Editorial: Hate Crime Law Necessary Evil

“Tolerance is not only expected but necessary, especially in one like ours that professes to respect the rights of individuals to be who they are as long as they don’t hurt anyone else.”


I have mixed feelings about hate crimes, and it's hard for me to put my foot down and make up my mind about whether or not I agree with them. First, and most importantly, if there is a way to stop, or lessen the number of crimes committed purely because of a personal aversion to a certain group of people, I feel that we, as a nation, should accept what limitations come along. A hate crime is an offense that is often far more hurtful and detrimental than other crimes against people. This is because it leaves people living in fear, which is not okay.

On the other hand, I also believe very strongly that we live in a country where we deserve the freedom to believe whatever we want. People should be allowed to be prejudice. Maybe I hate every girl that walks around wearing shirts that say "Abercrombie" across the chest. Or maybe I was traumatized as a child and as a result am fearful and resentful of priests. Shouldn't I be allowed to feel that way? I think that we deserve the right to be prejudice if we want to be. That's what living "freely" is.

These conflicting views make it difficult to make up my mind as to the way I feel about hate crimes. The problem comes into play when it comes time for discretion. Was that a hate crime? or was that a just a white man beating up a black man who used pejoratives during the incident? I think that it is all to easy to make a common crime a hate crime. When correctly enforced, however, I think that it is crucial to do what we can to deter random acts of violence due to hatred.

I believe that people have feelings which will never change, many people hate black people or homosexuals, that will never change, but I think that there should be tolerance for people different than yourself and with that our world could be a much better place. :-)

Observation Journal 5

"What are you supposed to be?" "Muslim women, can't you tell?"

On Halloween I took my two little brothers trick or treating. We left the house and walked down the road aways. We say many different outfits including fun ones like a toaster and other outfits such as little girls dressed like genies. I also saw two girls in long dresses, about 10 years old walking with each other, both had mothers following behind them. I watched the two girls bump into a friend from school. "What are you guys supposed to be?" he asked. "Oh, we're Muslim women. Can't you tell?" One of the girls said as she pointed to her forehead and then did a spin around to show off her outfit. Now I have since been told to get over it, as it was "no big deal," but I am just blown away by this.

These two girls were dressed in long dresses one pink and one blue. They both had respectively pink and blue sparkling head covers. These were very over the top and exaggerated. Also the girls wore large sparkling gems on their foreheads. They ran around the streets like all the other children, but I couldn't help but think why they decided to be Muslim for Halloween, or why their mother's approved. It's like being Jewish for Halloween, it is just so rude. And for the record, I've never seen anyone dressed up like a Jew for Halloween. I feel like those girls (and in turn) their mothers are mocking Muslim women by 'dressing up like one.'

Oh, and the gems.... how ignorant!!! The gems that those girls put of their foreheads were supposed to be like the third eye that many Hindu women have, which is actually supposed to be a small red dot. Way to get your religions straight, Mom.

I guess my biggest problem with this isn't the girls' choice for a Halloween costume, rather their mothers for allowing it. Of coarse I didn't say anything to them, but I did rant about it for quite sometime to my family. How could someone have the audacity to dress up like these women?? What a joke these people are making of the religion. I wish people would just get it.

Observation Journal 4

"The president can't be black!"

Being a bartender I tend to hear a lot of interesting conversations. Yesterday, a woman and man at the bar got into a heated discussion about who has a better chance of being elected president. The "nigger" or the "bitch," as the man referred to them. (Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton) I could not believe the fact that this man had the guts to say that out loud. But being his bartender, it would be out of line for me to step into the conversation and let him know how rude he was. The couple discussed different reactions to the two candidates that would come from different areas in the country. Though I did not hear the entire conversation, it got me thinking about it.

Of what I did hear, one of the arguments was that people see Obama as uneducated. "Black people don't usually have an opportunity to get schooling like white people, so he's probably not as quick," the man stated. How stereotypical. "The president can't be black, it wouldn't fit," he said. Furthermore, he went on to say that if Hillary is elected there will be too much drama because women are "too catty and petty to run a country." Perhaps this man has made his judgments from actual observations of his, or maybe he is speaking on behalf of the ignorant people who raised him. Either way it showed that our country is still very far from living in equality.

