"The Disturbing History of the Suburbs" -- Adam Ruins Everything, 2017, 6:19 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETR9qrVS17g
Residential segregation, redlining, generational inequality, and the racial wealth gap...
Aspirational Lifestyles
How TV Ruined Your Life: Aspiration (Episode 3) -- BBC, 2011, 29:19 -- https://youtu.be/tNGK9ni4aSY
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.
Poverty in America
Baltimore: 'This is what poverty in the US looks like' -- BBC News, 2017, 4:18 -- https://youtu.be/qytbhMlXltI
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".
Millennials, Rent, and Home Ownership
Young Americans Are Worried They'll Be Renting Forever -- Vice News, 2017, 2:28 -- https://youtu.be/amlHXF6PRaw
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.
Empowered Bystanders
South Side Triage Training: Vice News Tonight (HBO) -- Vice, 2017, 5:23 -- https://youtu.be/taKkiqO7cqY
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.
Chinese Millennials and National Service
Too Many Students? China Has a Plan... -- China Uncensored, 2017, 5:56 -- https://youtu.be/ZtYog7dfWi0
An interesting perspective on China's required military service for young people and how they avoid such service. Keep in mind that many American men, some of whom are now in positions of great social power, did the same excusatory practices during Vietnam. While this video may start out sounding a bit too ethnocentric, I think it recovers well and ultimately shows us that "we" are not so different after all. This lesson is made more important when we consider the anomic state of our globalized economies right now.
Informed Consent in Controversial Research
One Shot to Live -- Vice, 2016, 6:06 -- https://youtu.be/9-NNDxA2-qo
A superb video on a controversial study involving gun shot victims in Philadelphia. Is too much medical intervention actually hurting victims' chances of survival and recovery? Researchers want to test this hypothesis by limiting the care given to victims by emergency responders and the issue of informed consent is front and center. As we ask ourselves "is this ethical?", it is important that we not forget the numerous abuses minority populations have suffered in the name of scientific research.
China's Rich Girls
China's Rich Girls (101 East) -- Al Jazeera, 2017, 25:40 -- https://youtu.be/MFJBgsr939c
A video detailing the extravagant lives of wealthy young Chinese women living in Canada. The main theme here is the conspicuous consumption of status symbols made possible by being born into a family of high socioeconomic status. This can also be seen through a dramaturgical perspective as staging behavior is rather prominent here, especially surrounding their image online and on television.
Winning at Capitalism, Losing at Life?
Fleeing South Korea (101 East) -- Al Jazeera, 2016, 24:28 --https://youtu.be/AT2wzQq7kx0
An interesting and contemporary look at South Korean immigrants in the United States. We learn that 88% of young South Koreans (millennials) want to leave the country, but why? The answer seems to be in the unbearably competitive (i.e., long) work schedule. It appears that South Korea's neoliberal economy has created unattainable standards of materialism and an unsatisfying work/life balance. As a result, many young South Koreans see the social status structure of America as more desirable-- a view made more interesting when we consider how many Americans feel that Europeans have better policies towards vacations, parental leave, shift length, and more.
Russell Brand and Marxism
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe -- BBC, 2015, 4:11 -- https://youtu.be/DEjbFBmRgHA
A brilliant satire on comedian Russell Brand's communist/socialist politics. Students generally recognize Brand (formerly married to singer Katy Perry) and although this is humorous marxist rhetoric, it is nevertheless true. In the Truevolution episodes, Brand analyzes commercials (aka "mind control pellets") demonstrating how they preserve the status quo of inequality and social oppression. The language used here is particularly impressive and serves as a fine example of the conflict perspective applied to everyday life.
Introduction-- https://youtu.be/anc51ErPBxg?t=2m47s
Truevolution 1 (commercials & Ikea): https://youtu.be/bSmP4q3oQ6c?t=18m22s
Truevolution 2 (kids shows): https://youtu.be/3An8mzU1HGE?t=9m40s
Russell Brand as Prime Minister: https://youtu.be/EKDKt0lh3Y0
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0520y52
The Collective Shaming of Deviance on Benefits Street
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe -- BBC, 2014, 6:26 -- https://youtu.be/JkrX5J73Vi4
This is a humorous example from the UK of the functional role of deviant behavior. We see society come together to shame those receiving benefits from the state (known as welfare in the US). This is also an insightful example of how deviants are exploited for entertainment and ridicule. "Poverty porn" would be a good term to discuss in addition to the many sociological concepts evident in the clip.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03qgvsc
Status Symbols in Pop Culture
Why Rappers Love Grey Poupon -- Vox, 2016, 10:04 -- https://youtu.be/jOgPk5T1xi0
An example of how the social class system and status symbols can be found in pop culture.
Pro-Tips: (1) Show your class the original Grey Poupon commercial before this video; (2) Buy a jar of Grey Poupon and some popsicle sticks (or small spoons) so your students can taste the opulence.