I was upset with myself for not knowing more about Native Americans. So, after class today, I was shocked. It definitely left an impression on me. I cannot believe that Americans have treated Native Americans so badly. Not only did they basically steal their land, kill them, but they also continue to make fun of them and treat them terribly. I was really taken aback by the slide Sam showed with all of the different names we use to call Native Americans. Why are we making fun of them? What did they do to deserve such ridicule? It does not add up. The fact that they sexually abuse Native American women and kill Native Americans is astonishing. I want to bring some of the people who are responsible for ridiculing and harassing the Native Americans into Sam's class. I want them to see it from Sam's perspective, to be able to understand exactly what they are doing. I wonder if they would change? Do they actually know why they are treating this race so terribly? Or do they just do it blindly? I want to know their reasons behind their behaviors.
The song Sam had us listen to in class was very moving. It perfectly exemplified everything that is wrong with the American-Native American struggles. The music, lyrics, mood of the song captured the seriousness of the matter. It is very cool for such a famous band to write a song about the topic and to bring awareness to the topic.
I honestly do not remember ever learning about the REAL story behind the history of Native Americans. It is sad that in school we would act in plays portraying Native Americans gladly handing over their land to the white man. We make kids dress up as Indians and pilgrims and tell the audience a story that fabricates the truth. It is all a lie, and kids learn that lie from the beginning.
Furthermore, now we have events that include “powwows.” Are we not just mocking them even more? We steal their land, kill their people, make fun of them, rape their women, and use their traditions for our own entertainment. How immoral is that! Hearing Sam say that we are living on their land really makes me feel guilty. They are the native people of this land, yet the most ignored.
When I was little, I used to love the song, “This Land Is Your Land.” Now, I don’t even know what it means. Do we really have the right to share a land that is not even ours?

I think that for many people, being around people speaking a different language can be very uncomfortable. I also think that it depends on a couple of factors:
First, this feeling of discomfort can vary from person to person based on where they grew up. If people live in a city where unfamiliar languages are often spoken around them, they will be less likely to feel uncomfortable when faced with a situation where people are speaking languages they do not understand. They will more easily ignore it. However, if people grow up in a place where only English or only one language is spoken, they will be more uncomfortable because it's a novel situation.
Second, if you yourself speak a different language and regularly speak it around people who do not speak the language, you will most likely feel less uncomfortable if you hear others speaking a different language because you know it is a natural occurrence. I speak Arabic, and I regularly speak it amongst my friends at Penn State. So, when I hear people speaking Mandarin or Hindi, I get that it's sometimes much easier to speak in your native language among others of similar background, so I do not get uncomfortable.
Third, if it's a case where the people had been speaking English the WHOLE time, and then decided to switch to another language suddenly, I see that getting uncomfortable. Since I speak Arabic, I do this a lot. I will be around my American friends with one other Egyptian and we will be speaking English. All of a sudden, I will want to say something to my Arabic speaking friend that may be awkward to say to my English-speaking friends, so I say it in Arabic. Not surprisingly, the American people usually think we are speaking about them.
Currently I am at a retreat where there are a total of two Asians out of about 800 Egyptians. I have no doubt that they are extremely uncomfortable.
To be completely honest, sometimes when I speak Arabic to a friend when we are surrounded by English speakers, it is because I am talking about somebody in the room and I know that they do not understand me. So, really, they have every right to feel uncomfortable in that situation.
Personally, I don't get uncomfortable at all when I am around people who do not speak the same language. I think this is mainly because I do it too, so I know the reasoning behind choosing to speak another language, and because I do not let it get to me. I usually just ignore them.
It really does come in handy though. Sometimes, I will be around my american friends and I will want so badly to speak to them in Arabic to tell them something about someone nearby or to tell them a personal story that I do not want others hearing. It's like constantly being able to pass secret notes to one another.

I actually have done it before. I’ve confronted a close friend about a racist comment she made once while at Penn State. This friend, who is Egyptian like me, and I were taking an African American Women Studies class. This class was predominantly made up of black men and women, and we did not feel any sort of discomfort or misplacement throughout the semester. I never sensed any prejudice from my friend towards any of the people in class. For one project, we were assigned into groups. My friend and I were put in the same group, along with three other black girls. I guess one of the girls was exceptionally beautiful, and it was obvious to anyone who saw her. So, I did not think that my friend's comment was bizarre when she said, "That girl is so pretty" after a group meeting one day. I agreed with her. And then, my friend continued saying, "…you know, for a black girl." I was definitely taken aback by that comment. I would have never thought that a comment like that would ever leave my friend's mouth. So I confronted her. I told her, straight up, that it was not right for her to make a comment like that. I also told her that the girl is pretty because she's pretty. That doesn't change whether she is black or not. So, to answer this post's question, I would absolutely confront someone of my own race for making racist comments. I've done it to my friend and I've done it to my close-minded relatives. I understand that my friend was raised in an environment where her family very often made racist comments like the one she made, but I felt like I needed to let her know that those types of comments were not okay.
At the same time, I cannot say that I would react in the same way if I heard a stranger saying something similar to what my friend said. I think back to the video we watched in class where the Muslim woman was being discriminated against by the cashier at the store. In a situation like that, I would definitely stick up for the Muslim woman. I hate to see people being hurt. However, in a situation where someone with whom I am not close is not necessarily speaking directly to a person of the group he/she is targeting, I may let a racist comment slide. If I hear a racist comment from a stranger, and the comment does not directly affect anyone, I do not know if I would confront them about it. I tend to mind my own business when it comes to people I am not familiar with.

