“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith Ortiz
Cofer
In her essay,Judith Ortiz Cofer offers her experience as a Puerto Rican woman. She
discusses how cultural differences have singled her out as a target of stereotypes,
disapproval, and inappropriate treatment by members of mainstream society. Cofer
recognizes the voice her education has given her, and she uses it to open others up to
her culture and experiences.
As noted in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,”
stereotypes of Latin women’s sexuality stem from:
a. cultural differences.
b. biological differences.
c. gender differences.
d. racial differences.
“Health and Wealth: Our Appalling Health Inequality Reflects and Reinforces
Society’s Other Gaps,” Lawrence R. Jacobs and James A. Morone
Jacobs and Morone address the relatively low ranking of the United States relative to
other countries on issues influencing life chances, particularly those relevant to health
and longevity. They note disparities within the United States based on wealth, and
identify three causes of health woes including poverty, inequality, and the organization
of the health care system. They conclude that while other countries have followed
“three paths to good health” the United States has supported public policies that
compromise the health of most of its citizens.
According to Jacobs and Morone, the United States population “suffers more illness and
dies younger” because of which type of public policy:
a. universal health care
b. tax cuts, deregulation and unmediated markets
c. too much government
d. tax hikes that cut into profits leaving corporations unable to provide health insurance
“The Intersectional Paradigm and Alternative Visions to Stopping Domestic
Violence: What Poor women, Women of Color, and Immigrant Women Are
Teaching Us About Violence in the Family,” Natalie J. Sokoloff
Sokoloff’s work studies the problem of domestic violence from an intersectional
perspective. By doing this, she challenges the notion that gender inequality is the only
primary force driving the problem. The approach has two distinct objectives: giving
voices to battered women, as well as addressing socially structured inequalities that
feed into the problem. One of her major critiques is that the often-supported
“colorblind” approach to domestic violence (specifically in that it cuts through all races,
ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses), it prevents larger social structural problems
that feed into the problem from being recognized and addressed. As an example of this,
research shows that controlling for economics, African American women are less likely
to experience domestic violence, and that neighborhood factors (less collective
efficacy) is a more significant determining factor than race is. The tendency to approach
cases of domestic violence as part of a different cultural perspective (such as honor
killings), also minimizes the perceptions of domestic violence with persons of color.
Finally, community based programs are outlined that seek to prevent these issues
through structural change are examined.
On average, how many attempts have been found that it usually takes for a woman to
leave an abusive relationship?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7
d. 9
“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith Ortiz
Cofer
In her essay,Judith Ortiz Cofer offers her experience as a Puerto Rican woman. She
discusses how cultural differences have singled her out as a target of stereotypes,
disapproval, and inappropriate treatment by members of mainstream society. Cofer
recognizes the voice her education has given her, and she uses it to open others up to
her culture and experiences.
As noted in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith
Ortiz Cofer discusses which of the following as setting her apart?
a. appearance and clothing
b. taste in music
c. social class
d. her accent
“Inequality and the Growth of Bad Jobs”, Matt Vidal
Vidal takes a more nuanced look at the shifting inequality in America, specifically how
the job market perpetuates it. He points out that more than a quarter of employed
Americans work in a low-wage job, and that this segment of the jobs market has
increased faster in recent years when compared to other, higher paying ones.
Comparatively, low-skill jobs have decreased, meaning that more skilled jobs are
paying less money. Due to the fact that large corporate entities have focused on
outsourcing as a way to cut costs, the job market for low skilled employees is not
expanding, with increasing poverty due to a lack of a living wage.
The declining wage share in American economics is closely correlated to
a. increase in education
b. deunionization
c. further industrialization
d. technological growth
“Health and Wealth: Our Appalling Health Inequality Reflects and Reinforces
Society’s Other Gaps,” Lawrence R. Jacobs and James A. Morone
Jacobs and Morone address the relatively low ranking of the United States relative to
other countries on issues influencing life chances, particularly those relevant to health
and longevity. They note disparities within the United States based on wealth, and
identify three causes of health woes including poverty, inequality, and the organization
of the health care system. They conclude that while other countries have followed
“three paths to good health” the United States has supported public policies that
compromise the health of most of its citizens.
