I never understood why we, and by we I mean the United States government, feel the need to intervene in other country’s affairs, when our country has so many problems of it’s own. Where does it say that it is our responsibility to insure the “well being” of the world. We are currently going through a rough economy, and an absurdly high national debt. Personally I like to contribute the trillions of dollars we wasted in our current war, as being the reason for our current economical situation. There are so many programs and issues right here on our home land, that the money used for the war could have been used elsewhere. We need to fix our own problems right here in the United States, where are own citizens are suffering, before we go out and try to “better the world.” The fighting going on in Iraq, and Afghanistan, is not even a true war in the sense of traditional wars. We are not fighting against their governments or their military, we are fighting “insurgents,” who have no direct affiliation with their government. That is why the War on Terror, in my eyes, is not a traditional war. I feel as though there is no winning this war, we are fighting a group of people that will not stop. There is no stopping terrorism. That is why I believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are pointless. We should be focusing our supposed “endless” resources on fixing our own country first. I believe our country would have been much better off had we not gone into Iraq, or at least occupied it for a shorter amount of time.

To say there is not a dark cloud hovering over all of Penn State, and all of the people associated with Penn State in one way or another, is an understatement. As much as some of us do not want to admit it, the recent scandal has tainted our university’s image and reputation, and concurrently tainted our own as well. Most outsiders feel that everyone associated with Penn State are the same as the ones directly involved with either the cover up or the heinous act itself. I have heard that some people have been turned down for internships solely because they are a Penn State student, and the company cannot associate with them anymore. Seriously? Do people really believe that all of Penn State was in on this cover up? The truth of the matter is that it was only a very small section of Penn State, and with in that small section was an even smaller group of people who knew and did nothing. So why some people are grouping everybody in with those people I have no idea. I heard one of the probably many jokes, “if an older woman chasing a younger guy is called a cougar, what do you call a older guy chasing a young boy? A Nittany Lion.” To deny that the world sees us as separate from the people directly involved in this scandal is just wrong because they are making those assumptions about our school and us. The media is especially guilty of this, they were saying how the participants in the riot are reflecting how the entire school feels. I admit that I went downtown to be apart of it, only because I thought we would just show our support of Joe Pa, chanting his name and whatever. Then a small percentage of the “rioters” decided it would be a good idea to tear down a light post. Then a little more people thought it would be a good idea to throw rocks at and eventually tip over a news van. Firstly I do not see how the media can group all of Penn State into the stupidity shown by so few. There were only a few thousand “rioters” to begin with, while Penn State as a whole is over 40,000 people. Then of the few who were down there, an even smaller number turned to violence. I cannot comprehend how that is supposed to be representative of Penn State as a whole. We are still a great university, so how do the actions of so few influence the opinions for so many?

If I owned a business, or a farm or something, and the only people willing to work for me were people who came into this country illegally, I would probably hire them. Especially if I owned a farm and needed people to pick my produce, because if I did not have anyone to do the work I would lose money with all the rotten tomatoes or whatever else I am growing. Most Americans are not willing to do the hard labor that the illegal immigrants do, some are not able to stand the heat or the physical effort needed to do the job. It was found that most Americans, who tried to replace the illegal workers, quit after the very first day doing it. With all the farmers losing thousands of dollars, because the things they are growing are being left unpicked to die in the field, it makes sense to tap in to the work force willing to do the job. Plus there are the other benefits to hiring illegal immigrants for your business, such as they are able to work long hours in the hot sun and you can pay them less than minimum wage. So not only are you getting people with a good hard labor work effort, but you are getting them at a much cheaper wage than regular legal Americans. By using a cheaper source of laborers you can save a huge amount of money, which in turn increases the profits you can make. I know that it sounds bad, that you are essentially exploiting a group of people who cannot really stand up for the rights of better wages since they technically do not have any rights as illegal immigrants. In terms of owning a business, not counting a farm or another agricultural business, where hard labor is not needed, I doubt I would hire an illegal immigrant. This is so mostly because when I think of someone crossing the border illegally to work, I think of someone who cannot speak English let alone read it or write it. With this assumption, I do not see a situation outside of hard labor where I would hire an illegal alien. Maybe as a cook or bus boy, if my business happened to be owning and operating a restaurant, where customer contact would be close to none. But overall I believe if you need workers in order for your business to survive, and 100% legal Americans are not willing to do the work, I would undoubtedly turn towards hiring illegal immigrants. If I were faced with losing thousands of dollars and even the possibility of losing my business I would use the option of cheaper labor in the form of illegal immigrants.

