Everyone's a little bit racist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbud8rLejLM

While I am posting a discussion question, rather than media, for this week, I feel as though this song portrays my larger question. How do you the ideas portrayed in this song differ from the concepts raised in the Ford paper?

Here is a link to the lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/avenueq/everyonesalittlebitracist.htm

Do we think there is some truth to the idea that pointing out differences and embracing them rather than pretending that they don't exist would encourage more cooperation and unity among everyone? If so, do we see value in people like Jay Leno and the comments that they make?

Russell Peters

Here's some links of Russell Peters' comedy. He talks a lot about racial issues in his comedy but I find that he seems to strike a good balance between challenging racial stereotypes and prejudice and also playing on them and using them for laughs. There seems to be a big difference for instance between these two clips:

In the first one, he talks about a lot about racism. Specifically he talks a lot about how racism

can be very clever, and how it isn't specific to white people. The clip is very funny but what is interesting is that he mentions racial stereotypes as well (including the idea of racism being a white thing), such as "I'm Indian... convenience store, not casino."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlKKkXQGrMQ

On the other hand, in this clip he speaks on Indian and Chinese relations and uses a lot of stereotypical representations, like Chinese people being cheap and speaking in strong accents (which he acts out).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOUOWYmpRes&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Do we see this as harmful? To go along with the readings, is there a possibility that his humor is perpetuating stereotypes? Or does the fact that he plays both sides make it more acceptable and bring an amount of awareness to his comedy that otherwise might be lost?

Discussion question

As I read Park et al., I was challenged by the list of shows that perpetuate stereotypical images of Black men, like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I think its hilarious. Yet, Park refers to an author that calls it as "neominstrelsy" because of its self-depreciating humor (159-160). Park remarks that Chris Tucker is a man child, infantilized by his high-pitched voice, to which I immediately thought, "isn't that his normal voice?" (163) (I tried looking up videos of his voice to see if he speaks any differently in more natural settings and its less exaggerated in interviews). Connecting this point to the fact that comedians like Chris Tucker often play the same character in multiple productions, does typecasting confirm these stereotypes? When we see the same portrayals by the same set of actors, do we connect those behaviors to the actor himself or the group he represents?

Also, Ford references a previous finding from Olson that reciting disparaging humor increased the humorist's negative attitude towards the targeted group. What do you think the effects may be if the joke reciter is a member of the target group, like an actor?

One last thing: This weekend I discovered this website called Anti Joke. It plays off of the idea that unrelated scripts are the norms in jokes so much so that now consistent scripts can be funny. Here is an example: Why was six afraid of seven? It wasn't. Numbers are not sentient and thus incapable of fear. For more, check out anti-joke. com.

Discussion: The Case for Wise-Crackers

In Olson's "The (null) effect of exposure", we find that being exposed identity-centered humor had no measurable effects on 'stereotype or attitude extremity or accessibility'.

This study challenges many ideas on how disparaging humor pushes negative racial and gender stereotypes.

Authors and social scientiets, such as Rappoport (Punchlines: The Case for Racial, Ethnic and Gender Humor), demonstrate that humor can be used to create and reinforce social identity within the big white melting pot of America. In other words, our stereotypes and representations are what divides social identities and any identity is better than no identity at all ...

In thinking about this, I can't help think of the "default American" being some massive blob-like evil creature that is trying to consume all minorities!

As the only Canadian on the football team, I can't go a day without a South Park or Eh! joke being shared around me ... truth is, even if these jokes get offensive, I like the fact they keep me away from those who share them (I'm proud to be Canadian despite the number of beaver, flapjack, maple syrup and jean tuxedo jokes) ... the jokes keep me me? What do you think? Is this the same for other groups? I do realize groups such a illegal immigrants get much harsher criticism than lonely old Canadians so what do these groups feel like? I also realize that Canadians aren't usually labelled a race of people - but maybe that's just your opinion;)

Media: Sarah Silverman

stand up comedy gone bad

You all may or may not remember the incident involving Michael Richards ('Kramer' on Seinfeld) that happened a couple years ago. He was performing a stand-up comedy routine at the Laugh Factory when he began verbally attacking a black audience member. What interests me most about this clip, in relation to the readings for this week, is how other members in the audience react as he goes on his racist tirade. It is evident that some members are confused but several people continue to laugh, even when the jokes have clearly "crossed the line". This clip emphasizes just how blurry comedy can be in terms of being offensive enough to shock without being too offensive. Perhaps Richards has no credibility with what he is saying because it is not even remotely funny, but why then do people continue to laugh?

*WARNING*: extremely offensive and explicit language. (pretty disgusting racial slurs)

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/307809/seinfelds_kramers_racist_tirade_of_craziness/

Media: Racial Comedy

Below is a clip of Harold and Kumar at the airport. It is related to the Rush Hour 2 reading in which the author says it is often considered acceptable for racial minorities to tell racial jokes. In the clip, instead of a racist joke, it a racist action. In this clip, the producers used a minority security guard to stop the Indian guy at the airport instead of a White person, making it seem more acceptable. The security person even explicitly says that he is black and therefore he is not a racist and his actions are okay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TzD0CYt7po

Media: Sexist Video

Below is a very sexist video joke made to resemble a public service announcement. The basic idea of it is that women should “know their limits” and keep their mouths shut when the men are discussing “important” topics, in this case, current events and economics. The part that I found most offensive yet interesting was the bit about how females’ brains aren’t as receptive to education and knowledge, and that over-education is actually damaging to females and causes them to look ugly and age early. I think this is playing on a pretty prevalent stereotype that women who are highly-educated don’t care about their looks as much as other women. They are thus uglier and less appealing. Have you seen any examples of this in your lives? In reality, I don’t believe this to be the case at all. Additionally, I think that when most men look for a mate (especially for more long-term commitments) that intelligence and a high level of education matter.

