Class Experience

This has been a very enlightening class for me. Although I am not a racist person, this class has given me more of a first-hand account of racism in reality as opposed to something I would merely read in a textbook. Throughout race, gender and the media, I have learned more information about the deeper forms of racism, aside from the typical news you see on television at night. Although I do not necessarily believe that Tim Wise’s take on all white privilege being interpreted as racism, I do recognize white privilege in my daily life, which I did not think of prior to this class.

            One of the bigger things I have learned from this class that directly affects me daily was Tim Wise’s video in class about “white privilege.” Being able to hear the opinions from those in our class what were not white was truly an eye-opening experience because I was able to learn an alternative perspective to typical activities, like shopping, working out, buying coffee, etcetera. I had never paid attention to the service I receive while shopping versus how my friend that is African American is treated. Along those lines, earlier this semester, I was watching an episode of a reality television show, and the point of the show was to cast actors, one as an employee, one a manager, and one an African American shopper. The employee was supposed to stage an accusation of theft upon the shopper, in order to see which other shoppers in the store would come to her defense. Surprisingly enough, two of the three times this test was done, European tourists came to the defense of the woman. Other shoppers just stared and continued to shop because they did not want to get involved or assumed the accusation was true. The American frame of thought, the social order, already in play and changing that trend is incredibly difficult when people already have an opinion set in stone.

            Throughout this semester, I have had the opportunity to look at racist issues in a different manner and light, which I never would have otherwise seen. However, one thing I would have liked to have seen more of this semester is a more significant focus other minorities, aside from mainly African Americans. However, over the course of the semester, I have really enjoyed our guest speakers and the information I have gained from them as well as the readings and class lectures/discussions.

Hip Hop Music

Hip hop music is one of the most, if the most, popular music genres that people listen to in the United States, perhaps even the world. At the same time, it has also become one of the most racially stereotyped industries in the world. It is incredibly common for people to assume that "black people" are directly associated with hip hop music/rap. Although it may be true that the majority of hip hop music artists are African American, that still does not merit or deserve a stereotype given to it. 

Although I enjoy listening to some hip hop music, I very rarely watch any music videos at all because I do not watch that much television at all. The following are five hip hop music videos that I have never seen before.

1)  Soulja Boy- "Kiss Me Thru the Phone":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwQay4QiOw

- This is a video that upholds the stereotype of the "ghetto, decked out in bling" African American entertainer. In this video, Soulja Boy talks about how he wants "it" and needs "it" and whatnot throughout this entire video. Although it is clearly obvious that not all African Americans are like that, it is still something widely portrayed in media. 

2)  Run DMC- "It's Like That":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsBfPhtSWl8

- This video was very interesting to watch because, in my opinion, Run DMC really started the hip hop genre, and generation for that matter. However, this music video is quite stereotypical of black people. The video's focus is on the creation of breakdance, and a group of minority young people are "showing up" a group of white people. Something I have never quite understood is why we all think that these stereotypes given to various groups of people are wrong to associate, but a vast majority of minority groups somewhat advocate the thing it is that stereotypes them. 

3)  Eminem- "Sing for the Moment":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpsKma0fniI

- Eminem is one of the only white hip hop/rap artists that exists in today's society. Personally, I like a lot of his music because he sings stories throughout his songs about his life. He brings to the table some versatility in his lyrics.

4) The Game ft. Mary J. Blige- "Hate it or Love it":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGHRbY0YmFk

- This is quite stereotypical of the African American race; however, it is not necessarily stereotypical of the aggression aspect at all. More over, it displays the object of the female somewhat.

5) Rihanna-"Don't Stop the Music":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsRWpK4pf90

- The majority of female music artists are quite sexual. In this video Rihanna, although she has a great body, is very objectified. 