A male born in some sections of Washington D.C., according to Jacobs and Morone,
has a life expectancy _________________ years lower than a woman born in many
wealthy neighborhoods.
a. 40
b. 15
c. 10
d. 25
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh
Peggy McIntosh explores the invisibility of racial privilege. She argues that Whites tend
to be unaware of the privilege they have as members of the dominant group. To
illustrate this point she compares her own experiences with denied male privilege to her
own limited perception of the privilege she enjoys because she is White. In an effort to
challenge this lack of awareness, she lists forty-six examples of the invisible privilege
she experiences in her everyday life that people of color do not. She points out that
these daily benefits of being white make her life easier. For example, the ability to shop
without being followed, to count on her skin color not causing suspicion of her financial
reliability, or even the ability to find blemish cover to match her skin tone reflects her
white privilege. She argues that for Whites these occurrences are largely taken for
granted. They are expected, assumed to be the normal experiences of everyday life. For
people of color, however, they are constant reminders of the struggle involved in all
aspects of life when one’s position in society is reflected as outside of the norm.
McIntosh identifies positive and negative aspects of privilege; unearned advantage and
conferred dominance. The advantage experienced by the privileged group can be
unearned, merely as a consequence of their position, or it can be created through
dominance yielded because of their position. Both aspects challenge the notion that
one’s experience in society is based solely on one’s merit, and recognizing this
challenges the denial surrounding systems of privilege and oppression. McIntosh
contends that once the privileged can no longer deny the benefits intrinsic to their
position, they must then decide to either destroy or maintain the system from which
they benefit.
In “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to
See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies (1988),” Peggy McIntosh:
a. is more interested in developing separate institutions for Blacks than raising
the consciousness of Whites.
b. points out that Whites tend to be unaware of the privileges they have as members of
the dominant group.
c. challenges the belief that minority group members are as prejudiced as members of
the dominant group.
d. points out that White privilege no longer exists.
“From a Native Daughter,” Haunani-Kay Trask
Trask describes her experiences of growing up and learning about Hawaiian history
from two sources. Her family described the “”life of the old ones'” ” how they planted,
fished, danced and chanted. The second source, textbooks, described a very different
Hawaii ” “”Pagan Hawaiians'” could not read or write and were “”lustful cannibals.””
Trask is troubled by how native language has been suppressed by school knowledge.
She concludes that historians had never learned the language of the Hawaiian people.
Therefore, the story of Hawaii, its culture and connection to the land remains unwritten.
According to the article, the first step in the colonizing process is:
a. learning the Native language of the people
b. the deculturation of a people
c. infanticide
d. assimilation of the colonizers to the native culture
“Sex and Gender Through the Prism of Difference,” Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette
Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner
Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner present a new
framework of the study of gender. The “prism of difference” they describe broadens the
traditional view of gender by recognizing the influences of social locations other than
gender, and hierarchical systems other than patriarchy. This new perspective
encompasses the experiences of all women, not just those defined as middle class white
women, new views on men and masculinity, and the consideration of gender within a
global perspective. The authors argue that by looking at gender through a “prism,”
instead of a patchwork of other factors, such as class, race, national identity, age, etc.,
the differences and inequalities recognized among both women and men will serve to
expand our understanding of gender.
Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner argue it is
possible to make good generalizations about women and men. But these generalizations
should be drawn carefully, by always asking the question(s):
a. Why? How?
b. Which women? Which men?
c. Why not include children?
d. How important is biology in determining the differences between genders?
“Unspeakable Offenses: Untangling Race and Disability in Discourses of
Intersectionality,” Nirmala Erevelles and Andrea Minear
Erevelles and Minear argue that while intersectionality scholars focusing on the
connection between race and gender is important, that another factor; disability, should
also be considered. Disability specifically as related to education is examined, focusing
on the significantly higher rates that students of color are labeled and tracked into
“special needs” programs. They also argue that the way in which disability is often seen
as exclusively a biological, rather than social condition causes it to not receive the
consideration that it should.
