I first want to start by saying SOC 119 was by far not only one of my favorite classes, but one that I believe benefitted me the most. I found going to Sam’s class was very easy, and actually paying attention even easier. He kept the material new and interesting, and opened up my eyes too many things that I didn’t think to look in to before. The class was about race relations and that’s one topic that I can say my views changed probably the most about. Coming in to the class I was conscious of race but decided to go with the “I’m colored blind and by me not acknowledging other races as different, I am helping to stop racism!” approach on life. Now however, especially after learning about the different stages of racism, I have a different view on racism and how people react around people of other races. I am not saying that I have the only correct views on race and that anyone who looks at race differently than me is racist by any means, but I do think that the people who take the “colored blind” approach is not the correct way to go. In this class I learned how different people and cultures truly are. I also feel that ignoring these differences and trying to act like everyone is exactly the same only adds to racism and the discrimination that people face in life. I realize that this kind of sound like an oxymoron and that how could seeing people as the same drive them further apart from each other, but after a good amount of thought, I came up with the conclusion that involves the the fact that when people from different cultures realize that they are being grouped with people completely different than them, that is when the differences come out in a negative manner and people see other cultures and races as one better or worse then another. The differences in people’s lives are extremely important to be recognized throughout interactions with cultures and races because for one, it can be very easy to offend someone, and come off as a racist, if some things are ignored. Lets be honest, most people are aware of their culture and the color of their skin, and it is when someone neglects to take that in to account, that things can be said that can come off as offensive to the receiver, but at the same time the person who said it can protest that he was “blind to the color” and that its only offensive because they took it that way. All in all I believe that racism for one is something that will take a very long time to go away if it ever does, and that even when people try not to be racist, it is such a well known and thought about topic that literally anything someone says about the matter can be taken the wrong way.

I was really surprised in class the other day when we were talking about child abductions, and Sam said there were only 100 child abductions a year. I was also surprised when the students in the class said that there were 10,000 abductions, seeing as I thought there was no way there could be that many child abductions a year. The fact that people are so paranoid, not letting their kids walk to school or playing outside alone says something about our society today, and shows how unnecessarily threatened people feel everyday. The fact that only 100 kids get abducted by strangers a year makes me think about how when I was younger it was not a big deal at all for my parents to let me play outside not watched by anyone for hours at a time. Granted I grew up in a very safe neighborhood with minimal crime, but even so if only 100 kids get abducted a year, I cant see any place that dangerous when it comes to have children taken. It surprises me now when I think about the actions of some paranoid parents that don’t let their children leave their sight. Obviously these low statistics don’t mean that every parent should let their kids be completely unattended all day, but it shows that over protective parents in most situations, not only over react to things, but bring stress and fear about the situation on themselves when they worry. People have developed thoughts that they have to constantly be worrying that their children will be taken; when in reality the threat is minimal.
The media does not help the paranoia in the fact that things such as abductions and murders are front page and made so everyone knows about it. These stories instill fear in the people and implant thoughts that bad things happen more frequently then they actually do. I believe that the world is a relatively safe place, and if you do encounter violence and things such as abductions on a regular basis, the threat is well enough known that the people have appropriate attitudes about the threat. In places such as the United States, where threats are minimal, many people are more afraid and take greater precautions then the people with a serious threat. People also connect some crimes with various races and other aspects of people, and with the help of the media, many people believe the negative stereotypes. I believe that these things lead to situations such as the “Trayvon” case and the presence of racially motivated crime. The media has a field day in situations like this and it often leads to an over exaggeration of the fact that race could have had something to do with the crime, and lead attention away from the actual crime at hand.

I can relate entirely with the person asking this question. I grew up in an almost entirely white town with few enough black people that you knew what each one of them looked like. When I came to school there were obviously more colored people then I was used to at home, but I find myself not having a problem with other races, or even think of them differently then us. I think I think this way partly because of where I grew up. I think that since there were so little colored people the not only did I not experience the stereotypes that so many of them have, but also that I felt at the time I could not be racist to any of them because I would be picking on such a small number of people. I feel like if I were to be racist and act as such in my hometown I would be seen more as a bully then a racist for the simple fact I would be expressing myself about the same couple kids I come in contact with.
Most of my life I had to have been in the first or second stage because I never really experience many differences between races. All the kids in my town, even the colored ones, were seen as equal to me because everyone acted the same. As I got older I obviously became aware that the color of their skin is different and in fact they are of a different race, but this never influenced my views of any of them. Coming into Penn State I came across a different kind of black person then I was originally used to. They act completely different then the black people from my hometown and then I realized why I didn’t really see them as different was because they acted the same as all the white people I knew. Coming to school I witnessed black people with very strong accents and slang that I never heard before. I began to notice the differences from what I always thought black people to act like, but I always found it interesting more then anything. I never thought any race to be lesser then another and my view as seeing everyone as equal and being aware of different cultures has not changed.
I feel that I have been open minded when it comes to race all my life and because of that it has enabled me to see people for who they are and not by the color of their skin. I think growing up in my hometown has only helped me become easily associable with people from other races, and has made it so I don’t change myself around people that are different then me.

