Soc. 110 Final Readings

Wk 14 "Heteropartiarchy and the 3 pillars of white supremacy" (Andrea Smith)

1. the logic of *slavery* renders black people as nothing more than property blackness = slaveability slavery has evolved over the years with racism and the unjust treatment towards blacks *logic = capitalism* the commodification of black people strengthens the logic of slavery (racial hierarchy) "As long as you are not black, you have the opportunity to escape the commodification of capitalism" other races are on top; blacks are at the bottom (can be seen in the current prison-industrial complex) seems to be structured on an anti-Black racism (mostly p.o.c. are incarcerated) b/c of the leasing system, Blacks were slaves once again (criminalization of Blacks = logical extension of them as property) 2. *Genocide*/ Colonialism indigenous people must disappear in order to allow colonists to claim the land fully as their own. they take over every aspect of the land including culture/ resources/ and indigenous spirituality/ the indigenous people played the role of "play dead" that manifested that they were taken over completely of by colonists and disappear/ colonists do whatever they can to claim the land as their own even by killing them "indian hating" = genocide ; pillar of genocide serves as an anchor of colonialism (it allows nonnative people to feel they can rightfully own this indigenous land b/c they have "disappeared" colonists "become" natives so that they can gain the knowledge they need from them in order to fully occupy the land and transform it to theirs 3. *Orientalism*/War defined by Edward Said as the process of the West defining itself as a superior civilization by constructing itself in opposition to the exotic but inferior Orient logic of Orent. marks certain peoples or nations as inferior and as posing a constant threat to the well- being of empire; these people are still seen as civilization and they are not property of the "disappeared" but they will always be imagined as being permanent foreign threats to empire (evident in the anti-immigration movements in the U.S. that targets immigrants of color) it does not matter how long they've been here, they are targeted as foreign threats particularly during war time; orient. serves as the anchor for war b/c it allows the U.S. to justify being in a constant state of war to protect itself from the enemies (For example, the United States feels entitled to use Orientalist logic to justify racial profiling of Arab Americans so that it can be strong enough to fight the "war on terror.") orient. also allow the U.S. to defend the logics of slavery and genocide as these practices enable the U.S. to stay strong enough to fight these constant wars (the U.S. is not at war but rather is war) (for white supremacy to stay in place, the U.S. must always be in war) everyone at the bottom of the white people have some racial privilege but they are still cast as inferior yet threatening civilizations (their privilege does not signal them to assimilate but that they will be marked as perpetual foreign threats to the U.S. world order) *forced whiteness to American Indians* (so entrenched that when Native peoples make political claims, they have been accused of being white) African Americans have been traditionally valued for their labor, hence it is in the interest of the dominant society to have as many people marked "Black," as possible, thereby maintaining a cheap labor pool

No Lattes Here: Asian American Youth in Cyber Cafes (Mary Yu Danico/ Linda Trinh)

Asian American males often bring their siblings with them to the case when their parents saddle them w/ babysitting responsibilities. females are expected to assume the gendered responsibilities of doing household chores and taking care of younger children (they have less leisure time to spend on their own which explains the smaller presence of females at these cafes) both genders apart from their roles complain that they do not have a childhood another ex. -females come mainly to use the Internet and check and send emails (arrive in pairs) - makes usually come to play computer games - though boyfriends/ brothers usually introduces their partners to the gaming and so they get involved as well - stereotype is held that it is usually unattractive girls that are the serious players Masculinity - the games also appealed to their "basic males instincts" -attracted to the games b/c of the "guns and violence" "its pretty much what guys are raised to do..... women play with barbies, men play with guns, its natural" - cyber cafe's become a place where young Asian American men can feel a sense of achievement and assert their masculinity in a society that often *demasculinizes* them - in a culture where Asain American male youth see few positive images of themselves in the media, computer games are a safe means by which they can gain a sense of empowerment (the media feminizes them) - they may not excel in athletics or sports but in these games they can (safe means) -> its virtual - they don't subscribe to their stereotypes like being whiz kids (they actually do struggle in school and feel societal pressures to be the kind of individuals many perceive them to be esp. their parents) *parental pressures* (ex. girlfriend goes to Berkeley while her partner attends a junior college) -> the male feels like he hasn't fulfilled what his parents have sacrificed for him to get into a good college that affects his sense of identity as an Asian American male - Asian American male youth gravitate toward the cafes where they can hang out with others like them and act our their aggression through the video games *the violent computer games allow players to be judged by their gaming skills rather than their race, class, or status, and provide a way for young men to display their virtual masculine abilities* (through their virtual lives they can acquire and maintain a sense of status and power as opposed to a real society that degrades them) (they get to reclaim their masculinity) -> video games allow them to become someone who has skills and status, and give them an opp. to demonstrate their gaming skills (they have provided a growing youth subculture with their own language, rituals, and protocol on how to be an "engaged citizen" of this community - they want a diversion from the boredom, stresses, and problems of everyday life but have limited economic resources to entertain themselves (cyber cafes provide an affordable space for them to fill some of these needs and offer a venue for Asian American youths to channel their energies)