Patricia Williams argues that acts of police violence against Black persons with other
marginalized identity categories is not an isolated incident, but what she calls
a. intersectional punishment
b. body murder
c. identity homicide
d. spirit murder
“A Dream Deferred: Undocumented Students at CUNY,” Carolina Bank Munoz
Carolina Bank Munoz argues that contemporary immigration policy ignores structural
conditions that force people to migrate to the United States. These policies, she argues,
seek individual solutions to structural problems, thereby unfairly denying college
education to undocumented students. Many undocumented students came here as
children with parents who obtained visas that eventually expired. Under current policies
it is difficult for these students to obtain documentation. The author advocates for
passage of the Dream Act, which would make it easier for students to obtain
documentation. Documentation would not only increase the life chances of the students,
but would also assure that this country does not lose “a generation of extraordinarily
bright and talented students…”
Currently our immigration policy is sending the message that undocumented students
who have been raised in the United States are:
a. welcome to stay and become permanent citizens
b. welcome to stay if they finish college
c. welcome to stay if they turn their undocumented parents in to authorities for
deportation.
d. disposable.
The Gendered Rice Bowl: The Sexual Politics of Service Work in Urban China”,
Amy Hanser.
Hanser examines the shifts in perception of femininity that have occurred in China
during the country’s transition from socialism to its current, more capitalistic stage. At
first she discusses the ways in which young women were portrayed as strong
(physically and mentally) and part of the agricultural labor force that would drive
socialism, and the associated egalitarianism. Now, however, the ideal of femininity is
that of the fashion model, with middle-aged women seen as a symbol of a distant and
dated past. The sexualization of women was seen via two participant observation
experiences, one at a state-owned clothing store and the other a more upscale, privately
owned business. The former had a more middle aged staff, with proficiency and
experience being the benchmarks of success. The latter, however, emphasized a
sexualized presentation from youthful sales clerks. These women, however, were seen
by the older employees as being of lower social class and having less ability as workers.
The overall conclusion was centered on how inequality was perpetrated and enforced
by these differing approaches.
Service industry work is theorized by Hanser to separate women largely based on
a. appearance
b. social class
c. education
d. wealth
“There’s No Business Like the Nail Business,” Miliann Kang
Kang takes a double pronged approach to her article, examining both why the beauty
industry, specifically related to manicures and pedicures, has shifted from something
done within the home to something performed professionally. She also examines the
prevalence of Korean women within this industry. Kang claims the expansion of the
industry is the factor of these two events coming together: women looking to reinforce
their femininity as part of an overall “commercialization of intimate life” that appeal to
emotions and bodies in a form of escapism. With the increase of immigrants, largely
female and Asian, who perform the work, the prices are kept low enough and the
availability of services have done nothing but increase the popularity of this industry.
Hochschild describes the reason more women pay for manicures rather than doing it
themselves as an example of the “__________ of intimate life”.
a. expansion
b. publicization
c. disregard
d. commercialization
“Gender Matters. So Do Race And Class: Experiences of Gendered Racism on the
Wal-Mart Shop Floor,” Sandra E. Weissinger
Sandra Weissinger examined complaints made in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
class action lawsuit to understand the specific ways that individuals who are targeted
for mistreatment experience mistreatment in raced, classed and gendered ways. She
documents the unequal treatment that women receive in comparison to men, but shows
that some women hold contradictory positions. A given woman who is targeted for her
gender may be given some privilege linked to her race, thus yielding different outcomes
for different women. She argues that discrimination based on sex alone does not explain
the variation in women’s experiences.
She concludes that discriminatory work atmospheres are maintained in multiple and
complex ways, contributing to the persistence of “a web of intersecting and relational
inequalities.”
Joking can be a subtle medium through which people of color experience belittlement
and struggles for _______________.
a. dominance
b. fair wages
c. better working conditions
d. attention
“Our Mothers’ Grief: Racial-Ethnic Women and the Maintenance of Families,”
Bonnie Thornton Dill
Bonnie Thornton Dill broadens the dominant perspective of American families through
this historical analysis of racial-ethnic women and their families. She demonstrates how
the establishment of the “modern American family” ideal and expectations of racial and
ethnic groups as sources of cheap labor created distinct familial experiences among
women of various racial-ethnic groups in early America
Dill tells us that African American, Chinese American, and Chicano women had which
of the following in common during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
a. They, like White middle class women, worked only in the private sphere of the home.
b. They all worked as migrant laborers.
c. They all had to work outside the home for wages, as well as inside the home raising
children and caring for husbands.
d. They all worked as maids and nannies in White people’s homes.