Penn State is not very diverse when considering the ratios of different ethnicities here. The percentage of white people at Penn State is in the mid 70s. That's a lot of white people! There are so many other races, but they only make up about 25% of the school. However, when people go to Penn State and then hear that it is dominated by white people, they are often surprsed. I think this is because Penn State is an extremely social group. While different races tend to all know each other and hang out with each other, you always find diversity among different groups of people. For example, at the HUB, a group of people sitting at a table could be comprised of whites, blacks, latinos, asians, etc. That's one of the reasons that Penn State has the reputation of being so social. Everyone is open to meeting new people, and different races intermix in groups of friendships and in groups of social activities.
I am from State College, so the high school I went to was mainly white people. There were about 3 blacks in my grade, not many latinos, and several asians. I was one of the very few middle easterners at the school. Nevertheless, we were all friends with each other. Yes, there were cliques, but they were not exclusive. We were all friendly and we were all friends. So, when I came to Penn State, I definitely got the sense that it was really diverse. Everyone was still very social, and there were more people of each race. So, when I learned that there were so many white people here, I was definitely a it surprised. However, it makes perfect sense to me how someone could have the impression of Penn State being a diverse school with many people of many different races. From a white person’s perspective who came from a school that was mostly all white, I can see how they would categorize Penn State as being extremely diverse.
When considering this from the perspective of someone who came from a predominantly black, latino, or asian high school, I can see how people would think that Penn State is not diverse at all. They would come here and only find a select group of people whom they are used to hanging out with. When you go to high school and everyone is of your race, you become comfortable hanging out with people of your own race. So, coming to Penn State, the people you feel most comfortable around only comprise a small percentage of the school. So, it’s easy to see how someone in this position would categorize Penn State as being very white, and not diverse at all.

I really enjoyed this video. It shows how people deal with their surroundings in order to strengthen their society. My aunt, a medical doctor living in Canada, worked in northern Canada for some time. The area where she worked was always dark, with little to no sunshine in the winter. Even though she was only there for a short amount of time, she quickly became depressed, fatigued, and weak.
Lack of sunshine is very detrimental to our health. Not only do we psychologically associate sunshine with happiness, the sun provides us with vitamin D, which is essential to our healthy brains and bodies. Without vitamin D, we are weaker, moodier, and slower thinkers. Many studies have led to the belief that Seasonal Affective Disorder comes from a lack of vitamin D. I used to live in Miami, Florida. When I moved to the northeast, I hated the lack of sunshine. I gained weight and I did not spend as much time outside. I was a swimmer and I played tennis. In Miami, I could play both sports outdoors, but in the northeast, I had to swim in an indoor pool and play tennis in indoor courts. Now, I have a vitamin D deficiency and have to take daily vitamin D tablets. My environment caused these negative changes, but I deal with them in order to make the best of my situation.
The people in the city of Helsinki have found really creative ways to deal with the lack of sunlight. The fact that they go out of their way to deal with their situation shows a strong sense of society and community. They have placed strong light sources in people's workplaces to help their moods and increase their performance. They have created a light festival to keep people interested and happy. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they even provide their people with ways to increase their vitamin D levels, such as vitamin tablets or foods rich in vitamin D.
It is true that the lack of sunlight is an example of determinism. The people of Helsinki obviously have no control over the environment in which they live. However, the people also still have their free will. Their free will has allowed them to fight the factors controlling their lives by taking the measures necessary to protect themselves from the effects of their environment.
The great thing about this situation is that the people of Helsinki are all together facing the same difficulties. This probably brings them even closer together. When people have something in common, they form their own culture. These people have done that. And they are used to their culture. That is why to us, the idea of not being able to see the sun seems incomprehensible but if we were part of that culture, it would not seem so bizarre because everyone around us would be in the same position.