Queer Ricans

Gossip (in the form of persecution in the very specific context of a critique of gender performance) as a way to discipline unruly subjects and create a general social reaction: The double mention of the buttocks (first referred to as los fondillos and then as el nalgatorio) serves as a hyperbolical, self-referential code for male homosexuality, strictly understood as effeminacy: Trinidad's son (it is suggested) is the kind that "takes it up the butt." This as- sociation can be made as a result of the primacy of the buttocks as a site of (effeminate) homosexual identification in Latin America: as many scholars have argued, under traditional Latin American (and Mediter- ranean) paradigms of masculinity it is predominantly the "passive" or receptive partner engaging in anal sex who is stigmatized and consid- ered to be "homosexual," akin to a woman

How a Scholarship girl becomes a Soldier (Gina M. Perez)

In recruitment to the program of JROTC, it only targets students who reside in less wealthy schools in urban communities who wish to pursue education and employment among their economic disadvantages. Wearing the uniform symbolizes respect that is given to these individuals who have a high interest for, since they lack it in the less affluent neighborhoods they reside in. In effect, these minorities that fall for this militarized notion also unwittingly fall for its advantages it places over them. It shapes them in the sense that it's only for the benefit of the military itself rather than actually preparing them towards educational and financial stability. (this is evident in Marvin Polanco's story: dropped out of hs; lured in by preparation for a G.E.D. and $2,200 after graduating from the program; was only deceived as they tormented him physically in order to purposely not get him his G.E.D. and received way less of the amount they offered; he escapes fearful & dissapointed)

Wk 14 "the color of violence" (Haunani Kay Trask)