“From a Native Daughter,” Haunani-Kay Trask
Trask describes her experiences of growing up and learning about Hawaiian history
from two sources. Her family described the “”life of the old ones'” ” how they planted,
fished, danced and chanted. The second source, textbooks, described a very different
Hawaii ” “”Pagan Hawaiians'” could not read or write and were “”lustful cannibals.””
Trask is troubled by how native language has been suppressed by school knowledge.
She concludes that historians had never learned the language of the Hawaiian people.
Therefore, the story of Hawaii, its culture and connection to the land remains unwritten.
Trask would argue that historians have engaged in thinking, by judging Hawaiian
culture to the standards of their own culture.
a. feudalistic
b. civilized
c. ethnocentric
d. possessive
“Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal?” Marianne
Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan
Recognizing that all measures of economic success show racial inequalities in the
United States labor market, these authors designed and conducted a study to determine
whether perceptions of race connected with an applicant’s name might influence
whether the applicant got called for an interview. They created fictitious job applicants
and assigned names suggestive of different races to identical resumes. This article
reports their findings.
Bertrand and Mullainathan found that the gap between Whites and African-Americans
in callback rates _______________with the quality of the resume.
a. narrowed
b. stayed the same
c. widened
d. doubled
“Intersectionality in a Transnational World,” Bandana Purkayastha
Purkayastha reexamines the nature of intersectionality in an ever-growing world, one
connected by the availability of mass transit, as well as the technological connections of
the Internet. These developments are painted in both a positive and negative light. For
the positives it allows for people leaving their homelands to still retain the support of
family and religious affiliations via information that can be found online and advanced
forms of communication such as video conferencing. This can help to reduce the
negative influences of intersectionality, racism, and prejudice in their local community.
The negative side of this, however, has become the blurring of lines between foreign
and national surveillance, which puts people regardless of location under the eye of the
government and other agencies, increasing fears of persecution.
These are composed of tangible and virtual social spaces that exist both through and
beyond single nation-states
a. cyberstates
b. transnational spaces
c. virtual reality
d. virtual states
“Rape, Racism and the Law” Jennifer Wriggins
Wriggins argues that the legal system’s treatment of rape has furthered racism and has
denied the reality of women’s sexual subordination. She illustrates how the history of
rape in the U.S. has focused on the rape of White women by Black men, ignoring both
White men as rapists and Black women as victims of rape.
Many Whites accepted _______________ as an appropriate punishment for a Black
man accused of raping a White woman.
a. lynching
b. corporal punishment
c. imprisonment
d. steep fines
“There’s No Business Like the Nail Business,” Miliann Kang
Kang takes a double pronged approach to her article, examining both why the beauty
industry, specifically related to manicures and pedicures, has shifted from something
done within the home to something performed professionally. She also examines the
prevalence of Korean women within this industry. Kang claims the expansion of the
industry is the factor of these two events coming together: women looking to reinforce
their femininity as part of an overall “commercialization of intimate life” that appeal to
emotions and bodies in a form of escapism. With the increase of immigrants, largely
female and Asian, who perform the work, the prices are kept low enough and the
availability of services have done nothing but increase the popularity of this industry.
Representation of Asian success in the American beauty industry reinforces what
stereotype?
a. forever foreigner
b. model minority
c. hated minority
d. none of these choices are correct
“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith Ortiz
Cofer
In her essay,Judith Ortiz Cofer offers her experience as a Puerto Rican woman. She
discusses how cultural differences have singled her out as a target of stereotypes,
disapproval, and inappropriate treatment by members of mainstream society. Cofer
recognizes the voice her education has given her, and she uses it to open others up to
her culture and experiences.