We have learned a lot in this class so far and a lot of what Sam has told us had been a real eye opening experience for me. It blows my mind every time Sam asks a question on the board and it turns out that the answer is the one that I would think was least likely to be. He has made me aware of many race related issues, such as the probability for employers to consider hiring people of different races and how peoples criminal record can be less influential then the color of their skin. After hearing these statistics, it triggered a thought in my head that I am sill struggling with. Me being a white man, in these situations seem to be given the upper hand over other races, and I guess I never noticed these differences because I grew up in a predominantly white town. After hearing these things, it surprised me because I could not believe that in this day and age things like this still happened on a regular basis. I can only try to put myself in someone of colors shoes, but I feel like if something like this happened to me I would not only feel hopeless that I would never amount to anything because of some racist prick, but that the whole world looks down on me just because the color of my skin.
Another thing I was unaware of at the beginning of the semester was the fact that Native Americans are having such a hard time living in today’s society. They are treated like outcasts because they live in reservations and are trying to preserve something that we destroyed. Not only did Europeans come in and seal the land on which we live today, but no one has the decency to treat the people we took it from with some respect. The poverty rates and suicide rates between the Native American communities are too high and I feel like no one cares enough to help. They are also treated poorly and the assault and rape statistics, especially for the women of these communities, are also very high. Once we talked about these people’s lives, I was very surprised to hear about these things that I had no idea were going on.
I really enjoyed the conversation we had about the shaman and the practices that people use in order to go about their everyday lives. I feel that many people don’t know what to think about these topics and because of that I hope we have more of these types of discussions in class. To think that these people can do things that most people think in completely impossible really gets me thinking and interested in the topic. I enjoy looking outside of the box on topics like these and I feel like going as far away from people’s thought of reality will only help people become more integrated in their reality. In the second half of the class I hope to hear and see things that make me as well as the rest of the class question what we really know about reality and the society we live in.

We have learned a lot in this class so far and a lot of what Sam has told us had been a real eye opening experience for me. It blows my mind every time Sam asks a question on the board and it turns out that the answer is the one that I would think was least likely to be. He has made me aware of many race related issues, such as the probability for employers to consider hiring people of different races and how peoples criminal record can be less influential then the color of their skin. After hearing these statistics, it triggered a thought in my head that I am sill struggling with. Me being a white man, in these situations seem to be given the upper hand over other races, and I guess I never noticed these differences because I grew up in a predominantly white town. After hearing these things, it surprised me because I could not believe that in this day and age things like this still happened on a regular basis. I can only try to put myself in someone of colors shoes, but I feel like if something like this happened to me I would not only feel hopeless that I would never amount to anything because of some racist prick, but that the whole world looks down on me just because the color of my skin.
Another thing I was unaware of at the beginning of the semester was the fact that Native Americans are having such a hard time living in today’s society. They are treated like outcasts because they live in reservations and are trying to preserve something that we destroyed. Not only did Europeans come in and seal the land on which we live today, but no one has the decency to treat the people we took it from with some respect. The poverty rates and suicide rates between the Native American communities are too high and I feel like no one cares enough to help. They are also treated poorly and the assault and rape statistics, especially for the women of these communities, are also very high. Once we talked about these people’s lives, I was very surprised to hear about these things that I had no idea were going on.
I really enjoyed the conversation we had about the shaman and the practices that people use in order to go about their everyday lives. I feel that many people don’t know what to think about these topics and because of that I hope we have more of these types of discussions in class. To think that these people can do things that most people think in completely impossible really gets me thinking and interested in the topic. I enjoy looking outside of the box on topics like these and I feel like going as far away from people’s thought of reality will only help people become more integrated in their reality. In the second half of the class I hope to hear and see things that make me as well as the rest of the class question what we really know about reality and the society we live in.

