CH8 SOC 411
The Southern Poverty Law Center determined
1. 2018 2. 750 3. public 4. white southerners
How did the distinction between highbrow and lowbrow culture emerge?
As cities became more diverse
Which of the following are effects of advertisements for companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch or the racial makeup of the casts of television series such as Girls?
Effect(s) They shape our aesthetic preferences. They make whiteness appear normal. Not Effect(s) They encourage the viewer to pay attention to what is missing. The viewer experiences diverse worldviews.
Because all cultures borrow from one another in a form of multiracial hybridization, there really are no racialized aesthetics (e.g., a black aesthetic or a Native American aesthetic).
False
Nina Simone
The famous soul singer that wrote the song "Mississippi *******."
Identify the true and false statements about the differences between a white aesthetic and a racist aesthetic.
True Statement(s) The meaning attached to each aesthetic is different. One experience is universalized, while the other is not. False Statement(s) One aesthetic applies to paintings and cartoons and the other applies to television and movies. One promotes stereotypes, while the other does not.
Kara Walker
Based on their depictions of slavery, this artist became one of the youngest recipients of the MacArthur "Genius" Award.
Which statement best represents the authors' position on nonwhites appropriating white culture?
Because white people
Racial divisions within the aesthetic field, such as art, are not fixed or timeless. For example, folk music began as the voice of white nationalism before being refashioned in the 1930s as the sound of a multiracial labor movement. Which of the following are causes of these shifting boundaries?
Cause(s) power relations, struggles over identity Not Cause(s) narrowcasting, the white aesthetic
Yasuo Kuniyoshi was a famous Japanese American artist in the early and mid-1900s. Based on the experiences of other artists in the age of multiculturalism, which of the following challenges did Kuniyoshi likely face in his career?
Challenge(s) He relied on whites for financially supporting his art. He did not have full control over the production of his painting. Not Challenge(s) No museums would display his work.
Which of the following are characteristics of racist appropriation?
Characteristic(s) Credit is not given to the original group. It can be used to further racial oppression. The originating group loses control over the form and how it is represented. Not Characteristic(s) It provides material benefits to nonwhite groups. It has the potential to negatively impact all groups in similar ways.
Hip-hop is a cultural movement that combines music, break-dancing, graffiti, deejaying, fashion, and poetry into one distinctive style. Which of the following are accurate characteristics of this art form?
Characteristic(s) of Hip-Hop Homophobic and misogynistic lyrics are commonplace. Hip-hop features an antiracist aesthetic. Hip-hop often promotes hypermaterialism. Hip-hop is critical of class-domination. Not Characteristic(s) of Hip-Hop Hip-hop remains at the margins of popular culture.
Which of the following correctly explain how the racist aesthetic misrepresents the nature of racial domination?
Correct Explanation(s) It presents a biased view of history. It depicts racism as a purely psychological issue. It pretends racial domination does not exist. Incorrect Explanation(s) It omits nonwhite characters from the narrative.
Which of the following are examples of how race affects cultural capital in the aesthetic field?
Example(s) A group of white families lobby to have only organic food served at their children's school. A Hispanic saxophonist feels isolated as the only nonwhite member of a symphony. A Native American teen turns down an invitation to an art museum because it makes him feel uncomfortable. Not Example(s) A black working class woman cannot afford a ticket to a baseball game. An Asian American doctor enjoys participating in social events with other professionals.
The fundamental difference between the racist aesthetic and antiracist aesthetic is that the antiracist aesthetic presents images of nonwhite characters and voices.
False
Toby Keith
Famous country singer with a music video that glorified lynching.
When white musicians took notice of blues music and began incorporating it into their repertoire, some African Americans celebrated its success, whereas others did not. Identify the reasons why many understood this appropriation of the blues as problematic.
Reason(s) Blues music was rooted in the suffering of black Americans. White artists could not relate to that struggle. Whites have a long history of appropriating the art forms of nonwhites. Not Reason(s) Black blues artists were never as popular as the white blues artists who appropriated their styles. Whites only produced the music to get wealthy, and did not fully appreciate the art form.
Charles Ramsey
The poor black man whose words were put to music and auto-tuned.
Identify the true and false statements about hip-hop.
True Statement(s) Some of the harshest critics of hip-hop's sexism, materialism, and violence are hip-hop artists. Hip-hop is the most outspokenly defiant and powerful voice for racial justice today. Hip-hop is often singled out for violent lyrics, despite the fact such lyrics also appear in other genres, such as country western music. Many rap songs include violent, homophobic, and misogynistic lyrics.
Consider the pottery of Native Americans, the crafts of the Pacific Islands, and the complex quilts of black women in a poverty-stricken area of Alabama that have all been featured recently in museum galleries. Identify the true and false statements about interpreting race and the racial aesthetic.
True Statement(s) These artworks are interpreted through a white aesthetic. These artworks are considered beautiful, in part, because of their "naïveté." False Statement(s) Cultural gatekeepers do not consider these artworks important. These artworks help to normalize nonwhiteness.
Identify the true and false statements about how sociologists study art.
True Statement(s) They examine how art influences society. They analyze art within the social contexts in which it was created. False Statement(s) They identify the characteristics that makes art objectively good or bad. They actively "spiritualize" art.
