Feb

3

Miley Cyrus Mocks Asians–Why We Need to Start Talking About Racism to the Young

Filed Under Pop Culture, Race and Racism | 2 Comments

Apparently teen star Miley Cyrus has been caught in a photo mocking Asians. Is this another “youthful indiscretion”?

A snapshot of Cyrus, 16, best known as the star of the Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana”, and friends posing with an Asian friend and pulling their eyes sideways surfaced on the Internet this week.

The OCA, a national organization in the United States dedicated to advancing the social and political welfare of Asian Pacific Americans, called on the singer-actress to apologize.

The group said the image “falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent.”

“Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American friends,” OCA executive director George Wu in a statement issued on Monday.

Wu said the fact that an Asian friend was included in the photo “does not make it acceptable.”

Representatives for Cyrus did not immediately return calls for comment on Tuesday.

She is relatively young, so I’m a little more sympathetic to the youthful indiscretion argument, but she’s old enough to have a sense of the offensive nature of making “slant eye” gestures.

As a culture, Americans need more avenues for young people to talk openly about racism and racially insensitive behavior.  I wish we didn’t totally avoid race as a topic of discuss with the youth.  As I write this I’m trying to think how I would explain the problems with this to a 9 year old Hannah Montana fan like my step son.

Feb

2

I’m Gonna Watch This Michael Phelps Marijuana Controversy

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Media Praises and Critiques, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | 19 Comments

You know if this was a black athlete smoking marijuana, we’d get to hear how terrible he is, and how he’s no role model, blah, blah, blah.

But instead we have a white athlete and this is what we get:

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

Anyone notice a trend here?  23 year old white guys, especially ones who are presented with a middle class veneer, are always “youthful.”  Remember when George Bush was drinking and driving, even though he was in his 30s, it was a youthful indiscretion.  I’m not disputing that Phelps is young, but if this were a black athlete at 23, people would be talking about how this man needs to take responsibility and act better.

You know the drill right?

Jan

23

WTH? Malia and Sasha Dolls

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Politics, Pop Culture | 16 Comments

sasha-and-malia-dolls.jpg

Ok, what’s the deal?  The people that brought us beanie babies are now giving us Sasha and Malia dolls.  Apparently, Michelle Obama is not happy about the commercialization of her daughters.  I agree with that, and I’d like to add my own criticism. See the picture…why is it that the dolls don’t even look black?

You know what I mean?

Aug

30

The Olympics–a few thoughts on Global Inequality, Gender, Patriotism, and Multiculturalism

Filed Under Class Classism and Economic Inequality, Gender and Sexism, International Racism, Media Praises and Critiques, Original Essays and Analysis, Pop Culture, Race and Racism, Sociology, Uncategorized, Xenophobia and Immigration | 10 Comments

When I first started teaching I taught a class called “Prejudice and Discrimination,” in order to get my students to examine race, class, gender, and sexuality issues (later I added disability) I gave them an assignment where they had to watch a TV program, and analyze it from a sociological perspective. Basically, I wanted them to apply a theory from sociology to the program they chose. It was 2000, and one student did his analysis on the Olympics. He decided to use what I’ll call a functionalist multicultural perspective. In sociology, functionalism is a conservative theoretical view that argues that society is made up of interrelated and interdependent parts, which work together to create stability harmony, and order. Functionalists generally want to minimize change, and they tend to see everything having a functional purpose. The competing theory is conflict theory. Conflict theorists see a society that is driven over competition for scarce resources–in particular they see conflict stemming from the competition between society’s haves and have nots. Since conflict theory is inspired by some insights of Marxism, conflict theorists believe that social change is necessary.

In my student’s view, the Olympics were great because they brought all the people of the world together. Furthermore, everybody was competing on an equal playing field. He also felt that the spirit of the Olympic movement wiped out race, class, gender, and sexuality issues. In other words, the Olympics made all of these things moot, and nobody cared about any of these things when watching the Olympics.

Sarcastically, I asked myself–is this student watching the same Olympics as I am. I suppose when we take a functionalist view, the Olympics is a sample of stability and harmony, but I don’t see how we can watch the Olympics without noticing the haves and have nots of the world. While one can see some functionalist elements at the Olympics; you have to be deliberately obtuse to miss how Olympic competition is just as much about the social inequalities between groups.

Let’s start with gender. If you watched careful, there were a few occasions when I saw events for men labeled in a neutral way–i.e. the basketball finals– but events for women were labeled as women’s events–i.e. the women’s basketball finals. Isn’t it interesting that even though women participate in most sports at the Olympics, the men’s events are still central in most of those sports. I’ve also noticed that some countries have significantly fewer successful women athletes, and that is often related to the limited number of opportunities for women to compete in those countries. Think about those Kenyan and Ethiopian runners–it has only been recent that women in those countries have been recruited and trained to run like their male counterparts. I also couldn’t stand looking at yahoo during the Olympics where butt shots of women’s beach volleyball players were consistently in the top 10. Don’t get me wrong these women were talented, but it was obvious that their skimpy uniforms were part of the reason the networks had them in primetime.

What about Patriotism and ethnocentrism? As a very public sociologist noted in the thread last week, the US media listed the medal count as opposed to the gold medal count. China ran away with the gold medal count, but I guess it makes us look better to note that we won more over all medals. You could also see the bias in coverage. For the most part if the US wasn’t doing good in an event, then the coverage of that event was either non-existent or relegated to a sound bite. I’ve always felt that the Olympics is largely about Patriotism; it’s a way for countries to feel good about themselves and their people, a way to show strength (quite literally). In the 1936 Olympics, Hitler wanted to prove how great the “Aryan” race was, but he was upstaged by the great African American athlete Jesse Owens. This was the classic example of the political clashes that often occur at the Olympics. Don’t get me wrong, there are events that symbolize coming together in spite of our differences–this year the Georgian and Russian competitors in the Women’s air pistol certainly would be an example. But overall, the examples of countries trying to upstage each other or athletes coming to be representatives for the social and political causes of their nations are probably more numerous. The Olympics are a competition after all.

The other issue that I’m reminded of is global inequality and it’s connection to immigration. I was struck by how the US and China dominated the competition, but one thing I noticed in particular is how many top athletes representing the US were born in other countries and, in many cases, competed for those countries in the past. I noticed a former Chinese ping pong player, a former Kenyan distance runner, and a Trinidadian sprinter. Under the 1965 immigration Act, these immigrants are given the fast track to citizenship because of their special skills.1 The US obviously benefits, as do many other Western countries. These athletes are able to leave poor countries and head to wealthier ones. When we are talking about science and occupations, this is called the brain drain. Perhaps in sports it should be called the “muscle hustle.” Wealthy countries siphon off the top athletes from poor countries; moreover, many of the athletes from poor countries train, compete, and live in wealthy nations. I don’t know how many people noticed how many of the West Indian (such as Trinidadian, Jamaican, Bahamian) sprinters attend college and train in the US. I’d be curious to know how many of these athletes are able to stay in the US because of their skills.

Now I haven’t even touched on racism in this already long post, so I’ll keep it brief. Sport is often used as a way to reinforce racial stereotypes. Rather than connecting the racial make-up of an Olympic sports team to social opportunities, many try to assert biological distinctions between races, ignoring those who defy racial stereotypes and ignoring economic and social factors that result in racial differences. (Feel free to share your own examples for this one.)

What do you think? How does conflict theory play out at the Olympics? What ways do you think the Olympics represents a functionalist world view?

  1. This is also applied to scientists, artists, and people in some high demand occupational fields. [back]

Aug

15

Those Chinese Gymnasts

Filed Under International Racism, Media Praises and Critiques, Pop Culture, Sociology | 22 Comments

Anybody who follows the coverage of China in the American media should be ready to hear about some grand Chinese conspiracy. I discussed this in my top trends of 2007, and of course, the trend continues in 2008. This year’s conspiracy involves the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. It is widely rumored that many of the gymnasts are under the 16 age limit. Judging from their looks alone there is a good chance they are underage, but is being underage really that much of an advantage? I know people age out of that sport when they are young, but mental maturity is also an asset.

Furthermore, I remember it was not that long ago that the age of a prominent US gymnast was under scrutiny. Apparently, the age limit was raised after this US gymnast participated in Olympic competition. Nevertheless, all of the sniping about age limits for Chinese gymnasts seems a little ironic when the US has sent very young girls into competition as well. I suspect if we could get away with it we would bend the rules too. I really don’t think those folks complaining are terribly worried about the welfare of Chinese gymnastics teams; they are more upset that the Chinese are so good. I think there are some sour grapes in all of that whining.

Jun

3

How Much For My Baby Pics?

Filed Under Family Issues, Interracial Relationships, Media Praises and Critiques, Original Essays and Analysis, Pop Culture, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Sociology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

I know many people love baby pictures. I do anyways. From little scrunchy newborns to running toddlers, I enjoy looking at the pictures but, I find it a little offensive how obsessed this culture is with celebrity baby photos.

Not long ago, I was standing in line at the grocery store when I saw several tabloid photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The stories all surrounded the impending birth of the couple’s twins. I’ve notice some gossip shows and websites suggesting that Pitt and Jolie are going to get upwards of $10,000,000 for their babies’ pictures. How decadent can we get?

