"
Interestingly, Dubrofsky reveals how women of color on the Bachelor rarely make it beyond the first few rounds of competition -- and even then only serve as framing devices for the feelings and reactions of the white female contestants. All this means is that reality programming like the Bachelor is as superficial and far-removed from reality as anything can possibly get -- and that it also reinforces negative stereotypes about women, whether of color or not.
3: Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized?
Joan Acker's "Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized?" does not shock me at all, although it takes a look at the different ways "economy" can be conceptualized. Her essay is a bit difficult to process as it uses many abstract concepts to convey a meaning. But her main point seems to be that women provide economic support even if they do not receive payment for it -- which leads her to believe that if "economy" is perceived with this in mind, women who work domestically will be seen as part of it and thus deserving of recognition.
Acker also raises some issues regarding capitalism, which seem legitimate to me. The hypocrisy behind capitalism is that it sees production as a means of profit, while families see production as a means of provision. Families are supposed to be responsible, but in a capitalist society, capitalist organizations do not share the same responsibility mindset: they are not out to provision, but to profit. The question Acker poses is this: How can women who provide unpaid services provide financially for a family as well? The system wherein a male-provider secures the financial means for a family while the female provides domestically is a model that does not suffice today -- hence, the welfare status of many. But can this last long? Acker makes some interesting points.
4: Race as Class
Herbert Gans argues in "Race as Class" that despite what biologists and sociologists have been teaching,...
It is conveniently used as a stereotype for determining how strangers or "others" are to be viewed: whether with
acceptance or suspicion. For example, Gans cites a white person's fear of a dark-skinned person until the dark-skinned person proves through actions that there is nothing to fear.
Unsurprisingly, Gans shows race as often wrapped up with class. Perhaps then, since race is something that technically does not really exist, class-based assessments provoked by
racial stereotypes are really what is at the root of the persistence of racial stigmas. Gans shows, for example, how the middle class -- the non-threatening class -- is largely made up of whites. In fact, Gans says, "Race became a marker of class and status almost with the first settling of the United States." As the marker was perpetuated by social groups such as White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), racial minorities have been "kept in their
place." Meanwhile, Indians and Sri Lankans who have settled in
America, and who maintain a high economic standing, are not seen as non-whites.
Yet, when competition for jobs or housing is factored in, race can overrun class as defining characteristics. Gans thus provides interesting proof that race and class are interlinked.
Reference List
Acker, J. (n.d./2009). Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized? Race, Class, and Gender
(7th Ed.) M. Andersen, (Ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Cofer, J. (n.d./2009). The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just met a girl named Maria.
Race, Class, and Gender (7th Ed.) M. Andersen, (Ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Dubrofsky, R. (2006/2009). The Bachelor: Whiteness in the Harem. Race, Class, and Gender (7th Ed.) M. Andersen, (Ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Gans, H. (n.d./2009). Race as Class. Race, Class, and Gender (7th Ed.) M. