New Epithet for Whites

I was catching up on some inline reading and discovered this little gem.  The article is about a new possible epithet for whites.  The term itself has been around for a while, but not in the racial epithet context.

"Douchebag: The White Racial Slur We've All Been Waiting For"
http://gawker.com/douchebag-the-white-racial-slur-we-ve-all-been-waiti-1647954231

I am not sure if it would be usable for the high school class--many communities would take issue with the language used, but it provides a great deal of context for those at the college level and adults in general.

The article examines different terms in history, both for whites and non-whites.  It's just a really good overview that makes a case for this term.  Great fodder for discussion.


The Teaching High School Sociology web site

Return to Posting-Several Articles of Note

It has been far too long.  I will endeavor to return to posting regularly on this blog.

Here are links to a couple of recent articles that could easily be tied into any sociology class.

Why Poor Kids Do Not Stay in College
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/10/20/why-poor-kids-dont-stay-in-college/?TID+SM_FB

This link has the interactive graphic:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/business/who-finishes-college/
This is excellent for socioeconomic status and stratification

Poor Kids Who Do Everything Right Still Don't Do Better Than Rich Kids Who Do Everything Wrong
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/10/18/poor-kids-who-do-everything-right-dont-do-better-than-rich-kids-who-do-everything-wrong/?TID+SM_FB
another good article on stratification and inequalities in our current economic system

Sexy Halloween Costumes that Barely Resemble Their Real-Life Counterparts
http://www.vox.com/2014/10/20/6850441/sexy-halloween-costumes-vs-the-real-life-objects-they-barely-resemble

San Francisco Radio "Bans" Lorde song Royals until after the World Series.  
Nice in-group/out-group stuff with this one
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/19/lorde-royals-san-francisco-radio-stations_n_6010806.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063




The Teaching High School Sociology web site

11 Untranslatable Words From Other Cultures: An Infographic

The original version of this topic was posted here at Daily Infographic.  I love language, it phonemes and morphemes, it grammar and syntax.  Puns are a huge part of my life.  But this infographic does what one of my favorite books does, take cool words from other tongues that do not have English correlates.  Just fun words that can tell us about the values of various cultures.

The Teaching High School Sociology web site

Everyday Sexism

In the recent past, I've discovered a Twitter feed with the handle, "@EverydaySexism."  The feed

is fascinating for me as a male because I had no idea the kind of inappropriate and crappy behavior women have had to deal with.

I recommend checking out the sites and sharing responses with your students to get their interpretations.  Perhaps a pre-brief may be necessary as some of the content is quite graphic and the ideas may help long-held-in frustrations boil to the surface in class.  Still very worthwhile.

http://www.everydaysexism.com/

https://twitter.com/EverydaySexism

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/everyday%20sexism

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/everyday-sexism

http://www.policymic.com/articles/37157/everyday-sexism-project-launches-in-usa-to-give-women-a-voice

When it comes to giving young women a voice, we as sociology teachers must assist.  We also have an obligation to guide our young men into appropriate behavior.


The Teaching High School Sociology web site

Rape Culture Part 2

This link was shared with me about the CNN coverage of the rape case in Ohio.  I posted my thoughts above the link from rawstory.com

This is part of the rape culture I was speaking about earlier. The boys' lives are ruined, yes. They made choices. What about the young woman whose life was forever altered because our society says it's ok to rape a drunk girl? She got drunk--perhaps deserved a hangover, not being raped. Avoiding expletives while typing--this really angers me.

CNN grieves that guilty verdict ruined ‘promising’ lives of Steubenville rapists | The Raw Story

www.rawstory.com

CNN broke the news on Sunday of a guilty verdict in a rape case in Steubenville, Ohio by lamenting that the “promising” lives of the rapists had been ruined, but spent very little time focusing on how the 16-year-old victim would have to live with what was done to her.