The celebrity baby photo competition is out of control. This site gives out a few of the exorbitant prices that tabloids have paid to get the first photos of various celebrity babies. Imagine how many of the world’s poor children could be fed and vaccinated for the money given to these celebrities? In fact, I would hope that, if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie really do care about the children in poor countries, they would donate that eight figure income to help children who really need food, shelter, and basic medical care.

I also have to make a personal connection because ever since I put up my last update on my pregnancy my number one search has been for “interracial new born baby pics.” Nobody has offered any money for my babies’ pictures. I think there is a gawk factor with mixed race babies and celebrity babies. People want to know about celebrity babies because they want to feel connected to stars. Plus, everyday folks can emulate the latest “baby trends,” like $750 dollar strollers or organic baby clothes. The gawk factor with mixed race babies is different. Since interracial sexuality still is surrounded by taboo and mystique, some people are curious about how mixed race kids look. This doesn’t translate into a paycheck like it does for celebrities, but it certainly translates into internet searches.

What’s fascinating about these examples is that they show how we assign value to people from the moment of birth. One’s value is directly connected to who their parents are; how much money those parents make; their nationality; their race; their popularity, and so on.

Apr

29

An Example of How I Find it Hard to Separate Race and Gender

Filed Under Pop Culture, Race and Racism, Sexuality and Heterosexism, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

Regular readers know I’m a Japanese-American woman. I’m an outspoken, stubborn but mostly peaceful person. I overlook a lot of offensive statements on the internet, but every now and then, they sneak up on me and whack me on the head.

While browsing The Onion’s AVclub blog, I ran across one of those “I Went to Japan and it’s Weird There and They Sell Weird Stuff in Vending Machines” posts. It’s neither more nor less stupid and offensive than the average. For an in-depth discussion of the kind of piece I mean, see this post, “Of ‘Wacky’ Japan and the Myth of the Other”.

I did expect better from the AVclub, which often has quite sophisticated pop culture analyses. I especially enjoy the “Box of Paperbacks” feature. The AVclub is an incredibly popular and widely read site, and it’s not known to be especially “extreme” or fratboyish.

And I knew I shouldn’t have done this. I’m kicking myself now. But I read some of the comments on that Japan travel piece. What a cesspit. The kind of mentality on display is the reason I avoided any kind of Japanese clubs through college. And yes, I know I hurt myself by doing that. But I saved myself a lot of hurt as well.

I’m reproducing the comment thread here to show what I mean. I’m starting with the p0rn description from the original article, which inspired nothing more than a “meh” from me. Below that are the truly disgusting comments. Do NOT read any further if you’re not prepared for the worst. I have not censored them other than adding some characters to try and throw off search engine results so I don’t bring a bunch of drooling losers to Rachel’s blog.

From Japan, a Brief Pop-Cultural Survey by Kyle Ryan
Speaking of Japanese p0rn, wow, is it disturbing. Although my orgy DVD liveblog and Nina Hartley interview may indicate otherwise, Im no aficionado of the p0rnographic arts. So maybe Im a little sensitive about the borderline sexual assaults I saw broadcast over the Meguros two p0rn channels. The premise of one had some dirtbag on the street coaxing ostensible amateurs to follow him to a hotel room and, you know, f*ck a stranger on camera. I had no illusion that these women were professional ringers, but it was still disconcerting.

Japanese p0rn
by Baio Wulf
All Japanese p0rn appears to be sexual assault (you know, so I’m told). The girl always appears to be in pain. It’s certainly not a consequence of those super-hung Japanese fellows, so I’m not sure what the cultural origins of those frowny f*ck-faces are. Maybe someone can shed some light on this for me?
5:07 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by AJR
I was under the impression that all Japanese p0rn was tentacle-related.
5:23 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by Baio Wulf
No, only the animated stuff is tentacle-related. Someone told me that’s because they’re not allowed to show penile insertion, so they circumvent the “no penetration” rule by having monsters penetrate women with tentacles… which is of course way, way sicker than just allowing penile penetration to be shown. Go figure.
5:31 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by AJR
Oh. Gross. But, still…kinda hot. Mostly gross, though.
5:37 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by New Skin
Why don’t you have sex with a Japanese woman.
Then you’ll get it.
Although, there does seem to be an unfortunatly large amount of rape themed p0rn in Japan.
Consequently, I’m sure if you didn’t understand English and watched your standard American p0rn, based solely on the noises the people were making you would probably think the participants were having a good time–or trying to make you believe they’re having a good time–either
5:51 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by The Magical Ghost of The Timonator
Are you implying to understand the tentacular-penetration phenomenon I must first engage in intercourse with a Japanese lady?
Dude, sometimes intercultural studies is a dirty job… but, well, you know the rest.
6:06 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by New Skin
Well I was refering to the non-animated p0rn, but if it’ll help with the tentacle thing too, then bonus.
6:13 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by AJR
Science says we must, Timonator’s Ghost. For science, I will obligingly nail a Japanese sch00lgirl.
6:15 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by String him up
Ewww…pedophile.
6:39 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by MMe
“Tentacular”? Timonator, you slay me…
8:38 PM Mon April 28, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by Seacrest… OUT!
Bein’ coaxed to f*ck a stranger on camera? That’s called “reality” or “g0nzo” p0rn, and America is sick with the stuff.
11:00 AM Tues April 29, 2008

