In the discussion on Tuesday, we talked about homosexuality. It is usually a topic people dont like to talk about. Sam approached the material in a way I felt comfortable talking about. Then a girl posed a question about whether your parent would accept a homosexual relationship or an interracial relationship more. I feel like my parents would accept anything I do, but it would very difficult for them. It would be difficult because it would be outside the norm. I feel they would accept an interracial relationship way before a homosexual one. My parents never had an experience with any of these situations, but I think mainly families would have a harder time accepting homosexual relationships. No one in my family is gay and I have very few interactions with gays. So, a homosexual relationship would be a lot different. I feel society has a hard time accepting gays and anything off the track of a male and a women getting married. I myself have a hard time accepting the homosexual ways so I feel maybe it runs in the family and my dad and mom would feel uncomfortable. I dont think they would feel as uncomfortable for an interracial relationship. This is less uncomfortable because there and so many different races and they are accept in the community. It is looked at as pretty much normal. I had family that has interracial relationships, so the ice is already broken in a sense. If I brought home a girl of a different race, my parents would be very accepting and not really question much besides the usual like where did you meet and how. If a homosexual relationship happened, the questions would be like why and what happened. It is tough to not ask questions about something you dont understand. My parents feel uneasy when they see homosexuality in public. In the family it would take a long time to accept the change in normalcy. I feel there is a standard in the community and it is changing as time goes on. Back in the day, only Italians married Italians and Irish married Irish. Now a day everyone is a mix of different races and it doesnt matter who marries who. Right now society is on a verge of accepting gays and homosexuality. Some states it is legal to have gay marriage. Pretty soon many states will accept it. Sam said himself that in the future there will be a greater acceptance of homosexuality. So after I grow up and get married and have kids, the same question might be asked. In the future it will not matter whether it is an interracial marriage or homosexual marriage. But as of now, my parents would accept interracial relationship before a homosexual one.

On class on Thursday, Sam talked about fear and negativity. I answered the clicker question about how many child abductions there were each year and was shocked at the results. I chose the option 10,000 while many other classmates agreed and many even chose 25,000. When Sam said there was only 100 child abductions, the whole class sort of gasped and was confused. Sam then went on to explain how the world isn’t that bad. I would never let my child walk to school if he or she was young and there were child abductors out there. But after lecture, I was able to take the message that the World isn’t as bad as the media shows it out to be. The headlines in the papers and news may be a murder here and a drug conviction there, but overall people are good people. Sam showed a statistic that your child is as likely to get abducted as winning the lotto or some other extreme odds. So my take away message is that the world might be a better place than I thought it was. I still probably wouldn’t let my child walk to school alone because of the many other dangers. They could get hit by a car or fall or get picked on by older kids. I feel the media really emphasizes the charges on people and makes the area look like a bad place because of one or two rotten eggs. They put out these stories because it is and it isn’t what people want to hear. It is what people want to hear because they like seeing something that catches their ear and it gives them something to converse over. It also may be what people don’t want to hear which deals with safety and protecting yourself. Fear is increased whether people like to see insanity or not and it puts a grey cloud onto their judgment of what the world is really like. Yes, war is out there and that is no safe to be. In rural area and even urban the crimes rates are low and there are a lot more good people than the bad. You still have to be on your guard, and carry some mace with you if it makes you feel safer. Crime isn’t going to come looking for you, but if you look hard enough it will be easy to find. When a case comes up of a missing child it is usually publicized in many states. When you hear child abduction occurred in New Hampshire, it makes you think. They could be anywhere but the odds of it really happening are very low. So the message I got out of the stats on child abductions, is that the world is a lot safer than we think, but you still don’t walk under dark bridges at night.

