The idea of whiteness can have far reaching consequences when applied to communicative behavior. Whiteness is something that flows across multiple lines including racial, class, and regional boundaries. Many people are unaware of ‘whiteness’ and of the effects that it has on everyday life. As such, whiteness is something that is difficult to objectify despite the efforts of some such as Ruth Frankenburg . Frankenburg argues that whiteness involves a set of three dimensions called normative race privilege, a standpoint from which to view society, and a set of cultural practices (Martin, 2012, p. 194). Due to the difficulty of defining whiteness, it can be useful to use a more satirical approach similar to what is presented on www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com.
The entries concerning (#47) arts degrees, (#81) graduate degrees, and (#134) TED talks are particularly relevant to this course considering their emphasis on education. These articles can certainly be related to the ‘normative race privilege’ dimension of Frankenburg’s classification. Higher education is something that could be considered a privilege of the wealthy, a class of people who are perceived to be significantly white. The online articles support this position. For example, the article on arts degrees states that, “… white people have it made… If the pay is low, no problem, their parents will happily help out with rent.” The article continues to parody the perception that whiteness indicates intelligence by stating, “But the real reason white people need these degrees is to sound smart at parties.” (Clander, 2008a). The article on TED talks extrapolates on the same point, “You see white people like the idea of getting smart quickily…” (Clander, 2010).The three aforementioned posts all deal with the perception that whites can easily acquire more knowledge and thus power, creating a race privilege.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with TED talks, I would highly recommend them. See the following example of a talk on femto-photography, a new high speed photography technique able to capture the movement of light through objects. Never heard of femto-photography? Neither had I, but at least you now have something to talk about at parties.
The arts degree post in particular accentuates the stereotype that white college students come from wealthy families are rarely earn their own way. The language of the post not only implies that white students are wealthy, but also have a tendency to pursue studies with limited potential for the future. The article even states that, “Unless [scientists of engineers] become doctors, they essentially lose white person status.” (Clander, 2008a). Overall, the concept of whiteness can be useful to help explain daily experiences, but one must be careful to avoid racially loaded conversations when discussing the topic. In addition, using a satirical context can be risky as some people may still take offense to certain jokes.
Clander. (2008a, February 01). Stuff White People Like: #47 Arts Degrees [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com.
Clander. (2008b, March 04). Stuff White People Like: #81 Graduate School [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com.
Clander. (2010, September 08). Stuff White People Like: #134 The TED Conference [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com.
Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
wow, just realized I have a week longer to complete this than I thought. That first learning unit did seem like a lot to do in one week.
ReplyDelete^^^ Well at least you got it out of the way early... Now the rest of the week you will "have so much room for activities" <<--- Step Brothers reference
ReplyDeleteI did not read the stuffwhitepeoplelike post on the arts degree. So once I saw your post about it, I went back to read the blog. That is a very interesting perspective about someone with an arts degree. I am understanding that the blog writers are trying to say that people who embark on an arts degree know that someone will be there to help out finically if it comes to that point. I know that the writers are trying to be funny using satire, but that statement seems just absolutely ridiculous to me. The writers are making the risky assumption that every single white art student comes from a family of wealth, and this is just simply not the case.
I'm curious about your take on satrical blogs like say stuffwhitepeoplesay. Did it offend you or anything? My take on it was that it was making fun of hipsters, then say white people. I believe the blog owner just declined to use the term hipster in a attempt to get more views. The jokey aspect of a topic, say race, for example does not fit the context in my opinion. Topics like sterotyoes are a serious matter to be concerned with and throwing jokes left and right makes the writer sound like he or she does not respect the fact that people out there had some serious consequences regarding racial predjuices and sterotypes.
ReplyDeleteBryce, speaking for myself, I didn't find the website offensive at all. I thought many of the entries were quite funny and contained bits of truth. But that's because I know its a joke. I can turn off my computer and go outside and not face any discrimination. I do think that the blog is racist, but I have some white privilege in knowing that the majority of people don't actually believe any of these stereotypes. I think that its interesting that a similar blog about a minority race would be condemned and certainly not part of a course like this.
ReplyDeleteBryce, since you asked, no, I wasn't personally offended by blog content. Its a satirical blog so I take it for what its worth. However, I did find it difficult to incorporate a satirical blog into a proper discussion on 'whiteness', its apples and oranges.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! You are off to a solid start with this assignment. Excellent incorporation of audio and visual material.
ReplyDeleteMoving forward, think about how you can engage more with question #3 on the blog prompt, which asks you to connect the specific application to the bigger picture regarding intercultural comm in the world around us.