In a country that claims to be equal, there has never been a president that was not a white male. Of the forty three presidents we have had, they all fit this description. Some brave people have challenged this as there are many women and men who are not white that have run for president--but all of them have failed. And as far as I know, none of them have come as far as Barak and Hillary. If elected, obviously our country will be run differently, however with every election brings change to our country. I think that it is time to be open to the idea of change. I, unfortunately, have not followed any of the debates and have hardly heard anyone's views, but I have a feeling that no matter how great either of these two candidates may be, they still don't have a chance. It has been less than ninety years since women were granted the right to vote and blacks (realistically) forty two years ago. Perhaps in another forty or maybe hundred years our country will be able to see through color and gender and deal with the real issues our nation should be thinking about.

Reading Reflection #9

As I read the last chapter I felt relieved to finally get through it. This book has been one of the more interesting books that I have had to read for classes, and it has been a break from textbook work.

Newman challenged me big time. His beliefs are similar to mine as we both believe that equality is crucial, however he has challenged me as a person to step up to the plate. He make many points about our society that I have overlooked--such as the weatherman always being accepted. Anther thing Newman points out are problems with things such as the US Census Bureau asking for a person's race and only having six categories to choose from. I have never had an issue with it, because I am white, I don't have to read any further than that. However I might feel differently if I had a black mother and a white father. Throughout reading this book I have been challenged to point out inequality and oppression that remains overlooked in our society.

I really liked the section in this chapter called "Possibilities: altering inequalities." The black students who sat in a Woolworth's protested in what I consider the best way to alter inequalities. They were nonviolent. They were calm, quite and respectful while their "superiors" (white people) were proving themselves as rude and immature by shouting and physically trying to move them. The black students prevailed, in my mind, even if they did not get served--they made a monumental point and they proved themselves to be superior. Being nonviolent shows the maturity and poise that these students have which the angry white people obviously did not have. Though protests can be unsuccessful in their goals (of things like being served at Woolworth's) but are always successful in that they spread the word and make a point. This inspires me to work towards altering inequalities.


The last chapter left me asking questions, as Newman obviously planned. When will differences be accepted rather than something that divides our society? It is unfortunate, but I feel that equality is not something that I will see in our country in my lifetime. Maybe we are taking steps towards it, but they're only babysteps. Sure, over the past hundred years we have made huge strides towards equality, but in the past fifty, our effort has waned. After finishing this book I feel like social change is something that can occur, but it can only happen with the cooperation of people nationwide.

Reading Reflection #8

"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 says that a person cannot be denied a job or fired from existing employment simply because of his or her gender, race, religion, or ethnicity." p.290

It's too bad this this Act is not something that can be upheld perfectly.

This chapter was filled with statistics! As much as I enjoy statistics, I feel that Newman has a tendency to overuse them. It is just hard to pick out the important statistics and what I should be taking away from this chapter.

As I read the opening paragraph of Gender Discrimination on the Workplace, for the first time, I found myself disagreeing with Newman. He tells us that by a boss asking for extra hours, going to conferences, attending business meetings which one has to travel to, and training programs are examples of discrimination because "women, especially mothers, still tend to have the lion's share of responsibility at home, they have more difficulty making time for these activities than male employees do," p.301 Perhaps I somehow read this wrong, but to me this sounds silly. I would hope that my boss (even if I have children) would ask me to attend meetings and trainings. If I wasn't asked, I would be offended because is is discrimination to assume that because I have children, I am unable to keep up with my professional life. If I want a specific position in an office, I will be willing to do what it takes to be the best at my job, even if that means asking the babysitter to stay an extra couple hours.

This part of the chapter also noted some challenges that women do in fact face in the workplace such as the fact that a male will be chosen 25% more often than a female in many job positions, even if they have the same qualifications. Also, Newman talks about men making more money than women. This is something that absolutely infuriates me. I plan to become a lawyer and to think that the man sitting in the office next to me is on average making $200 a week more than me is hard to swallow. It makes me realize how hard it is going to be to rise above my own disadvantages and become equal.


Comparing my personal feelings about gender discrimination in the workplace to other discrimination, I have trouble with the thought that much discrimination is not protected against on a national level. If there is a discriminatory law against being homosexual, it is a state law because it has been left out of our federal discrimination laws. For instance, if a person is working at a place where health care is offered for you and your spouce, you could be fired simply because your partner is of the same sex as you. There is nothing protecting homosexuals in federal laws.
I find it wonderful that there is some action being taken towards making discrimination in the workplace illegal. However not all the bases have been covered, nor have they been covered to the extent they should be, and there are too many ways to legally discriminate.