In a way everyone in the United States are immigrants, either because of their ancestors or because of themselves, not counting Native Americans. Native Americans are just that, native to the Americas. Since I do not have any Native American blood in me, then my family immigrated here during some part of history. Since every one who is not one hundred percent Native American, came from some where other than here, then by definition they themselves are immigrants. But in terms of now and this time frame, since most of us were born here, we would not be considered immigrants, at least we would not consider Our Selves to be immigrants. For a typical United States citizen, who was born here, we would consider the people who were born in a different country and now resides here, either legally or illegally, to be immigrants. Even if you moved here, became a citizen, had children born here, I would also consider your children to be immigrants as well. I would say after the third generation of your family to have been born here, you would no longer be an immigrant in my eyes. So after I said all of that, I feel that some immigrants are acceptable and others are not. To clarify, all of the legal immigrants, at least legal by our current standards and definitions, I am ok with, they went through the proper channels and became or are in the process of becoming citizens. On the other hand, the immigrants who, by our definition, are illegal, I am not ok with. I get that they are trying to have the opportunity for a better life and everything, but I feel like they are going about or have gone about it the wrong way. Now who am I to have a problem with it? It’s not like I am directly affected by it, it is not like they took a job opportunity away from me, I do not even see ‘illegals’ in any part of my life. So why should I have a problem with it? Especially since our country was basically founded by “illegal immigrants.” But I guess now since we are an “advanced” country with rules and laws, those laws should be followed, I know kind of a lame excuse. I think it is great if you want to come here for a better life, I would just rather they came here legally.

I believe that me being white has led me to grow up in and have a “sheltered” view of the world. Growing up in a small white town I was not able to see first hand how people of other races were treated or what they had to endure in their lives. Not being exposed to that I grew up very naïve, believing that people of all races are treated as one in the same with everyone else. That quickly changed the older I got from learning about inequalities in school and how it was portrayed in the movies and media. Like I said before I did not grow up with my “eyes wide open” to everything around me. Being white I did not have to experience much, if any, prejudices. I was able to be given more opportunities as a white, as I am sure people who grew up in poorer neighborhoods and were of color did not get as readily as I did. Then there is the topic of experiencing racism. Since I did not experience racism I did not grow up with a form of some kind of hate towards people, where I know some people of color had to experience or still experience to this day. If I grew up under different circumstances, such as a different race, I would not look at the world as I do now. Even under the same circumstances, but as a different race, if I grew up in the same neighborhood, had the same friends, went to the same school, all of those same factors but just under a different race. I would definitely view the world in a different light. Maybe I would hold some sort of animosity towards the world, or have a tougher skin, or whatever, the fact is I would never know how I would view the world if I were not white. As I said before, I am naïve, at least I was before college, so I now I would say I am just slightly less naïve. We live in a country where whites have a majority, and everyone else is a minority. I am presented with more opportunities, such as being more likely to get hired by an employer than a black counterpart. I believe all of those things shape my perspective of the world. Now is that totally messed up? Yeah sure, is it my fault? Well not as much as the world’s view is of itself, but maybe in a way it is my fault. For me, being from the white race has led me to view the world in a different light, than say how someone of color would view it.

If I found out if my roommate was gay on the first day, I probably would not care. Given the fact that I am perfectly ok with people who are gay in general, it should not change my opinion if I had to live with one. Granted it probably would be a little weird in the beginning but after a few days I would get over it, or adjust rather, to the living situation. I mean its not like he would be hitting on me or trying to make a move on me. He’ll do his thing and I’ll do mine. I have gay friends so it would be basically the same thing, just hanging out with that person more often. I feel like I would have a bigger deal with it if he told me he was gay half way through the semester, at least at first and then I’ll again adjust. I would feel a little lied to about it and a little upset that he couldn’t trust me with that information from the very beginning. But at the same time I could understand why he didn’t divulge that about himself from the beginning. He probably would have wanted to feel me out first, sort of speak, to see how I would react to the idea. I mean I don’t even know how it would come out on day one, “hi I’m so and so, and by the way I’m gay.” That would be awkward for both him and me. So I guess it would make more sense for him to wait and see how I would react, get more comfortable with me, and then tell me. I would still feel a little mad about the fact that he couldn’t sense right away that I would be ok with it. To wait half of a semester to finally feel comfortable enough to tell me, is a really long time. When I first meet someone that I eventually hang out with on a consistent basis, I can tell what kind of person they are rather quickly. I would start sharing stuff about myself, by most, a few weeks. But that’s just the type of person I am, so from someone else’s perspective I guess not everyone works like that. So overall after I have been introduced to the fact my roommate is gay and some time passes, I wouldn’t care that much or at all. I would definitely rather be told right away just because that takes a lot for someone to reveal to a stranger. That, in my opinion, would create a bigger bond between us than if he waited until the semester was already half over. Even though I wouldn’t mind if he told me later, I would just take more time for me to carry on as I would normally.

