Something that I kept in mind while I read this was that you can never understand anyone unless you are that person. No one can explain things that happen in your life like you can because you are the one who experienced in first hand. Anyone outside of that experience will see it differently and experience it differently if they had been in your situation. People are raised differently by their parents or guardians and they are also raised in different circumstances—any of which are similar, but never the same.

I read this letter and realized that everyone is human, but they handle things differently depending on the situation. Some people take things too hard or they take things too light. For instance, the motive for this man’s murder would have been driven by a much stronger feeling than someone who decides not to murder the person because they feel differently and would handle it differently than this man. I think many of us immediately look at a murderer and think negative things because this man or woman killed another human being, taking their life away. We hear and see these stories on the news all the time, but do we ever know what is going on? In order to truly understand, you have to have been in that whole experience; if you were not, then you would not understand otherwise. It does not matter what age you are or what level of education you have completed (notice that Sam mentioned this man never graduated from high school), everyone is still human and has feelings—even if these feelings are handled differently. I think many of us take for granted how normal things are for us in our lives that we immediately judge someone by their actions. I mean, they are only human and have the same feelings as anyone else (unless he or she is mentally unstable—like a sociopath, who lacks certain emotions).

Another thing to take from this is that when people experience something and feel differently from it when they first experienced it, it makes them have a different outlook on their actions. This man for example says that he regrets it, which means he intends to take care of his actions more carefully. This can apply to anybody and their lives. I am sure there are those of us who think differently than we used to when we were only 5 years old, for instance. I think his message is great and we can learn to grow from our actions and experiences, which is one of life’s lessons that is not taught to us formally. We just learn for ourselves… and that is what matters in the end.

It really is a disgusting thought to think that people are sick enough to think of this stuff. I do not support it, but I honestly am not surprised by it either. I mean, you see all these movies that are just as sick and you watch it anyways. It is just like playing these video games, except in these video games, you are in control. Either way, it is taking part of watching these kinds of things. However, I do agree that this kind of video game is extremely sick. It is probably sicker than watching movies because the only reason why anyone would buy it is if someone is interested in imagining taking part in such a scenario. In movies, you just watch things happen. Why would anybody even want to think about taking part of this? I do not know, because I am not a sick person. What will this do to the video game world? There are kids who play these games with parents that do not even care about what they play because it is only "pretend".. but these games really do influence them. I hope things do not get too out of hand.

This is kind of upsetting to hear this guy’s question. I feel like a lot of people focus too much on other people’s differences that they have to think about categorizing others and themselves. If the point of bringing people together regardless of their differences is supposed to come out of all these discussions, I really do not think it will work if all we focus on is the differences to begin with. For example, we always discuss how there are ways a white person feels and there are ways that people of color feel. What if we all feel the same, you know? I know that we are trying to be realistic here and that there definitely are ways that certain people feel, and I am not saying that we should not feel different or anything like that; I just feel as though if we are always feeling different and we are always thinking we face different issues than everybody that is not part of our race, it is only going to push the goal of eliminating the conflict between white and colored people away.
I personally cannot relate to this guy because I am not multiracial, but I can kind of sympathize because a lot of my family and friends are multiracial. I feel like I would be so confused because at a lot of these family events that my family has, I can see that it is hard for a lot of my cousins to relate to those of us that are fully one race. A lot of the times, those of us that are one race have to explain a lot of different things and situations. When asked what they consider themselves in terms of race, it is hard for them to come up with a concrete answer. I feel bad and I feel like it should not even come to this. I would like to believe that there is a mutual agreement with people and just be the way they are without having to categorize themselves as a certain race. By labeling yourself as a certain race, you are more likely to think you should be a certain way because you are that race. I am not saying there should not be such thing as race, but I just do not think people should be confused about themselves and where to categorize themselves just because they feel like it is necessary to do so or else they will be viewed a certain way. I know that without all these issues, there would not be any of this going on, but I feel as though the world is going to have to accept others regardless of race and should put all of these stereotypes behind; eventually, everyone in the world will be multiracial it seems. People are becoming more accepting, which is a very good start and will lead to people being multiracial and therefore accepting of others regardless of race or ethnicity.