According to Judith Ortiz Cofer in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl
Named Maria,” what has helped her in dealing with ethnic and racial prejudice?
a. economic independence
b. education, books, and art
c. a strong family network
d. a political voice
“A Dream Deferred: Undocumented Students at CUNY,” Carolina Bank Munoz
Carolina Bank Munoz argues that contemporary immigration policy ignores structural
conditions that force people to migrate to the United States. These policies, she argues,
seek individual solutions to structural problems, thereby unfairly denying college
education to undocumented students. Many undocumented students came here as
children with parents who obtained visas that eventually expired. Under current policies
it is difficult for these students to obtain documentation. The author advocates for
passage of the Dream Act, which would make it easier for students to obtain
documentation. Documentation would not only increase the life chances of the students,
but would also assure that this country does not lose “a generation of extraordinarily
bright and talented students…”
Why do undocumented high school students often drop out?
a. They see that they have no opportunities for upward mobility.
b. They want to return to their home countries.
c. Their parents want them to earn wages instead of getting an education.
d. They don”t value education as a means to upward mobility.
“Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference,” Audre Lorde
Lorde discusses the experience being marginalized in American society on multiple
levels. She discusses the role of art, and especially poetry as a means in which women
of Color have been able to historically express themselves and share the experiences of
their marginalization. The issue of the poetry and prose by women of Color and their
exclusion from college curriculums are addressed as a way in which these past
difficulties and issues are allowed to continue and repeat in our society.
Lorde also discusses the importance and need to recognize human differences to fully
understand each other, but that these differences need not lead to further
marginalization. Instead, they can be used to help develop understanding of each other,
and that these understandings can be what helps to reduce marginalization amongst
persons of different race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientations.
Lorde says that __________ is the most economical art form.
a. painting
b. photography
c. poetry
d. prose
“Representations of Latina/o Sexuality in Popular Culture,” Deborah R. Vargas
This article examines the way in which Latinos and Latinas are portrayed in popular
culture, with an emphasis on how their sexuality is exaggerated or diminished as being
“different” than that associated with the prevalent White culture. Latino men portrayed
as “Latin lovers” has been a stereotype used for much of the past century, and actors
who took on those roles found themselves unable to escape that single personality. An
emphasis on hypermasculinity to the point of parody has also been used too often.
Latinas, however, are often presented in a dichotomous way as either the virgin or
mother, or the prostitute, with little in between. The suggestion is rather
straightforward: to present Latinos and Latinas in a more realistic, diverse manner in
popular culture rather than relying on old clichs.
Latinas have been typically stereotyped by popular culture into how many categories?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5
“A Dream Deferred: Undocumented Students at CUNY,” Carolina Bank Munoz
Carolina Bank Munoz argues that contemporary immigration policy ignores structural
conditions that force people to migrate to the United States. These policies, she argues,
seek individual solutions to structural problems, thereby unfairly denying college
education to undocumented students. Many undocumented students came here as
children with parents who obtained visas that eventually expired. Under current policies
it is difficult for these students to obtain documentation. The author advocates for
passage of the Dream Act, which would make it easier for students to obtain
documentation. Documentation would not only increase the life chances of the students,
but would also assure that this country does not lose “a generation of extraordinarily
bright and talented students…”
The Dream Act would:
a. permit undocumented students to stay in school.
b. permit undocumented students to obtain school loans.
c. make it easier for some immigrant students to obtain temporary legal status and
become
eligible under certain conditions for permanent legal status.
d. punish undocumented parents for not obtaining legal status for their children.
“The Color of Justice,” Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander examines the racial disparities in our criminal justice system,
finding that
“rates and patterns of drug crime do not explain” the fact that “although the majority of
illegal drug users and dealers nationwide are White, three-fourths of all people
imprisoned for drug offenses are Black or Latino.” Alexander identifies two stages in a
structural process that results in the unjust disparities she finds in the system of
“racialized social control” that passes itself off as criminal justice.
The majority of people in prison for drug offenses are:
a. Black and Latino
b. White
c. Asian
d. women
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh
Peggy McIntosh explores the invisibility of racial privilege. She argues that Whites tend
to be unaware of the privilege they have as members of the dominant group. To
illustrate this point she compares her own experiences with denied male privilege to her
own limited perception of the privilege she enjoys because she is White. In an effort to
challenge this lack of awareness, she lists forty-six examples of the invisible privilege
she experiences in her everyday life that people of color do not. She points out that
these daily benefits of being white make her life easier. For example, the ability to shop
without being followed, to count on her skin color not causing suspicion of her financial
reliability, or even the ability to find blemish cover to match her skin tone reflects her
white privilege. She argues that for Whites these occurrences are largely taken for
granted. They are expected, assumed to be the normal experiences of everyday life. For
people of color, however, they are constant reminders of the struggle involved in all
aspects of life when one’s position in society is reflected as outside of the norm.
