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“Sustainable Food and Privilege: Why is Green Always White (and Male and

Upper Class)” Janani Balasubramanian

Food justice, Janani Balasubramanian argues, is fundamentally a race and class issue,

and food activists are not speaking about it as such. The emphasis on local food

economy fails to recognize the importance of United States support of agriculture in

other parts of the world. Activists of color who do admirable work in their communities

are often ignored by White activist writers and film makers. Thus we do not hear the

“variety of voices’ that needs to be heard if universal food reform is to be achieved.

Balasubramania charges that the voices of people of color, like ______________ who

do brilliant food justice work in their communities are seldom heard.

a. Bryant Terry and Winona La Duke

b. Joel Salatin and Alice Waters

c. Eric Schlosser and Peter Singer

d. Alice Waters and Michael Pollan

“Media Magic: Making Class Invisible,” Gregory Mantsios

Gregory Mantsios examines the way media misrepresents social class by creating an

illusion of an egalitarian society and thereby hiding social and economic inequalities.

Mantsios argues that the media creates a false sense of universal membership in the

middle class. He claims that the working and middle classes come to fear and hold the

poor responsible for their hardships while remaining blind to the damage the upper

class inflicts on society.

According to Gregory Mantsios in “Media Magic: Making Class Invisible,” blaming

the poor for their situation ignores:

a. the systemic nature of poverty and the economic and political policies which create

an imbalance in wealth.

b. the culture of poverty

c. the individual characteristics responsible for poverty.

d. human nature.

“Is This A White Country, or What?” Lillian Rubin

Lillian Rubin demonstrates the links between economic competition, racial prejudice,

and the anti-immigration sentiments expressed by working class whites. Rubin points

out that while there is a long history of racial hostility toward immigrant groups in

America, the limited employment opportunities and the darker skin tones of recent

immigrants have intensified these hostilities. Racism and nativism, according to Rubin,

is apparent in Whites’ views of recent immigrants and people of color. The visibility of

and the demands for recognition expressed by these groups are seen as threats to whites’

economic livelihood and their understanding of America. Rubin’s interviews with

working class Whites illustrate this point, as well as two contradictions evident in

Whites’ attitudes toward immigrants and people of color: Whites resent the unity of

these groups, yet they exclude them from dominant society. Whites criticize members

of these groups for their perceived failures as well as their successes. Rubin asserts that

Whites have begun to reclaim their ethnic heritage as a way to secure what they see as

their hard earned position of privilege in American society.

According to “Is This A White Country, or What?” the visibility of immigrant

groups and people of color has:

a. been well-received by most Whites.

b. led Whites to consider their own racial identity.

c. meant an end to racism in the U.S.

d. created unity of all races in the struggle against racism.

“Seeing Privilege Where It Isn”t: Marginalized Masculinities and the

Intersectionality of Privilege”, Bethany M. Coston and Michael Kimmel

Coston and Kimmel take a different approach to studying intersectionality and

privilege, in this case the way in which a class with privilege (males) intersects with

one without (disabled, gay, and working class). They theorize that the reason for this

intersectional marginalization is that all three classes remove some element of

masculinity: physical prowess for the disabled, the dominant role in sexuality for gay

men, and expendability in the case of working class men. The primary focus becomes

that privilege too is not a dichotomous, black and white issue, but also one subject to

intersectionality.

A way in which working class males are marginalized is the fact that society sees them

a. not masculine enough

b. expendable

c. they are not marginalized

d. not hard workers

“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.

In the early part of the 20th century, the term Latin was associated with

a. Latin Americans

b. Italians, Spaniards, and Latin Americans

c. Italians

d. Caribbean populations

“Race as Class,” Herbert J. Gans

Noting that most biologists argue that scientifically there can be no human “races’ and

that sociologists argue that concepts of race are socially constructed, Gans links the

persistent lay definition of “race” to the hierarchy of social class in the U.S. The laity,

he claims, notice variations in select physical characteristics and “see” these variations

as markers of individual races. The lay public then uses their definitions of race to place

individuals in hierarchal categories that correspond to social class locations. Gans

further claims that many immigrant groups were “blanched” or “whitened” in the lay

imagination once those groups experienced upward mobility. This was not the case, he

says for African Americans. While the reasons for this exception are a “mystery” to

Gans, he expects it to persist unless class hierarchies finally disappear “in some utopian

future.”