In class on Tuesday we listened to two Muslim girls that spoke openly about their religion. I thought it was very interesting because it is new to me and I was much uninformed about the Muslim culture. One of the girls said it is a choice here in America to wear the hijab or not. Sam even asked if there were any Muslim women in the class who chose not to wear the hijab and a couple girls raised their hands. Also they explained the reasoning behind wearing the hijab. The Muslim girls told us it is a way to respect the body and enable people to take their eyes or thoughts away from physical features and instead get to know the person through personality. It was interesting to know how modest they were and how much respect they had for their religion. I am catholic, so it was also nice to hear about the two girls that were Jewish. These girls were nothing like the orthodox Jews who take their religion and way of life very serious. Then there was an example in class how Americans don’t respect themselves like when girls wear bikinis. I feel it is very revealing and to the Muslim culture it would be looked at as disrespectful. I don’t mind bikinis and I encourage girls to wear them; because in the American culture revealing yourself is somewhat praised. So to other cultures it may look disrespectful. American culture has become very sexual and no one seems to mind. It isn’t disrespectful because everyone accepts it and participates. Our culture is a lot different than western culture. Sometimes girls wear certain clothing to attract men. This is the complete opposite of Muslim culture. Muslims get to know a person though personality and talking. Plus there are different age groups here in the US. When you are young, you will be covered up and very modest about what you wear. As you approach college, the way we dress is a lot different. College here in the US is surrounded by partying and drinking. Less modest clothes come along with the college life. So less clothes and more revealing outfits and accepted. College is a point right before you go out to the real world. So you are able to get it all out of your system. Then as you approach adulthood, you start to become more modest and wear more clothing. Being older has the notion that you respect yourself more than when you are younger. Plus when you have a family, you want to set a good example for your children. So it is impossible to compare Muslim and US culture because they are very different.

Going back to the lecture in January, where Sam described the Native Americans and losing their land to white foreigners, I still believe the same views I had that day. The girl sitting in the chair represented the grandchild of the original whites who came and took the Native’s land. I feel it is not her fault because the land was handed down to her. She never even knew who the land was so she never asked any questions. Once this girl grows up and has a family, she is going to feel it is home. If the Natives came back and asked to share to take back their original property, the white family shouldn’t leave because it would be a displacement of another family. The sad part is that it was the Native American’s land when the first generation of whites came in, but it isn’t their land after generations go by. So the white granddaughter should have nothing to worry about. She shouldn’t have to deal with giving up her land. Maybe it would be called Indian giving. The Indians gave up their land but now that it’s the white land, they can’t take it back. Sharing the land would be very difficult to do. This is because they’re two completely different cultures. Two different cultures can coexist, but it just would take time. They would need food stores, activities, and clothing that would satisfy the Natives culture is they wouldn’t want to adjust to white culture. So my opinion still hasn’t changed from the beginning of the year. I feel the third generation is already too late to go back and right the wrong. Too much change on top of the original change would have to occur and that would make things unsettled for a while. I feel bad myself that we did this the Native Americans, but I wouldn’t let them come back now and share part of my land. Maybe back then it was different, but it is hard to feel as if I would share or give up my land to someone who previously owned it. We built our home from the ground up and I couldn’t even see us selling the house one day. It would be very emotional, because I grew up in that house. The best thing I would try to do is to direct them in the right position. I guess the Indian Reservoirs are a little harsh, but where else would they be able to keep their traditions and culture without being stereotyped. Being in a secluded area where they could live their lives without judgments sounds alright to me. I still feel it was wrong to take their land but I don’t feel guilty living in my house today.

When I was in grade school I predominately grew up in a white community and atmosphere. I never really interacted with people of color until I went to high school. In elementary school I played sports with only white kids, hung out with only white kids, and interacted with only whites. As a kid though I knew of other races and was able to distinguish myself and knowing there is a difference between races. I guess I started out as Stage 2. In this stage, I wasn’t really aware of all the different stereotypes out there for different races and was uneasy about saying the wrong thing. I began to think how my back ground and ethnicity differed from groups of other races. After I left elementary school, I moved on to a bigger middle school. This middle school was still predominately white. I went to a catholic school and across the street was the public high school. This high school had many different ethnicities, mainly Hispanics. When there was a bomb scare, restricted movement in that school, our catholic school would also go on the same alert. This is where I realized they may be bad people over in the public high school and the realized there is an “us” and a “them.” Then as I approached ninth grade, I went to the public high school, because our catholic school closed. I was nervous of the different groups that would develop primary the white group and the Hispanic group. Then a change hit me and many other kids in the school. Maybe the Hispanic way was the cool way. This might have propelled me into stage 5. So all my friends and I would go get shape ups at the downtown Hispanic barber shop maybe to act cool and be accepted. Then the Jesus pieces came out and we would all wear them around our wrists. We got the idea from the Hispanics in our school and shape ups were not a white signifier. So all the white kids walked the halls fitting in to a Hispanic culture and we figured we were cool. Now that I reached college here at Penn State, I don’t see many shape ups and Jesus pieces. It’s mainly back to a white atmosphere. I have a couple black friends, but I don’t live in a different racial atmosphere. I feel I am no longer in Stage 5 and feel I am now in Stage 1. After exploring how the different communities affect the way I look at race, I realize race is just a word. I now have very few opinions about race and don’t care much about it. Being on both sides of the race spectrum, shows how it’s the environment that makes you develop racial awareness, not the color of someone’s skin.