McIntosh identifies positive and negative aspects of privilege; unearned advantage and
conferred dominance. The advantage experienced by the privileged group can be
unearned, merely as a consequence of their position, or it can be created through
dominance yielded because of their position. Both aspects challenge the notion that
one’s experience in society is based solely on one’s merit, and recognizing this
challenges the denial surrounding systems of privilege and oppression. McIntosh
contends that once the privileged can no longer deny the benefits intrinsic to their
position, they must then decide to either destroy or maintain the system from which
they benefit.
McIntosh believes race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work. We need
to similarly examine the daily experience of having other advantages such as:
a. age, work, money or experience.
b. age, ethnicity, physical ability, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
c. age, behavior, attitude or privilege.
d. beauty, wealth and fame.
“Straight is to Gay as Family is to No Family,” Kath Weston
This essay presents a distinct dichotomy that depicts the establishment and maintenance
of family and extended kin in the gay and straight world. Weston delineates a path of
rejection, isolation and loneliness from straight families as gay persons attempt to
establish individual identities. In addressing misperceptions surrounding gay life, this
essay also introduces alternative approaches to the establishment and cultivation of
family life.
Weston believes gay, or chosen, families cannot be understood apart from the
families lesbians and gay men call:
a. biological, blood or straight.
b. friends and neighbors.
c. offspring and friends.
d. normal.
“Optional Ethnicities: For Whites Only?” Mary C. Waters
Mary Waters explores the difference in ethnic identities experienced by White and
non-White ethnic and racial groups. Waters asserts that White ethnics are able to decide
if, and what part of, their ethnic ancestry they want to claim. For White ethnics, theirs is
a symbolic ethnicity, one which is individually designed and only serves to benefit
White ethnics. Non-White groups do not have the same choice regarding their ethnic
identities because the physical distinctions of these groups denies the choice. As a
result, Waters argues, non-White ethnic group members are unable to avoid the negative
experiences associated with being a member of an ethnic/racial minority group.
Because White ethnics view their own ethnicities as voluntarily acquired and since
those aspects of their ethnicity which are not beneficial to them are ignored, White
ethnics do not recognize the involuntary nature of non-White ethnicities, nor do they
identify with the racial oppression experienced by these groups. Waters points out that
this understanding results in problematic race relations which can be seen on college
campuses around the country. Waters argues that a cultural pluralistic society can only
be achieved once the dynamics and consequences of ethnic identity are recognized by
individuals and within social institutions.
Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians do not
have the option of a _________________at present in the United States.
a. symbolic ethnicity
b. symbolic necessity
c. symbolic interaction
d. symbolic reality
“The Prison and the Closet,” Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins considers the intersecting relationship between racism and
heterosexism. She argues that the assumption that these two hegemonic ideologies
represent separate systems of oppression obscures the fact that racism and sexism rely
upon each other for meaning. Without sacrificing the acknowledgement of differences
in the way that racism and heterosexism manifest, the author shows that the two
systems converge and that both systems affect the everyday lives of all people.
Colonial regimes routinely manipulated ideas about ________________ in order to
maintain unjust power relations:
a. race
b. sexuality
c. gender
d. democracy
“Globalization and Its (Mal)econtents: The Gendered Moral and Political
Economy of Terrorism,” Michael S. Kimmel
This article by Michael S. Kimmel examines the heavily gendered nature of terrorist
groups of varying locations and ideologies. The role of globalization and its associated
egalitarianism is cited as a major motivator for American right wing extremist groups
such as White Aryan Resistance. Leaders create and spread propaganda to target
disenfranchised young males who feel their opportunities have been restricted by the
growth of immigration and women entering the workforce. According to them, this is
perpetrated both by the feminist emasculation of men, and the control of the Jews. This
emphasis on anti-Semitism and masculinity is seen in Scandinavian extremist groups as
well, with the addition of a fear of homosexuality growing to undermine masculinity.