Doublemint gum commercials, the Fubu and Ecko clothing brands and some newer Old Navy commercials have successfully utilized hip hop to promote their product. Although hip hop is something that has been stereotyped, people clearly like it. Hip hop dance moves and phrases have become very commonplace, especially among the younger generation. My parents listened to the “oldies,” as we call them today, and classic rock. They still do. Personally, I like hip hop, but I do think that sometimes it promotes the wrong image of people and phrases. However, something about that is very appealing to the public, just like “sex sells.”

 

 

The Perpetuation of Subtle Prejudice: Race and Gender Imagery in 1990s Television Advertising

1) AT&T Commercial:

http://

www.youtube.com/watchv=KmA2VIkND4Y&feature=PlayList&p=9CF8B0D1AB0B9FF8&index=17

This commercial, although a quite comical idea, was semi-racially based if one was looking for it. A man of Asian decent is trying to help his good friend do some holiday shopping because he is in a body cast with a broken neck. Although they might not have intended to make it seem racially unequal, the fact that the Asian man does all of his shopping tells him what he got for each person and so forth, upholds the racial stereotype of Asians being the hard workers.

2)Gap print ad: Bazaar Magazine

In this advertisement, the main person is an African American woman who is dressed in a vest with a white thermal longsleeve shirt on. Her hair is short and she has a pretty skin complexion, but her eyes are closed and she is half-smiling. However, on the corresponding page, there is a white woman, and they show her whole body facing the front and her eyes are open. This reinforces the stereotypical dominance of the white woman over the African American woman. Also, the advertisement with the black woman only shows her from her belly button, and it cuts off the top of her head. Also, since the ad is black and white, she does not stand out nearly as much as the white woman because she is wearing darker colors, whereas the white woman has on white jeans. Also, the white woman has a sultry facial expression, whereas the African American woman does not have much of an expression at all. 

3) Downy Fabric Softener print Advertisment: Bazaar Magazine

This ad shows three women, two white and one black, with their arms around each other as they walk around in a nightlife setting. The black woman is in the middle looking and talking to one of the white friends, who does not even seem to look back at her. She is looking somewhere else and paying no attention to the talking friend. Also, the two white women appear to be leaning somewhat away from her as she is talking, as if they want to escape her grasp. Lastly, the African American woman is wearing pants and a longsleeve shirt, whereas the two white women are dressed in a skirt and a dress. It is as if they want to portray the white women as sexually asking for it, but they want to cover up the black woman as if they are ashamed to portray her in the same manner. These little things are what reinforce racial and gender stereotypes. 

4) Calvin Klein print ad: Bazaar Magazine

A white man and a woman are leaning up against a door frame on the balcony of their large condominium. The woman is leaning up against it while the man is positioned standing over her with his arm above her head. The woman looks as if she is trying to seduce her male counterpart, and he has a fierce look as if he wants to control or dominate her. She is also in a very short fitted black dress, which only adds to her sexualism. This is very typical of the way women and men are portrayed in advertisements. And it unfortunately is true- "sex sells."

5) Carl's Junior commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gby0zfCYiA

Paris Hilton walks in a car warehouse garage with a revealing one-piece swimsuit, where she proceeds to sexually wash the car while sponging herself as well as making sexual gestures. This is a prime example of how women are portrayed by the media- sexual deviants and nothing else. She licks her fingers close-up to the camera, crawls all over the car in stilettos, and the cameraman zooms in on her rear end. Also the music sounds like something you would hear in an old style saloon or something of that sort. That commercial, ironically brought about a lawsuit for Carl's Junior by the FCC I believe. Additionally, that commercial officially clenched the reputation Paris Hilton now has as being "skanky." 

6) Tiffany & Co. print ad: Bazaar Magazine

In this ad, an African American woman is modeling a beautiful necklace. However, if you look at the ad, you have to really look at it to tell whether the woman is black or white. She could almost look tan. Also, they only show her from the chest up and only lighten the photo at the top of her neck to her chin. 

7) Bluefly.com print ad: Elle Magazine

This ad sexualizes women because a white woman is sitting naked at a Thanksgiving dinner with her family. However, they do not even seem to notice her and she has a submissive facial expression. 