When descendants of European immigrants began to move up economically and

socially their skin color:

a. darkened

b. lightened

c. appeared lighter to “whites’

d. Was overlooked by “whites’

“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 ideological resource utilized by political extremist and racist

organizations is

a. masculinity

b. femininity

c. socialism

d. intersectionality

“Gender Norms in the TwilightSeries,” Rebecca Hayes-Smith

Hayes-Smith examines the popular young adult book (and film) series about vampires

and werewolves, pointing out some major concerns with regard to the way in which

gender and race are portrayed. The main character, Bella, is portrayed as a weak,

passive woman who experiences conflict with other women and is portrayed as a

caretaker to her family. The male characters, Edward and Jacob, also stick to the

predominant male gender traits of violence, aggression, and treating women like

property; a “prize” to be won. More subtle is the portrayal of race and class: Jacob, the

werewolf, is Native American, of lower socioeconomic status, and is often insulted with

otherwise racialized insults.

A subtle message Rebecca Hayes-Smith takes from the Twilight series is that violence is

not objectionable when people__________

a. are angry with one another

b. are helping others

c. are in love

d. are defending their own honor

“Are Asian Americans Becoming “White”?” Min Zhou

Zhou discusses the way that, officially and unofficially, Asian Americans are more and

more often being combined with Whites as having similar experiences. Unofficially

they are considered the “model minority”, with some achieving successes consistent

with the American Dream, and officially the fact that the two groups are combined

when it comes to equal opportunity programs. Zhou first criticizes this for the fact that

Asian American is a designation that includes people from a multitude of different

countries of origin, each having different experiences both in the past and during their

time in the United States. The “model minority” label is seen as being problematic for

reinforcing the stereotype that racism no longer exists: that any other racial or ethnic

group should be able to achieve the same. It also ignores the fact that different Asian

American groups have achieved different levels of assimilation and social class

standing, and are not a heterogeneous group that can be described with a singular label.

Zhou describes that most Asian Americans are not seeing to become “White”, but see

that as the standard norm for American society, and their own identity is more

nationalistic (American) than racial. However, the perspective that Asian Americans

would be able to achieve “Whiteness” would also minimize and ignore the impact of

anti-Asian discrimination and racism that is still present in American society.

A study by David Lopez found that in Los Angeles, about ______ of second generation

Asian Americans speak only English at home?

a. 10 Percent

b. 30 Percent

c. 45 Percent

d. 75 Percent

“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.

Research shows that Black women are _________ than White women to be battered

when controlling for income and marital status.

a. less

b. more

c. significantly more

d. about the same

“The Invention of Heterosexuality,” Jonathan Ned Katz

The author documents the history and invention of the term heterosexuality as a means

of categorizing sexual relationships. The author emphasizes how sexuality has been

closely linked to structural power and the means of production within a society

throughout history. He argues that an ahistorical approach to studying sexuality

continues to privilege “normal” and “natural” sexual expression.

Katz refers to the time period when the heterosexual norm went almost unchallenged

as:

a. the cult of domesticity

b. heterosexual hegemony

c. hetero/homo duo

d. heterosexual mystique

“Color-Blind Privilege: The Social and Political Functions of Erasing the

Color Line in Post Race America,” Charles A. Gallagher

Gallagher argues that a new form of racist thinking, an ideology called color-blind

racism, has become dominant among whites in America. Media and popular culture

have created an illusion of equality by reducing race to cultural symbols that are

marketed to everyone. Symbols of racial equality are embodied in the images of

successful personalities in politics and sports, as well as in commodities as diverse as

music, clothing, condiments, and cars. This focus on race as merely symbolic allows a

majority of whites to believe that racial harmony prevails, institutional racism has been

eliminated, and race no longer shapes life chances. This myth buttresses the deeply held

belief that America is a meritocracy and that therefore any advantages that whites have

now relative to racial minorities are earned advantages, achieved through individual

effort. White privilege is thus rendered invisible, and support for programs that address

problems caused by institutional racism is undermined.

Gallagher believes that ____ is responsible for racial inequality today:

a. cultural diversity

b. class consciousness

c. institutional racism

d. laziness on the part of individuals

“Interpreting and Experiencing Anti-Queer Violence: Race, Class and gender

Differences Among LGBT Hate Crime Victims,” Doug Meyer

Doug Meyer uses an intersectional approach and a qualitative methodology to explore

how victims of violence in the LBGT community experience victimization differently

according to race, class gender and sexuality. Meyer finds that multiple intersecting

oppressed statuses make the identification of hate crime more complicated for all but

middle and upper class White gay men. Those statutes may then serve primarily the

interests of those White men, not the interests of lesbian and bisexual women, and

particularly not LGBT people of color.