Reading Reflection #7

"There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a [person] gets depends on the amount of money he [or she] has." (Justice Hugo Black) p 239

I found myself agreeing with a lot of the things Newman addressed in this chapter. In my criminal justice courses I have learned that in an ideal world, equal protection and equal treatment are NOT illusions, however this is not an ideal world. So many people are locked away because they do not have the financial means of bringing a lawyer back for numerous appeals, as it often takes that much to be acquitted. Also, there are WAY WAY too many rich people who are able to buy their way out of trouble. It must be quite luxurious to have the means to buy your way out of something as small as a ticket, or something as big as a murder.

I was very startled to read the statistics about African American's crime rate and their conviction rate. It is incredible how easy it seems for courts to give a guilty ruling for a black man who is thought to have committed a crime such as robbery. For instance, Ruban Carter. A black boxer who was charged heinously for a crime which he supposedly did not commit. He was charged with three murders with very vague evidence supporting this. The calls that the police recived pointed to two black men driving a white car headed either west or south bound. There was little physical evidence and no fingerprints taken at the crime scene. None of the eyewitnesses identified Carter as the criminal, however he was still charged for the crime and put in prison for over twenty years. This case shows how easy it was for police to place the blame on this man because it seemed as though as long as two black men were locked up, that was all that mattered. As Newman talks about, images of criminals are oversimplified and generalization plays a big role in crime stopping. This, to me, is wrong.

I can admit that for a short period of time, probably the month of September in 2001, I was suckered into believing that different groups were bad. With my little knowledge about people from the Middle East, I too made generalizations. "Those people in the Middle East must hate us Americans." I can remember a classmate saying. This was all too unfair, however, as 9/11 was an act committed by a group of terrorists, not a terrorist nation.

I feel that having more quotations incorporated into this chapter would have been helpful. I would be interested to hear from people who have been influenced by discrimination. This would help Newman to keep my interest through all of the statistics he put into this chapter. Though he incorporates others point of view, the point would come across stronger to hear from targeted individuals.

Observation Journal 3

“How retarded can I be?”

Last month at work a coworker of mine made a mistake and blurted out loudly, “How retarded can I be?” I looked at her and smirked knowing that the mistake she made was, in fact a silly mistake. She then slapped her forehead and said “hit me the next time you hear my say ‘retarded.”’

My co-worker, Stephanie, got my wheels spinning and helped open my eyes to several pejoratives that I use that I have overlooked. ‘Retarded’ is the world I’m most guilty of using incorrectly. This is particularly important to me because it is something that I should be more aware and sensitive of as I used to go to work with my mother in a home for disabled people. During my childhood, my mother worked at a home called AppleRidge, a place for anyone who needs help such as: physically disabled elderly, mentally disabled adults and elderly, and deaf people working through life with additional disabilities. Over five years I spent much time learning all about these individuals’ lives and how they have been oppressed because of their challenges. This learning process, however, is nothing that I became aware of until well after my experiences with these people. At the time, I was having a good time just lending an ear and learning about human nature. Now, I realize how much these people taught me, and I feel that I owe them more respect than to be using terms like ‘retard’ derogatively.

Stephanie and I have been working with each other to catch those slip ups and stop using pejoratives while we are at work. In doing this, we are trying to limit the oppression that is obvious in our society when looking at the way disabled people are treated in society. Words like ‘Sped’ and ‘retard’ are used in a way that is negative. It is when Stephanie or I do something outrageously stupid or realize our obliviousness that we use the word retard. Obviously, this implies that “retards make big, stupid mistakes.” Because this is not our purpose, we need to find alternative things to call ourselves in time of stupidity.

Reading Reflection #6

"Its not how you feel, its how you look" p 202

I found parts of this chapter astonishing. It is obvious that there are many Americans who are highly concerned about their appearance, but I was blown away by how common drastic measures are taken to achieve a high self esteem or at least a desired look. Women are altaring their physical appearances more than I had begun to realize with 8.3 million Americans in only one year having cosmetic surgeries. I would probably be offended if I was an African American woman and had a friend undergo surgery to make herself look "less black." First of all, it is a matter of being proud of who you are and where you came from. I would find it offensive even because in taking those actions, my friend would be saying that I am not beautiful because of my "black" features my friend chooses to change. It is too bad that the American society has taught people that the typical white person is most attractive. I also think that diversity is crucial in determining beauty. I think that there are many beautiful Asian women with very small, slanted eyes who are very petite; and there are so many black women with large, wide noses. These features do not, to me, decide whether or not a person is attractive because those are just differences, not faults.