I think it is a combination between free will and determinism, each playing an equal part in shaping our lives. In terms of being more prominent in our day to day lives I feel everyone deals with free will more often, it is one of those things that you are constantly doing. You are constantly making choices, everything you do is a choice from what time you get up to what you wear, or eat, or if you go to class or decide to stay home or whatever. But the flip side to that is the choices you are given, are given to you because of determinism. Where you grow up and who your parents are plays a significant role in the choices you have. If you have rich, influential and well connected parents you are going to have more opportunities and more choices than someone who lives with a single parent who has to take on multiple jobs to provide for you.
Everyone has free will, but your free will only involves choices that were laid out for you that out of your control. You do not decide when or where you are born, and if you have wealthy or poor parents, or the color of your skin or if you were born in America or somewhere else, these are all predetermined before you have your first breath of air. For some people you are born at a disadvantage compared to some other people. You can still decide your own fate, but some fates are more realistic to some people than to other people.
Right now I forgot about this assignment until last minute but I am choosing to write my blog entry instead of blowing it off and pre-gaming to go out tonight. I am choosing to do it with my television on mute, so as to be less distracted. It was not already planned that I would do it late, it is just from the choices I made that it turned out this way. So although determinism plays a part in my life, free will is more prominent in the choices that are right in front of my face.
In other words, determinism is what happens behind the curtains, it sets up the play but is rarely seen, free will on the other hand would be the actors in said play and is all you really think about. If it was not for what happens backstage there would be no up front and center stage. I believe that is the relationship free will and determinism have with each other, both are very important in shaping our lives, we would not be if it was not for them both playing an equal role in how we go about our day.

I believe when it comes to gender and sexual orientation it is very tricky on how you go about explaining it. If you asked me whether or not you can choose your gender or sexual orientation ten years ago I would have said you choose to be gay or not and you are born into your gender. Now just last year I would have said you are born gay or straight and you are born male of female. But these past couple of weeks I believe you are born a specific gender, but you can still choose what you are. You don’t choose to be gay, it’s biological, you are the way you were born.
In one of my classes this semester we heard a news clip about two young children who were born as boys, felt more comfortable and natural as girls. People who are transgender are something I knew nothing about, and still know very little about. I knew there were men out there who dressed as women and called themselves drag queens. There are also people who lived a majority of their lives as one sex, and knew in their hearts that they were actually the opposite and proceeded to get a sex change. But with these two young boys who asked for their parents to refer to them as she or her, are only eight years old. They knew right from the beginning that they were different, that they were really meant to be girls. When it comes to choosing what gender you are it is hard to tell if these two young kids actually chose to switch genders or if it was something else.
Growing up I thought being gay was a choice, that you were born straight and some where along the line you decided to like someone from the same sex. I still do not know one hundred percent if it is a choice or if you are born that way, I just believe now that you are born that way. At some point in everybody’s life they come to a realization that “this is who I am I feel more comfortable this way, I accept it,” they just know what they are deep down.
I have a cousin who dated boys throughout high school but always felt that something was not right. She knew that lifestyle was not right with her, that she was gay. She did not think to herself that “I don’t like boys anymore let me try girls,” it was deeper than that. It was as if she always knew she was gay and just needed time to figure that out for herself. She did not choose to be gay, she just did what felt naturally to her.

When it comes to race I could care less what you look like or characterize yourself as. If you are a cool person and like the same things I like, we are probably going to get along regardless of what your skin color happens to be. In my opinion life is too short to single out people based on race since it is only skin deep. People are just human beings on the inside the same as me and everyone else in this world.
In terms of dating someone outside of my race I feel it is the same as being friends with someone of a different race. If I like you then I like you, it is as simple as that. I have no problem walking down the street and seeing a black guy and a white girl holding hands or a white guy and an Asian girl or whatever. If you like them then it should not matter what other people think, they are not in a relationship with them, you are.
Personally, not only have I dated white girls but I have also dated a black girl and an Asian girl. It wasn’t awkward at all, I knew I liked them and they liked me, which was good enough for me. I was not constantly worrying whether or not anyone disapproved because I could have cared less if they did or not. I also did not date them because I wanted to “cross that race off my list” or something but because I like them for being who they are on a deeper level.
My high school was comprised of mainly white people, and by white people I mean red necks. There was probably around 5 black people, and 3 exchange students from China, which I guess is pretty common living in northern Vermont and considering Vermont is 95 % white. So I never really grew up in a society believing that one race was better or worse than another. I hate to use this as an example but if someone from Florida, who has never seen snow before, would have no reason to hate snow. Just like for me growing up with only the white race surrounding me, I have no reason to think less of a different race because I didn’t truly experience it until college.
We supposedly live in a free country, we have freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. The world is slowly changing its views towards race and religion. But we still live in a world where there are people who deeply believe its wrong to date outside of your race, all of those people are blindly following the “system.” All I have to say is, "fuck the system."