UCSC was once home to native tribes for over 20,000 yrs (tribes included the Tolowa and the Yurok and Shasta) <- few of those tribes remain today 18th century: CA indians were rounded up towards furnaces of death (Jesuit and Franciscan missions) mission Indians died as a resultof European-introduced diseases, malnutrition and brutal enslavement, fatal forms of punishment, and sexual abuses. wars on native indians continued to ensure that they became extinct colonization was the historical process, and genocide the official policy. Genocide: European conquest of theAmericas. Colonialism: The historical process of conquest and exploitation. The United States of America: a country created out of genocide and colonialism. (differs from the UN def. in that the def. from the UN is more gruesome) the United States is the most powerful country in the world, a violent country created out of the bloody extermination of Native peoples, the enslavement of forcibly transported peoples, and the continuing oppression of dark-skinned peoples. color of violence is the color of white over black, over brown, white over red, and over yellow; it is the violence of north over south of continents over a group of islands and settlers over natives violence against women of color esp. native women is the economic and cultural violence of tourism and militarism / violence of our imprisonments: reservations, incarcerations, diasporas we exist in a violent and violated world characterized by peaceful violence of historical depression of racial, cultural, and economics subjugation and stigmatizations our psychological suffering and our physical impairments are a direct result this peaceful violence, of the ordered realities of confinement, degradation, ill health, and early death. with just under 20% of the state's population, Hawaiians account for nearly 75% of the state's deaths for persons less than 18 years of age. (this state of ill health is the kind of peaceful violence that kills w/o sound or a passing notice) most of the oppression and violence of p.o.c. experience is hidden from view -> more Hawaiians live below the poverty level than any other ethnic group on the island and more of our people are in prison, homeless, or are undereducated all b/c of violence and American colonization colonialism thrives from cultural hierarchy where Euro- Americans and whiteness dominates darkness (if inferior peoples must be exterminated, their cultures and habits of life,their languages and customs, theireconomies, indeed, every difference about them must be assaulted, confined, and obliterated.) because there must be a dominant culture, there must be a dominant people, a dominant religion, a dominant language, a dominant legal system,a dominant educational system,and so on, and so on. In other words, theremust be dominance and subordination. (white people are the dominant group, Christianity is the dominant religion, capitalism is the dominant economy, and militarism is the dominant form of diplomacy and the underlying force of international relations) thus violence is normal, and race prejudice like race violence is an American treat there is no need to justify white racist beh. b/c of the naturalness of segregation and hierarchy as natural as seeing a McDonald's at every corner because of this natural presence, strengthens racism and how it shapes our experiences in every life and the things we do when we see & encounter other people (normal that a color hierarchy/ mistreatment and income by color exists/ and life expectancy) *Dominace is the cause and engine of racism* -> colonial countries are racist ones -> the USA exists b/c of the extermination campaigns on millions of Native peoples and how they then took over Hawaii/ Guam/ Puerto Rico and the Philippines -> the US continues in conquest authors story: native to Hawaii; they lives in their mother's keeping until the fateful coming of the "haole" (Western foreigners) in 1778; it was then that her world collapsed from the violence of contact: disease, mass death, land dispossession, evangelical Christianity, cultural destructions, language banning, American military invasion in 1893, and forced annexation in 1898 (had taken them 95% of the Hawaiian people and of the land and political sovereignty) we suffered increased land confiscations for military bases and fearfully watched as thevicious process of Americanization created racist political, educational, and economic institutions. (by the time of her birth, being Hawaiian was a racial & cultural disadvantage rather than a national def.; the US fed. govt. the classified her people 1921: ex. those of us of 50% Hawaiian blood quantum were Native, and those of us of less than 50% were not Native.) - island of O'ahu is the capital of the state of Hawaii and the military controls a considerable portion of it. Beyond O'ahu, Hawai'i is the linchpin of the U.S. military strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. It is home to the largest portage of nuclear-fueled ships and submarines in theworld. These ships are received, cleaned, and refashioned at Pearl Harbor, where workers are called "sponges" because of their high absorption of radiation during cleaning.(this kind of peaceful violence result in land confiscations, contamination of the plants/ animals/ people, and the transformation of the island to a poisonous war zone) world's first hydrogen bomb was tested on Bikini island: this weapon had a force of destruction 1,000X more stronger than the Hiroshima bomb; Marshall Islanders were used as guinea pigs to test the effects of contamination (they were never told of the bomb's effects and were not removed before testing) ; cancer is now widespread among the Marshallese; baby defects; life expectancy decreases the inferior must be made to feel inferior every day, to suffer their subjugation, to be dehumanized inaccordance with the colonizer's rules. (they must comply or else they suffer injury by them) the colonizer is literally the killer, this is why white people have high expectancy rates than other racial groups racism has never ended in the United States. And it never will end. (After the freeing of slaves came lynchingcampaigns, segregation, ghettoization, discrimination, and now police wars and vicious imprisonments black people in this country still die younger, make less money, suffer poor housing, inferior community services, low educational attainments, tremendous police brutality, and, of course, they everyday injuries of race. author believes that to rid of racism, she wants her people of Hawaii need separation from colonialists (separate land base, economy, educational system, language base, etc.) *Sovereignty* why fight to get into white society when it so imprisons us now?Why not create our own base of power rather than be ghettoized according towhite power? How do we become separate? -we are separate now: separate, hostile, and unequal; ghettoized by a hierarchy in which p.o.c. and part. indigenous people occupy the bottom srata and white occupy the top; second: white people oppose not serparatism but the dissolution of their intimate and raw power over the lives of others-> they oppose separate sovereignties (to have their own nations) b/c they don't want to give up dominance over those people and their resources or labor and lands

CARA collective "Taking Risks" (written by a collective of women of color from Communities Against Rape and Abuse)

1. recognize the humanity of everyone involved (it is necessary that the people who organize realizing the humanity of all people involved including the survivors and aggressors and the community in order to feel have both the victim and aggressor feel safe within the community they reside in *a new beginning* where they can learn to forgive and cope with each others feelings and wrongdoings while also making the community better for people who reside outside of that particular community) 2. Prioritize the self-determination of the survivor (self determination is weakened among the survivor when he/she is attacked that the importance of consulting them as first priority is crucial and to understand them as an actual person instead of as an object when the assault occurred) (Additionally, this is done to set out how to bring justice to the situation in terms of the offender; the survivor will be the one to primarily come to terms with this if he or she wants to) (we will also give them emotional support along the way while creating a safe haven for the community -> for both the organizers and survivors 3. Be clear and specific about what your group wants from the aggressor in terms of accountability (is it admission to guilt?/ counseling for the aggressor?/ private apology?/ (ex. you can come to our parties, but you will not be allowed to drink) ; in effect, this makes the group accountable to its own process as they determine what specific thing that they demand from the aggressor to help them reform or become a better person than they were before (rather than just having them suffer emotionally) *chance of redemption* the aim here is not to have that aggressor forever stigmatized, but to have them rehabilitated (restoration) in the form of a series of steps in which the group imposes on him/her in order to alleviate them of any burdens and make build a safer community for others