The attention shifts to Al Qaida and the Taliban, Islamic extremists who recruit
significantly amongst young men who have dwindling career opportunities. The rigid
gender politics of the Taliban are theorized to be the result of women entering the
workforce and to counteract they use a literal interpretation of the Quran to
remasculinize men (hence the mandatory growth of beards), and the refeminization of
women (removing them from the public sphere). The so-called “mastermind” of the
9/11 hijackings, Mohammad Atta, is presented as a man who failed at attaining
employment, which was more disturbing to him next to his sisters, one of whom is a
professor and the other a doctor, and thus attracted to this fundamentalism as a way to
counteract his shortcomings.
According to Kimmel, the impact of global political and economic restructuring is
greatest on
a. men
b. women
c. men and women equally
d. children
“”Dude, You”re a Fag:” Adolescent Masculinity and the Fag Discourse,” C. J.
Pascoe
Pascoe examines the relationship of the use of the epithet “fag” amongst boys in an
American high school. Contrary to the often cited argument that the term has nothing
specifically to do with sexuality (and therefore homophobia in general), Pascoe
discusses how the use of term as a synonym for “stupid”, and as an insult for males who
are not meeting the perceptions of what sound be considered masculinity, further
perpetuates homophobia. The double standard present in the perception of gay males
(negative) and lesbians (neutral to positive) is examined, as well as the gender specific
use of the slur. The racial nature is also examined, as it was used far more often
amongst White male students compared to African Americans.
Studies of adolescents by Pascoe found that largely
a. gay males and lesbians were looked at equally negatively
b. lesbians were looked at more positively
c. lesbians were looked at more negatively
d. both were looked at equally positively
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh
Peggy McIntosh explores the invisibility of racial privilege. She argues that Whites tend
to be unaware of the privilege they have as members of the dominant group. To
illustrate this point she compares her own experiences with denied male privilege to her
own limited perception of the privilege she enjoys because she is White. In an effort to
challenge this lack of awareness, she lists forty-six examples of the invisible privilege
she experiences in her everyday life that people of color do not. She points out that
these daily benefits of being white make her life easier. For example, the ability to shop
without being followed, to count on her skin color not causing suspicion of her financial
reliability, or even the ability to find blemish cover to match her skin tone reflects her
white privilege. She argues that for Whites these occurrences are largely taken for
granted. They are expected, assumed to be the normal experiences of everyday life. For
people of color, however, they are constant reminders of the struggle involved in all
aspects of life when one’s position in society is reflected as outside of the norm.
McIntosh identifies positive and negative aspects of privilege; unearned advantage and
conferred dominance. The advantage experienced by the privileged group can be
unearned, merely as a consequence of their position, or it can be created through
dominance yielded because of their position. Both aspects challenge the notion that
one’s experience in society is based solely on one’s merit, and recognizing this
challenges the denial surrounding systems of privilege and oppression. McIntosh
contends that once the privileged can no longer deny the benefits intrinsic to their
position, they must then decide to either destroy or maintain the system from which
they benefit.
McIntosh says the word “privilege” now seems misleading. Its connotations are
too__________________to fit the conditions and behaviors that “privilege systems”
produce.
a. negative
b. positive
c. ambiguous
d. guilt inducing
“Where’s the Honor? Attitudes toward the “Fighting Sioux” Nickname and
Logo,” Dana M. Williams
Williams provides an overview of the use of Native American stereotypes as sports
mascots both at the professional and college levels. While public opinion has been
turning against these images, some exceptions have been allowed (in cases in which the
use was overwhelmingly supported by the tribes in question), but little has been done to
study the effects of these names and logos on White students. The study centers on the
University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux, a school that has a sizeable population of
the group being portrayed. Findings were consistent with previous studies that found
Native American students showed less support for the imagery than their White
counterparts did. While the study did not find that the Native American students felt the
use of the name and logo was hostile or abusive, they were also not as supportive of its
use.
Well intentioned, yet historically inaccurate portrayals of Native Americans has been
found to be/have
a. positive for self-esteem and image
b. negative for self-esteem
c. has no impact at all
d. not been studied