Below are the family questions (and answers) that will be on the final exam. You'll note that I also did some editing. Remember that our exam is scheduled for Thursday, 12/15 from 9-12, and you may drop in to ask questions on Wednesday, 12/14 from 12-2. I will be in our classroom (Main 122) or in my office (Main 121) during that time.
ORANGE FAMILY (Emily, Shelby, T.J., Brianna, Ethan) earn 6 activity points.
1. Michelle Alexander uses the term "RACIAL CASTE" to describe the group of people being affected by mass incarceration. What does this mean? (1)
ANSWER: A racial caste is a stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom.
2. In Chapter 3 of Dr. Tatum's book, she quotes David Mura who describes interracial friendships that lack genuine authenticity. What point does Mura make? (1)
ANSWER: These are friendships where a person of color has to present a version of himself or herself that he or she thinks will please his or her white friends.
3. Identify THREE of the seven parallels between mass incarceration and Jim Crow which Michelle Alexander discusses in Chapter 5. (3)
ANSWER: Any three of the following: (1) historical parallels, (2) legalized discrimination, (3) political disenfranchisement, (4) exclusion from juries, (5) closing the courthouse doors, (6) racial segregation, (7) symbolic production of race.
BLUE FAMILY (Mimi, Mary Katherine, Krystal, Jarell, Julisa) earn 6 activity points, plus 1 bonus point.
1. (fill-in-the-blank) "The stigma of race was once the shame of the slave, then (in the context of Jim Crow) it was the shame of the second-class citizen; today the stigma of race is the shame of the _______________________." (1)
ANSWER: criminal
2. (fill-in-the-blank) Michelle Alexander explains that if 100% of the individuals charged with drug crimes were African American, then the veil of ______________________ would be lost. (1)
ANSWER: colorblindness
3. How is it that Asian Americans occupy a space between black and white? (2)
ANSWER: Because they are regarded as neither "American" (associated with white, nor "minority" (associated with black), hence they are "gray."
4. Basically, what did the New Jersey study of racial profiling find, as Michelle Alexander notes in Chapter 3 of "The New Jim Crow?" (1)
ANSWER: Whites were actually MORE LIKELY than people of color to be carrying illegal drugs or contraband in their vehicles.
GREEN FAMILY (Jared, Jessi, Nygia, Lucy) earn 6 activity points.
(Note: None of your questions were very good, but I was able to salvage a couple of them.)
1. Chapter 3 of "Yellow," The Perpetual Foreigner: Yellow Peril in the Pacific Century, opens with Frank Wu talking about a "pet peeve" of his (and many Asian Americans). What is this pet peeve, and how does it illustrate the title of this chapter? (2)
ANSWER: the pet peeve of being asked where he is REALLY from (or the observation that he speaks such good English, even though he was born here), the assumption being that no matter how long Asian Americans have been in America they are seen as "perpetual foreigners."
2. Basically, how does Frank Wu view the rise of interracial marriages and the mixed race movement? (2)
ANSWER: "...they are certainly positive, but no panacea."
_________________________________
That's all folks. See you Thursday.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
More Lecture Notes on "Yellow"
Let me pick up where I left off on Monday (12/5) in Chapter 3:
1. "A Jap is a Jap and That's All There Is To It" (p. 95)
a.) The subtitle of this section is a quote from General DeWitt, which accurately captures the belief common among military leaders during WWII, as well as the general public.
b.) Regarding the loyalty of Japanese Americans, the facts certainly did NOT warrant the suspicions -- not a single case of Japanese American espionage was documented. Even J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI were unable to turn up any evidence that they were a threat.
c.) Nonetheless, we decided to put Japanese Americans in internment camps. Many liberals even supported the move as a precaution.
d.) The racial rationale for this policy could not be more obvious. They were "perpetual foreigners." Also, it was believed we could not easily sort out loyal from disloyal Japanese Americans because they are so INSCRUTABLE.
(The film, "Snow Falling on Cedars," captures this very well.)
e.) Interesting to note that in Hawaii we took a more pragmatic approach: Japanese there were not interned because that would have brought the economy to a standstill.
f.) A 1980 Congressional study of WWII Internment led to a Presidential apology and a $20,000 payment to survivors (1988). But among those opposed to this, racism was plainly evident -- "Senator Jesse Helms insisted that the United States should not compensate Japanese Americans until Japan paid the families of those killed at Pearl Harbor." (p. 103) Sounds logical, but it is based on the fallacious assumption that JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE, OR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT PEARL HARBOR.
2. During the 1996 election, a scandal broke involving the Chinese government funneling money to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through a DNC fundraiser by the name of John Huang.
a.) The accusation involved a racial stereotype -- a belief on the part of some politicians and pundits that Asian Americans were more prone to bribery, and in this specific case, that Asian Americans were willing to do the bidding of the Chinese government.