New Second Generation (Leif Jensen and Yoshimi Chitose)

Compared with the new immigrants themselves, however, much less is known about the status of their offspring-the second genera- tion. studies indicate that the new second generation may be characterizes by a new "segmented assimilation" in which different groups experience either: traditional assimilation and upward mobility, downward mobility by unsuccessfully competing in the mainstream economy, or upward mobility by living and working in ethnically homogenous immigrant communities challenges: - b/c of industrial restructuring, the new second generation is facing an economy that is neither growing as fast nor is as full of good jobs with opp.'s for advancement as that during the early part of this century -compared w/ previous cohorts, a much higher proportion of today's second generation is nonwhite, which can only exacerbate problems of prejudice and discrimination in already tight labor markets (to add on, many second-generation children are in inner city where poverty rates are high and job opportunities are declining) - "linguistically isolated" - no one over age four- teen speaks English "very well" (Among the second generation, children of more recent immigrants and foreign- born children are more likely to be found within linguistically isolated households.) - they tend to live near poverty (though this is dramatizes by not including the variation in poverty status among the second generation by parental year of immigration and nativity) - some live in deep poverty (8.4%) - income inequality (socioeconomic bifurcation among recent immigrant cohorts) - less likely to be living in a household that owns its own home + more likely to be living in rented households -overrepresented among both the poorly educated and the very well educated (Over one-quarter of second-generation children have household heads who completed eight or fewer years of schooling.) - more likely to have parents with graduate or professional degrees than their native counterparts (rejects immigration policy that tends to give priority to immigrants with exceptional scientific, professional, or artistic credentials) - household heads are more likely to be unemployed or out of work - have parents who are underrepresented in the comparatively well paying professional occupations and overrepresented in service occupations and in operator and laborer occupations, where wages tend to be lower - have lower earnings (household heads) Successes: - more geographically mobile than native children - reside in houses where they are larger and have more related children than do native children (this can be seen as a disadvantage since the parents may not have enough resources to provide for them or give them as much attention; fewer rooms and more total persons per bedroom) - the family stays more intact (less likely to divorce/ separated/ etc) - more likely to have parents working in the private sector or self - employed and less likely to be working in the public sector - prefer work over welfare - greater self employment income (entrepreneurship) - those that did receive public assistance get about $2,000 more on avg.

Wk 9: Brown vs. Board of Education

For Linda Brown (African American) who was denied access to enroll in a white school close to her home in Topeka Kansas-> her parents filed a lawsuit Separate elementary schools for whites and nonwhites were maintained by the Board of Education in Topeka In court Brown's attorney argued that the operation of separate schools, based on race, was harmful to African American children. (resulting in unequal education and low self-esteem among minority students) also implied that African Americans were inherently inferior to whites Board of Education attorneys argued that the separate schools for nonwhites in Topeka were equal in every way, and were in complete conformity. Buildings, the courses of study offered, and the quality of teachers were completely comparable. (they argued, discrimination by race did not harm children.) In the final decision: Segregation in public education is a denial of the equal protection of the laws (separating children solely b/c of race generates a sense of inferiority in the status of their community that can effect them in many aspects negatively in the long run) (its affects the child's motivation to learn) *separate but equal educational facilities is a denial of the equal protection of the laws* (14th Amendment)

"Black Identities: West Indian Dreams and American Realities" (Mary Waters)

