrating, but also gives me the motivation to try to disseminate some of the negativity. Taking Soc119 was by far one of my best decisions because it addresses issues that people never want to talk about. Although my differences of race haven’t changed that doesn’t mean the class had no value. I had already known and accepted most of the problems with race that were talked about in class, but it was nice being in an environment where it can be talked about.

Would things have been different if Sandusky was Latino or Black? Hmmm.. Well let me start off by saying that in this situation race probably would make things different for Sandusky. There has been certain cases were race does have its little advantages, but this is a completely different scenario. Things would have had been handled drastically different if he was Latino or Black. This is one of those cases were race plays a big role in the judgment of others. Sandusky committed sexual abuse on more than 10 victims and if he were to be a minority he would have been looked upon worse.
Being Hispanic or Latino does bring its uproars in society and in the court system. A lot of the attention has been focused on Joe Paterno being fired because of the scandal, but if Sandusky was of a different race, especially Black or Hispanic, then all the media attention would be focused on him. My reasoning behind this when I take into consideration the County, City, and School it occurred. Everyone knows that the population at Penn State is mainly white and the Latino and Hispanic community is very small. If Sandusky were to be Hispanic or Black things would have been 20 times worse. The riots would have been much more chaotic and the way things were handled would have been different as well. All of the typical stereotypes would have been stated and people would be saying things like “Well he’s Black/Hispanic what do you expect?” As far as the judicial system, differences would have been seen as well. I don’t think that Sandusky still would have been on trial and when convicted he probably would have received a lot more time.
It’s crazy how race plays such a big role in society and how it can affect the outcomes of many situations. In my opinion, there is nothing that can be done to eliminate such injustice, but do I wish things could be different? Of course. Being that I am Hispanic, it does bother me when I witness how corrupt and unfair the world really is. I have no choice but to accept the reality, but I also make it amongst myself to try to eliminate as many stereotypes as possible and give us Hispanics a good name. But in situations like this not much it can be done and I thank God he is not Hispanic or Black because the University is already in chaos. Regardless of the race of Sandusky, in my opinion, he should receive the biggest penalty out there.

These past couples of days have been very devastating. I wasn’t even in State College when I heard the news. I was back home and everyone was like, “what is going on in State College?”I was dumbfounded because I had no clue what they were talking about. I soon found out that there were riots going on downtown at State College, and I was so astonished when I heard the news was true. The minute I arrived back on campus everyone was talking about the news and how Joe Paterno and Spanier might be getting fired. Then an hour later I turned on the news and I heard that both of them were fired over the phone. I was so disappointed when I found this out because I think out of courtesy, it should have been in person. I wasn’t really bothered with the news of Spanier, but I was heartbroken when I heard Paterno was dismissed. I feel as if he should have at least been granted the opportunity to supervise the game tomorrow. Joe Paterno is Penn State. He is a legend known across the whole world and to hear the news of him no longer being able to be part of Penn State is like having to accept the fact the our school will never be the same. More specifically, football will never be the same. I am not saying that what Joe Paterno did or didn’t do isn’t morally and legally wrong, but there was proof that Paterno did address the issue when he first encountered the situation. Yes, he didn’t go to the police and report it, but I am pretty sure many people wouldn’t want to have that weight on their shoulders.
None the less, our school is now receiving a horrible reputation based on something that happened ten years ago. I fear that what this sicko did is going to result in our school receiving a lot of judgment and negative attention. Does he deserve to die and rot in jail? Of course! Should everyone in Penn State have to pay for the consequences? No. Am I upset that this went on for years without anything being done? Very! But, in reality the issue was reported to the police and the case was dismissed. Is if fair to blame others for the issue now? Maybe. But everyone knows that sometimes justice isn’t served correctly.
I am truly sorry for the victims and applaud them for having the courage to finally come forward and speak the truth. I am also sorry for Joe Paterno and I hope that our team makes him proud tomorrow. Penn State will no longer be praised for football, but at the end of the day we must push through all of the negativity because we will always be one of the best universities.