I remember flipping through a couple headlines online, and this one was one of the few that actually caught my eye. I was reading through it and became frustrated because I thought these kinds of issues were part of the past. Then, I realized that although it does seem like an issue of the past, the world is still changing and is becoming increasingly accustomed to it. This does not mean I am for the school’s decision; I’m actually for the student who was turned away. I feel like a lot of people are very ignorant nowadays… especially for those who are still stuck in the past when this kind of thing was unheard of. The world is going through changes, and this issue is part of the change. I just wish that people would accept that, but there are people who can’t shake their views. These people are promoting conformity and repressing individuality. Just let people be themselves as long as it does not put anyone in any kind of danger. You do not have to agree with what people do and you do not have to let things people do bother you. If it does not affect you in a harmful way, then just don’t worry about it. From what I see, people who are gay are not intentionally trying to harm anyone. They just want to be accepted by society. It is no different really from a new kid coming into a new school looking for a group of friends who wants to fit in. For those who are worried about the influence that gays have on their children and/or family, the only thing they are doing to the children is making them just as close-minded and ignorant as they are. Children are supposed to grow and learn about who they are and what makes them what they are, not be kept in a fence of ignorance that their parents put around them. This doesn’t let them grow and it doesn’t make them more aware or open-minded as they become older. Another issue about this whole thing has to do with those who are extremely religious. I know there are religions that are against the idea of being gay and such, but like I said earlier, as long as it does not harm YOU, then just leave it be. It doesn’t mean you have to do out of your way to stop gays from being who they are and what they are doing. I think most of these religions just don’t want YOU to be so, and if you follow your religion strongly, then just follow it and don’t bring other people into it. Don’t force others to be like you. You can influence them, but that doesn’t mean you have to make everyone conform to being the same.

It is definitely more prevalent in today’s society that lesbians are generally more accepted than gay men. I think a lot of this has to do with the differences between how women treat each other compared to men, and the role of the media. The way females treat each other is definitely already more compassionate that the way men treat each other in terms of it being physically and emotionally. Females tend to be more comfortable with touching each other than males do, which can account for the why it is more accepting to see a female couple hugging and/or even kissing and accept it than if one sees a male couple doing the same thing. People are just more used to females doing it than males. The way females talk to each other is also different from the way males normally talk to each other as well. Females usually share their emotions with each other verbally more often than males. Therefore, this would be characterized as a more feminine trait, which also accounts for the reason why people feel more uncomfortable when males seem as emotional (if not more) as a female. If one was to walk around a mall and see a male couple holding hands, he or she would probably be startled as first compared to seeing a female couple holding hands. There are females who hold hands even if they are not lesbians; maybe they could be close friends who are more comfortable than most who hold hands on some kind of basis. On the other hand, seeing a male couple holding hands seems to be less accepted because males usually do not physically touch each other like females do, which is why more people would be startled to see this than they would if they saw a female couple doing it. Another reason why lesbians are more accepted than gay men could be because of the media. There are many movies and TV shows out there that exhibit the fact that lesbian action is sexually arousing compared to gay action. There are scenes where lesbian action is applauded, thus an audience will think that lesbian action is so much more accepting than gay action. I think a lot of the advertisements people see nowadays also exhibits heterosexual sexuality, but there are more prevalence of lesbian sexuality arising as well. There are not as many ads that illustrate gay sexuality, which could also play an important part of accepting lesbians more than gay men. Either way one looks at sexuality, there is definitely more prevalence of lesbian and/or female sexuality than there are gay men and/or male sexuality in our society today whether it be through the media or people seen on a day-to-day basis.

You would think that people realize that in order to know both sides to any issue, you do have to be in the middle like Sam says, but people become so ignorant to one side because they are so insistent that the side they are on is right. Honestly, it’s just common sense that every issue has two sides, but people become so wrapped in them that they think that really there is only one side. Labeling yourself as a Conservative or a Liberal is only setting yourself up as being ignorant. I think a lot of today’s issues, whether they are political or not, tend to revolve around if you are on a certain side or not. Why not just solve these issues by being on both sides (or none?) and be in that gray area that Sam discusses in the video?
Another thing about Sam’s post… he really did rock the class that day. It wasn’t only that class that he taped, but also later that day, which is the class that I am in. He was like, “Dude, I rocked you guys. I’m giving you gold.” He does a good job with opening up people’s minds to think about different issues and the sides that are involved with them. I understand that he is not trying to persuade anyone to take his word for everything he says, rather he just wants to simulate our minds and think about these things we tend to overlook in our lives. I mean, yes, we do acknowledge certain ideas about races and ethnicities, but do we really take the time to think about them? I am not trying to say that what Sam says everyday is always the way we should think about things (because there are some points that I do not completely agree with, but I am not ignorant to them either), but there is a point to these lectures and it is to open up and simulate our minds. I think many of these “Liberals” and “Conservatives” lack the mentality to think that way.
During class that day, Sam also brought up the idea about people being born into their fates like people who are born rich will always be rich. Parents who are poor? Your kids will be poor too. I do not completely agree with this, but in a general overview of the world, you tend to see these trends. I know a lot of people who were angry with the statements he made about this issue, and I can definitely see where they come from because the kids whose parents are poor will think of this as Sam telling them they just false hope for their futures. Maybe there was purpose in the lectures to push them in this way?

I honestly don’t know why this should even be that big of a deal. Do people forget where they come from? There are such things as history, culture, and change in this world, but people don’t think about it much when they consider how they became the way they are today. Throughout history is where we develop various cultures and changes. This article makes me feel like some people are ignorant to this concept. It makes me wonder if there are some countries out there who want their people to conform and resist change… but if this is true, then how did the country change throughout history and develop their own cultures? If one change happens in a country, there will always be a change. Change is the only constant. Really, let people wear what they are comfortable with wearing. If there are Muslim women who want to cover up as opposed to revealing parts of their body, then let them cover up. Who is to say that they are “wrong” for doing so? It isn’t enlightenment when you tell someone “[you] are going to turn [them] into” something he or she doesn’t even want to “turn into” in the first place. People don’t like if you try to change them to begin with, so why try to change a whole group of people if you can’t change one? I’m pretty sure it isn’t a problem if there are women in the world who prefer to cover up rather than to flash every part of their body as they can.
Also, to ban burqas altogether just makes matters worse because this article of clothing is a part of these Muslim women that the French government is trying to get rid of. I like UBUNTU19’s opening statement to his response to this matter (“Has it ever occurred to them that maybe forcing them to NOT wear the burqas is just as forceful and the man that make them wear them in the first place?”) because it really does open up a new point to consider. It’s like telling these women you’d rather see them naked than not, which is kind of perverse but true. Additionally, going back to my point about conformity, to tell women to ban a part of themselves is like telling them to be like the rest. It’s like telling them they can’t express what they want to, which means you’re taking away their freedom of expression. Does the French government want to do that? I don’t think they want people to feel like they are, but if they insist that women shouldn’t be wearing these burqas, then they obviously would be contradicting themselves by doing so. So, why don’t they just leave these women be?

Toutou

I don't know much about various religions, so I cannot relate to a lot of people who think that this catastrophe in Haiti is related to God's doings. With that said, I'm not an Atheist either. When I read the first paragraph, I could relate to the author that I never really grasped the concept of Christianity either. I can also relate to her when she said that she had forgotten about everything except the desire to help those in need while her friend was talking to her about this disaster. I don't know about the religions that Haitians follow, but I understand that many of them and us rely on a religious figure to help get us through these trying times. These people need all the help they can get.. and when Mulvey says she can't think of anything other than to help these people, I still feel like I'm in that state of mind every time the topic comes up- and since this whole thing is still fresh, it comes up very often. I know there are some people who are tired of hearing about it, but that only goes to show how ignorant people can be. To be able to relate to someone who's been through and/or going through what the people of Haiti are going through right now is impossible unless you have been there with them and lived with them. These people need all the help they can get. Every bit of help counts. So, no matter what religion we follow or if we believe that a religious figure had something to do with this, just know that any contribution to people in need is always appreciated.