Another part of this chapter that I found startling was the fact that we have a surplus of food in the world and that we really just lack proper distribution of the food. I do believe in hierarchies being a crucial part of a society, however I feel that statuses play too significant of a role in matters of health or sickness (and life or death). All along I have bought into the idea of ending world hunger and things of that nature. Newman showed me, however, that world hunger is as he puts it decided by "social institutions and human policies," and that hunger is a "human, not natural phenomenon."(p.196) Learning this has confused me a bit, and left me wondering what there is for me to do. As a humanitarian, I feel that it is important to help poor and starving people. With the knowledge that there is, in fact, enough food to go around, I have realized that the battle to end world hunger would be more of a battle against corporations and agencies who possess financial power, not a battle with mother nature to produce more fruits and vegetables.

I have often heard the generalization that "poor people are fat" but I had always dismissed that information as false. As I read about obesity in America I was surprised to learn that I have been wrong all along. As I saw it, people could not afford to eat plentiful meals, therefor they could not be more obese than those executives eating out three meals a day. However the more I read about the "obesity epidemic" the better I understood how and why there are so many underprivileged obese people in our nation. It is odd to me how different foods have changed in status as well. For instance fish and vegetables, which are a nice meal nowadays, used to be poor man's food. Maybe one day the quarter of our country who are overweight (I use that term loosely...what IS overweight??) will be back on the fish and veggies diet and the wealthy and often cosmetically skinny will be back to sitting on their butts all day stuffing their faces until they are obese and dying of heart disease, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Reading Reflection #5

“So, what are you?” p.149

I started by thinking about what I am: a student, a daughter, a hard worker, a girl, average, white, American… obviously, I could keep going, but I’ll stop there and start with this. As Wise helped me to realize, what someone is, can almost always be a way to attack them. Student’s aren’t trustworthy. Girls are week. American’s are selfish. As I read Wise’s story about moving and being a lone and scorned Jew, I thought about all the things that I have been, or could be attacked about. The comment from the young boy asking Wise “what are you?” is a great way to show that many people have been raised believing inequalities that are imposed upon us as we develop by both our families as well as the rest of our society.

Personally, Wise challenged me when he said that our brains divide the world into distinct categories. I suppose that many people do function like that, however personally, I have this belief that there is no black or white, always gray. Nothing is ever one way or the other, because there are always exceptions. Stereotypes are socially constructed and I can’t think of a single statement that “All ____ are _____”(p151).

I feel that Wise does a great job of showing how stereotypes work and the outcomes of them, however I feel that he does a lot of attacking. He neglects the view of people who don’t believe in inequalities. Such as in “Raising Isaiah” a film about a young black boy adopted by white parents. One scene has the older, white sister holding hands with her little black brother and she asks him, “What’s the difference between my hand and yours?” “Yours is bigger!” he proclaims, oblivious of the color difference.

After reading this chapter I will watch myself more closely because I have been able to identify some stereotypes that I have, though they are most likely not true. People cannot be categorized as easily as society presents. The stereotypes that have been ingrained into me since childhood will be hard to notice, but I am beginning to realize the importance of these stereotypes in helping to create equality.

Observation Journal 2

Where does an "oreo" fit in?

In one of my social work classes we were talking about people of mixed races and the difficulty they face fitting in. After class, I asked the girl next to me what you call a person who is a mix of races. I got a blank stare..."Good question. Gee, they don't even get a name," she said. At that second, I did not think much of it, I just brushed it off like most of the other comments you hear daily and went about my business. However that innocent comment has a second later to it which my classmate probably didn't imply.

*Oreo *Halfro *Calf *Cheese Nip *Caramel *Chromey *Chinxican *Cookies n Cream *Heinz (57 varieties) *Niggeroid *Skunk *Jigger *Halfrican are just a couple of the 136 slurs when I did a search of "mixed." When I searched for politically correct terms, I found hardly anything. Multi-ethnic was the solitary word that I was able to find for someone born from different ethnicities or colors. In an article I read written by a woman whose parents referred to her as an Oreo, and she claims that never in her life has she fit in.