Honestly I don’t know how I feel about discrimination based on race. On one hand there is the “advantage” that colored people are told they are given, whether it is the extra 5% on a test or the fact that places say they need to be diverse and therefor have to hire non-white individuals. On the other hand, there is the advantage that white people get just for being white, and the fact that employers are more likely to give a response to a white person over one of color about 50% of the time. To me this is kind of contradictory. For one I don’t believe that anyone should be given an upper hand in anything just because the color of their skin. As far as the tests and the extra 5% or however they manipulate it, I believe this is only feeding into racism because whoever made this “rule” is putting out in the open that the color of the persons skin does matter. By doing things like this they force the people involved to realize that, for instance, “that person is a different color then me, and therefor getting special treatment.” By doing this they are making it known that people are not equal based on the color of their skin. Actions like this in my mind only cause more racism rather then trying to even the playing field.
When it comes to the white “advantage,” I feel it is wrong that someone has a 50% more chance of getting a response just because they are white. The fact is that these kinds of actions are the things that are causing people to feel the need to give people of other races the extra 5% on test and to make it seem that they are being helped to have an “equal” chance along with the others involved. This is why I feel these actions are completely useless because either way people are losing in the end. The “5%” just fuels the fire of racism and the un-needed discrimination just gives a reason for the extra help people are given.
In an ideal world, people would be seen as equal as they really are, and the color of someone’s skin would never be an excuse for anyone to have an upper hand. I believe it is possible that one day people will all be considered equal, and I feel like that day is coming relatively soon. However, as far as places claiming they are diverse and people getting upper hands in situations in order to prove that, I feel it is going to take a long time for people to get over the race population differences in places; and there is a part of me that thinks no matter how far along we get, there will always be the people to claim a place is being racist or discriminating against a peoples because of the numbers of races or populations in that particular place. In order to get over racism we need a global understanding of it, and that is something that I believe is nearly impossible.

It quite visible in most sports that there is a specific group or race of people that generally the majority of players fall into. For in stance hockey is seen as a very white sport while basketball is seen to be a black sport. I think that these people excel in these sports due to their features and also the culture and place their families originated from. For instance basketball is seen to be a predominantly black sport and I think they do so well because of their features. The ones who do well in basketball most likely are African American and have evolved to be fairly tall because of the culture and climate their ancestry originated from. Their long limbs give them the upper hand and that is why most of the best players are black.
I also think sports like hockey can be explained the same way. Hockey obviously originated from colder places. The ancestors from these colder places generally had lighter skin. Hockey players also tend to be shorter and stockier and I believe this can be explained by the colder whether and the fact that shorter people live better in cold places. The people the lived best in these places reproduced to make shorter people and when hockey was invented, these people found they had the best physical features for the sport.
I have come to notice that not all sports are like this though. Soccer for instance is one sport that you see a variety of people being the best of the best. Some of the best players of all time come from opposite sides of the world and have no racial or cultural similarities what so ever, except of course the fact they play soccer. I think that this can be explained by the fact that as far as I know soccer is played pretty much everywhere around the world in one form or another. One reason for this is that one does not need any special equipment like a hoop for basketball or ice for hockey, and the fact that it is so well known gives the whole world an opportunity to play.
I am not saying that only certain races and cultures are good at certain sports because it is clear that there are people from all around the world that stand out in professional sports. I think what I am trying to explain is the fact that although there are people from all around the world and different races that play these sports the majority of them excel and become professionals because the traits and abilities they obtained through evolution and the means used to survive many years ago by their ancestors.

