Tax payer dollars should not be channeled into a program such as this which forces the hand of the free market and perspective employers. Such practices often discourage employers from creating new positions in the first place, hindering economic growth and unemployment reductions. On the other hand, it is very hard to argue that racism is something that the free market can regulate on its own; perhaps the answer should instead be a private media institution or an entire industry that brings to light instances of racial discrimination in hiring practices, allowing employers to pay a nominal fee to have their hiring practices and workplace diversity screened in order to attain a "seal of approval". Rather than being sanctioned by law for what should be free choices, discriminatory hiring practices would carry a social stigma that might have heavy financial impacts.

While in the previous paragraph I have tried to express my perceived feelings of the more common opposition to affirmative action, I would like to briefly state my own objections as a libertarian. Affirmative action is a federal government mandate imposed by the United States Department of Labor. While I agree that there are still very far-reaching issues of racial socioeconomic inequality, I do not believe that the appropriate means for correcting those problems are through a government mandate.

When discussing affirmative action, the problem is further aggravated by the still strong latent racism that exists among many white americans. Pollutive thoughts such as the notion that blacks and minorities are "lazy" were promulgated well before affirmative action was brought into play. Therefore, when opposing whites see this system that seems to "forcibly" create diversity in the workplace, tying the hands of employers and other competitive applicants, they become irate because of some of their general assumptions about ethnic groups other than their own. Like many issues in contemporary politics, people are socialized by their parents, their faith (or lack thereof), their political party, and other such institutions. They know that as a Republican, they are simply not "allowed" to like affirmative action and that the buck stops there. In most cases no critical thinking goes into the reasons that they oppose the program.

While I am opposed to affirmative action for much different reasons as a libertarian, I have a very hard time seeing eye to eye with many of its other detractors. I believe that the disconnect lies in a deep seeded ignorance to some of the true statistics that surround the affirmative action system, many of which were brought to light by Sam's lecture. I believe what the gentleman who posed this question is failing to see is that very few americans have actually had the opportunity to sit in a classroom space such as SOC119 with an instructor as well versed as Sam Richards to bring these issues out onto the table. Sadly, this seems to be the issue with many of the social problems that we are facing today; a lack of conversation and a sometimes extreme, almost willful ignorance and apathy.

When we approached this very topic in my "More Than Words" discussion group, we came to the exact same conclusion. It rang true even more when Laurie elaborated on it in class. There are certainly many parallels that can be drawn between our situation here at Penn State and the situation of Arab Muslims. While, clearly, the situation in the Middle East and the stigma often applied to Muslims are much more severe, there are still many ways in which we can use this incident as a useful exercise in empathy.

Because of the actions of a small group of people (primary: Jerry Sandusky, secondary: Shultz, Curley, Paterno, and tertiary: students who participated in the "riot") all of those associated with the Penn State University have been slapped with a big ugly courtesy stigma because of our "tribal affiliation" (to use a few of Eric Silver's SOC 406 terms). Almost all of us who are aware of the events are feeling connected to the horrendous actions of Sandusky, whether it is because of strong ties with the football program and Joe Paterno, or whether it is because of the mass media attention and endless questions from our friends. Over Thanksgiving break, I must admit, I have been very hesitant to sport any of my vast array of Penn State memorabilia, covering my stigmatic tribal affiliation.

When mulling over this topic in my head, I recalled a reading from the course textbook, "Shadow Boxing with Race." The exact title of the article that came to mind is not memorable to me, but I remember the subject matter vividly. It presented us with the stories of several arab americans and their experiences with stigma, particularly when traveling by airplane. Some of them even practiced covering, similar to my tactic of not wearing any Penn State clothing, by modifying their outward appearance (haircut, clothing, etc.) so that they looked Italian or any other race than Arabic simply to avoid sideways glances, suspicion, and making others uncomfortable.

Muslims in the Middle East deal with this awful stigma and media portrayal every day. The actions of a few have managed to largely define a broad encompassing stereotype about the entire group. If there is any real positive to come out of this, I would hope that it would be for each and every one of us who have never truly experienced any kind of stigma because of our tribal affiliation.

my face looks mad legit on the video link... hahahah fml

I share Sam's concern about our countries "f*cked-ness." I would agree with many of his reasons, but I would honestly put the biggest emphasis on apathy. The MAJORITY of my classmates did not know what the Occupy Wall Street movement stood for, which overall, is not a very complex topic to understand. This worries me even further because I believe that a race relations class such as SOC119 would have a higher concentration of current events-minded individuals than in the general population.

While I would never tell anyone that they are at fault for disagreeing with the OWS movement, as I do not, the problem is those who have not even taken five minutes to formulate their own opinion. A huge portion of our generation has no idea about any of the significant events happening in the world around us. They do not understand the scope of our military's involvement in the various conflicts in the Middle East.... no idea where or what the Gaza strip is.... no knowledge of our out of control national debt or the secretive centralized banks that artificially control our economy.

