Tag: racism

SOC605 – Comedy, Humor, and ‘The Souls of White Jokes’ (Guest Edition)

Abstract

What is “humor” and what is “comedy”? Do these terms mean the same thing? Today we answer these questions with the help of Dr. Raul Perez, author of ‘The Souls of White Jokes’ and scholar of what exactly “funny” is and “funny” does. Tune in to learn about the purposes that humor serves in society, stretching back to feudal times to the current Cancel Culture era. And don’t forget to grab a copy of his book!

Keywords

Humor, comedy, race, racism, discrimination, historical

Sources

SOC419 – A Better Life: Higher Education and Anti-Black Racism (Guest Edition)

Abstract

The pursuit of a college education is often seen as a surefire path to a better life and social mobility. Yet for black families the story is not so straightforward. When selecting a college, black families utilize a number of strategies such as self-censorship while contending with how minority scholarships or enrollment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are perceived. We sit with Dr. Deborwah Faulk, a race scholar, to learn more about the impact of anti-black racism on college selection for black families.

Keywords
College selection, Black culture, Racism and Anti-Racism, Higher Education

Follow Deborwah!

  1. Black Privilege: Modern Middle-Class Blacks with Credentials and Cash to Spend (Cassi Pittman Claytor)
  2. Mothering While Black: Boundaries and Burdens of Middle-Class Parenthood (Dawn Marie Dow)
  3. The Souls of Black Folk (W.E.B. Du Bois)
  4. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Patricia Hill Collins)
  5. Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism and other works by Derrick Bell
  6. Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America (Eduardo Bonilla-Silva)
  7. The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students (Anthony Abraham Jack)
  8. A Black couple’s home value skyrocketed after a white woman pretended to be the homeowner during an appraisal

Breakaway Episode 10 – Inequality at Bon Appétit

Abstract

Penn and Ellen are avid fans of Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel. ‘Gourmet Makes,’ ‘Back to Back Chef,’ ‘It’s Alive with Brad’, and that one where Chris recreates dishes blind-folded– WE LOVE THEM ALL. But at the start of June, it was revealed that there is shocking inequality in Bon Appetit: white chefs appearing in videos were being paid for their time, while chefs of color were not, and leadership was engaging in other racist practices. So, we had to get together for a breakaway and talk about this drama, and how the culinary industry is rife with inequality. Tune in here!

Keywords

Bon Appetit, chefs, cooking, culinary, food, food media, inequality, media, racism, YouTube

Sources

#BlackLivesMatter Miniseries 3: Defunding the Police

ABSTRACT

We’re continuing our #BlackLivesMatter miniseries and exploring what it means when people demand that we defund the police. Annually the U.S. spends around $115 billion on police departments– an amount that has tripled over the past 40 years. So supporters of #BLM are calling for divestment from police as one way to combat police violence and aggression. What does defunding look like? How would it happen? And wait, wait, wait, with less police won’t crime go up?! Tune in here to learn more.

Keywords

#BlackLivesMatter, social movements, race, racism, police brutality, police violence

Sources

#BlackLivesMatter Miniseries 2: Vive la Resistance!

Note: This is a re-release of an old episode we did back in November 2017. While we were not discussing resistance and social movements in the context of George Floyd’s murder and the #BlackLivesMatter protests, we still believe the content is relevant today.

Abstract

Resist! It’s such a buzzword with deep historical roots, but what exactly is resistance? What does it mean to resist and to struggle? How can we resist? What are some strategies or ways to resist? Many social issues are now at the forefront of the global conversation, especially with Trump’s presidency, from racism to sexual harassment, to basic human decency. Resistance is a difficult and long-drawn out process – it’s not for us, it’s for our children. It’s not for today, but for tomorrow. Change can’t happen without resistance, so join us this week to learn more!