The media reports now a day are very informative and up to date on what is going on in the world. How much from the media do I actually believe though? I try to tell myself that not everything is true that we see on TV, in the newspapers, or reports online. Media can also be a good or bad thing. Good that it keeps people informed. Bad because it can ruin someone’s reputation like it did for us at Penn State. News teams may only get the footage people want to see because it brings out emotions. The media didn’t really capture the good in the scandal like the candle vigil that was held. They didn’t air this because it wasn’t what the people wanted to see and talk about. So the media in Iraq may be one sided to what Americans want to see. Like if the Iraqis did something good it wouldn’t be aired in a time of war. The media is something that you only want to watch not have feelings for because it may not always be true. The media wants a reaction from people and that’s what we give to them. News teams do portray what is going on over in the Middle East, but they also leave a lot out. When Iraqis see the news that is targeted for Americans, it might irritate them and develop bad vibes toward Americans. So if I was looking to seek the real truth, I would have to experience something first hand. What someone tells you or what you see in the media is passed down information. You wouldn’t be getting it from the source. I think truth is how we interpret data from experiencing something from the source. Just like stories passed down by oral tradition. You don’t know if they’re true, but you believe them because you want to believe in them. On the news, what we see in Afghanistan or Iraq is what we want to see. I think to improve the system; maybe we could get a viewpoint from the other side. Sam let us have this opportunity in class on Thursday when Basaam spoke to the class and answered questions. If was nice to hear how the opposing country felt and responded to the war and the effects of the war. Basaam not only spoke for himself, but for the whole country and it was empowering. I feel in ways like this, we as a country are able to get more information hearing it from the citizens of Middle Eastern countries. The talk that we had with Bassam was a lot more interesting and valued than when I hear news on TV. So I feel you have to get a perspective from both sides in the media reports. Also, truth must be witnessed on a first account basis.

In many of the lectures from class, I had some sort of reaction. The lecture that struck me the most was the lecture about white supremacy. The lecture made sense but didn’t really hit me until Sam made a particular example. The example was when he asked the one white girl to pick out the blackest person in the room. He then said if anyone felt uneasy or weird about this, they may be feeling white supremacy. This really hit home with me and made me understand what white supremacy is. It’s not the clear meaning of the white hoods and the KKK that signifies white supremacy, but it could be just that example from class. I didn’t feel uneasy during this example, but I was curious to what was going to happen. I didn’t know if the person she picked was going to be a good sport about being the darkest person in the room or embarrassed. When the girl got picked, she was happy to be the darkest and it didn’t bother her. This was because it was just who she is what her ancestors were. Sam explained that if she didn’t have these qualities she probably wouldn’t be here today. Her dark skin was from her ancestors who needed it to survive in certain conditions. They probably lived near the equator and had dark skin to protect from the intensity of the sun. This really stood out to me and made a lot of sense. The white supremacy example triggered my mind and made me think. I wondered if I ever felt white supremacy and I think I have. When someone says something about blacks that may be on the verge of racism, I cringe and wait to see the black person get mad or upset. I am worried about the response because I feel white supremacy. I would like to become more comfortable about situations like this. This may be done by familiarizing myself with knowing what is white supremacy and what isn’t. By being more informed, I could make a significant difference in my life. I will try to talk to someone that is black for a while and ask them about certain situations and how they would react. I don’t see myself as a white supremist because I have a lot of black and Hispanic friends. I just don’t want to feel uneasy in situations when there is controversy of racism. I guess that is what I’m wrestling with at the moment. I want to learn more about race and the different ways to see white supremacy other than the example of the blackest girl in the room. It is so interesting and messed up that white supremacy is still here today.