White gay men almost always determined that interracial violence was based on their:

a. race

b. sexuality

c. gender

d. class

“Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and their Social Worlds,”

Erica Chito Childs

Erica Chito Childs examines the experiences and challenges that Black/White couples

face within their families and communities. Although interracial relationships and

marriages are often viewed as a sign of improving race relations, she argues that these

relationships are often met with opposition from both White and Black communities.

She examines the discourse that families use when discussing their feelings and beliefs

about interracial relationships. She finds, for example, that White families often pose

their opposition to Black/White marriage in non-racial terms and stress that they are

“concerned” for how difficult society would make life for the child who is involved

interracially. In contrast to White families, Black families emphasize the importance of

“marrying Black” to their children and explicitly identify race as an issue. Her

conclusion is that because interracial couples exist in, what she terms, a “borderland”

between Black and White, her examination of interracial couples offers much to our

understanding contemporary race relations. The beliefs expressed by the both the Black

and White families illustrate the centrality of race in constructing families and identities

and, particularly, the social construction of race.

Unlike White communities, Black college students and Black community respondents:

a. expressed “concern” for the family member involved in an interracial relationship

b. discussed other families that they knew rather than their own views

c. explicitly identified race as an issue and stressed the importance of marrying Black

d. all of these answers are correct.

“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.

The willingness of customers to regularly invest in nail and beauty services is highest in

a. Large urban areas

b. Rural areas

c. Suburban areas

d. There is no difference by area

_______________ are the most economically disadvantaged group in all of Chicago:

a. Mexicans

b. Blacks

c. Puerto Ricans

d. Cubans

“How a Scholarship Girl Becomes a Soldier: The Militarization of Latina/o Youth

in Chicago Public Schools,” Gina Perez

Gina Perez explores the complicated relationship between young Latina/o students in

Chicago and the U.S. military. Perez argues that in addition to limited economic

opportunities, gendered understandings of autonomy, family obligations, honor and

respectability influence, how young people respond to the increasingly militarized

educational context.

Between the years 2001 and 2004 the Pentagon Budget for JROTC programs was

expected to

increase by more than:

a. $110 million

b. $2 million

c. $50 million

d. $200 thousand

“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 argues the characterization of lesbians and gay men as non-reproductive beings

links their supposed attacks on the family to:

a. attacks on everyday citizenry.

b. attacks on society in the broadest sense.

c. attacks on heterosexuals.

d. jealousy of heterosexuals

“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.

Ignoring the heterosexism that underpins Black patriarchy hinders the development of:

a. conservative political campaigns

b. progressive political parties

c. a progressive Black sexual politics

d. patriarchy itself.

“Exploring the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Class on Maternity Leave

Decisions: Implications for Public Policy,” Tiffany Manuel and Ruth Enid

Zambrana

Manuel and Zambrana examine the accessibility of maternity leave in the United States.

They point out the fact that of most similar industrialized nations have significantly

more security regarding maternity leave, wage replacement, and even paternity leave.

Major federal legislation, including the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Act, and

Pregnancy Discrimination act are outlined. Greater focus is placed on the Family

Medical Leave Act of 1993, which mandates that large employers must provide eligible

employees 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected maternity leave (or other health related

needs). Turning their focus to low-income mothers, it was found that they took shorter

periods of maternity leave than other groups. Race, ethnicity, and social class are found

to be heavily related to amount of maternity leave taken, and that flexible leave benefits

are best, as they can be better shaped to fit a heterogeneous population.

What requires that eligible employees receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid protected leave

to care for children?

a. Equal Pay Act (1963)

b. Civil Rights Act (1964)

c. Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978)

d. Family and Medical Leave Act (1993)

“A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki

Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores

multicultural America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and

cultural influence of the Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on

American culture is largely unrecognized. The contributions of racial and ethnic groups

must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true essence of American identity.

Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been

pitted against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their

influences and contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that

recognizing the value of their experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of

our common history and the tensions and struggles evident among racial and ethnic

groups today.

According to Takaki, the encounters between Indians and Whites:

a. illustrates the pluralism evident in American society.

b. reflects the complete assimilation achieved by racial and ethnic groups in

U.S. society.

c. shaped the course of race relations in America.

d. were mostly peaceful.

“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.

