Sunday, August 31, 2014

Gossip and Gender Norms

     In their article "Gossip as Cultural Learning," Roy F. Baumeister, Liqing Zhang, and Kathleen D. Vohs write:
[i]n our view, gossip is a potentially powerful and efficient means of transmitting information about the rules, norms, and other guidelines for living in a culture. On the surface, gossip consists of stories and anecdotes about particular other people, perhaps especially ones that reflect negatively on the target. We readily concede that some of the appeal of gossip is simply learning about other people. However, we think that a second, less obvious function of gossip is to convey information about social norms and other guidelines for behavior. Indeed, one might say that gossip goes beyond educating the hearer about social norms; it also affirms them. The very act of repeating a particular story implicitly signals that the teller regards it as significant, and this significance is often elaborated further insofar as the teller comments on the behavior as proper or improper. (RF Baumeister, L Zhang, and KD Vohs 2004:113)
Indeed, we can learn a lot about ourselves through kind of gossip we invent, repeat, and circulate. We can learn so much about the values of the communities in which we belong by examining how we talk about each other and what we condemn or celebrate in those conversations about other people.

     In preparation for our next class meeting, please read the articles (see links below) from the gossip site LaineyGossip.  As you read these articles about the famous people---movie stars, pop stars---whose lives we often find ourselves reading, watching, and talking about, think about the following questions: how do we as a community gossip about women and what does that say about us?  Be ready to discuss your thoughts on Tuesday, 9/2.

LaineyGossip:
1) http://www.laineygossip.com/Chris-Brown-arrested-for-allegedly-beating-Rihanna/12399
2) http://www.laineygossip.com/Chris-Brown-sentenced-for-abusing-Rihanna-and-claims-he-is-depressed/14362?celebrityId=20333
3) http://www.laineygossip.com/Robin-Thicke-sells-out-Miley-Cyrus-on-Oprah-like-Justin-Timberlake-with-Janet-Jackson/28301
4) http://www.laineygossip.com/Miley-Cyruss-performance-at-the-VMAs-2013/27854?celebrityId=20334
5) http://www.laineygossip.com/Tina-Fey-and-Amy-Poehler-respond-to-Taylor-Swifts-Vanity-Fair-comment/26180

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Race in the Blogosphere




In our conversations about race and representation during class are part of a larger dialogue about race dynamics which many bloggers have taken up over the years.  Much like traditional and mainstream news outlets---network news via ABC, NBC, and the like; cable news channels like CNN; print news in newspapers and magazines; and radio news courtesy of public talk radios---blogs discuss and report on current events and/or pop cultural preoccupations.  However many blogs, especially those with specific themes or topics of focus, provide more in-depth exploration of a given topic and re-evaluate, question or confront certain accepted ideas.

Below are some examples of post from blogs which explore racial dynamics in the United States. For this assignment, read the following blog posts Racialicious, Ill Doctrine, and Native Appropriations.  As you read, watch the embedded videos, and explore the links (if any) from these blog posts, make sure you take notes on the following: what is the topic of the blog post?  What are these posts saying about the topic?  What do you find interesting about the blog posts and why?

Once you are done with the blog posts below, feel free to explore the content offered by these sites.

Blog articles to read:
1) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/07/07/murrietas-anger-toward-immigrants-comes-from-the-top/#more-33023
2) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/07/02/quoted-white-teenagers-offended-world-stops/
3) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/06/10/jenny-yangs-if-asians-said-the-stuff-white-people-say-a-fast-online-hit/
4) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/01/28/whiteness-hip-hop-culture-invisible-backpacks/
5) http://www.racialicious.com/2013/03/06/race-hip-hop-lgbt-equality-on-macklemores-white-straight-privilege/
6) http://www.illdoctrine.com/2014/01/moving_the_race_conversaton_fo.html
7) http://www.illdoctrine.com/2014/07/11_reasons_we_still_need_to_ta.html
8) http://nativeappropriations.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-a-hipster-headdress.html
9) http://nativeappropriations.com/2012/12/dear-defender-of-the-new-atlanta-braves-cap.html


Monday, August 11, 2014

bell hooks' "Cultural Criticism and Transformation"

In preparation for our class discussion tomorrow, please view the following videos of cultural critic and activist bell hooks speaking about the power of representation and racial dynamic in the United States.  Make sure you jot down notes as you watch, playing close attention to what her argument about the impact of representation on (mis)perceptions of people of color, specifically African Americans.  Be ready to write about and discuss these videos in class on Wednesday, August 13th.


Part One


Part Two


Part Three


Part Six




Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sally Hemings and Jefferson


Although there are no known portraits of Sally Hemings, she has been described as "light colored and 
decidedly good looking."  This is an artist's rendering of how Hemings may have looked


Follow the link below for a brief history on Sally Hemings, the slave with whom Thomas Jefferson had at least six children in a relationship that lasted for more than 30 years.  Watch the video, take notes and be prepared to discuss if and how both Sally Hemings and the excerpt from the Notes on the State of Virginia have changed your perception of Jefferson, a ubiquitous figure in American history.

Link: Sally Hemings biography


For additional consideration: Sally Hemings in Pop Culture
Do you watch ABC's "Scandal?  In this Shonda Rhimes show, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), trapped in a tumultuous affair with Pres. Grant (Tony Goldwyn), compares herself to Sally Hemings.  Watch the video and think about how this dynamic between a fictional president and his mistress would differs from the dynamic between Jefferson and Hemings.