![]() Tags: children/youth, class, education, methodology/statistics, autoethnography, film studies, popular culture, privilege, 00 to 05 mins Year: 1995 Length: 0:40 Access: MOVIECLIPS Summary: In this clip from the movie Clueless, Travis thanks the many people involved in helping him accrue the most tardies in the class. I've used this clip as a (very brief) example of autoethnography, a method of autobiographical storytelling that explores a person's social experiences through their empirical yet subjective personal narrative. I ask students to reflect on the social relationships and experiences that have shaped their identities and their understandings of themselves. This clip, though short, gives us plenty to talk about in the way of social relationships shaping Travis' life -- his parents never give him a ride to school; why might that be? He rides public transit; how might that shape how his Beverly Hills classmates see him? This can lead to a discussion about how social class has shaped this character's experiences, how he sees himself, how others see him, as well as how he perceives others to see him. Submitted By: Margaret Austin Smith
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![]() Tags: capitalism, class, government/the state, inequality, media, political economy, austerity, 06 to 10 mins Year: 2011 Length: 6:34 Access: YouTube Summary: In this clip from The Daily Show, John Stewart offers commentary on the proposal by President Obama to increase taxes on the top two percent of income earners in order to raise $700 billion over 10 years, a measure intended to help pay down the federal government's deficit. Revenue can be generated through tax increases just as readily as it can be generated through spending cuts on public services; yet the discussion has remained largely transfixed on spending cuts. As discussed in an earlier post, while taxing is a mechanism capable of compelling the richest Americans to contribute to paying down the national debt, cuts to public spending disproportionately affect people at the lower end of the income distribution, thus making the debate centrally about class politics. As Stewart shows with his inimitable wit, when conservative commentators finally take up the discussion of taxation, they tend to emphasize the need to increase taxes on the poor because, as one commentator put it, "they are absolutely on a free ride." Here Stewart points to published data in a Business Insider article, which shows that the bottom 50 percent of Americans own only 2.5 percent of the nation's wealth. This small sliver of wealth amounts to $1.45 trillion. Half of this amount is of course $700 billion, leading him to the laughable conclusion that the bottom 50% of Americans could only pay off the $700 billion by giving away half of everything they own. The clip works nicely as a way to demonstrate the way class politics are a central feature of the current wrangling about how to pay down the government budget deficit. Submitted By: Lester Andrist ![]() Tags: class, crime/law/deviance, discourse/language, goffman, government/the state, inequality, knowledge, media, race/ethnicity, social mvmts/social change/resistance, theory, violence, collective action frames, politics of signification, 00 to 05 mins Year: 2011 Length: 4:24 Access: YouTube Summary: What shall we name what is happening in London? While investigating gun crimes, police shot and killed Mark Duggan, a 29 year-old Black man who was carrying a loaded gun (though it should be said, he never fired the weapon on police). Catalyzed by Duggan's death, protests, looting, and destruction of public and private property have rapidly spread across London. Is it a riot, an uprising, a rebellion, a social movement, or is it an insurrection? Whatever frame we choose has important consequences for the shape of things to come. For instance, the word riot suggests disorganized destruction, whereas an insurrection suggests an organized effort against oppression. One frame will likely garner more support for this social upheaval than the other. In this clip, the BBC interviews Darcus Howe, a television journalist and long time grass-roots activist. At the 3:08 mark, Howe keys the current turmoil, which is spread throughout London, to that which took place in 1981 in Brixton. He then insists that what is happening in London is an "insurrection of the people." At 3:40, the BBC reporter appears to challenge Howe's credibility by naming him a rioter. "Mr. Howe," she interrupts, "if I could just ask you, you are not a stranger to riots yourself, I understand, are you?" Howe refuses this frame in his reply: "I have never taken part in a single riot. I've been on demonstrations that ended up in a conflict." The clip would work well with a class grappling with social movements and the importance of collective action frames. To quote Benford and Snow (2000, p. 613), the confrontation between Howe and the reporter is a rather vivid example of two signifying agents "actively engaged in the production and maintenance of meaning for constituents, antagonists, and bystanders or observers. [Signifying agents] are deeply embroiled, along with..local governments, and the state, in what has been referred to as a 'politics of signification' (Hall 1982)." Submitted By: Lester Andrist ![]() Jacqueline Novogratz discusses poverty in a Nairobi slum Tags: class, economic sociology, inequality, development, microcredit, poverty, public policy, 06 to 10 mins Year: 2009 Length: 7:33 Access: TEDTalks Summary: In this TED Talks clip, Jacqueline Novogratz discusses issues of poverty, mobility, and public policy. She begins by arguing that poverty cannot be defined in purely economic terms, but that poverty is really about "choice and the lack of freedom." Novogratz tells about her visit to a Nairobi slum, and describes the experience of extreme poverty (tiny shacks, crowding, raw sewage, etc), and the people there who have strong aspirations for a better life. She tells the story of one such person, Jane, who had dreams of a better life. Through access to an organization that loaned money to poor individuals under lenient conditions, and with her small amount of savings (from prostitution), she was able to save money for a sewing machine and started selling jewelry and clothing that she made. Despite the fact that she increased her income to $4/day, which by local standards brought her out of poverty, she was still unable to afford to move out of slums. Her life remained very insecure, and was even driven out of her home from local ethnic riots. Later, she was able to obtain low-cost housing that had been designed to match mortgage costs to income and required savings, and allows the poor to build capital. It gave her new opportunities to escape the Nairobi slums and build longer term financial security for her family. The clip raises several important issues for interesting class discussion, including how do we define poverty? What factors shaped Jane's experience of poverty and quality of life when not in poverty? Was her ability to escape poverty based on her individual effort, or were structural factors involved? What types of public policies and programs were involved? Submitted By: Paul Dean ![]() Tags: capitalism, class, education, inequality, marx/marxism, theory, privilege, social mobility, wealth, 21 to 60 mins Year: 2011 Length: 60:00 Access: YouTube: part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5 (note: this video quality is poor and beginning with part 2, the audio and video are out of sync; more info at BBC) Summary: This BBC documentary discusses the structure and experiences of social mobility and social reproduction within Britain. As the BBC notes, "Britain is a less equal society than at any time since World War One. In Who Gets the Best Jobs, Richard Bilton investigates access to the professions and finds that the best jobs are being snapped up by an increasingly small gene pool of privileged, well-connected families. Getting a good degree matters more than ever and those from low income families can no longer easily work their way up from the bottom without the qualifications, contacts and social skills that their more fortunate counterparts make full use of." It discusses the role of rising inequality, (unpaid) internships, private schooling, social capital/networking, individual aspiration, the transmission of skills in middle-class households, cultural capital (although they do not use the term), the increasing competition for good jobs, and compares mobility in Britain to other countries. Submitted By: Paul Dean ![]() Robert Reich explains the problem with the economy Tags: capitalism, class, economic sociology, inequality, marx/marxism, class consciousness, 00 to 05 mins Year: 2011 Length: 2:38 Access: YouTube Summary: In less than 2 minutes and 15 seconds, Robert B. Reich explains the problem with the economy by "connecting the dots" and illustrating the bigger picture. He raises 6 basic economic points that students can easily follow. (1) While we have experienced a rapidly growing economy since 1980, wages have remained flat. (2) Rather than resulting in increased wages, these gains in the economy went to the super rich, which (3) allowed them to leverage more political power and thereby cut their own taxes. (4) With less tax revenue, the economy has experienced huge budget deficits, resulting in cuts to public services and the social safety net. (5) This has lead to fear and division among the middle class and, rather than collectively coming together to fight for better wages and policies, people are competing for individual scraps. (6) Without the purchasing power they had in the past, the middle class is unable to jumpstart the economy, resulting in an "anemic recovery." This short clip would be useful in a class lecture on the economy, income inequality, or a discussion about our country's policy approaches to economic booms and recessions. It might also be useful in a lecture on Marxism and class consciousness, for Reich argues that a lack of class consciousness among working people contributes to class divisions and ultimately an anemic recovery. For another clip on The Sociological Cinema that uses illustration techniques so that students can easily follow a complex argument, click here. Submitted By: Valerie Chepp ![]() DJDave raps about consumption at Whole Foods Tags: art/music, class, consumption/consumerism, environment, food/agriculture, health/medicine, marketing/brands, theory, conspicuous consumption, privilege, thorstein veblen, 00 to 05 mins