In America, people tend to draw a fine line b/w whites and blacks. there is not really much of an in between and people impose racial labels in instead of referring one to their actual ethnic identity. this can occur both consciously and unconsciously ex. 25yr old Shelley from Barbados who came to the US was approach by a black women where she worked who attempted to steal; the black woman replied that she let her be since she had assumed her to be black as well when her response to her had been that she was Caribbean ("us" v "them" black v white); Shelley reports to her boss what had been done and her boss claims her to be West Indian since people from the Caribbean included Spanish people. (he imposed this racial label on her that she learned to accept) her boss placed a borderline b/w "we" = foreign born blacks (West Indian) and distancing Hispanics (the Other) Myths and stereotypes as well as personal experience play a part in the de~nitions used by all of these players. Shelley's initial identity (Caribbean) had highlighted the view that many West Indian immigrants hold on black Americans (this was not towards in opposition to white racial privilege or working together for positive goals of the black comm., but towards poverty v. theft) the bonds w/ her Jamaican boss = hard work and strong moral values; the image for Shelly was that of black Americans not doing hard work and are invisible in their neighborhoods and in mass media (their image of Ameri- can blacks most often includes the images of the underclass, including drugs, broken families, and criminality.) When immigrants come to the U.S. they tend to label and have others label for them under which race category they would fall under (white or black); in their native countries more of them define themselves in and ethnic (Guyanese/ Haitian/ Trinidadians) way as opposed to a racial way (black or white) Those born in Trinidad and Barbados are likely to give West Indian as a response and are also far more likely than other immigrants to say they are Afro-American. (This is understandable because Guyanese and Trinidadians come from societies that are more diverse ethnically and racially than the other countries, and Barbados has had the largest and most continuous white presence in the islands.) Immigrants from these three countries are prob- ably used to identifying themselves via their African heritage or black race to differentiate themselves from other ethnic and racial groups in their country. When they are with a large number of non-West Indians, they tend to identify themselves as West Indian or as "island people" and to feel an affinity with any other immigrant from the islands. (though when they are among a lot of people that are also West Indian, the identity becomes much more complex and meaningful: they draw on particular islands and to make distinctions and draw social boundaries between different islands) when these individuals immigrate to the US, they also find it it easier just to adopt a racial background instead of having to refer all the time their ethnic identity b/c many people don't know the location where they are from. people from the US will just assume their background based on their accent, skin color, name, etc. in immigrating to NY specifically, people from different islands will refer to themselves as having a West Indian Identity because they see more similarities in association with others similar to their background and b/c its just easier for them to say so b/c of how many Americans do not know of the places they originate from American whites and American blacks sometimes misunderstand the strong regional, national, or ethnic identities of West Indians as a denial of racial identity (They simply do not understand their pride as black persons as entailing solidarity or identity with black Americans) African Americans played the role of "the Other" in the construction of a West Indian identity in New York (immigrants distanced themselves from a black American identity and wanted people to know they were not the same as them): saw themselves as superior to black Americans and disappointed at the charac. associated with them; when hyphenating their identity it was seen mostly as for ex. Jamaican- American and not black american b/c they would see that in relation to downward mobility; they didn't like the term African- American either b/c it didn't have any ethnic distinctiveness or because they didn't come from Africa or resented the association; also did not share the same culture & b/c they do not value education as much as they do West Indians feel they take on a greater pride in many areas compared to black Americans in part of the family, class, financial matters, education, and dedication West Indians = in group African Americans= out group (in terms of everything they do in comparison, no matter what it is) <- this drives racism to those who observe them and interact w/ them on how they reflect upon on another though, few immigrants argued that middle class black americans were very similar to West Indians (Southern blacks more like West Indians: working hard, family values, respect for elders, and strict child raising) "the West Indians that I meet, they come from a system that is more class-oriented rather than your color. So for them to switch over to this system really is a real culture shock for them" accents of the West Indians play a big role in distinction among African Americans and so that allowed them to have their overall representations verified (clear marker of identity) This is the classic immigrant dream—to make enough money to return home in style, to buy a house where one can be comfortable, and to be in a place where an American dollar goes a much longer way The immigrants are firmly rooted in their West Indian cultural identity they perceive "American" more as a political or citizenship issue. after living in fast paced US for a while, immigrants go back to their homeland to find an overall disappointment at their people for being "lazy" and time wasters (they've gotten so used to the American way of life that they look down upon their native country) they've learned to become more independent in all respects West Indians = island people Most saw themselves as joining a long line of immigrants coming to this country and hoped that they would enjoy as much success as earlier waves of immigrants.

Indian Tribes (US Commission on Human Rights)

Indian tribes have always been separate political entities interested in maintaining their own institutions and beliefs. Their goal has been to prevent the dismantling of their own systems (so while other minorities have sought integration into the larger society, much of Indian society is motivated to retain its political and cultural experiences) at the beginning of the colonization process, Indian nations were more numerous and better adapted to survival on this continent than the European settlers (these advantages were quickly lost) as a general matter, Indians were viewed and treated as members of political entities that were NOT part of the US (acknowledged in the Constitution) "Indian tribes today that have not been forcibly assimilated, extinguished or legally terminated still consider themselves to be, and are viewed in American law, as separate political units" since colonial times, Indians have been viewed as the inferior race (all things Indian are viewed as inherently inferior to their counterparts in white European tradition) this racism used by many authoritative groups and individuals, all entail that Indians are NOT entitled to the same legal rights as others in this country. in some cases, racism has been associated with the motives to "civilize" the "savages": teach them Christianity/ remove them to other distant locations to prevent them from standing in the way of the dev. of the Western civilization; at one point, their inferiority was used to justify genocide while on the kind side to assimilate them into the dominant society an important principle established by the allotment policy (federal indian land policy) was that the Indian form of land ownership was not "civilized", and so it was the right of the govt. to invalidate that form reinforcing that Indians are inferior/ non indians knew what was best for them, and that these beliefs justified the assertion that non Indians has the power and authority to interferer with the basic right to own property intent to civilize: Christianize them and suppress tribal religion (they were misunderstood by Indian agents; Commissioner of Indian Affairs made it a criminal offense to engage in such ceremonies such as the sun dance; their Ghost Dance religion that promise salvation from the white men posed absolutely no threat to the white men that the Federal govt. called in troops to prevent it) gives the dominant society the right to occupy their lands and dismantle their culture the reasoning based on this racism has supported the view that Indians are in custody of the govt. who need protection and assistance of Federal agencies and its the govt.'s obligation to recreate their governments, conforming them to a non- Indian model/ to establish their priorities/ and to make or approve their decisions for them; the Fed. govt. even investing in boarding schools where Indian children were separated from the influences of tribal and home life that tried to teach them skills and trade that would be useful in white society using stern disciplinary measures to force assimilation (goal = assimilation, not education)