"Move over Naomi..."

This goes a few weeks back to when we were talking more about race, but I just read about this and I thought I'd share:

Naomi Campbell is apparently suing Cadbury for this ad.

"I am shocked. It's upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me, but for all black women and black people. I do not find any humour in this. It is insulting and hurtful."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/naomi-campbell-in-race-row-over-cadbury-chocolate-2290405.html

Park et al Discussion Question

Park and colleagues' study analyzed both the content of the movie Rush Hour 2 and viewers' reactions to it. They conducted focus groups with White, Asian, and African-American participants and found that no one was offended by the racial jokes in the movie. They said that some acknowledged that the jokes could be considered offensive, but that they personally were not offended by them. Further, many participants noted how the stereotypes portrayed in the movie were based on 'kernels of truth.'

One thing I noticed about their method was that answering questions about the movie in a social group might have kept anyone who was offended by the movie from saying so. So although this research shows that the majority of participants were not offended, I think it's possible that a significant minority was.

My main question related to this study is: does comedy necessarily reinforce negative stereotypes? And if there are some forms (such as satire) that have the opposite effect, what are the conditions for subverting rather than reinforcing stereotypes?

Comedy media - Margaret Cho

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Margaret Cho, she's a Korean American stand-up comedian. She's one of the most visible Asian Americans in the public eye, so I thought I would share some of her work with you all. The first two short clips are examples of the ways in which Cho discusses Asian American issues - like the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in the media. Thus, it seems as if she is acting almost as an advocate in bringing light to important issues relating to race. However, she often portrays her mother with squinty eyes and a heavy accent. This stereotypical portrayal seems to be more of the Type A media in that it reinforces the idea that Asians are "perpetual foreigners" and will never be able to assimilate due to their appearance and the way they talk.

* EXPLICIT LANGUAGE





Clip of mom impersonation:

Duke Tell-All

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hahYUHkw9KY

Miss Representation playing today!

At 5:00 Miss Representation will be shown over at Hillel. I'll be walking over straight from class if anyone is interested in coming with me!

Hanes 2

Hanes is a clothing brand, famous for their undergarments, specifically their underwear. It has lines for men and for women and creates ads that appeal to both. In these ads, Hanes advertises its underwear line Comfort Soft, The ad geared towards men stars famous basketball player Michael Jordan. The ad geared towards women shows dancers gracefully dancing and posing at a photo shoot. The depictions in the ad are different in music, color, and tone, among other things. Essentially, however, Hanes is selling the exact same product to men and women – cotton underwear.
In her study, Grohmann finds that androgynous brands – those high in masculinity and femininity – are not salient. Thus, while Hanes appeals to men and women, is it not an androgynous brand?

Hanes

Yogurt and Hair Dye: Products Just For Women?

When trying to come up with media for this week, 2 products struck me as interesting: yogurt and hair color (the dye). Both are thought of and marketed as products for women. I realized that I had never seen a yogurt commercial for men, despite knowing men who do like yogurt. Yogurt is always advertised as a healthy but yummy food choice - the type of food women look for. What would a yogurt commercial targeting men look like? Although I couldn't find the commercial, I did find this article called "Will Real Men Eat Yogurt?" You can find it here: http://www.aef.com/industry/news/data/hot_issues/1776. It describes the commercial Dannon shot targeting men rather than women.

I did find a commercial for "Just For Men," the line of hair color for men. It's funny because looking back, I remember seeing the "Just For Men" commercials on TV while growing up, and not thinking anything of it. Now, I'm a bit surprised that the line exists.

You can compare the commercial with this Clairol Nice 'n Easy commercial targeting women:

What kind of differences do you notice between the hair color commercials? What, if anything, surprises you about the commercials?

Are the Identity-Relevant Domains Gendered Too?

While reading the Berger paper, I was waiting for an explanation or a list of "identity-relevant domains." I thought about parties, social gatherings, school (outside of the classroom), going out to bars or clubs etc. But as I continued to the Sundie and Grohmann papers I tried to think of how different brands of item (ie Porsches, Escalades) make the street/freeway/car show an identity-domain for men, but maybe not to the same extent for women. But women do have spheres were clothing or possessions communicate identity where men do not feel that same identity relevance. For example, one's swimsuit type speaks to a woman's identity at the beach or pool and at fancier social gatherings (ie the Oscars) only women are photographed modeling different designers, and men aren't. What are some other gendered identity-relevant domains? My inclination is that most domains are identity-relevant for women because we are most often being judged on physical attractiveness. Are important domains like the political sphere and the workplace gendered too in that women have to worry about communicating their identity more or less than men do?