In a recent poll by the Pew Research center, fifty-three percent of americans could not name ONE single candidate that is currently seeking the GOP nomination, in what is the prelude of what may prove to be the most important presidential election of our time. Another twenty-six percent said that the candidate they'd heard the most about lately was Donald Trump (who opted out of running for the presidency months ago). We are largely a generation who does not read newspapers or books, let alone consume the mass media that can be readily spoon-fed to us through 24-hour television and internet news sources. Our knowledge of world geography is just as dismal as our understanding of its many rich and vibrant cultures.

It is easy to sit here and list off item after item that the population of America, particularly it's future, the youth, know next to nothing about. The difficult part is to determine how these things can be changed. There is no quick band-aid fix for apathy and ignorance... there are bottup-up and top-down changes that need to be made in the way that we approach government, education, and parenting.

There are grassroots movements, still in their infancy, that might eventually bring about the change in awareness that we need. While they vary greatly in their fundamental views, their overall functions are the same- to educate america, particularly young america, about the challenges that have been looming on the horizon for years. While I can pick out countless differences between the Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party, and Libertarian movements, I can also see that they are filled with passionate individuals who actually aren't afraid to educate themselves and hold themselves accountable for our nation's future.

What happened to Scott Olsen in Oakland, while in the grand scheme of things very small, was terrible and unjust. Never should a police officer strike a stationary, nonviolent protester... let alone follow up by intentionally targeting a group of others who gather round to help that person after the fact. While tear gas was designed as a non-lethal means of dispersing crowds (generally in the case of riots, not peaceful protests), it can still be extremely dangerous if misused in a fashion such as this. While this was probably the most dramatic example of police brutality in Oakland, we cannot allow it to go unnoticed.

On the contrary, what happened to Scott Olsen was only a small fraction of the police brutality and government oppression that occurs in Egypt each and every day. The simple notion that these protesters in Egypt who heard Scott's story would be willing to stand in protest in front of the US Embassy is a shining example of how people from completely different cultures should be able to empathize for each other.

Income inequality is certainly not solely an American problem- it occurs all around the world. This is evidenced by the growing "occupy" movements worldwide. While the protesters involved may not always conduct themselves in a manner that promotes the greater good, and while I may not share some of their opinions on how to resolve the plight of the "99 percent," the movement is gaining momentum worldwide. The people of the United States and of countries across the globe are growing more and more irate. There is no magic fix for this problem, but the fact that the politicians and the elite are simply ignoring the Occupy Wall Street movement as if it was yesterday's news today is very disconcerting.

All of that being said, these protesters must understand that they need to conduct themselves responsibly. Any credibility that the movement holds can be quickly lost because of their actions. Peaceful protesting is an amazing right that we have under our constitution, but when we begin to seriously infringe on the rights of others then we are overstepping our bounds. It can be very difficult for us to step into the shoes of the police officers who are tasked with managing these angry mobs, but we should at least try. There are undoubtedly times when these officers feel threatened by protesters. Do not confuse me in equating that to the actions of a select few officers in Oakland who threw those tear gas grenades, I just think it is very important to understand both perspectives particularly in less dramatic cases.

The question of whether or not I am a “feminist” is not one that I have ever considered- I believe this is largely because of a widespread misinterpretation of the word. First and foremost, there seems to be an assumption that one must be a FEMALE to be a FEMINIST. This might be because of the similarity in the words, but I believe the primary reason is that historically, the majority of feminists were women. While they certainly had male counterparts, during the advent of the feminist movement, you wouldn’t have seen big crowds of men marching in the street pushing for the equal rights of women. Clearly, this is a misconception that I, along with many others, have had for a long time. But in recent times, at least in the societies in which I have lived, equal rights for women are not only the law, but are a social norm. I understand, however, that this is not true in many other cultures, even in some subcultures of my own.

When watching the video, there was a distinct level of discomfort among many of the young men who were interviewed. The word “feminist” carries a strong negative connotation- but I have come to realize that this connotation is nothing more than an illusion produced by society. Students of our age simply weren’t alive when the feminist movement was a prominent societal force. Most of us now come from homes where both parents work and earn fair wages. Many of us have strong maternal figures who have inspired us and guided us to where we are today- perhaps they are the ones who, after being alive and maybe even active during the feminist movement, have socialized us to be feminists as well.

After watching this video and looking up dictionary definitions of the terms “feminist” and “feminism,” I came to the realization that I am, indeed, a feminist. In a broader sense, I am an advocate for human rights, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, political affiliation, nationality, or religious beliefs.

Thinking about feminism has led me to consider other cultures in my analysis, namely the conservative Arabic cultures in which it is the norm for women to wear the hijab. When looking through a western lens of society, it is easy to condemn the hijab, saying that it is a degrading sign of a male-dominant culture. However, in my experiences and conversations with residents of the Gaza Strip where this is the norm, this is not the perception. Many of these women who are in school studying to become physicians, lawyers, teachers, and journalists do not see their traditional coverings as an oppressive measure. Rather, they see it as a necessary facet of their rich culture which provides them with respect, dignity, and security. They elect to wear the hijab despite the fact that there are no laws or serious stigmas attached to not wearing it. This poses an interesting question- who are the feminists in cultures such as these?

Not my weekly blog post, but this is a great Lupe Fiasco song that looks into this very issue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDPKL9AUXqY&fe...