When Sam told his story about the shaman, and how with just a cream made from certain plants and things, he healed a high ankle sprain that Sam had suffered; it really opened my eyes and made me think about those types of practices. It has always been a fascination of mine starting in high school when I realized people could actually do amazing things if they train their body well enough. I learned about monks and other people that could start a fire with their bare hands, or be buried alive and have no harm done to him for long periods of time. These things blew my mind and opened a window that I have yet to look through but hopefully will one day pursue. I believe that everything those people do along with the things Sam has experienced is extremely possible and with the right mindset and training, people can do things that some would never even bother believing possible. Hold up is that snookie in the background? The kid in the video asks if I consider this a “legitimate” way to learn, and how it compares to sitting in a classroom and obtaining whatever knowledge you can. In my opinion this way of learning is not only legitimate, but extremely more beneficial then the standard of learning in the society we live in. Sam is proof that these types of things work and in order to become skilled enough to actively practice these techniques, one must go through year of training and becoming connected with their inner self. Sam mentioned in class that hallucinogenic drugs open parts of the mind and can help someone come in contact with parts of existence that others cannot see. I for one, being someone who has experimented with hallucinogenic drugs can absolutely relate to Sam when he says it opens different parts of the mind. If one can sit and train themselves to be able to reach the inner most parts of their brains, it is not just a more legitimate means of knowledge, but in my eyes I see it as the type of knowledge that is more useful and important than anything you will learn sitting in any classroom.
The way these people live is extremely interesting to me and is something I hope to study in the future. One day I would love to not only meet some of these people but to make an effort to learn their ways of life and try to develop a better understanding of what’s really out there. Through my future studies I can only hope I become more aware of the spirit world and how they interfere in our lives and how they influence other people, if they do at all.

As far as interracial relationships, I for one don’t mind seeing and witnessing it, but I don’t believe I would be a part of one. I feel as though now more than ever people are becoming more accepting of the thought of people of different races dating. It doesn’t bother me at all, to see a white and a black person together and I feel as though society is becoming more understanding of these actions as time goes on. In the past however, people were less understanding and accepting of the matter but just as gay rights and acceptance is becoming more recognized, I feel less people in modern generations disagree with multiracial relationships.
As far as I am concerned I have never been in a serious relationship with someone from another race and I do not believe I would get into one either. It has nothing to do with society but I do believe my family would disapprove, them all being white and my father being an immigrant from Europe. I don’t necessarily disagree with the fact that they would not approve of these relationships because that message was present while I was being raised. I don’t have a problem with others being in these relationships but I for one would most likely not pursue one. Another reason I don’t think I would pursue someone of another race, is the fact that I don’t find girls from most other races attractive. As Sam said in class, I don’t know what to look for in other races as far as features and other aspects that would make someone attractive to me.
When it comes to adopting a child however, I think the situation would be different. If it came down to it and I was looking to adopt a child, I don’t believe race would play as big of a roll in which child I chose. For instance if a child of color fit what I was looking for I would absolutely adopt him over a white child. I believe my family would not disagree with this either because of the fact that I am giving the child a home and making his life better. I really don’t understand why this is, but in my mind adopting a child from a different race is different then having a child with someone from a different race.
Another thing to think about is that what if I cannot have children when I’m older, and the option of a sperm donor. In this case I would strongly prefer to have a white child and not have the father be of another race. But, if there was an instance where the only donors were of another race I don’t think I would reject the whole procedure just because of that.

One thing I have learned through everything that has happened here at Penn State in the last couple months is how extreme the influence of the media is on the people. As a freshman I do not have the connection many people have with Joe Paterno and the legend that he made and is seen to be, but coming here I was soon to learn what an icon he truly was and how he has affected so many people. Throughout the whole scandal, and everything else that was going on at the time, I found myself trying to actually distance myself from everything and to concentrate on my schoolwork as much as I could. I learned what I could about it through other students and things I heard and I believe I got the gist of the details. I tried to not watch much of the media coverage and because of that I don’t know how the media made things seem and the misconceptions they put out there.
It wasn’t till I left Penn State did I realize the extent of ignorance that many people had on the situation. Everywhere I went everyone I met had a comment on either that I myself molested children, or the fact that Joe Paterno had in fact done the things that Mr. Sandusky was being accused of. My astonishment only grew as during the weekend of Joe Paterno’s passing I was at a different school and a girl in the room stated that “[she] would not shed tears for someone that touched children.” Upon hearing this, my jaw hit the floor. I don’t know where or whom from she got this information but I am sure the media had something to do with it. I cannot say for sure because I did not watch the news coverage of the scandal, but everything I witnessed after it being revealed seemed to only target Joe Paterno and only on occasion was Jerry Sandusky held accountable for his actions in the eyes of the people who I talked with.
I am truly blown away about how many people are ignorant about the topic, and still feel the need to put in their two cents about something they know so little about. I am sure the media did not put the full blame on Joe Paterno, but the fact that they put his name and face everywhere involving the scandal people who were not interested enough in the story to actually look into it, put two and two together and believed that he was responsible. I feel the media played a large part in this and I know it is not entirely their fault for peoples ignorance, but so many people are too easily influenced by the media and I believe many people need to look into stories before they feel strong enough about it to say something as extreme as what I heard.