(I'll show in class a demeaning caricature of Pres. Clinton, his wife, and Vice Pres. Gore that appeared on the cover of the "National Review.")
b.) A subsequent investigation did not turn up much. Interestingly, it did disclose that several NON-Asians were involved in this scandal, but no one paid much attention to them. It was all about the "Asian Connection."
c.) Unfortunately, the fallout from this was that some Asians were discouraged from getting more involved in politics, despite legitimate interests they had in issues such as immigration policy.
d.) Wu was even more troubled by the indiffrent response to Asian American protests, which were often dismissed as merely "playing the race card."
3. Finally, in the section, "Back to the Future," Wu comments on the rise of China in the 21st century and increased competition with the U.S., which could very well lead to Chinese Americans' loyalty being called into question at some point.
Chapter 7: The Changing Face of America: Intermarriage and the Mixed Race Movement
A. Wu opens this chapter by referring to a letter to Dear Abby from a mixed-race couple confused about how to fill out forms for their children -- which box do they check off. This is becoming an increasingly common problem. (Although the Bureau of the Census did (finally) allow acknowledgment of mixed race heritage for the first time in the 2000 Census.)
B. Growing up outside Cleveland in a predominantly white community where there was only one Chinese girl in his 6th grade class, Wu himself considered crossing over.
1. He asked his mother about crossing over and she did not object, but she said she would love him more if he married Chinese. In the end, he married a Japanese-American woman, who his parents see as more or less white; and her parents were relieved that at least he looks Japanese.
C. "In just my lifetime, intermarriage has become the taboo that binds," Wu observes.
1. In 1960, just 149,000 interracial marriages (and it was still outlawed in several states such as SC).
2. By 1990, there were 1.46 million interracial marriages, or 5% of all marriages, and 1 in 6 in California.
3. (Not in the Book) The "Population Bulletin" reports that in 2000 there were 3.1 million such marriages.
4. A fairly recent survey (2004) reported, in of all places, AARP Magazine (not in "Yellow"): (a) 70% of whites approve of interracial marriage (compared to only 4% in 1958), (b) 77% of Hispanics approved, and (c) 80% of Blacks approved. (Of course, we should recognize that attitudes are one thing, and behavior is another, as Wu observes a bit later in the chapter in commenting on a similar survey.)
D. Wu, then, contends that: "Intermarriage and the mixed race movement are positive, but they are no panacea." (p. 264)
__________________________________________
That brings us to "The Core of the Heart of the Problem" (p. 264), which is where I'll pick up on Thursday.
1. "A Jap is a Jap and That's All There Is To It" (p. 95)
a.) The subtitle of this section is a quote from General DeWitt, which accurately captures the belief common among military leaders during WWII, as well as the general public.
b.) Regarding the loyalty of Japanese Americans, the facts certainly did NOT warrant the suspicions -- not a single case of Japanese American espionage was documented. Even J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI were unable to turn up any evidence that they were a threat.
c.) Nonetheless, we decided to put Japanese Americans in internment camps. Many liberals even supported the move as a precaution.
d.) The racial rationale for this policy could not be more obvious. They were "perpetual foreigners." Also, it was believed we could not easily sort out loyal from disloyal Japanese Americans because they are so INSCRUTABLE.
(The film, "Snow Falling on Cedars," captures this very well.)
e.) Interesting to note that in Hawaii we took a more pragmatic approach: Japanese there were not interned because that would have brought the economy to a standstill.
f.) A 1980 Congressional study of WWII Internment led to a Presidential apology and a $20,000 payment to survivors (1988). But among those opposed to this, racism was plainly evident -- "Senator Jesse Helms insisted that the United States should not compensate Japanese Americans until Japan paid the families of those killed at Pearl Harbor." (p. 103) Sounds logical, but it is based on the fallacious assumption that JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE, OR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT PEARL HARBOR.
2. During the 1996 election, a scandal broke involving the Chinese government funneling money to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through a DNC fundraiser by the name of John Huang.
a.) The accusation involved a racial stereotype -- a belief on the part of some politicians and pundits that Asian Americans were more prone to bribery, and in this specific case, that Asian Americans were willing to do the bidding of the Chinese government.
(I'll show in class a demeaning caricature of Pres. Clinton, his wife, and Vice Pres. Gore that appeared on the cover of the "National Review.")
b.) A subsequent investigation did not turn up much. Interestingly, it did disclose that several NON-Asians were involved in this scandal, but no one paid much attention to them. It was all about the "Asian Connection."
c.) Unfortunately, the fallout from this was that some Asians were discouraged from getting more involved in politics, despite legitimate interests they had in issues such as immigration policy.
d.) Wu was even more troubled by the indiffrent response to Asian American protests, which were often dismissed as merely "playing the race card."
