Spreading Holiday Cheer for the Habitat to Hear!

So instead of freezing my bum off hammering in the cold winter winds, I wrapped in the nice toasty confines of a Barnes and Noble where all the donations went to Habitat for Humanity.

Okay, so it wasn't all jolly red cheeks and merry people, and after two hours and nine presents later we only raised $40. I was surprised we even reached that.

On the way there, I was thinking that I had it in the bag. The location of the book store was in a wealthy town in a very popular shopping center. I thought there might even be a line for all the people that were willing to give a few bucks to have their presents wrapped.

When we got there though, after fifteen minutes, I started to freak out a little. No one was coming up to the booth. Being antsy I walked around, trying to talk to people and get them to stop by and reminded the cashiers to let customers know that there is gift wrapping going on and that all the donations are going to Habitat for Humanity. I even made a sample gift wrap to show everyone I had some mad skills when to wrapping and finishing with a bow.

Most people who walked by were into the free gift wrapping part but not so much about the donation part. Pretty Grinchy, eh? When walkers walked past, they didn't even make eye contact with us. I think that is because the idea of the American Dream is to be successful on yourself and yourself only and maybe when they saw what we were doing, they felt ashamed that people were lending a hand to help someone impoverished. That they were even scared that it could be them someday.

Although, on the other hand, some people were super giving! One person just wanted to give money, and didn't even need anything wrapped. Another woman and her son dropped a $20 just for wrapping two gifts! She knew that her donation was going to go to something much bigger than her, and she explained to her son why giving is so important. I thought that it was nice that she was telling her little boy that, because even though not one person can make a huge impact, people coming together can. Everyone who donated left with a smile, and not just because the gifts were wrapped perfectly, but because they truly got a good feeling for doing something so thoughtful. I even gave a couple of dollars because Habitat for Humanity does such a good thing for the community,  I really felt inspired to give. After the time, I know I might not have made the largest impact, but I do know that the money I did raise is going to be used for supplies that is going to give someone in need a roof over their heads, and that is what is going to make a huge impact on their life.

Does Race Exist?

Does race exist? I'm not so sure...

Why does race exist? How is it possible to draw a fine line between white and black, literally, when a person has so much background to them. A person is so much more than their skin color.
Race is just a social construction that we created. We grew lines in the sand as to what makes a person African American, or Asian etc; We essentially are the ones that created races and eventually stereotypes because we love to categorize and put people into groups just by a glance.
When we did that placement game in class today, I thought for sure I wasn't that far off in putting people into what race I thought they belonged in. Out of 20, I only got 2 correct! In real life, I can only imagine how many people I mis-categorize.

Middle is Middle right?

Americans would like us to believe that there are three social classes: upper class, middle class, and lower class. We like to think that being put into a social class is easy, but in reality, where is the line drawn for each class?
The hardest class to be ranked in to me, is the middle class. Even though someone could be making 20,000 a year and another could be making 50,000 a year, they are still considered to be in the same social class even though one is making considerably more than the other. That's harsh.
Besides the money factor that determines what social class someone is in, there is also a certain subculture one must follow in order to be accepted into that class. Take for example the upper class. They all talk a certain way, dress a certain way and are a certain way. Even if you are at their party in your finest and you are middle class, if you don't walk the walk and talk the talk you are screwed. They are going to see right through you.
I used to think that class structure was all mental. That if you wanted to be in a certain class, if you worked hard to be upper class, you could. Sure that might be true in some cases, but the majority of cases don't work out that way. Unfortunately, you're class determination starts before you were even born- it starts with your parents...and that means there is very little wiggle room as to what class you can jump to.