I feel there is still much discrimination dealing with race today. When Sam asked the white girl named Kaitlin how she felt if the black girl named Taisha got five extra bonus points just because she was black; Kaitlin responded I don’t know. She may have said I don’t know because she is hesitant to bring up the issue with race and white supremacy. Kaitlin later went on to say it was unfair to receive those extra points just because Taisha was black. She felt more secure saying this because she had the backing of Sam saying it’s okay and urged her to say something. Then Taisha was asked if it was okay for blacks meaning herself to get the five extra points. Sam took over from this point, because Taisha was in loss for words and said the majority of black people just want to be considered equal and to have the same opportunities as whites. They would not accept the five extra points. Then Sam talked about submitting a resume and that both Taisha and Kaitlin had the same exact accomplishments and grades. The only difference was the names and that is what guaranteed Kaitlin a job and Taisha no job. Sam threw in some statistics stating that Kaitlin is fifty percent more likely to get that job than Taisha. Society is making black people think that they have to try harder and have better qualifications than white people. I feel this is wrong and somebody should take a stand against this. So many jobs have their blinders on and they only want to hire someone with the same appearance or traits as they have. They want to hire someone that they click with. Sometimes it’s not about the qualifications, but if you know somebody or feel they would get along better with you than a different race would. There is discrimination out in the world today and is not a relevant as it was in the past where there were much more severe actions. I feel maybe more awareness of the discrimination going on might put the train on the right tracks to becoming equal. There is just a deep cut in the marketplace that nobody wants or is unable to heal. So should society try to boost qualifications of black people that may or may not have the same qualifications as whites? Black and brown people will soon catch white people in population rates and the economy is going to have to accept it. The country is becoming a lot more diverse and the ethnicities are increasing. They are many people that may not even know their racial back ground because of diverse traits. Discrimination is present today and is wrong, but it is imbedded in people and will be hard to change.

Sam’s lecture about sports being dominated by a certain race of people is definitely true. Basketball mainly dominated by blacks and hockey dominated by whites were the main examples. I feel the tendency to play a certain sport is not because you’re good at it or your ability to play it, but by the way you were raised and familiar with when you’re young. Races that play certain sports have a lot to do with culture. For example, inner cities are mainly dominated by blacks and rural areas by whites. In the city there is a lack of space and diversity of what sport you could play. When you take a trip into a big city, you see lots of basketball courts where many black NBA players learned to play when they were young. I feel you play a sport because of what you have and dealt with instead of who you are and what you look like. It just so happens, the majority of blacks live in cities which may only have basketball to offer. The rural areas have a lot more open room and space to play a range of different sports. These sports include soccer and baseball. Whites tend to dominate these sports because the circumstances they had when they were young. Other cultures are poorer and some are rich. Poorer cultures tend to play sports with low value equipment such as a basketball and a metal ring on a brick wall or a soccer ball with a crate as a goal. Poorer countries play these sports and become good at what they do. If they become lucky, they go pro and play with people with the same back round. Richer sports include: tennis, golf, lacrosse and hockey. These sports need expensive equipment to play and a certain field or rink to play in. When kids were young, parents with a lot of money introduced their kids to these sports. They were able to play and get good at hockey for example because of their parents money support and lessons. I feel races are not just good at any sport because of the extra tendon they may have and the height they could jump. This does have a lot to do with playing the sport well though. Their physical features do not categorize the sport they play. It is the culture and social back round they were brought up in. I live in a rural area and am white. This does not mean I have to be good at a certain sport. Races are not all sequestered into just one sport. Many races are becoming more diverse and it is hard to tell what people are by the color of their skin. So, races do not play a big role in what sport you play, but socioeconomics and culture do.

The question being raised is if white people avoid talking about race or not. I feel they do avoid talking about race when asked a question or just in a talk session with someone. People tend to look at someone’s skin before anything else. White people have a skin color much different than other ethnicities. So when we look at another race, we sometimes tend to group other races together. I feel white people become ignorant to what the other races actually are. Instead of figuring their race out, we group them together into groups. The black group, the Asian group, and the Indian group are the groups I mainly categorize people in. White people then put stereotypes into these groups and make false judgments. I feel I have to work on this myself, because now looking deeper into races I know there’s a lot more to a person than the color of their skin. In class, Sam asked two students to put students of different races into categories of what they looked like. They were unable to this correctly because many people have qualities that their skin doesn’t represent. So I feel that skin is not a good indicator of who you are. White people have a hard time talking about race or have a feeling of uneasiness when they do. People think it may lead to an awkward conversion and a big ordeal when race is brought up. It shouldn’t be awkward because that only means there is white supremacy. The fact that whites do not like to mention race might be white supremacy holding back their words. White supremacy is not as relevant now as it was in the past, but it is still here. When the one white girl in class had to pick out the darkest person in the class, many people felt uneasy. This uneasiness is the feeling of white supremacy. I don’t think people want to feel uneasy about racism, that’s why whites do not bring it up. White people sometimes try to bring up race issues and others judge them for doing that. They think they are rude for saying something about another race. When someone doesn’t know much about a topic they look at it in the big picture. This is how race goes. When you don’t know a person, you can’t just look at the color of their skin and think you have an idea what they are really like. White people are afraid they are judging people when they talk about race. The same goes for blacks and Asians. When they hear whites talking about race, they may also feel tension. I think if we speak out more about racism, it will become more of a comfortable topic.