3. Finally, in the section, "Back to the Future," Wu comments on the rise of China in the 21st century and increased competition with the U.S., which could very well lead to Chinese Americans' loyalty being called into question at some point.
Chapter 7: The Changing Face of America: Intermarriage and the Mixed Race Movement
A. Wu opens this chapter by referring to a letter to Dear Abby from a mixed-race couple confused about how to fill out forms for their children -- which box do they check off. This is becoming an increasingly common problem. (Although the Bureau of the Census did (finally) allow acknowledgment of mixed race heritage for the first time in the 2000 Census.)
B. Growing up outside Cleveland in a predominantly white community where there was only one Chinese girl in his 6th grade class, Wu himself considered crossing over.
1. He asked his mother about crossing over and she did not object, but she said she would love him more if he married Chinese. In the end, he married a Japanese-American woman, who his parents see as more or less white; and her parents were relieved that at least he looks Japanese.
C. "In just my lifetime, intermarriage has become the taboo that binds," Wu observes.
1. In 1960, just 149,000 interracial marriages (and it was still outlawed in several states such as SC).
2. By 1990, there were 1.46 million interracial marriages, or 5% of all marriages, and 1 in 6 in California.
3. (Not in the Book) The "Population Bulletin" reports that in 2000 there were 3.1 million such marriages.
4. A fairly recent survey (2004) reported, in of all places, AARP Magazine (not in "Yellow"): (a) 70% of whites approve of interracial marriage (compared to only 4% in 1958), (b) 77% of Hispanics approved, and (c) 80% of Blacks approved. (Of course, we should recognize that attitudes are one thing, and behavior is another, as Wu observes a bit later in the chapter in commenting on a similar survey.)
D. Wu, then, contends that: "Intermarriage and the mixed race movement are positive, but they are no panacea." (p. 264)
__________________________________________
That brings us to "The Core of the Heart of the Problem" (p. 264), which is where I'll pick up on Thursday.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Lecture Notes on "Yellow"
Given that this is the last week of classes of this semester, and one of those classes will be taken up with Interview presentations (tomorrow, 12/6), that does not leave me much time to talk about "Yellow" in class. So, below are lecture notes on Chapters 1 & 3, and I may also post some notes on Chapter 7. In any case, remember that you should be reading those three chapters in "Yellow," and the families need to be working on some questions for the final exam.
CHAPTER 1: EAST IS EAST, EAST IS WEST: ASIANS IN AMERICA
Last Tuesday (11/29), I got as far as "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray." (p. 18) So, let me pick up there with these notes:
D. "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray" -- race is more than black and white, literally and figuratively. Wu and Asian Americans are LITERALLY "yellow" but FIGURATIVELY "gray" in that they occupy a space between black and white, and they do not automatically side with one or the other, although in most cases (and perhaps surprisingly) Wu contends they have been in the same boat as blacks.
1. In law for a long time, Asians were not considered white (as we saw in the Ozawa and Thind cases, which Wu discusses later (p. 94); they were segregated in education, could not own land or testify against a white person in court, etc. -- like blacks in many ways.
2. Wu notes how Asian Americans are regarded as neither "American" (associated with white) nor "minority" (associated with black) -- again, gray. Wu feels that Asian Americans should be included in BOTH categories for the sake of truthfulness.
E. Wu, then, brings some of the astute observations of black intellectual, W.E.B. DuBois, to bear on the issue of how we need to look at race in general (as I also brought out earlier in the course). See bottom of p. 27, beginning with: "Following DuBois's lead, we must be conscious of black and white to transcend black and white. We can acquire such a consciousness by raising Asian Americans out of the background. Asian American perspectives modify the overall picture by supplementing other perspectives and not replacing them...." (see rest of p. 27, down to the middle of p. 28).
1. At the same time, he recognizes, yet decries, the use of Asian Americans as a wedge for purposes of invidious comparison with blacks (which is a major point he argues in exposing the "model minority myth" in Chapter 2).
CHAPTER 3: THE PERPETUAL FOREIGNER: YELLOW PERIL IN THE PACIFIC CENTURY
A. Wu opens this chapter with a "pet peeve" of his, as well as many Asian Americans (something you would do well to take note of in interacting with Asian Americans) -- that is, the question, "where are you from?" which he does not mind answering (in his case, Cleveland), but it is usually followed by, "but where are you REALLY from? which he REALLY hates to answer. (Helen Zia makes a similar point in the Xerox handout).
