Vox, 7:02... The social construction of danger symbols. This is a good example of how meaning is assigned to objects as opposed to objects having an inherent meaning.
Danielle Bregoli: Innovator (Cash Me Outside)
Skin Whitening
Men in Heels
Doing Gender: Vocal Control in Movies
Creating Time Travel
Work and Social Control (Feature)
"Billion Dollar Deals and How They Changed Your World", Episode 3: Work -- BBC, 2017, 58:37 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI5oFe6OsRs
How does the power elite view their employees in 2017? First off, they remove the human element by calling them "performers" (as opposed to people) and are introducing technologies that further solidify a panoptical structure of control... This hour-long episode has shocking examples of economic and employment changes which are discussed in a corporate ideological framework. Technological impacts on education are discussed too. Concepts evident here include the work/life balance, the power elite, neoliberalism, panoptical surveillance, depersonalization, class struggle, and many more...
Available FREE for a limited time on YouTube. Original video link here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0990xks/billion-dollar-deals-and-how-they-changed-your-world-series-1-3-work
(Toxic) Masculinity and Disney Princes
"After Hours - Why Disney Princes Are Bad Role Models For Boys" -- Cracked, 2017, 9:31 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYBeG7PxEiE
Disney teaches men: (1) They don't need to have personalities; (2) The only motivation you need in life is to "get the girl"; (3) The girl likes your privileged status as a prince rather than who you really are; (4) Be aggressive when it comes to making a move (lie, stalk, pressure them, etc.).
Video's Description: There are plenty of discussions out there about who the best Disney Princess is, but let's have an honest conversation about who the best Prince is and which one you would want to date. Or, you know, at least who the best is out of Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Prince Charming, Simba, Aladdin, and the one from 'Little Mermaid.'
Facebook, The Benevolent Overlord
How Facebook is Changing Your Internet – The New York Times, 2017, 9:50 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR_XVGemAnw
We need to have a serious discussion on Internet authority and control. As Facebook has become a geopolitical force in this neoliberal era, it is disturbing to learn how much influence the business has garnered in every sphere imaginable. This is a good example of the reach of the corporate giant which raises some unsettling possibilities, chiefly “Digital Colonialism” and information control.
You can read more about this issue here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/technology/facebook-government-regulations.html?_r=1
The Social Construction of Age
Why do Koreans have two different ages? -- Quartz, 2017, 1:55 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjwQxV4sBrg
The concepts of nominal age, lunar age, and East Asian age reckoning (Korean Age), and why our constructions of age depend on societal contexts.
Spiritual Robots for Funerals
A robot that can conduct Buddhist funerals -- Quartz, 2017, 1:26 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGQQEO6oBOI
A short video briefly detailing how robots may be used in funerals. The discussions we can have here are endless and it would be interesting to explore this idea in class.
Doing Gender in Selfies
Why men and women take selfies differently -- Quartz, 2017, 4:17 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC6mR7g7ES4
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.
Colorism in Ancient Art
Marble Helped Scholars Whitewash Ancient History -- Vice News Tonight (HBO), 2017, 4:02 -- https://youtu.be/86PD8o6xe_4
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!
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.
Subcultural Tastes
Why people keep watching the worst movie ever made -- Vox, 2017, 5:32 -- https://youtu.be/k27mr6p-yhY
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…
Cultural Cuteness
"How a melancholy egg yolk conquered Japan" -- Vox, 2017, 4:30 -- https://youtu.be/CTAnJTB9roI
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".
The Pepsi Ad and Social Protest
Yesterday on the Internet: The Pepsi Ad -- Vice News Tonight (HBO), 2017, 3:00 -- https://youtu.be/VyIqsVkJtx0
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.
Cable News and Politics
"How should the media cover a White House that isn't afraid to lie?" -- Vox, 2017, 5:20 -- https://youtu.be/Hlk3TBJdWwE
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).
Smart Guns
"Who Killed the Smart Gun?" -- Motherboard, 2017, 43:37 -- https://youtu.be/sXtqBVbxmto
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.
Childhood Gender Roles in Adult Life
Childhood Gender Roles in Adult Life -- BuzzFeed, 2014, 1:47 -- https://youtu.be/381belOZreA
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.