My classmate's comment was significant because it made me think about what hardships people who are multi ethnic face. Children who grow up in a place where they are exposed to different ethnicities every day are forced to choose where they feel they best fit in. Is it with the white kids, the black kids, or the Asian children? This, should not be an issue, however we are still not at the point of the "melting pot" dream that ethnicities and cultures can mesh together as one big culture.

Why is it that a child with a black mother and a white father has to have so much difficulty fitting in on the playground? Why do they have an especially hard time if they are a lightly colored black person or a dark skinned white? Is there a difference? Does it matter? Often of the play ground children with different races section off, that in and of itself shows us that they don't feel equal. This is something that is learned, not an inherent emotion. As bad as that is, it must be extra difficult for a child who doesn't fit into any group perfectly. If these kids aren't allowed to play red rover with white children or hide and seek with the black just because they look different, how can they grow up to believe they are equal in society?

Reading #4

Learning difference

“This is great! He just got his first lip!” –Newman, p112

As I began to read this chapter and got into the learning gender section, I noticed how different my opinion on the matter is compared to many others. I am the eldest of four children and both my sister and I were raised to be ‘lady like.’ Until I began college, this was something that I never gave a second thought. Now that I have studied a little more about feminists, I realize that I am different than many girls in that I really being ‘girly.’ I enjoy having the door help open for me and the fact that I am not responsible to move the furniture or big boxes. This is not to say that I expect these things to happen, but can be nice. Recently at work, however, I have been frustrated about things “I cannot do” because I am a girl. I can’t pick up hot tray, I can’t work the line, I can’t bring the wine cases downstairs or the ice bins up. I have recently felt like I am there to be the ‘pretty face’ people see, not the one who cooks the food. I find myself guilty of bringing this onto myself though. When my two younger brothers were being brought up, I remember always clapping when one of them fell. “Good fall, buddy. You’re alright. Get up quick!” or “Great! His first fat lip!” -112 Whereas when my sister fell I found myself coddling her and holding her until she stopped fussing. I never thought much about the difference until reading this chapter. It opened my eyes to realize that I have incredibly conflicting standards. I want to be treated delicately, but I also want to be capable of doing things myself when I want to.

This really leaves me struggling with what is right and wrong about raising children. I will want my daughter to be self sufficient and tough, and I would like my son to be kind, gentle and nurturing. It seems silly, though, to keep dolls form my little girl and guns from my boy. Children should be, within limits, allowed to play with what they choose, not what I choose for them, because they need to define their own character. Even if that means my girl is a tomboy and my boy turns out a bit more gentle than other boys, I feel that it’s important to let them choose their own roles. I can’t say that I will not tell my son to “tough it up” or tell my daughter to “let it all out” because that is what’s instinctive for me.

I feel that Newman could have brought in examples from adults brought up in a gender neutral environment. I would be curious to hear their view of the situation. Did they suffer consequences or receive any positive outcomes from being raised in the environment?

Chapter 3

“If you want to be American, you have to speak ‘American.’” (p. 85)

One piece of this chapter that sticks out to me is about the media. The section about “reinforced femininity.” This is something that I hadn’t looked close into. Sure, Barbie is the picture perfect woman who has corrupted so many children into being obsessed over weight, and there are plenty of other very obvious examples, but I never looked so deep into the subject. As I read this all I could think of was Grand Theft Auto and the way that women are portrayed as opposed to men. The women are extremely feminine, and the men are the only thieves. Also, I thought about commercials. Specifically, I thought about cleaning and household appliance commercials. It is nearly always a woman doing the dishes who needs the formula that is extra soft on hands. As I was reading, I felt like I bought into the femininity thing for the past 20 years of my life, because I have overlooked the subtle hints telling me to be pretty, as odd as that sounds.

The “Honky Want a Cracker” article and chapter 3 touch on different things. The short article by Time Wise was very eyeopening for me. Not that anything he brought up was new to me, but the way he structured his argument was successful. I do believe that it is possible for racism to be directed towards white people, however I neglected to realize the difference in depth. As Wise says, “Perhaps if they had settled on “slave-owning whiteys,” or “murdering whiteys,” or “land-stealing whiteys,” or “smallpox-giving-on-purpose whiteys,” or “Native-people-butchering whiteys,” or “mass raping whiteys,” the point would have been made.” Wise makes a great argument because it is nearly impossible to hurt a white person with words as deeply as words could hurt a minority who have been oppressed. Newman incorporates a quote form a Mexican woman that is a great example of oppression: “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’” Those words impacted this woman as a young girl deeply. This girl was unable to speak Spanish in school without being reprimanded, leaving a young girl scarred.