Herbal Essences vs. Axe commercials

Sex is often used to market products to men, but is it ever used to market products to women? While pondering this question, I recalled the Herbal Essences commercials that were all over t.v. a couple years back. The way sex is marketed to females versus males is very obvious when comparing the two following commercials. The first one is an Axe commercial, targeting males, and the second is an Herbal Essences commercial, targeting females. It's funny how for females, we are sold by the idea of something that simulates sex but isn't actually leading to sex whereas for men, they are sold by the idea that the product will lead to the eventual attainment of sex.

Herbal Essences: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkD6EmeDYOY&feature=related

Axe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvIzHgWtwTU&feature=related

(warning: axe commercial is somewhat explicit - not sure if it ever actually made it on national television in the US)

Chanel uses robotic advertising

Type B representation of women? Maybe as Techy?

"Your Mom Wasn't Your Dad's First"

My media for this week is a collection of ads for Canadian Club Whiskey. This ad campaign specifically targeted male whiskey drinkers with blatantly sexist, objectifying, strictly heterosexual ads. I think they say something really interesting about how unsubtle ads can be in gendering their products - Canadian Club Whiskey is clearly a "man's drink."

"Your mom wasn't your dad's first"

http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/your_mom_wasnt_your_dads_first.jpg

"Your Dad had groupies"

http://michelle.koenig-schwartz.com/Chronicles/Media/canadianclubad.jpeg

"Your dad never tweezed anything"

http://assets.creativity-online.com/images/work/large/p/r/i/print071116-caclub-7of7110801.jpg

Gendered Media

Here are two very interesting and different advertisements for the same Shake Weight product. One is targeted at men and the other is targeted at women. Notice that the spokesperson for each commercial has a different selling point depending on the gender.

Shake Weight for Men: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbsSeVr5NSI

Shake Weight for Women: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXHUdvvHTkw

Sundie Discussion Question

Sundie's paper says that conspicuous consumption among men is sometimes a tactic used to get a short-term romantic partner's attention. Women, however, do not spend money on luxury items for the same reasons (or if they do, it is not as successful). Sundie suggested that conspicuous consumption among women may be more influenced by women wanting to impress other women. To what extent might men's consumption habits be influenced by their need to impress their peers? In buying a Porsche, how much is the male purchaser trying to get a (short-term) romantic partner, and how much is he trying to show off his manliness to his male friends? I think that men are definitely also trying to impress other men.

Additionally, it was very interesting in Study Four that both women took a "flashy car" to be an indication that the car's owner was more likely to be open to noncommittal sexual relations. Even more interesting, their predictions were usually accurate. Men did not think expensive cars were as much of an indicator of a woman's sexual behavior. Is there another sort of conspicuous consumption for women that might correlate with openness to noncommittal sexual relations?

manly soap on hyperbole and a half

One of my favorite blogs, Hyperbole and a Half, spoofs the genderized nature of bath products with her faux brand Sueeve's new line for men. These products include the Lightspeed 3000 razor, the Shower Hammer, and many more! As she puts it: "Fuck loofahs. The Shower Hammer makes you clean with violence!"

You can find her full blog post here.

Why Your Soap Has A Gender Discussion

The Sundie reading briefly brings up the fact that society tends to portray women as "the canonical sex" when representing a person that likes shopping, but the results of their studies show that men are in fact 'unmoved' by a woman's conspicuous consumption. They also show that women are capable of reading in to what men are seeking when they choose to make, or not make, a flashy purchase (so there is clearly no difference in how men and women on a general level perceive flashy spending). This is sort of reflected in the findings of Craig's content analysis, with women more often depicted as being tied to their home, with the emphasis more on daily needs.
So how have these ultra-stereotypical attitudes about women's spending habits - that they know no limits, that they're always maxing out their husbands' credit cards - developed?
Also, might the lack of advertisements that emphasize female luxury spending be compensated for by ads that promote deals at JC Penney, etc? It seems that every time I turn on a TV I see women running around in sun dresses carrying Macy's bags. Do these kinds of ads solely emphasize high-investment female preferences?

Conspicuous Consumption and Sexual Signaling

I thought Sundie et al.’s study of conspicuous consumption as a sexual signaling system was really interesting and some of the results definitely surprised me. They found that men are more likely to use conspicuous consumption as a strategy when they are pursuing a short-term, rather than long-term, mate, and that conspicuous consumption increased men’s desirability as short-term, but not long-term, mates. They compare conspicuous consumption by men to the ostentatious tails of peacocks, which have no value other than attracting females.

One of my questions is why are men the ones who use conspicuous consumption to attract mates when in our culture women are supposed to adorn themselves to be more attractive? Shouldn’t women be the peacocks with pretty tails, so to speak?

My other question is about the long-term versus short-term desirability. Shouldn’t the ability to spend lots of money be more appealing in the long-term (because it signifies that the man could provide for future children)? What advantage could conspicuous consumption have for a low-investment, short-term relationship?

Discussion: brand identity

Berger and Heath's piece on identity signaling explains how consumers choose products different from those of others to best express their individual identities. This is especially true for products that signal identity like music and hairstyles. Clothing choice was not an option in their study, but I predict it would be at least as divergent in taste selection as music choice because there is so much variety and it is such an obvious form of personal expression. When another group appropriates your clothing style, how do you react? Getting misidentified could prevent you from interacting with the group you share a common interest with and you could instead get labeled as belonging to a group you don't share a common interest with. Divergence exists to avoid communicating undesired identities, and this is probably why fashion changes so quickly--especially for consumers who seek to communicate their upper-class identity. Once their styles are imitated or adopted by lower class brands/populations, top designers immediately create new fashions to preserve the individuality of those who can afford designer clothing. What do you think about this claim? Would you consider clothing to be more of a status symbol or an expression of an individual's personality?