1. Other similar questions or observations: how long have you been in this country? or, "My, you speak English so well!" Such questions and observations clearly reflect a focus on race, based on the assumption that you are not a "real" American. This is what is meant Asian Americans being considered "perpetual foreigners."
B. Federal immigration policy reflects this perpetual foreigner assumption (as well as aspects of the model minority myth). See bottom paragraph, p. 91 to middle of p. 92. (And, again, over on p. 94, Wu discusses the Ozawa and Thind cases that were covered in our video, "Race: the power of an illusion.")
C. A contemporary example of this anti-Asian prejudice can be found in the story of Maya Lin, who won the contest to design the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was called a "gook". H. Ross Perot, a major promoter and benefactor of the project, called her an "eggroll." He hated that she was Asian (even if she was born in Ohio). (There is a nice documentary on this in our library. Let me add, that she also was asked to do the civil rights memorial outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Canter in Montgomery, Alabama.)
D. In the rest of the chapter, Wu discusses "...how the perpetual foreigner syndrome works to deprive Asian Americans of civil rights and transform us into a racial threat. Two episodes in Asian-American history -- the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the 1996 campaign finance scandal -- and recurring anxieties about Asian dominance of Americans, exemplify the syndrome." p. 95
_______________________
That's all for now. I will be posting more notes over the next few days, so be looking for them.
CHAPTER 1: EAST IS EAST, EAST IS WEST: ASIANS IN AMERICA
Last Tuesday (11/29), I got as far as "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray." (p. 18) So, let me pick up there with these notes:
D. "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray" -- race is more than black and white, literally and figuratively. Wu and Asian Americans are LITERALLY "yellow" but FIGURATIVELY "gray" in that they occupy a space between black and white, and they do not automatically side with one or the other, although in most cases (and perhaps surprisingly) Wu contends they have been in the same boat as blacks.
1. In law for a long time, Asians were not considered white (as we saw in the Ozawa and Thind cases, which Wu discusses later (p. 94); they were segregated in education, could not own land or testify against a white person in court, etc. -- like blacks in many ways.
2. Wu notes how Asian Americans are regarded as neither "American" (associated with white) nor "minority" (associated with black) -- again, gray. Wu feels that Asian Americans should be included in BOTH categories for the sake of truthfulness.
E. Wu, then, brings some of the astute observations of black intellectual, W.E.B. DuBois, to bear on the issue of how we need to look at race in general (as I also brought out earlier in the course). See bottom of p. 27, beginning with: "Following DuBois's lead, we must be conscious of black and white to transcend black and white. We can acquire such a consciousness by raising Asian Americans out of the background. Asian American perspectives modify the overall picture by supplementing other perspectives and not replacing them...." (see rest of p. 27, down to the middle of p. 28).
1. At the same time, he recognizes, yet decries, the use of Asian Americans as a wedge for purposes of invidious comparison with blacks (which is a major point he argues in exposing the "model minority myth" in Chapter 2).
CHAPTER 3: THE PERPETUAL FOREIGNER: YELLOW PERIL IN THE PACIFIC CENTURY
A. Wu opens this chapter with a "pet peeve" of his, as well as many Asian Americans (something you would do well to take note of in interacting with Asian Americans) -- that is, the question, "where are you from?" which he does not mind answering (in his case, Cleveland), but it is usually followed by, "but where are you REALLY from? which he REALLY hates to answer. (Helen Zia makes a similar point in the Xerox handout).
1. Other similar questions or observations: how long have you been in this country? or, "My, you speak English so well!" Such questions and observations clearly reflect a focus on race, based on the assumption that you are not a "real" American. This is what is meant Asian Americans being considered "perpetual foreigners."
B. Federal immigration policy reflects this perpetual foreigner assumption (as well as aspects of the model minority myth). See bottom paragraph, p. 91 to middle of p. 92. (And, again, over on p. 94, Wu discusses the Ozawa and Thind cases that were covered in our video, "Race: the power of an illusion.")
C. A contemporary example of this anti-Asian prejudice can be found in the story of Maya Lin, who won the contest to design the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was called a "gook". H. Ross Perot, a major promoter and benefactor of the project, called her an "eggroll." He hated that she was Asian (even if she was born in Ohio). (There is a nice documentary on this in our library. Let me add, that she also was asked to do the civil rights memorial outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Canter in Montgomery, Alabama.)
D. In the rest of the chapter, Wu discusses "...how the perpetual foreigner syndrome works to deprive Asian Americans of civil rights and transform us into a racial threat. Two episodes in Asian-American history -- the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the 1996 campaign finance scandal -- and recurring anxieties about Asian dominance of Americans, exemplify the syndrome." p. 95
_______________________
That's all for now. I will be posting more notes over the next few days, so be looking for them.
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