At first, I thought that the experiment was very interesting. It was cool that three of the four girls decided to sit next to the Asian girl because that is probably what I would have done as well. Every time we voted with our clickers about which seat next to which girl would be chosen, I picked the Asian girl. Of the four girls in their seats, I felt that the Asian one was, for some reason, the most inviting, so it did not surprise me that she would be picked. Not only is she the safest person, she is also the safest choice, and the one that elicits the least amount of discrimination. I am glad that Sam decided to move her seat because if he hadn't done so, no body would have taken the exercise seriously, saying that the girls were simply choosing the closest seat.
I think this experiment could have been more precise, though. While Sam was conducting the experiment, I remember telling my friend, "it is so obvious to the girls what the experiment is." This is because the only task that the girls had to do was to choose a seat, and when they looked at their options, it was obvious that each of the seated girls was of a different ethnicity. I think the purpose of the exercise became automatically clear to each girl that entered the room. After discussing it with my small SOC 119 group, we thought that if Sam had said something like, "go take a seat and we will start the activity" rather than an obvious, "choose a seat," the girls may have acted on a more subconscious level because the way Sam was hinting at the exercise made it clear to the girls what decision they had to make.
Finally, I think that this exercise has not changed the seat I choose in class, but I have definitely thought about whom I sit next to on the CATA bus and other public areas. In class, I just look for the closest empty seat, or the seat next to my friends. That holds true for every class I enter. But if I was on a subway or train, I would be much more conscious about who I sit next to and would probably choose to sit next to an Asian or Caucasian on a subway, even though I am a person of Middle Eastern descent.
I definitely liked the exercise and thought it was beneficial to engage us in thought, but I feel that with a few tweaks, it could have been much more credible. I did not, however, understand why Sam made the Asian girl say "Welcome to McDonald's, can I take your order." I'd really like an explanation on that because I was utterly confused...

This song was really funny and really profound. I've often thought of how silly the term "soul mate" is. If we all had one soul mate out there for us, then almost no one would actually end up with him or her. Think of it this way. Let's say my soul mate is John. But, I never find John and instead, I marry David. And John marries Rebecca. That means that David does not marry his soul mate either and neither does Rebecca. So David and Rebecca's soul mates do not marry their soul mates either, and the cycle continues. No one marries his or her soul mate. I actually believe that there is no such thing as a soul mate. Some people just get along better than others. So, Tim Minchin's song is quite fitting. He is basically telling his wife that she may not be his soul mate. But that does not matter because they get along with each other and obviously love each other. In the end that is all that matters. I think the "warm, fuzzy feeling" we associate with love is real, but I do not believe that there is only one person out there for every one.
I think that this misconception of "soul mates" plays a big factor in the divorce rate in America. Americans believe that they could date, marry, break up with, and divorce as many people as they want just because they did not find their "true love.” I personally believe that repeatedly dating and breaking up with one another just prepares one for divorce.
In many other countries, such as those in the Middle East and Asia, dating is not as socially accepted as in America. Dating occurs, but when it does, it means that the couple is serious and on the road to marriage. This is why the divorce rate in these countries is much less than in America. They do not have this idea that one day we will each ‘magically’ fin dour soul mate, so they do not need to keep trying to find him or her. Instead, they marry based solely on love, and when the relationship is rough, they do not give up, saying that the relationship was not meant to be. Instead they work hard to resolve their issues.
The singer in the video pointed out that his wife is not his soul mate. But, he is okay with that. And he knows very well that if he had not been with her, he would have been with some one else, which is fine. But the fact is, he ended up with her, and that is all that matters. I feel that we should all adopt this ideology. Then, we can all admit to ourselves that soul mates do not exist. So we could stop looking for them, and just be happy with what we already have.

I am replying to this post as a Coptic Orthodox Christian from Egypt. As many know, the Muslims and the Copts have a history filled with violence and abhorrence towards one another. This was shown recently in the news. Twice in the past year or so, the Copts in Egypt have been attacked by Muslim extremist individuals. The first attack occurred during the Copts' Christmas Eve mass (January 6, 2009) in a city called Nag Hammadi. The Muslim extremist killed 7 Christians coming out of their church by means of a drive-by shooting. On December 31, 2010, another extremist bombed a church in Alexandria during the Copts' New Year's Eve mass, killing 22 Christians. These attacks, of course, were devastating to Copts all over the world, but what was most surprising was the Muslims' reaction. All over the arab news and on arab talk shows, Muslims were apologizing. It wasn't even their doing, but they somehow felt grief for what had happened. To adequately show their sorrow, they took it a step further. The Coptic Christian pope, Pope Shenouda III, warned all Christians that their upcoming Christmas Eve mass may be attacked once again, but urged all to go to church, reminding them that their risk of going will be an great act of faith. So, when it was time for Christmas Eve mass, Muslims all over Egypt attended mass with the Christians as a symbol of protection against the extremists. They even went as far as to form a human barricade around the cathedral where the pope was praying. So, to show their appreciation, Christians returned the favor during the protests.