Humor and Political Correctness: Event

Interesting event that is relevant to the upcoming lecture on comedy!

------------

How can humor encourage meaningful discussion of issues that would normally be considered too sensitive too discuss? Can humor transcend offensiveness?
Come for a night of LOLs as we discuss Humor and Political Correctness with comedians Dhaya Lakshinarayanan and
Joe Klocek, and PWR instructor Helle Rytkonen. Opening act: Karesa Granderson ('11).
Discuss, open your mind, and LAUGH!
Brought to you by: Stanford FLIP

Miss Representation - A Flim

Intellectual Roundtable discussion

Hey everyone! The BCSC holds regular discussions about research topics and their everyday implications. This week's topic is about "Acting Black?" which is particularly relevant to our course. It's happening tomorrow at 12 in the Black Community Services Center.

music eclectic

I thought I would post some examples of what I was talking about in my discussion question:

First is a mashup from DJ/Blogger/Chicago duo Hood Internet. It combines a popular hip hop song/dance craze and mixes it with an artist that might be considered more indie - Toro y Moi (genre: chillwave). There are tons of examples of these genre mixing mashups, but I thought this one felt appropriate for today (RIP M-Bone)

The Hood Internet - Dougie Vision (Cali Swag District x Toro Y Moi) by hoodinternet

Kanye's newest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," also provides many examples of cross-genre collaboration, as well as sampling from other genres. His first single from the album, "Power," includes a sample from King Crimson - a prog rock group from the 70's (and really, what says white like "prog rock group from the 70s"). Later, he collaborates with indie folk singer Justin Vernon on "Lost in the world."

Lost in the World - Kanye west by Natalie Fulton

and here is the original:

Bon Iver - Woods by greentea

These sorts of unorthodox collaborations are everywhere lately. You would think that it would make all sorts of musical tastes more accepted. Then again, they aren't exactly new (run dmc collaborated with aerosmith nearly 25 years ago).

Discussion: Music

The Reyna piece's studies on the association between anti-rap and anti-Black attitudes seemed really well designed and accounted for many of the possible confounding variables I was thinking of when reading the paper. As seen in the studies, this association correlates with discrimination and the creation of discriminatory policies. I'm interested in whether this correlation can be lessened, or discrimination decreased if participants are made aware of the possible negative consequences of anti-rap attitudes on social policies. If participants in the study are asked questions like "to what extent do you believe you associate anti-rap and anti-Black attitudes?" or "to what extent do you see negative attitudes towards Blacks influencing the creation of discriminatory policies?", then perhaps they'll critically examine their prejudices and decrease their association between anti-rap and anti-Black attitudes. I know this is not the goal of Reyna's paper, but it'd be interesting to see the results of such a study. What are some other possible avenues for changing this negative association between anti-rap and anti-Black attitudes with the intent of reducing discrimination in society? And, can this be successfully done by confronting individuals with their biases?

music discussion

The research presented data on "music rebels," but I'm wondering what people think about what I will call "music eclectics." Do you think it is seen as more acceptable to have "unusual" musical tastes as long as those tastes also include "normal" musical tastes? Does it make sense for a White person to listen to gangster rap if he is also listening to classic rock? I think that with the rise of the mashup and the increased amount of cross-genre collaborations, the "eclectic," might be a sort of bridge towards accepting more varied tastes.

Week 8 Discussion: Gender in Rap/Hip-Hop

In the class lecture and readings posted for this week such as “Blame It on Hip-Hop: Anti-Rap Attitudes as a Proxy for Prejudice” by Brandt and Viki, it is clear that rap and hip-hop music is most strongly associated with Black culture. However, in recent years there has been a rise in rappers from different racial backgrounds, for example, Eminem and The Beastie Boys (White artists) and Far East Movement (Asian American artists). Thus, it seems that the racial associations with rap/hip-hop music are being challenged.

In contrast, the gender associations with rap/hip-hop do not seem to be changing. Apart from Nikki Minaj, no other female artists (from any racial background) seem to have achieved the same levels of success on the rap/hip-hop charts or in popular culture.

For example, if one were to ask a random group of rap/hip-hop listeners for their list of top 5, dead or alive – it is likely that a white rapper (Eminem) would appear on that list, but it’s highly unlikely for them to name a female rapper.

So my question for this week is whether you believe the gender associations with rap/hip-hop culture still exist – and if so, why you believe it has been easier to break the racial representations compared to gender representations.

Eminem on race, class, and music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POCDyEWz2GI&feature=related

Check out Eminem's interview with Anderson Cooper from 60 minutes. It came out in October 2010 and Eminem explicitly states how salient his racial and class identities are in the making of his music. "There's no getting away from the fact that I'm white" he tells Cooper, and he explains how people often told him "you're not going to succeed because you're this color". Eminem defies the black association with hip hop, but do you think his upbringing in some way "compensates" for his race in his ability to come across as an authentic hip hop artist?