8) PlanB print advertisement: Elle Magazine

There is an African American woman holding a PlanB pill. This reinforces the stereotype of black women as sexually irresponsible women. Placing a black woman as the focal point of this ad makes black women look like the type of people that would purchase PlanB, as opposed to white women.

9) Dolce & Gabbana print ad: Elle Magazine

Giselle Bundcheon is seducing the viewer by slightly opening her mouth and staring longingly at the camera.

10) Giorgio Armani print ad: Elle Magazine

A woman in a fitted sleek black dress goes down her lower lower back to just above her butt. She has a stern, dominatrix look on her face, and there is a man looking at her with lust in the background. This reinforces the stereotype of women as sexually promiscuous. 

As I went through all of these advertisements, the typical gender and racial stereotypes are reinforced.

Social Movements and the Media

In my opinion, news media and the government are probably the biggest contributors as to whom determines a say on a certain subject. They cater their information that they reveal to the American people, and they swing its portrayal in however they want. Over the years, people have been getting very passionate about getting certain news stories mentioned in the news; however, those stories are not often heard because they do not have anything to do with the goals aimed by the news media. Essentially, the public has very little say in what gets presented from the news media. In Bill Moyer's video, he mentions that there are many stories that do not make the news because of how the media and the federal government want to depict certain issues. 

In my opinion, it is very important for the media to depict all issues dealing with race and gender. The majority of all crime-related cases discussed in the news and in the newspapers and magazines today are all, at least the majority of, committed by the hispanic or African American populations. However, crime incidences dealing with white people should be equally displayed. They are just as much a threat as someone of another race that commits a crime. The American people have a right to be aware of everything that affects their well-being, whether it be economically, socially or otherwise. No matter what. We all know that this world is far from utopia; however, it does not help when matters concerning our lives is covered by the media in order to protect a person, company, etceteras reputation. The American public is beginning to fight back against the media and the government for not reporting stories that matter to them, which is great. However, we are a long way from correcting the situation of "non-reporting."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dqMfNR4B0o

This you tube video discusses how the new media and non-stream media are the sources

that are helping to express information about the war in the Gaza. For the first time, people

finally beginning to provide important information so people can begin to officially understand

what is really going on in the Gaza. Both sides involved in the war, have been battling about

who is depicting the war better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9_kvURVi_A

She discusses how the news media only talk about what they want you to know. Although 

much of her video discusses how the political candidates have not been represented accurately

in the news media. Certain news media outlets report certain things about a political candidate

in order to present them in a good light or make the other candidate look bad to the people. 