Chapter 2

“We can choose to rely on skin color or genital configuration as the primary means by which we make “us-them” distinctions. Or we can choose to downplay these traits and treat them with the same nonchalance that we treat eye color, hair color, or the shape of a nose or chin.” –Newman p. 69

After I first read the chapter about “manufacturing difference” I felt like it just reiterated and confirmed many of the ways that I feel in regards to sexual preference. People who are not straight are unfairly treated differently. Similarly, people who are open with their sexuality are often not accepted. Newman wraps up the chapter saying, ‘we can look at differences to differentiate one person from another, or we can overlook the differences.’ I really like that he states this because it is a way for people who are, in fact, concerned with other’s sexuality or skin color, to see how similar skin color is to eye color.

When I read this piece, I found many new ways to approach the topic of sexuality. I enjoyed the excerpts that were brought in from other authors and people living with related issues. The part about “The Closet” specifically caught my attention. When I was a junior in high school one of my best friends, AJ, FINALLY “came out of the closet.” We all knew, but we let him take his time with the announcement. I remember going to the local ice cream bar and someone throwing something at our car that AJ was driving while they yelled comments about being a “f-ing queer! And God-damned homo.” This day haunts my friend and me too, even to today. These boys who said those things were once friends of AJ’s and turned on him with fear that they too would be called gay. That was upsetting to see, first-hand, the ignorance and cruelty that some people have.

Aj used to crack jokes like “ew… hetero’s” when I would kiss my boyfriend, or if there was a love scene in the movie we were watching. We always just laughed it off. When I read Time Wise’s article, I feel like my eyes were really opened. “Sorry, but it just isn’t the same,” he writes. Though his article is about native Americans making fun of white people, I feel like it can be related here too. AJ always joked, but the jokes were never as harmful as when other jokes about his sexual preference. I never thought about it, but Wise made a good point about how hard it would be to discriminate against a majority such as the white or heterosexual population.

Observation Journal 1

“Racial stereotypes show ugly face in restaurant”

A table was set for one person in the front corner of our restaurant. Our busser, Dylan, walked in and asked why it was set up and I replied that there was a girl who walked in asking for a table for one. Then, after looking over the menu thanked me and let me know that she was looking for something more along the lines of fried chicken. Dylan, cocked his head to the side and asked, “Was she black?”

This struck me because the question was so straight forward and just outright rude. I found it quite offensive. I have had numerous wealthy customers who are black, and for him to say that, it seemed so ignorant. Someone who remains stuck in the mindset that people who look different, or of another race, are not equal to us shows that the lack of progress our society has made. The stereotype that black people are poor and cheap is ridiculous and frustrating. This impacted me because I was surprised that this person would have the audacity to talk like that. I didn’t say anything to him, I just walked away. Confrontations aren’t something for work.

Through a person’s immaturity, I could see what is still embedded in many people in our society. These racial slurs have always stuck out as rude to me. As I started to pick them out daily, I realize how commonly they are used.

Chapter 1

“Is similarity or difference more important in every day life?”- Newman, p 27

“To be white meant at least you were above them. If you had not a pot to piss in, at least you had that.” –Tim Wise

When I read Time Wise’s article it got me thinking. I feel that I am a person who can really say that I look through color and I bring on the challenge of learning about people different than I am. I do not believe, however, that I would ever turn into a person who is rude and biased as his grandmother did. I feel like the article challenged my depth in a way. I read the article and found myself getting a bit angry. I could never do that! Or at least I don’t think I would.

To me, I love to meet people that are different than me and I love to continually broaden my understanding of other people and their culture. I think that opposites attract and that two people who are very similar will not get along as well as two people who are very different and willing to except each other’s differences. For instance, I lived with two Polish men and a Slovakian man who were quite the opposite of any guy I had ever met. It kept me on my toes, and I really enjoyed it. After I moved out I stayed with my mother for a week and realized how similar we are. This ended in conflict as our similarities conflicted. I feel that similarities are much more important in daily life.