Year: 2011 Length: 3:55 Access: YouTube Summary: In this rap parody, DJDave (aka David Wittman) raps about his frustrations shopping at Whole Foods, which includes over-priced grocery items, loud shoppers on I-Phones, and over-crowded parking lots. To illustrate useful sociological concepts using this YouTube summer sensation, instructors can begin by simply asking students: Why is this video funny? Instructors can facilitate a conversation about middle- and upper-class consumption practices; specifically, the clip might be useful in a class discussion on Veblen's notion of conspicuous consumption, whereby upper-class consumers carry out very specific consumption practices in an effort to wield social power, whether real or perceived, thereby conveying a particular social status. The video's portrayal of a "typical" Whole Foods shopper involves a host of recognizable consumption patterns, including the foods they eat (organic chicken, kale salad, pinot noir, gourmet cheese, quinoa, kombucha tea), the cars they drive (e.g., a hybrid, Prius, Mini Cooper), the health practices they engage (yoga, cleansing diets), the gadgets they use (I-Phones), and even the social justice initiatives they are financially able to support (e.g., the environment, natural/organic/sustainable foods). A critical perspective might involve a conversation around whether health is a class privilege, pointing to the high costs associated with a healthy American lifestyle. Instructors can further unpack the humor of the clip to illustrate sociological insight by pointing to the choice of musical genre deployed. Given that rap music's origins are largely rooted in a form of social commentary on the struggles of poor and working-class urban communities of color, the "struggles" that Whole Foods shoppers endure while purchasing groceries is clearly cast tongue-in-cheek. Like other clips featured on The Sociological Cinema, this rap parody shows the ways in which art can provide a useful medium for social commentary, as well as sociological insight (e.g., see here). Submitted By: Valerie Chepp ![]() Tags: class, inequality, intersectionality, race/ethnicity, comedy, 00 to 05 mins Year: 2004 Length: 3:36 Access: YouTube Summary: (Trigger warning: there is cursing in this clip.) In this segment (clip begins at 30-second time mark) from his show "Never Scared," comedian Chris Rock explains the difference between being rich and being wealthy. I like to use this clip when I discuss the racial wealth gap (generally in conjunction with The Hidden Cost of Being African American) and how wealth is racialized in the United States. Instructors and students can go on to critically assess Rock's claims about why black and brown people do not have wealth compared to whites. This clip contributes to The Sociological Cinema's growing collection of comedy clips that are useful for illustrating or beginning a discussion about sociological concepts. Submitted by: Kendra Barber ![]() Tags: class, discourse/language, inequality, methodology/statistics, culture, ethnography, netnography, social stratification, working class, subtitles/CC, 61+ mins Year: 2011 Length: 80:00 Access: Facebook Summary: Andrew Filippone Jr.'sThe Status Films is a four-part documentary series culled from thousands of public Facebook status updates. The film draws on the found-language from Facebook status messages to conjure up the sound and feeling of America's culturally impoverished. Filippone describes this exercise in ethnography via social media as "pleas, laments, hallelujahs, and indictments...echoes of familiar voices from a distant working-class world." All four parts of The Status Films are viewable online, in full, via Facebook. (Filippone cites Simon J. Charlesworth's "A Phenomenology of Working-Class Experience" as a key text influencing his project.) The film would work nicely in a methods class as an example of an innovative means of obtaining empirical data for what could be described as a netnography. Filippone describes his method as entering four separate, culturally-resonant queries into Facebook's internal search engine. Aided by screen capture software, he was able to code for themes, select the most relevant messages, and eventually reorder those messages for use in the documentary. Using the film, instructors might be able to engage students in useful discussion about the strengths and limitations of this approach for sociological work. Submitted By: Andrew Filippone Jr. ![]() Tags: class, inequality, global poverty, income inequality, 00 to 05 mins Year: 2008 Length: 1:14 Access: YouTube Summary: This video offers a simplified and visually appealing way to think about global poverty. It does this by reducing the world's population (6.26 billion people) to 626 people. Out of that 626 people, it shows that 231 live in "Povertyville" (avg yearly income = $440), 265 live in "Slumtown" (avg yearly income = $1,490), 33 live in "Low Income City" (avg yearly income = $5,440), 92 live in "Pleasanttown" (avg yearly income = $28,600), and the remaining 5 people (<1% of the world's population) earn an average of $60,000 per year. This is a similar method to looking at other global demographics depicted in this video. Submitted By: Paul Dean |
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