Charles Gallagher "Ten Simple Thing you can do to improve race relations"

Racism is NOT funny. Don't tolerate racist jokes. Saying, "I don't think putting other people down is funny," is a good strategy. Talk to your friends and family. Especially if someone is overtly racist or uses stereotypes, politely and without judgment, ask them questions and share your thoughts. Avoid Stereotypical Language - be mindful of words like "all" or "always". These types of words should cause a red flag to go up. Teach Through Example. Be a positive role model for your friends and all the younger - and older - people in your life. Often times children and especially GRANDchildren can more influence the thinking of the generations that came before. YOU are the future! Show us all the way.

"Going Beyond Black or White" (Katerina Deliovsky and Tamari Kitossa)

There are several layered/racial identity politics that exist beyond black and white. One of which is that it falsely gives the representation of race in America being either black or white. It excludes all the other races and how they are understood. This is seen through three different "themes". One of the themes mentions that these dominant groups are one dimensional in that it has hindered "diverse racial realities" in the U.S. It simplifies or does not give much importance to other areas of race in areas of feminism or law. This black and white sort of creates this default for all other areas of race that are evident in the U.S. that are obscured by this paradigm. It also misinterprets the history of non-African people of color. It overlooks the discrimination encountered by other groups of race such as Mexicans and the Chinese, that only hurts them in the long run in being misinterpreted by this binary that represents them. Lastly, it connects racism to solely the color of someone's skin and disregards all other areas of racism. This reduces other phenotypical features, cultures, and "nativism" all representative of racism as well. (ex. Ignoring the racism against Asians and all its racial implications; not just skin color)

"Optional Ethnicities: Whites Only?" (Mary Waters)

White Americans of European ancestry have a great deal of choice in terms of their ethnic identities: those who are Irish get to choose to identify themselves as Irish on certain occasions such as Saint Patrick's Day/ family holidays/ or vacations when they don't usually belong to Irish Americans organizations, live in Irish neighborhoods, work in Irish jobs or marry other Irish people (symbolic meaning of being Irish American can stem from mass media images/ fam. traditions/ or intermittent social activities) *In other words, later generation White ethnicities, ethnicity is not something that influences their lives unless THEY WANT IT TO (its all personal choice) Black Americans on the other hand DO NOT have the option of a symbolic identity at present in the US. - thought ethnicity might not matter for whites, it matters a whole lot for nonwhites - your ancestors/ where you live/ what job you have/ what friends you are with/ and even your chances of success in the US all play a role (The situation is very different for members of racial minorities, whose lives are strongly influenced by their race or national origin regardless of how much they may choose not to identify themselves in terms of their ancestries.) - since their identity is more complicated, the added element of racial discrimination and racism, along with the ethnic developments around them on campus impact their finding of others who share their background. (therefore, they have the positive attraction of being around other Black students who share some cultural elements) "I'm Italian American, you're Polish American. I'm Irish American, you're African American." The important thing is to treat people as individuals and all equally. However, this assumption ignores the very big difference between an individualistic symbolic ethnic identity and a socially enforced and imposed racial identity. a nonwhite being asked about his/her identity is considered offensive But the reason he cannot understand the perspective of the Asian American is that all ethnicities are not equal; all are not symbolic, costless, and voluntary. (When White Americans equate their own symbolic ethnicities with the socially enforced identities of non-White Americans, they obscure the fact that the experiences of Whites and non-Whites have been qualitatively different in the United States and that the current identities of individuals partly reflect that unequal history.) *needed clarification*

