An interesting example of how masculinity and femininity are found in taking selfies. Men look down at the camera (signaling dominance) while women look up to appeal to men. There's a brief discussion of online dating data as well. A downfall of this video is the interpretation based in evolutionary theory, rather than sociology.
I've been looking for a way to incorporate America's Test Kitchen into my classes and believe their equipment reviews are an excellent example of competing sources of knowledge.
From my own experience, every cutting board I've ever owned cracked and warped. Although I must admit I bought these cheap, experience would tell me to purchase the thickest, heaviest board available. My intuition tells me a different truth. If I was interested in purchasing a new cutting board, I would be attracted to the most vibrant colors and the sexiest design. Intuition also tells me that the most expensive board would be the best board. Tradition tells me a different truth as well. I can vaguely remember the cutting board my parent's owned and if I wanted traditional advice, I can call my parents and ask for their suggestion as to the best board. But a scientific approach to "the best cutting board" reveals a different truth than these former sources of knowledge. Gadget Guru Lisa McManus shows us her sample, method, and results from testing a variety of cutting boards, and the winner of this evidence-based approach differs from what my experience, intuition, and tradition would tell me. The best cutting board isn't the heaviest, sexiest, or most expensive, and the video above proves this with empirical data and methodological transparency. Another video that works with these 4 competing sources of truth is their review of collanders.
With the start of the semester approaching in a national climate of civil unrest, many students may be keen to the recent events in Charlottesville and eager to learn more. This is a powerful (and potentially triggering) video where an embedded reporter gives us a captivating look at what happened-- the neo-nazi/KKK/alt-right provocateurs clashing with the counter protesters, the "accident" leading to the death of an ally, the heart wrenching aftermath, and the continued arrogance from the white supremacists who speak openly about their desire for genocide. The video provides no narration but proceeds in an organically engaging manner. It'll certainly spark a discussion and clarify how one side started the violence. Despite what our president claims, there were no nice guys among the white nationalists. Kudos to Elle Reeve (@elspethreeve) for an outstanding job capturing the event.
Capitalism has a peculiar way of stripping meaning from cultural arts. Here we see a rationalized process to produce musical icons where the music is the least important thing. It's almost genius-- if you can build up enough buzz around a "product" by appealing to popular trends (i.e., tennis, genderless) then you're likely to make a profit from merchandising and the initial hype.
Max Weber would lose it if he saw this. The dream of becoming a popstar is now disenchanted and the popstars themselves are now trapped in the iron cage.
I became so mad after I saw this news segment on the whitewashing of sculptures. I never knew these iconographic works of art were originally painted and I now feel duped by the numerous museums where these statues are preserved. If they were intended by their creators to be colorful, then they should be presented as such. This revealing clip speaks to the concepts of colorism, whitewashing, imagined communities, and the white racial frame (among others). I bet students may find this to be an awakening moment too. I certainly did!
It's a shame Americans don't know about Charlie Brooker aside from his Black Mirror series on Netflix. But this sociological critique of aspirational imagery in the media is brilliant, hilarious, and is certainly understandable to an American audience. This episode brings up concepts such as social class, status symbols, conspicuous consumption, and focuses on how the false consciousness a la media creates misery in our lives. Television socializes us to become obsessed with the perverted rat race of opulence, celebrity, and unrealistic standards of beauty. We now aspire to a way of life manufactured by the media and have seemingly forgotten how fabricated such an ideal is.
Big shout out to Vox @Voxdotcom for explicitly incorporating a major sociological concept, cultural capital, into their video on fans of “trash cinema”. It’s a good example of subcultures and while there is lots of subjectivity here, the idea of having a good taste in bad taste should make for an interesting discussion. I wonder what John Waters would think…
A hypothesis must be able to be proven wrong in order to be suitable for logical and scientific inquiry. Conspiracy theorists tend to advance non-falsifiable arguments resulting in no amount of evidence being able to sway their (often ridiculous) stance. In the words of Shaquille O'Neal, "I drove from coast to coast and that shit looked flat to me”.
What do we consider to be "cute" in the United States? How do other societies define cuteness? Say hello to Gudetama, an adorably exhausted egg yolk and an interesting example of cultural associations of cuteness (with a nice bit on historical context as well).
From Vox: "When you think about the cuteness culture in Japan, the word “kawaii” comes to mind. The word, which signals more of a childlike sense of cute, came about in the 70s and it’s been used globally ever since. And Sanrio, the company that created Hello Kitty, has built an empire around the “kawaii” culture. Cuteness is a reaction. In Japan, the kawaii culture and concept is often linked to the country’s post-WWII years. The idea is that, because of its trauma and defeat, the country leaned into its vulnerability. Decades later— Sanrio’s new face of kawaii is an egg yolk with depression, questioning life".
A timeless example of impression management, the managed self, and front-stage/back-stage behavior. My favorite part of this tantrum is 1:18 when he momentarily snaps back into a composed impression. In 5, 4, 3, ...
Using the Contact Hypothesis where a system of domination and subordination is established when 2 unequal groups first meet, should we really be actively seeking out extraterrestrials? And who should be making that decision for our entire planet? What repercussions could this have on our society? How does this square with the democratic ideal of the collective prosperity of the people? While these questions may be rather absurd in an empirical sense, they get at something about the operation of society that is applicable to a wide array of other topics including technology, civilization, and power.
A hilarious satire on the recent Pepsi advertisement which appropriated social movements. It is important to remember the terrible violence and unrest protesters often face that is notably absent from the ad.
We need to be more critical of the media in this new post-truth era, especially since they have played a large role in bringing about the current quixotic news environment. This video from Vox's sex symbol Carlos Maza raises an insightful and thought-provoking challenge to the media which involves reformulating how cable news disseminates government "facts" (or propoganda).
Yes, there is such a thing as a "smart" gun, a gun that only the owner can fire, though it is not without a great deal of controversy. Some people fear technological failures, others fear government interference of their Second Amendment right, yet the fear of losing individual control of the firearm seems to pervade everyone. This 43-minute documentary explores the debate around these guns and reveals to us the social dynamics at play.
A short and sweet video on the absurdities of gender role policing as kids versus adults. This may be good to pair with discussions of gendered objects, gender role socialization, and masculinity/femininity in general.
From PBS Newshour: "Groups in Denmark and the U.S. are choosing to live in intentionally intergenerational communities, which emerged to strengthen social ties between aging seniors and their younger counterparts who are balancing work and family. People living in them say the model fosters an interdependent environment and helps everyone feel more comfortable with the process of getting older". See the full transcript of the video here.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to measure speaking time on screen between male and female characters. Results indicate that men get significantly more lines than women. For example, if looking at just the 2016 Oscar-nominated films, men speak 73% of the time and women 27%. This is similar to the Bechdel-Wallace Test to measure gender bias, which asks three questions: (1) Does the film contain at least two named female characters (2) who talk to each other (3) about something other than a man? Less than 60% of films pass the Bechdel Test.
A look at (relative) poverty in the United States. The opening of this video is impactful and challenges our privileged assumption of open social mobility in the "land of the free".
A good short video (sponsored by GEICO) on how Millennials are being excluded from the housing market and how they adapt to (and transform) the changing American dream of homeownership.
A new report on free first-responder trainings in the south side of Chicago, an area infamous for violence and gunshot victims. We see the beautiful transformation of potential bystanders into empowered citizens armed with life-saving knowledge. This is a wonderful example of community engagement and empowerment.