Another interesting element about this interview I noticed was how Cooper points out that the language Eminem uses in his songs often sparks protest and he has even promoted violence against women and gays (8:42). Eminem doesn't deny it, instead he simply pins his choice of lyrics on the language he grew up with and the nature of the music genre.

Would the Real RNC Chair Please Stand Up!

In an interview with the "Washington Times," RNC chair Michael Steele said he was planning an "off the hook" public relations offensive for the Republican National Committee.

In response, Colbert tried to challenge the representations behind rap/rappers, an RNC chair, a black man, a black man in politics, politicians in general and default America ... keep them all in mind as he "lays down some of his ill rhymes"...

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

On a side note, if you haven't seen 8-mile, please please just watch this clip that lights up representations!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcy0SSLoSgE ... enjoy;)

Common's Invitation to the White House

A major controversy this week in both the music industry and the political arena has been Michelle Obama’s invitation of Common to the White House:

http://www.theroot.com/buzz/commons-white-house-invitation-sparks-conservative-outrage

The invitation was for a poetry slam night this past Wednesday. Before his performance, he helped host rap workshops for local schoolchildren. Other performers at the event included Jill Scott, Bill Collins and Rita Dove. However, Common’s invitation is what sparked outcry from conservatives across the nation. This is because Common has used certain controversial lines in his previous songs, like “burn a Bush,” for example. However, Common is very often referred to as a “conscious rapper”—one who is renowned for writing socially and politically conscious lyrics. So why was this invitation such a controversy?

Jon Stewart defended the invitation against Bill O’Reilly on the O’Reilly Factor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im8WhG-8FGw&feature=player_embedded#at=124

As you can see in the video, one of the main reasons for opposition to Common was his support of a woman involved in a cop killing. However, there wasn’t any opposition to Bush’s invitation for Bono to come to the White House, and Bono has a song (“Native Son”) about an activist who murdered two FBI agents. This seems like a prime example of Reyna, et al. (2009)’s discussion of hip-hop as a proxy for prejudice, and anti-rap attitudes in America.

For your entertainment, below is the video for one of Common’s most famous songs, “The Light.” It’s about love and sex, but, as you can see, it portrays these items in a much more positive and appropriate manner than some of the other rap artists we’ve discussed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_-qRcHAhzk

The Ashley Judd Contraversy: Hip Hop and Sexism

Within the past couple of months, Ashley Judd released a memoir in which she talks about being sexually abused as a child. In one part of her book, she called hip-hop 'the contemporary soundtrack of misogyny.' This created a lot of controversy, with people in the rap industry calling her racist, etc. This article is pretty long, but the part that's relevant to our discussion of music starts about a third of the way in, with the paragraph starting 'case in point.'


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-powell/in-defense-of-ashley-judd_b_848334.html

Don't judge me by what's on my ipod...

I thought the papers for this week discussed three really interesting concepts that we tend to overlook when we think about our musical tastes. Bryson revealed that cultural boundaries can be reinforced, whether intentional or not, through declaring a liking or distaste for a particular musical genre. She also showed that contrary to popular belief, educational attainment does not broaden one's tolerance for music because people with high levels of educational attainment are more likely to reject music that is largely followed by those who are least educated. Reyna presented rather discouraging evidence suggesting that responsibility stereo-types about Black people are greatly associated with negative attitudes towards rap music. Interestingly, the same relationship is not found with other forms of "black music" such as jazz or blues. Snibbe and Markus chose to focus specifically on SES rather than race and found that the more educated you are, the less likely you are to like country music and the more educated you become the more you will prefer rock music. He also highlighted the differences in lyrical content between these two genres and how they inspire different ways of behaving.

The results from these studies have been more thought-provoking than I anticipated. They are not particularly shocking but certainly have made me question why I like the music that I listen to. Every music genre has cultural connotations and people who follow particular genres are ultimately grouped into the stereotypes associated with their genre of choice. Every loyal follower of a genre will say that without the cultural connotations associated with the music, the community and sense of identity it provides would be lost. But it has been made clear that these cultural connotations are reinforcing negative stereotypes about the particular demographic involved and in the case of rap music, can potentially influence political and civil rights opinions. How can we find a balance between maintaining cultural connotations associated with music and counteracting the negative-stereotypes associated with them? I'm sure we all have songs that we are embarrassed to say we love because they either perpetuate an awful stereo-type or because they encourage immoral behavior. But what happens when you are the follower of a genre, not just a song, that is actively affecting how a demographic is viewed and respected? And at what point is music actually influencing how we behave and view other groups of people? At what point is it influencing how we view the group with which we belong?

Norway = Swahili?

Thought I'd share something that relates a lot to the American = White? discussion. This weekend was Eurovision, a really big (and horrific) Europe-wide song competition. Countries pick a song to represent them, and once they're all performed all the countries vote on whose was best.

A lot of the time, the songs picked are either standard Euro trash or ridiculously patriotic, would-be national anthems. For example, this year Belarus entered with a song called "I Love Belarus"; Greece's entries almost always celebrate some national stereotype (once they entered with a song titled "Greece, Country Of Light"); and the ethno-political messages are everywhere: Armenia once effectively annexed half of Azerbaijan in a song, and one of Serbia's entries was a direct response to Ottoman oppression.

Usually the choice of song is a source of drama, because it carries so many connotations about how the country wishes to present itself (state-funded TV networks are responsible for selecting the songs). This is especially true when ethnic minorities try out. Israel was in a state of uproar two years ago when an Arab-Israeli (20% of the population) was chosen by public vote, singing part of the song in Arabic. When a Turkish Cypriot (18% of the population) attempted to represent Cyprus, it also provoked a lot of drama.

This year, Norway was represented by a song that was partially sung in Swahili, and performed by a singer of Kenyan origin. And it was chosen by public vote, which I thought was really cool. Even cooler has been the total lack of controversy about the choice, which I think reflects a much less defensive, narrow-minded perception of national identity among Norwegians compared to other Europeans (and Americans), especially considering how tiny the Kenyan minority (less than 1%) is in Norway. Imagine, for example, if a French Algerian attempted to represent France with a song in Arabic, or if the US was represented with a song performed in Spanish.

(Be warned, Eurovision songs are always terrible, so don't expect anything close to good when listening).

2 Girls undermine entire US border strategy in under 18 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHjKBjM1ngw

Relevant to our discussion today.

"Get out of My Country" Discussion Question

In his article, "Foreign Bodies: Migrants, Parasites, and the Pathological Nation," Inda expounds the theory of immigrants as parasites. In the context of Proposition 187, he discusses how proponents of the proposition view undocumented immigrants as parasites that leech off of public services like education, welfare, and healthcare. In addition, he sheds light on the opposite view - that of undocumented immigrants as hosts who provide labor for California. Neither view, however, places immigrants in a positive light. I wonder if undocumented immigrants are ever held in positive regard and if all immigrants - whether undocumented or documented - are viewed in the same light.

Disussion Question: Chavez and A Glass Half Empty

Chavez’s article, “A Glass Half Empty: Latina Reproduction and Public Discourse,” discusses the bias that Americans, particularly Californians, have against pregnant Latinas. He discusses the prejudice that Latinas are essentially more sexually rampant, less likely to use birth control responsibly, and thus more likely to get pregnant by accident. He then disproves these prejudices by showing that rates of pregnancy and birth control use among Latinas are not significantly different than those of white American women. This relates back to the clip of the congressman we watched in class last week, in which he said, “they reproduce like rats.” Ignoring for now the racism of him using the word “rats” instead of the more commonly used “rabbits,” why do you think he had the idea that Latinas reproduce more? What are some possible social/psychological explanations? Two potential reasons for this bias include 1) the notion that Latinas are more likely to be catholic and thus not use birth control, and 2) they get pregnant once they get to the US so that their children can be US citizens and “anchor babies” for them (and help them get citizenship later). Do you think either of these ideas causes this prejudice? Are there other explanations for this? How have you seen this happen in your hometown or around Stanford?

Comments on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhHeeJa-pBw&feature=related

While this video is interesting (and most likely fake? thoughts on that would be appreciated), I was more struck by the comments posted about it. From "f they would only allow open season on these cockaroachs" to "The next time you eat in a restaurant with illegals working around your food... just think that they have never been cleared as not to have aids, TB, hepatitus A or B, fleas, mites or just plain clean hands. They touch, breath and probably spit on your food, plates and silverware. Enjoy your food people!" to "Why are you so racist to us? What did we do to you? America is the greatest country because of the diversty this country has." I found the commentary on this video to be extremely interesting. People have so many different points of view, and the media (especially YouTube) serves as an arena to voice them almost completely uncensored. For example, "DUDE GET IT STRAIGHT THROUGH UR HEAD! WE WILL NEVER EVER EVER LEAVE OK? COMPRENDE? DAMN. JUST SIT UR WHITE ASS DOWN AND EAT UR CHEESEBURGER." Do you think that comments and forums like these are more helpful or harmful? Do we think that anyone's opinions would be changed by reading these? If so, how? If not, why post?

Invading Scourge of the North!

Mehico, I sympathize...

The Daily Show - Law and Border
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Yes, I am Canadian! and don't worry I've been Leprosy free for 5 years now;)

I love the fact the Daily Show has picked up on much of the vocabulary discussed in the readings and consciously inserts it into the program in order to mimic mainstream news outlets. Enjoy!

Dora the Explorer dragged into the debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba3VqzFb-Tc

Check out this news clip to see how a beloved children's cartoon character was pulled into the debate on illegal immigration last year. It's shocking that no part of popular culture is exempt from this controversial issue--even cartoons. Dora, depicted with a black eye and bloody lip and nose could actually represent either side of the debate. For those against SB1070 (the image was created as a response to the law), Dora appears as a victim of racism, while those in favor could view the image as a deserved punishment given to a character that can't actually be harmed.

I also found Dora on the facebook page "Dora the Explorer is definitely an illegal immigrant": http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dora-the-Explorer-is-definately-an-illegal-immigrant/140242166037787?sk=wall There are some pretty terrible comments on the wall considering she is a friendly cartoon character. There is no evidence Dora would be in the U.S. illegally on the show, so why do you think people feel the need to drag her into the debate? I would argue that it's important to teach kids about other cultures and languages at an early age, and for the kids watching who are Latino, Dora teaches them to celebrate their race and culture.

Get Out Of My Country

One concept that I found particularly interesting about the O’Brien reading was the idea that the ‘immigrant as object’ metaphor is partially rooted in the belief that immigrants have no desire to assimilate and embrace an American identity. And even when these communities have been vocal in their attempt to adopt an American identity, they are rejected; in the case of Jews in the early nineteenth century, for example, they were still said to maintain a “Jewish essence” that marked them as different despite their efforts to be part of the mainstream.