Although the Christians and Muslims in Egypt have had a rough history, little their relationship with one another as a whole is improving. A simple act of kindness such as protection can be a major step towards peace between the two religions. I feel that all ethnic, racial, or religious groups with past conflicts can forgive and forget, and I honestly believe that history is not an excuse for hatred. Sam Richards raised the scenario in class about someone coming to your house, stealing your property and forcing you to live elsewhere. He asked whether we would tell our children and other future generations about this event so that they could forever hold a grudge against the group of people who stole your property, I shook my head. I would not want to burden my kids with the emotion of hatred. What happened is in the past, and there is always a chance for forgiveness. I saw this being played out between the Muslims and the Christians in Egypt and I do not see why it can't happen between any two groups.

We spoke during our last class about the huge difference in house ownership between whites and other ethnicities. I completely agree with what Sam said in class about different ethnicities having different standards of living but I believe that there is definitely more to it than just that. I have precisely four different reasons for this so called "socal injustice."

1) Many people living in foreign countries reside in apartment complexes. This is not because they do not have enough money to own a house, but simply because everyone lives in apartments in those countries. For example, in some countries of the Middle East, everyone lives in an apartment. Houses just are not practical for such areas. So when these people immigrate to America, they naturally seek apartments, and that standard of living is not much different than what they were used to anyways. For people who are from America and were raised in America, the "dream" is to own a house. An apartment brings about so many negative connotations of poverty that it is unacceptable.

2) But again, one could argue that many who immigrate to America do not have enough money for a house, which is true. Some people just don't have the money. This is not inequality.

3) Also, for whatever reason, these people who come to America tend to live in urban areas, where most homes are, in fact, apartments. Same even mentioned that white people are those who live in the middle of America. In the states that make up the center of the United States, everyone lives in houses.

4) Although the above reasons hold true for many people coming from other countries, the fact that racial inequality plays a role in home ownership inequality can also be true. When Sam had us partner up during class and speak about the reasons for this difference, my partner mentioned that she thought this inequality had to do with unequal opportunity. Although we hate to admit it, a white person will most likely get the job if interviewing against a black person, or a brown person, or a person with an accent even if these people all share the same intelligence and skill levels. Some people do not get equal opportunity for jobs and education, so they naturally do not achieve as high of an income as white people, which leads to them making the choice to own an apartment instead of a house in order to save money.

I believe that the reason for the difference in home ownership between whites and other ethnicities is a multi-factorial issue. Each of the issues I mentioned is in favor of white Americans. So for those who do not fit that demographic, the social inequality is present. This is exactly what leads to such a drastic impact in the statistics we saw in class.

eh... yes, the exercise was unique but it wasn't that fulfilling. I like Sam's idea of having people actually judge others based on their physical features alone but in the end, it was nothing but a color game. I didn't think it was offensive or "provocative" at all. So what if we line everybody up based on how much they look like each other? That's not going to resolve any racial issues. It's not like the two girls were labeling the students as having certain characteristics based on their color. They were simply aligning them in front of the class: there's nothing judgmental or stereotypical about that. They were just doing what they were told to do. Contrary to this activity, I think the questions that we answered on the second day of class were much more provocative. We responded to issues such as how black men feel about slavery, how many US arabs are actually muslim, etc. I feel like that was much more progressive in solving the race relations dilemma. Grouping people into different races based on physical features is, for the most part, accurate. It is definitely more accurate than stereotypes about a certain race's attitude or personality traits since everyone's personality is unique to their identity. But, physical features pass from one generation to the next without ever changing and whether the people affected like it or not. So, saying that a person is probably Asian because he/she has narrow eyes is a pretty accurate assumption. But saying that a person is African-American because he/she is lazy is inaccurate and hurtful. For me, the color activity wasn't very effective.

That being said, since I was not one of the students in front of the classroom, I can't really speak for them. It may be the case that the two girls responsible for arranging the students had to deal with suppressing their own stereotypes in order to not offend anyone. It may also be the case that the students being arranged were offended in some way, whether it was because they were so easily classified as belonging to a certain group or because they were placed in the wrong group. Personally, I deal with people mistaking me for another race all the time. I am middle eastern, but I've never had somebody guess that. People always assume Latina because I don't meet the physical characteristics of a Middle Eastern girl (big, deep-set eyes and curly hair). But I don't get offended. They are just making observations based on what they know to be mostly true. So, for the people who actually participated in the activity, this may have been very beneficial and thought-provoking or it may have meant nothing, I have no idea. Maybe I'm just jealous I wasn't chosen...

Finally, I thought it was kind of funny that all of the "asian-looking" people that Sam chose turned out to be Korean. What a fun coincidence.