White Privilege

As I decided to truly think of white privilege and how it applies to my life, it was a somewhat challenging thing to do. I have never been a racist person; however, any non-colorblind person could tell the physical differences between a Caucasian male or female and a person of another ethnicity. Throughout my life thus far, I have been able to recognize the increasingly drastic difference in thought toward race and overall mentality toward life evidenced through my parents, grandparents and myself. With each generation comes a new level of tolerance and understanding in terms of race and the thoughts we hold about those different from us. After becoming aware of privilege, the fact that I fall within the racial majority has allowed me to see the ways that I am treated as opposed to someone of a different heritage. To read further into white privilege, I consulted, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege. In this web site, I was able to see more about the entire idea and concept of white privilege. The following are ways I noticed privilege in my daily life the past week:
1. As I was shopping with my friend who was African American, I noticed that the store employees seemed more eager to help me, which should not have been the case seeing as she was the one who wanted to buy something and not me.
2. While eating with some of my Caucasian female friends, I noticed a table of racially-mixed students staring, possibly making fun of us because we sounded like “valley girls.” I say the word “like” all the time and naturally tend to come across that way.
3. My father works with an African American man who has worked at the same company with him since he moved there. Every six months, they change offices to get a new change of scenery based on their level of production. My dad got an office with a window and was allowed to choose, whereas the other man was selected last. Although it cannot be proven that it was because of race, it certainly seems that way to me.
4. On OU’s campus, I also am able to tell a difference, not necessarily directly related to white privilege, but the fact that there are significantly more Caucasians than there are African Americans. This leads me to believe that clearly, stating the obvious, whites tend to receive more educational benefits.
5. At the pre-school I work at an African American lady that works with me always makes comments on my “blonde free-flowing hair” as compared to hers which is more stiff. That makes me uncomfortable because I cannot change that about myself.
6. In the neighborhood where I am from in Dallas, TX, there is also a very racially-driven community feel, which is sad. Racial profiling on the part of police officers is very noticeable. I.e. I was in a car wreck once and the officer was trying to help me and virtually ignored the Hispanic man.
7. Also, I have seen neighbors around me be unkind and talk down to their yardmen and other workmen that are helping them. I highly doubt they would be able to fix whatever job it is they are helping them with if it was not for them.
8. Lastly, as I was eating dinner last night, the table next to mine was having a gender and race discussion about the differences between the U.S. culture now versus in the 1960s. Although I have to agree that it has drastically improved, there is still a very long way to go before we have complete equality and racial acceptance.
The media definitely feeds racial discrimination through news stories depicting crimes committed by lower class minorities and other ways similar to that. Also, images of African American women and as “divas” and Hispanic women as “Jenny from the Block” do not help end the stereotypes. I think the majority of society has modernized itself enough to the point that the one drop rule is becoming less and less. I may have some French ancestry, but I do not walk around telling people that I am a French person.
At the end of the Tim Wise video, he discusses the importance of people having the responsibility to recognize the current situation and change our behavior toward thinking about race. Based on my level of awareness, if we teach future generations that there is no difference between people based upon their race, then the future seems promising for racial equality.

Comic Book Character Memin

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/09/mexican.comic/index.html

This was a very interesting article to read from CNN. I had never really heard of a cartoon character igniting such controversy before. As I read the article, I was able to understand the problem that people of the African American heritage would have with the appearance of the main character Memin. Additionally, I became thought of the supposed dislike between Latinos and African Americans. If a hispanic person is able to create a comic like this then they are aware enough of the backlash that could come from black people in the United States as a result. 

It is incidents such as these that prevent our country from moving ahead as one nation. Although people will always be able to recognize a difference in skin color, it does not mean that everyone needs to look at the person "inside" differently.

Obama: Reject the Politics of Division

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002690214

Personally, this article truly spoke to me. At the beginning of President Obama's campaigning, I was skeptical; however, although I did clearly know he was an African American, that is not what made me a skeptic or would have dissuaded me from voting for him or not. Although, throughout his campaigning, I began to see a side of him that you can really only see in someone running for president when their real human side begins to come out as they get even more passionate about their policies and the issues they speak so vigorously about. From his election and the positive and negative things I heard about this man, I began to see the significant differences between my parents, grandparents and I. Sure I could see the physical differences between President Obama and I, but I have never been one to look down upon anyone, not even the little pre-schoolers I teach. You would be surprised to see how uncorrupted and unbiased those young children are, as well as how much an adult could learn from a child's innocence. 

In the article I read, "Obama Urges Americans To Reject 'Politics of Division' Based on Race," I was was absolutely taken aback by the words he spoke because, to me, it seems he summed up his entire campaign's aims all in one speech. Although President looked up to Reverend Wright as a spiritual advisor and friend, he should not have been held accountable for his words. From the get-go of his campaign, President Obama was up-front when he said, "My father was a black man, and I consider myself a black man;" however, his ultimate goal as a president of this country was not to be bitter and strike back at the white generations before us, but to unite this entire country as a whole, no matter your race or ethnicity. I respect that wholeheartedly because this country does need that right now. Everyone needs to get past the racism of the past, blacks and whites alike, because until we can act as one, we are never going to be one. Just as President Obama said in this article, if we focus on one distraction, there are only going to be more that will take us further and further from our ultimate goal of unity.