Considering Latino immigration to the US today, to what extent might the portrayal of the immigrant as a distinct other that is a parasite, pollutant or invader, be linked to the “American = White?” syndrome we discussed last week? If we look at the American identity as having evolved in part from a desire by whites (with no or few external cultural ties) to find some form of cultural belonging, does the association of the illegal immigrant with both legal and racial markers make sense (in a twisted way)? Is the immigration debate in news and entertainment portrayed along white vs. Latin American ethnic grounds? And if so, where does this position other racial groups?

Arizona's Immigration Law on The Daily Show

I thought this clip about how police could have 'reasonable suspicion' about whether someone was an illegal immigrant was a funny take on a lot of the issues we talked about in class. It especially reminded me of the rhetoric in some of the articles about how immigrants are used as scapegoats for the source of all social problems, when in fact the drunken, disorderly conduct was all by Americans and the Mexican workers knew more about the Bill of Rights than the bar patrons.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-may-6-2010/suspicious-behavior-on-cinco-de-mayo

Border Wars - Season 1, Episode 1: "Last Defense"

Stephen Colbert Testifies before Congress

OPENING STATEMENT:




RESPONSE TO QUESTIONING:

The Colbert Report, Fallback Postion: Migrant Worker Parts 1 & 2

PART 1:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Fallback Position - Migrant Worker - Zoe Lofgren
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

PART 2:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Fallback Position - Migrant Worker Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Stanford Daily Article on Being Mixed-Race

Just wanted to make sure everyone saw this:

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/05/05/1048224/

Default American - MIchael Scott

Michael Scott from The Office seems like kind of an obvious candidate for talking about the Default American - several episodes deal with race, racism and Michael's bizarre interpretations of them - but I thought this video was particularly relevant. In it, Michael and Dwight make a video called "Lazy Scranton" in which they rap about the town they live in, Scranton, for new members of their office. We've talked about performing race, and it seems here like Michael and Dwight performing whiteness while TRYING to perform blackness. What does it say about them?

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f0242cc00f/lazy-scranton-from-velcrocity

White Privilege

In reading the Frankenberg piece on the invisibility of whiteness, I thought of the correlation between the unmarked white category and the subsequent white privilege that is afforded to those who belong in the category. The article outlines several situations in which white people may become aware of their race and of the subjectivity/awareness of the other (the description of the slave on the auction block as both piteous and an observer of white buyers). It seems that for many white individuals, being white allows them to go through life (until they take a race/gender class) without thinking about their whiteness, in contrast to Black individuals who may go through life acutely aware of their race. The privilege of being privileged is that you don't have to know that you are, or know that others aren't.

As Stanford students, we pride ourselves on being intelligent, compassionate, and aware individuals, but I know of many students who until they came to campus were not aware of some of the power dynamics that structure our society or the privilege they were afforded growing up (whether it be related to race, gender, heterosexuality, class, nationality...). I've often wished that the required classes for freshman year included one on privilege and power, so that all students could become more socially aware and cognizant of the privilege they've been afforded.

Do you think that on campus there are a large number of students unaware of their privilege/power? (Leading question, I know) And if so then how would you begin changing the campus?

American = White

For this week, we're learning about how American = white. It is a strong cultural narrative that people subconsciously believe. I wonder, given people's panic regarding demographic changes and immigration, not just if it will change, but if it can change.

Many people are worried about America's future in terms of Americanness, and thus whiteness. I remember last year learning that Spanish is quickly becoming the lingua franca in certain areas. People were upset because of it, fearing that America would somehow become a mere extension of Mexico, and that we would lose English as our official language. Fun fact: we have no official language.

Do you think that we will ever be able to change our association that American = white?

The danger of the default american

Frankenberg writes on the invisibility (and emerging visibility) of whiteness in America. She claims whiteness has at times been the ultimate exclamation of NOT being "the other." I think this is the underlying message that Colbert pokes fun at when claiming to not see race, and to be the default American. As we've noted before in this class, race is a social construct. While socially created, it still has massive, real-world effects. Race is tangled with stereotypes, and as Frankenberg puts it: "Stereotypes would be banal were they not so lethal, so apt to wound physically, emotionally, and spiritually." Denying white racial identity is essentially denying a part in this system.

Frankenberg also touches on the status aspect that is tied with whiteness. "White" is often seen as privileged, educated, and well off in general. I have noticed that today when people are pointing out "whiteness" it often has to do with privilege and education. This is a dangerous stereotype, as it poses white as educated and the other as not. In the past, scholars like William Julius Wilson and Oscar Lewis, have put forth the idea of a "culture of poverty," to explain differing success rates amongst racial groups like Blacks and Latinos. These theories claim that different cultures have a different set of values that keep people in poverty. These theories have had very harsh critiques (I personally think they are crap as well), but it seems to me that this idea of whiteness is sort of the other side of the coin. Does society portray white culture as a "culture of wealth," explaining their relative success? I'm interested in whether or not others have observed this, and what they think the consequences of this could be.