People always say "Mexicans are taking all the jobs!" But, in reality is this true? Have you ever seen a group of Americans waiting on a street corner for someone to pick them up for labor? Honestly, I've never have. The truth is, yes they're a lot of undocumented immigrants that occupy thousands of jobs in the U.S., but what people fail to realize is that if they don’t do the jobs nobody else will. Why? Well because immigrants are willing to work excruciating jobs for low wages, while Americans refuse to do the same. Immigrants come to the U.S with one goal; acquiring the American Dream. The American Dream to immigrants is being able to support their families. They want to be able to give their children a good education, a meal every day, and provide them with a roof over their head. Immigrants do not care what job you offer them because they are willing to do anything in order to support their families. That is why you see immigrants working on fields under the burning hot sun picking fruit or doing landscape for lower than the average wages. Americans won’t be able to tolerate such working conditions and even if they receive a higher paying wage than the ones offered to Mexicans, they still wouldn’t be able to do the hard labor.
The truth of the matter is Americans will always complain about the illegal immigrants that are filling up the U.S., but they really don’t have a reasonable explanation as to why they don’t want them here. In reality, if your illegal you’re not provided with government benefits so that doesn’t affect Americans and also Mexicans consume the jobs that no one else will do. A lot of Americans can say they don’t want aliens, but a great number of them are the ones hirer immigrants to do work around their yard and field. We all know that Mexicans will work for whatever wage you offer them, so that is why Americans are more willing to hire aliens because they know they can get away with paying them a lot less than if they would hire Americans. Americans aren’t going to do the hard labor at the rate Mexicans do it for and even if they do, they wouldn’t last or work as fast.
In my opinion, Americans should just stop complaining about how immigrants are consuming all of the jobs because they know that without the immigrants most the jobs won’t even get done. Just let the Mexicans do the hard labor jobs Americans aren’t willing to do, and stop whining about it because we all know that we aren’t going to get the job done if they don’t.

Honestly I don’t know how I would feel if white people were to become the minority in the future. I feel as if it really wouldn’t make a difference to me because I am friends with everyone, but when it comes to things like acquiring a job it would be something we would have to adjust to. Everyone knows that being a minority sometimes can have its downfalls when facing certain circumstances. Maybe they would come to a realization about how much different our lives are compared to theirs.
For starters, social economic status, the workforce, and even getting into a good University, are all things that the majority of minorities have to face on a daily basis. Most minorities are part of the lowest income quartile and make a lot less than income than white people. We live in Urban areas where most public education systems are corrupt. This leads to having higher drop out students, and this can be linked to why we have such low income. Also, having metal detectors and not being provided with a lot of funding is common in schools that the population is mainly minorities. Most suburbanized schools do not have to worry about their safety going to school or being funded good books and supplies.
Moreover, the workforce is mainly dominated by white people. More specifically, big successful
corporations today are more willing to hire a white person over a Hispanic or African American . We
seen this in lecture and it wasn’t a surprise to me because I know that when having a job interview we feel as if we have to prove ourselves because we feel inferior to white people. Especially, when trying to get accepted into a good University, this could be a challenge, not only because of our income but to the fact that if we didn’t have affirmative action most minorities would not be able to attend a good institution that provides high quality education. I am not saying that white people have it easier in life, I am just saying based on experience that being a minority comes with disadvantages and many obstacles. For this reason, I feel as if white people try to disseminate these negatives stereotypes by applying affirmative action, setting different standards and guidelines, and trying to feel less guilty by provided a more diverse society when it comes to education and the workforce.
To conclude, if white people were to become the minority, they would acknowledge and acquire better understanding of how different life of a minority would be. This doesn’t mean if white people become a minority, minorities would not feel superior to them. It would just mean that white people will recognize the difference first hand.