Which of the following describes how some fans reacted to the The Hunger Games movies?
fans who read
There are many different art forms in the aesthetic field. Which of the following art forms offers the most powerful voice for racial justice today, according to the authors?
hip-hop
Under a cultural preservationist ethic, attempts for cultural authenticity can ironically harm one's own culture. What drives this destructive process?
it freezes the culture
The famous painting shown is The Great Bath at Bursa (1885) by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. It features a Turkish bath house filled with nude women. To understand how white viewers of the time interpreted the painting, we must examine how they interpreted the presence of black women in the painting. What effect did the black woman beside the white woman near the center of the painting have on white viewers?
it sexualized the white women
Consider a stage performance where a group of black and white performers enact a scene with slaves and their masters. Which of the following characteristics would make this an example of "minstrelsy"?
the actors playing the roles of black characters are white
Jeff Dunham
His stand-up routines feature Achmed the Dead Terrorist and a variety of other racial stereotypes.
Studies have concluded that nonwhites are underrepresented in "each and every aspect" of the entertainment industry.
1. 75 percent 2. 90 percent 3. nonwhite 4. Black Panther
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
1. human zoo 2. natural habitat 3. Negro village
The binary coding scheme separating white/highbrow culture from nonwhite/lowbrow culture functions as a mechanism
1. inclusion and exclusion 2. professional offices 3. the U.S. military 4. the NBA
If artists represent nonwhites only as the un-stereotype,
1. respond to white representations of nonwhiteness 2. depict nonwhites in their full humanity 3. romanticizing
When people lack the cultural capital to enjoy certain kinds of food (e.g., sushi) or art (e.g., cubist art),
1.personal choice 2.natural 3.socialization 4.structural barriers
Bill Watterson
His very popular comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, never featured a nonwhite character.
Don Imus
In 2007, this shock-jock radio host called the black women on the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."
Studies have concluded that nonwhites are underrepresented in "each and every aspect" of the entertainment industry. Consider all the Oscar winners for best performance in a leading role between 1929 and 2017. Place the following groups in order from least to most Oscar wins.
Latinos, Asians, blacks, whites
Louis Armstrong
One of the first blues musicians to attract very large audiences.
Consider the following statement: Only black people, and not white people, can understand and perform hip-hop. Which of the following are problematic assumptions in this statement?
Problematic Assumption(s) It assumes that hip-hop has not reached the status of "true art," which can be enjoyed by everyone. It assumes that all black people have the same experiences. It assumes that whites are incapable of understanding and empathizing the experiences of others. Not Problematic Assumption(s) It assumes that black people experience racism in a way that white people do not.
Identify the following examples as either racist or antiracist cultural appropriation.
Racist Cultural Appropriation calling Elvis the "king of rock and roll" A white man gets a Native American tribal tattoo because he likes the style. Antiracist Cultural Appropriation Eminem's hip-hop performances A white painter's art depicts people with dashikis and Afros fighting to overcome institutional racism.
Rascal Flatts
Their song, "Mayberry," was the name of the fictional town where The Andy Griffith Show was set.
August Wilson
This African American playwright won two Pulitzer Prizes.
Maz Jobrani
This Iranian American actor experienced typical stereotyping when he was offered auditions "for terrorist role after terrorist role."
Norman Rockwell
This artist is best known for his paintings of "typical American life," which were nearly always white and happy.
Jimmie Durham
This artist's personal belongings are presented as museum relics to mock scientists' and artists' tendencies to frequently portray American Indians only as anthropological subjects to be gazed upon and studied.
W. E. B. Du Bois
This commentator declared that "The Negro folk-song—the rhythmic cry of the slave—stands today . . . as the most beautiful expression of human experience born this side of the seas."
Seiji Ozawa
This conductor directed the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1973 to 2002.
Charlie Parker
This famous bebop jazz musician was one of the most famous saxophonists in history.
Woody Guthrie
This folk legend was a staunch defender of workers' and immigrants' rights.
Nikki Lee
This photographer specializes in embedding herself in American subcultures to make whiteness visible and relate it to privilege.
Richard Pryor
This stand-up comedian's irreverent humor frequently engaged America's "race problem."
When given the choice between a white doll and a black doll, African American preschool and elementary school children are more likely to choose the white one.
True
Identify the true and false statements about "digital blackface" and why it is problematic.
True Statement(s) Images that use black women to illustrate over-the-top emotions are likely to have negative social implications. False Statement(s) White people wearing blackface in YouTube videos are perpetuating the same racist stereotypes as minstrel shows did in the past. When white people pretend to be black online (via avatars in games or fake profile pictures), it should be considered a version of modern-day blackface.
Think about a comedian whose humor uses stereotypes of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Muslim Americans, and even white Americans. Considering this dynamic, the comedian most likely draws upon which type of aesthetic?
racist aesthetic
In the early twentieth century, Picasso and Matisse began including African masks in their paintings. In terms of a racial aesthetic, what was significant about this?
the masks
What is the goal of blepharoplasty surgery?
to make a person's eyes look rounder
Showrunners like Donald Glover of Atlanta and Jenji Kohan of Orange Is the New Black have openly discussed pitching their shows to networks in a way that seems safe and palatable, with the ultimate goal of securing the freedom to explore complex stories involving nonwhite characters. What is this tactic called?
trojan-horsing
Racial divisions within art are so powerful that entire genres and instruments are often associated with specific racial groups.
true
Select the photo that features Blackamoor imagery.
white sunglasses woman