Default American

In the Devos and Benaji reading, it was surprising that they found it was easier to pair European Americans celebrities with American symbols than with Asian American celebrities. Why is this the case? In study 1, they found that things like patriotism and being born in America was what made someone American, yet people still implicitly associate European Americans with American. Does this mean whiteness defines American and not the values that the participants rated as American? Does this apply to people outside the United States? Is it universal to think that whiteness is the default American or is it an American thing?

Something I read about that is kind of related to the discussion of default whiteness is anime characters. The creators of Anime do not put Asian stereotypical features on their characters which doesn't make it obvious that they are Japanese to the Americans (nothing marks it as the other). The reading said that Americans are often thought of as white even though they are suppose to be Japanese. They are however, seen as Japanese by the Japanese. The default human being to the Japanese is probably not whiteness, but Japanese.

Portrayals of whiteness

For my discussion topic I touch on whiteness and a depiction of a "culture of wealth." Here are a couple of examples of that. The first is a blog called "White Whine." I linked to the "best of" page of the site, which takes screenshots from facebook and twitter of people complaining about "white problems". While I totally agree that the things these people are complaining about are petty and insignificant, especially in comparison to actual issues like oppression, I take issue with these middle-class and upper-class qualms being classified as "white problems." I think that Reddit (an online community) approaches the same issue much better, with it's subreddit "First World Problems." Here, the same sort of petty complaints are laughed at, but they leave race out of it. The top post today is: "I gave a homeless a dollar, but I felt that he did not thank me sincerely."

Along the same lines, here is a video from a few years back called "white people problems." While it totally made me lol in meyer today (to the point where people were looking at me funny) I still had to question why these problems are seen as "white" and not just "upper class." (Sidebar - what's up with the black video girl?)

Sing-Alongs Channel
Tags: Atom.com | Funny Videos | Tournament | Upload

I'm also posting a classic clip from the Chappelle Show called "white people dancing." Chappelle explores whether the stereotype that white people can't dance is true - or whether they just respond to different instruments. Also, watch Chappelle's reaction to the Black police officer at the end. "...I'm from the suburbs, man. I can't help it."

Chappelle Show: Dancing for Different Cultures - watch more funny videos

Sorry to post so many things this week, but I just have one last one! http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/ is a site that has sparked some controversy amongst my friends. I think it is a funny satire about a very oblivious white couple who believes they are well liked in the black community. Other friends of mine have argued for the "Chappelle effect" here, and worry that people laugh at it for the wrong reasons. Other friends have taken offense due to the fact that they believe white people wrote the blog.

Who's going to call the play?

In the 2005 New Jersey vs New York Annual High School Football All-Star Game, my best friend and Stanford teammate Nick Macaluso discovers race in America...

Nick was the only white athlete on an entire all-star team of black athletes. He admitted feeling a little intimidated by all the talent and athleticism around him. With little time or preparation, the coach still needed to select the starting Middle Linebacker (the Quarterback of the defense) before the game. The coach approached the group of athletes and said: "Ok well I gotta pick someone to call the plays". The coach scanned a room filled with amazing black high school players but saw Nick and was instantly convinced. "Hey you!" he said to Nick and smiled heavily. Nick was selected as the starting Middle Linebacker and given the honor/responsibility or calling the plays in the huddle.

Along the same line as Devos & Banaji, people may explicitly say or expect one result but nearly always implicitly return to a stereotype/norm/default. In the case of Nick and in the eyes of his coach, the Black players may have all been deemed worthy of the same opportunity but only a White MLB from Middleton, New Jersey could be "smart and responsible enough" to call the plays ... Interesting. Aside from "American", White and Blacks fall into defaults across several fields of athletics, education systems and professions. (sorry for the classic dichotomy)

White Girl Problems

Time Magazine listed White Girl Problems as one of the top 140 Twitter Feeds, and described the account by saying this: "Obnoxious, condescending and frivolous, @whitegrlproblem is the epitome of the urban socialite you love to hate. Her "problems" usually center around nothing more than boyfriends, yoga and diets — which, admittedly, doesn't sound all that interesting, until you remember that those topics drove both Sex and the City and The Hills for six seasons. But unlike those other "white girls," this Twitter feed is in on the joke of just how silly these problems are."

Visit the Twitter page to read more:

http://twitter.com/#!/whitegrlproblem

"Stuff White People Like"

Also, had to add a link to this blog. Maybe some of you have seen it already but I find it absolutely hilarious. Is there a consensus that the things on this website describe the typical White American?

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

Can a white rapper only be compared to other white rappers?

I was thinking about circumstances where being white is the exception and immediately thought about the rap industry. It is undeniable that the rap industry is predominantly black or simply not white, so it is not surprising when in an interview, Asher Roth is asked to compare himself to Eminem and Vanilla Ice. Rather than asking Asher what other rap artists he compares himself to, the interviewer assumes he can only be compared to other well known white rappers. I think Asher's response is pretty awesome and it definitely makes you think about why it is so difficult to gain respect as a white rapper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwseTgszzDk

Jersey Shore not Italian?

I think the Jersey Shore phenomenon is a really interesting twist on the whole 'white = default' or 'white = lack of culture' idea. It's interesting how different groups are sometimes included in the category of white and sometimes not. So I was looking for a clip about that, but instead I found this video, of two anchors on MSNBC talking about how Snooki and JWOW aren't Italian and how that makes their show a 'fraud'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SechaL_VnU4

I don't even know what to make of this, but there's definitely a lot to discuss!