One of the factors Bertrand and Mullainathan tested for to learn its effect on callback

rates was:

a. level of education

b. state of residence

c. resume quality

d. number of previous jobs held by applicants

“Racism in Toyland,” Christine Williams

Williams examines the social organization of shopping and uncovers labor, advertising

and other practices that perpetuate racial (as well as gender and class) injustice and

inequality. She identifies problems in retail policies such as selective advertising;

opposition to public bus service to malls; job segregation; and racial profiling by clerks

and security guards. Williams views the raising of awareness as a first step in creating a

better alternative.

Williams argues that racial inequality influences:

a. where we choose to shop, what we buy and how we shop

b. where we choose to shop but not what we buy

c. what we buy but not where she shop

d. who shops but not where we shop or what we buy

“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 acknowledges that running through a matrix of White privilege were a pattern

of __________________ that were passed on to her as a White person.

a. assumptions

b. attitudes

c. behaviors

d. actions

“Closing the Wealth Gap: A Review of Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in

Homeownership,” Meghan Kuebler

The American Dream of wealth has been historically closely linked to the ability to own

a home. Kuebler discusses how owning a home (and yard or associated property) has

long been the symbol of achieving the American Dream in society and as a symbol of

success. The benefits, including investment in tangible wealth, text breaks, and a chance

for assimilation for minorities have been touted for a number of years. The reality is,

however, that minorities have had fewer opportunities to become homeowners. The

effect of “White flight” on what property is owned by Blacks has a detrimental effect on

homeownership, receiving less of the benefits that Whites receive. Hispanic

homeownership differs from group to group, but is still subject to discrimination as far

as ability to receive mortgages, and thus their level of home ownership is low. Asian

Americans have higher rates of homeownership than other ethnic and racial groups

(though still less than Whites), but up to 20 percent of them reported suffering from

discrimination when attempting to purchase a home.

As of 2010, which of the following groups had the lowest level of homeownership in

the US?

a. Whites

b. Blacks

c. Hispanics

d. Asians

“Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized?” Joan Acker

Capitalism has been dominated by white males and built by a subordinated gender and

race segregated labor force. It has been buttressed by a largely unpaid force of

caregivers who are primarily female. These gender and race divisions of labor still exist

and are global in scope. Furthermore, capitalist endeavors are gendered in that

hegemonic masculinities define dominant values in the norms of corporate conduct.

Aggressiveness, decisiveness, competition, a focus on winning and defeating the

enemy, and taking of territory from others are characteristics of:

a. successful CEOs.

b. successful capitalist organizations.

c. hegemonic masculinities.

d. all of these answers are correct.

“Must-See TV: South Asian Characterizations in American Popular Media,”

Bhoomi K. Thakore

Thankore examines the changing role South Asian and Indians have had in American

popular culture, and the rather rapid increase in TV characters of this background. The

surprise popularity of Slumdog Millionaire is cited as a possible reason for this, as well

as the ability for Indian characters to act as a token minority in place of Arab and

Muslim characters in a post-9/11 society. Along with this though has been a

racialization of South Asians and the associated stereotyping in society. Thakore

examines the evolution of Indian characters, from dangerous savages in India to cab

drivers and convenience store owners in urban areas, and increasingly as high achieving

students. The stereotype of the low-earning service employee is one not consistent with

the academic and economic achievements of Indians and South Asians, while the more

modern presence as scientists and doctors is more realistic.

According to Thakore, South Asian and Indian characters began appearing as minor or

not speaking characters in American TV and media?

a. 1960s

b. 1970s

c. 1980s

d. 1990s

“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.

What is responsible for the “prison boom” according to Alexander?

a. convictions for violent crime

b. convictions for theft

c. convictions for drug offences

d. convictions for failure to pay child support

“Label Us Angry” Jeremiah Torres

Torres is still angry, years after an incident that he describes as “the most painful and

shocking event” of his life. Growing up in Palo Alto California, he and his friend Carlos

had not experienced overt racism until they had a confrontation with a speeding driver

who cut them off as they were leaving their high school parking lot. The events that

followed ” from the meanness of the people in the other car to the reactions of police

officers and the different ways in which the author and his friend handled their anger ”

illustrate some dramatic consequences of racist assumptions and racist labeling.

According to the author, what made the incident at the traffic light racist?

a. the angry gestures of the white passenger

b. the fact that the author and his friends were Filipino

c. the use of mace

d. the particular labels the white men used to describe Carlos and his friend