Wk 15 "Marked Racism" (Angela Davis)

crime is associated with p.o.c incarcerating mostly p.o.c from communities with poverty work to eliminate them in large numbers and supposedly this solves social problems (eliminates public education/ including prioritizing discipline and security over learning in public schools located in poor communities) due to this there are more prisons that profit business government buildings while the inmates in return are left deprived of the basic human necessities prisons profit form the incarceration of p.o.c and their stereotypes to strengthen (ex. black welfare) in effect this only empowers this tactic to continuance the profits from their labor in private prisons fuel the US economy and therefore there is a large reliance on them the prisoners work in terrible conditions such as no health benefits, unemployment insurance, or workers compensation for practically free (way below the minimum wage) (they don't get paid and they run the fuel needed for large corporations like Boeing and Microsoft instead of for greater social problems such as housing for the homeless or to open free drug rehab. programs for people who wish to kick their habits) this kind of system also segregates whites from p.o.c making it harder for them to get an education that will financially sustain them and therefore ending them up in prison; they are forced in a way b/c their options are so limited by this discrepancy (more money goes to profit wealthy white people than in lower income communities where p.o.c. reside b/c of them which also fortifies racism and strengthens this concept) we need better conditions for prisoners to alleviate real social problems and give p.o.c equal opportunity as much as white people have to construct a more effective economy where we all have a real chance at prosperity

Tennessee Judge Tells Immigrant Mothers: "Learn English or Else"

if the mother (Mexican) did not learn to speak English at a fourth grade level as she was cited for neglect of her 11 month yr. old daughter that the judge will begin termination of parental rights she will run the risk of losing any type of connection w/ her daughter forever But many of Tatum's neighbors cheered the principle behind his act, saying new immigrants should be encouraged to assimilate more fully into American life. Civil-rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have called his orders discriminatory and unconstitutional being able to speak English does not fall into the category of child neglect (the court orders should pertain to that instead of having to learn a diff. language)

Who(se) Am I: Black Women in Hip Hop (Imani Perry)

not making the woman feel completely powerless (Missy transgresses gender categories w/ her man -tailored suits and her frequent presence as narrator of the action in the music videos of male hip hop artists, an extremely rare location for a woman)-> she never represents herself in a objectifying manner, she uses bizarreness to entice being true to ones self in respect to body image and physical realities of women (Alicia Keys presents an image that contrasts sharply with he video models; she is not self exploiting, her hair is in cornrows wearing a leather jacket and fedora; video is of an art form that relates to social injustice -> black imprisonment overlooked in the discussion about the rise of imprisonment of blacks) :It makes reference both to the fact that many black women are the mates of men who are imprisoned and to the reality that many black women wind up in prison because of being unwittingly or naively involved with men who participate in illegal activities. (Arie) her body is not the type of supermodels but she loves herself without hesitation hip hop as a honest self-expression: (India Arie) she's not the type of woman that has the body type that is similar to that of a supermodel and that she loves herself w/o hesitation; her lyrics speak of intelligence and integrity rather than expensive clothes, liquor, and firearms; she will not wear a skirt that is above calf length on stage; Women hip-hop artists who are self- consciously "sexy" in their appearance, style, and words have a much more difficult road in carving out a feminist space in hip-hop (the language of sexiness is the language of sexism in American popular culture in hip hop vids) -> this undermines the feminist message as has its viewers view them solely as objects The space a musical artist occupies in popular culture is multi textual. (lyrics, interviews, music, and vids are combined to form an impression) - *It is a delicate balance, but it is important to distinguish between sexual explicitness and internalized sexism.* (they are explicit and self objectifying on one side and on the other they are respectable and covered up) sexual explicitness is impt. to consider (There is a creative possibility for explicitness to be liberatory because it may expand the confines of what women are allowed to say and do.) *any woman who uses explicit language or images in her creative expres- sion is in danger of being symbolically cast into the role of ***** regardless of what liberatory intentions she may have, particu- larly if she doesn't have complete control over her image* Ex. Eve is one of the strongest feminist voices in hip- hop today. She rhymes against domestic violence and for women's self-definition and self-reliance. She encourages women to hold men in their lives accountable for behavior that is disrespectful or less than loving. Yet the politics of Eve's image are conflicted. She has appeared in music videos for songs on which she has collaborated with male hip-hop artists. (Those videos are filled with the stock Dines14.qxd 7/26/02 10:06 AM Page 141 142 ◆ A Cultural Studies Approach legions of objectified video models. Eve is dressed provocatively and therefore vali- dates the idea of attractiveness exemplified by the models. But she is distinguished from these women because she is the star. She is dignified and expressive while they are not. Her distinction from the other women sup- ports their objectification) any emphasis on power granted through being attractive in conven- tional ways in this media language limits the feminist potential of their music. (Instead of using her aggressive tongue to challenge prevail- ing sexist sexual paradigms, she affirms them by saying that she simply needs a man who is stronger than most, stronger than she is, to bring everything back to normal.)