Keywords

Sociology, resistance, social movements, social change, protest

Resources

  1. Maria Hynes (2013) “Reconceptualizing Resistance: Sociology and the Affective Dimension of Resistance” 
  2. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (Angela Davis 2016)
  3. “#MeToo: Social media flooded with personal stories of assault” (CNN) 
  4. “How to Make Fun of Nazis” (New York Times) 
  5. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare) (Chenoweth & Stephan 2012)
  6. Peter Norman, the Australian Olympic athlete. “The third man: The forgotten Black Power hero” (CNN) 
  7. “Colin Kaepernick, Who Began Anthem Kneeling, Files Complaint Against N.F.L.” (New York Times)
  8. Compassion Fatigue (Psychology Today) 
  9. Matt Buck playing the sousaphone alongside a KKK rally. 
  10. Ellen’s Spotify playlist to blast when you’re resisting a protest (a.k.a. counter-protesting).
  11. Electronic Frontier Foundation 
  12. Planned Parenthood 
  13. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 
  14. “In Search Of The Red Cross’ $500 Million In Haiti Relief” (NPR)
  15. Breast Cancer Awareness month is in October (that’s when we recorded the episode, even though the episode was released in November!) 
  16. Check out some of these websites to make sure your charity is legitimate and effective!
  17. Dapper dogs in bow ties – can you resist this?? 

#BlackLivesMatter Miniseries 1: What is #BLM?

Abstract

The #BlackLivesMatter social movement has been gaining momentum after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25, and protests have been seen around the world and in every state in the U.S. We here at the Social Breakdown have been trying to figure out how we can do our part in the movement, and this miniseries is one of the results. So, the first episode of our #BlackLivesMatter miniseries is about the BLM movement itself. Who created it? How is it organized? What is BLM calling for? And why should you not say, “But, but, don’t All Lives Matter??” Tune in here to learn more.

Transcript

You can find the transcript for his episode here. Big ups to Sam Yuan for helping transcribe this one for us!!

Keywords

#blacklivesmatter, social movements, protest, police, race, racism

Sources

SOC306 – Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination (pt. 2): “I don’t see color”

Abstract

Andddd we’re back with part two of our series on stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination! In this episode we take a close look at institutional discrimination. First, we explore the sociological concept of the ‘institution’. Next, we look at how discrimination can plague an institution, and why it is that sometimes we don’t even know that we’re participants in this type of biased behavior. We end the episode with some ways that we faulty human beings can reduce and prevent discrimination. Tune in here to learn more, and don’t forget to subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts!

Keywords

Prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes, racism, institutions

Sources

  • During quick breaks, Omar was asked about Grammarly. FYI we’re not sponsored by them (or anyone for that matter).

SOC116-Constructing Race and Black History Month

Abstract

February is Black History Month (BHM), which means… we gotta talk about it! This week we dig into the history behind BHM, talk about the founder of the holiday (the fascinating Dr. Carter Woodson), and tackle the many critiques and debates surrounding the month. Like, why the heck is BHM on the shortest month of the year?! Why do we usually only celebrate a select few Black figures this month? Is BHM a productive event? Oh also, did you know that race is a social construct? That’s right! Join in to hear the conversation and let us know what you think!

Episode Corrections: 

Omar: I meant to say melanin and NOT melatonin when discussing the social construction of race.

Omar: Barrack Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, was an American anthropologist. She is not from Germany. In fact, she lived in Hawaii and studied at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Though I said “I think,” I was wrong. [We all should have known that!]

Keywords 

race, racism, black history month, social construction

Resources 

  1. What is a “Social Construct”?
    1. An idea or concept that is created and accepted by members of a society. These are ideas that are not “natural” or universal across all cultures and societies.
  2. “11 Things That Are Social Constructs” (2016),  Jane Paolantonio
  3. “What We Mean When We Say ‘Race Is a Social Construct’”, in The Atlantic by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2013)
  4. Article from King and Brown (2014) “Once a Year to be Black”
  5. Article from The Atlantic by Melinda Anderson (2016), “Black History Month in Schools– Retire or Reboot?”
  6. Biography of Carter Woodson, the “Father of Black History”
  7. NPR report on Marian Andersen, “Denied A Stage, She Sang For A Nation” (2014)
  8. Biography of bad-ass Bessie Coleman
  9. Biography and work of poet Audre Lorde