RE: Japanese p0rn
by squilla boxer
Yes, Japan did bring us the R@pe Man series of movies although they aren’t even actual “p0rn”. Also, 90% of the actual J-p0rn I’ve seen is “censored”, because although they’re implying rape, we can’t be expected to endure the sight of un-pixilated genitalia. B*ttholes are alright, though. Weird.
12:41 PM Tues April 29, 2008

I was wondering if the author of the piece would say something.

He did. He responded to some insults about the depth of his writing style. He sarcastically called himself a racist. He’s the real victim here, after all.

This, more than anything, was the last straw. I left this comment:

White People are soooo Waaaacky
by atlasien
Interesting how the author of this article is so insulted and vociferously defends himself from commenters bored of the “Japan is waaacky” meme, but doesn’t say anything about all the commenters making jokes about raping Japanese children.
1:20 PM Tues April 29, 2008

I don’t expect my comment to have much effect. In fact, I’ve already been accused of being a “white, liberal en@ma sack”.

Maybe it will make a few people at the AVClub think. Think about incidents like the one this year where a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa was raped by a U.S. Marine. I don’t want to point my finger and say “this is funny, but that is not funny.” Given the right conditions, I’ll laugh at anything. But when Japanese girls are referred to as subhuman rape toys, and the site editors allow that to be normalized as a baseline level of humorous discourse… it’s funny like a heart attack; it’s funny like cancer.

Mar

10

The Hilary Clinton Feminists Strike Again

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Politics, Pop Culture, Race and Racism | 19 Comments

H/T to Prometheus6

Huffington Post has Roseanne Bar’s post “Bow to the Woman” up the first paragraph:

Barack Obama: Bow to the woman, and take the vice presidency. Let our country heal. You will run in eight years and be unstoppable as a visionary world leader. You must pass through this filter first though: bow to the woman.

So far this is the candidate who is leading in the most number of pledged delegates and states, but we’ve gone from him waiting his turn to taking second place? What is it with Hillary Clinton Feminists who rationalize their vote by employing racist narrative?

Mar

4

Support Vivian Stringer’s Book

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Education and Academia, Gender and Sexism, Pop Culture, Race and Racism | 1 Comment

Vivian Stringer is the head coach of the Rutger’s women’s basketball team,? so? many of you may have heard her name in the wake of Don Imus’s racist and sexist comments.? ? However,? her story and her influence as a pioneering woman extends well beyond the Imus controversy.? ? She has an amazing biography, and she is undoubtably a pioneering African American woman.? Her influence? as a role model extends well beyond her coaching background, as revealed in the press surrounding the book:

? A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championshipsa triumph hailed as Hoosiers with an all-female cast. In 1991, her husband, Billher staunchest supporter, the father of her children, and the love of her lifefell dead of a sudden heartattack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four. Through these dark times and othersincluding her bout with cancer, shared here for the first timeStringer has carried her burdens with grace. Given her history, it was no surprise that she led her team to respond to Don Imuss slurs with dignity and courage.

Standing Tall is a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love storylove for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon. It will resonate long after the last page.

Stringer releases her autobiography today and I encourage everyone to check it out.? ? It’s often that I? put up stories about the mistreatment of black women in the US,? so it is nice to have an occasion to celebrate some one who helps challenge those images of black women.

Update: Here is an interview I heard with her today.?

Feb

25

So What Happened to the Old Black?

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Politics, Pop Culture, Race and Racism | 22 Comments

(Hat Tip to dnA at Too Sense)

In yet another piece of crap in the long line of warped identity baiting black folks (especially black women) have to put up with is this short clip on SNL’s News Update by Tina Fey (you have to click on the link to see the clip)…..

Ever wonder why black folks have issues with white so-called liberal minded folks? I for one am too pissed to add anymore to what Shark Fu, Jenn, Black Amazon, Donna, Kai and many others have said in multiple ways over and over again

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