Interracial Relationships (Erica Childs)

reported little or no attachment to their racial identity either stating that race was not meaningful or did not play a sig. role in how they thought of themselves (in part b/c they have diverse beliefs about ethnicity) (or this may influence white privilege and how it allows them to ignore their own racial identifications and how it is believed to be a non racialized standard); or it can be due to their attachment to someone of a completely diff. race (their awareness) of the existence of racism and inequality b/w white and black (this in turn makes them more aware of their own whiteness) some of them distanced themselves from their "whiteness" b/c of how white racism/ prejudice had negatively impacted their black partner and community (negotiating a white racial identity is diff. and seems to be more complex when one is involved in an interracial relationship) -> diff. range of responses: "being white is an important part of their identity/ expressing diff. when understanding their race/ or struggling with being white yet feeing more comfortable around blacks" some of them became more aware of the discrimination imposed on African Americans that they distanced themselves from whiteness (viewing all whites and "bad" and all blacks as "good") white partners revealed a heightened sense of awareness about issues of race and the existence of racism as a result of their relationships

The New Face of Asian American Stereotypes on Television (Feng Sun, Chyng)

resist the hegemonic culture ideologies: desexualized Asian American male stereotype (b/c it obscures the history that prevented AA males to form conjugal families in pre WWII US -) resist emasculated stereotypes embodied by Asian characters: - the male has been feminized as he is charac. by dainty steps and other female characteristics; continues today in the form of the nerdy Asian American; and those like Jackie Chan never play the romantic loving roles resist the hyper sexualization of AA women: (when AA men were not allowed to marry AA women, they sought sexual outlets in prostitution and so the women were always subject to harassment) -> this idea was also reinforced by US military involvement in Asia in the 20th century when troops fought battles or were stationed in Korea, Japan, etc. -> the soldiers dev. strong perception of Asian women as prostitutes, bargirls, and geishas The AA male asexuality and AA women hypersexualtization serves to confirm the white man's superiority

Networks, Race, and Hiring

the "wrong network" account is consistent with underrepresentation of minorities in any of a number of stages in the recruitment and hiring process even if there are potential referrers who are willing to refer someone, minorities could still be cut off if these referrers were not to refer minority applicants (could happen if job referral networks are less than perfectly equal by race) -> if these conditions are met, there will be a set of networked minority candidates in the applicant pool the effect of screening process on minorities' access to desirable jobs depends on the employer's attitude towards referrals (if firms prefer to recruit employee referral, they will tend to hire minority workers in proportion to their representation in the networked pool of applicants-> in this case, minorities would thus be cut off from good jobs ONLY if they are underrepresented in the networked applicant pool However, if employers avoid hiring through networks, being well represented in the pool of referred applicants is not good for minorities if the employer is neutral toward hiring referrals, access to desirable jobs for minorities will be provided in screening in proportion to the overall applicant pool (in this case, the employers preferences would have no effect in cutting off minorities from desirable jobs) what are the racial patterns of networking/ job referrals from the study's findings? - entry level jobs are within reach for people w/ modest education and labor forces experience (rel. large percentages of Asian Americans and Hispanics, but more modest percentages of African Americans are represented) - white workers are underrepresented in this factory compared to their proportion in the area - asian americans are extremely underrepresented with many employees being male - hispanics are slightly underrepresented - African americans are quite accurately represented - Asian Americans refer the most and whites show the lowest rates of producing referrals - minorities generate more referrals than whites - strong connection b/w the race of the referrer and the race of the referral applicant - whites are the most narrow minded of the groups in referring 76.9% of the referrals produced by white employees are white - Hispanics seem to be cut off from the networks lead to good jobs - the employer has neither a strong preference nor distaste for referred applicants - for males, the results show that all minority racial groups are more likely to be hired than whites irrespective of whether the person was a referral or not In sum, the results show that there is little evidence of an employer's preference either for, or against, candidates who were referred to the company at the hiring interface. (the one expiation is the case of Asian American males, where non networked candidates are more likely to be hired compared with networked applicants)

"What do you call a black man with a Ph.D."? (Lawrence)

the PhD achieves high educational recognition and competence for an individual, yet it fails to fully acknowledge it to African Americans due to the ever prevalent discrimination by others prone to associating skin color to the outcome of certain situations (racial bias and misuses of discretion by the police "racial profiling")