From the Huffington Post:

CNN's Steubenville Coverage Focuses On Effect Rape Trial Will Have On Rapists, Not Victim

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kia-makarechi/cnn-steubenville-coverage_b_2896948.html


The Teaching High School Sociology web site

Rape Culture and a Teaching Opportunity

Earlier today, I awaited the news of the verdict of the trial of the two Steubenville, Ohio boys accused of committing sexual assault on the unconscious 16-year-old female classmate.  I then posted a series of links and comments on my Twitter and Facebook accounts.  This problem has many facets, from male entitlement, to distorted definitions of masculinity and femininity, irrational expectations related to alcohol and behavior, a culture that objectifies and denigrates women, and many more issues.

I also posted this picture I found online--it received a number of likes and comments:

My FB friends also had these items to say:

• And being a high school football star or coach in a tight-knit community does not make you above common human decency or the law.
• Too bad they got away with only being charged as juveniles.
• I quit a "frat" that was like this. Right there in Ohio. It was so filthy and objectified the ladies so much. I have NEVER seen anything like it before or since. And I'm not Mr. Straight Arrow. Even today I like to party sometimes. It was hhhhHORRIBLE. This kind of stuff should be SNUFFED OUT FOR EVVVER!
• Reading that was so sad. I hope everyone involved (coach included) has to face a fitting consequence. Also, where were any adults during this? There's alcohol, driving around (with or without alcohol?), a drunk girl that no one seems to account for until the next day... Sad.
• Very true- it's not an issue about women or men, it's an issue within our society and culture that needs to be changed. I think because it's such a "bad" topic though, it's only gonna get pushed aside because people don't want to admit that it is something that is wrong within our culture (something wrong with us?? Never!). More awareness is a good start.
• Chuck- do K-12 programs ever address this? I'm not saying play parents...but currently K-12 have programs about drinking and driving, drugs, etc. Seems to be a good way to address some problems in a rape culture.
• I never heard of positive masculinity till now, but found this:http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/bridget-grenville-cleave/2010102714017
  
  Most of what I read just now seems good..but all this "must provide" "must protect" stuff seems a bit outdated. Can't a mother provide and/or protect? I mean yes I can do more physical damage, but that's not the only protection. 
  
  As to providing...I'm in that boat now. But I know other couples the women make more money. I don't think there's any shame to a stay at home dad either. If a man gets his career sidetracked by the economy or chooses to stay at home because he has a contractor kind of job, or wife makes more money, etc.
  
  I do wish this article in the "shared activities" would have listed another example than sports. We've put that one way to high on a golden pedestal in this nation, especially with k-12.
  

  Dare We Let Boys Be Boys? Positive Masculinity and Positive Psychology

  positivepsychologynews.com

    Kiselica and Englar-Carlson look at how Positive Psychology can be used to support troubled men and boys. They discuss a strengths-based approach known as Positive Masculinity. As the mother of a rapidly-growing boy (aged 8, going on 18), I was very interested to come across the Positive Masculi...

  
  
• And we still have a ways to go. I was sickened by the recent exchange on Sean Hannity in which a woman (who survived a rape) debated Hannity about guns and rape. She advocated "teach boys not to rape" over carrying a firearm.
  The reaction of the Hannity faithful was disgusting.
  
  http://politix.topix.com/homepage/4986-woman-receives-rape-threats-after-telling-hannity-guns-wont-prevent-rape
  

  Woman Receives Rape Threats After Telling Hannity Guns Won't Prevent Rape

  politix.topix.com

  Woman Receives Rape Threats After Telling Hannity Guns Won't Prevent Rape: Teaching men is the way to prevent rape, she said on the show, Democratic strategist Zerlina Maxwell, herself a rape survivor, appeared on Sean Hannity's show to talk about rape. A...

  
  
• Is it a rape culture or a sexual objectification culture we have? Or both? There are few of us men who actually rape women, but many of us look at them and treat them as sexual objects through our looks, comments, attention, and obsession with porn. This is not at all to minimize the vileness of rape, but to say as men, I believe we need to stand against much more than just rape.

There were many more comments, but this is a good representation.  Now if we all can have these conversations in our classrooms, yes, even at the high school level, it would help being awareness to what is going on outside our classes.

• 
  

So these are some issues that need to be out there and confronted in our classrooms.  I've always been fortunate enough to teach in schools that allow me to ask my students questions.  I doubt that everyone could do this, but it is worth a shot.  I will endeavor to follow up on this issue with more resources.


The Teaching High School Sociology web site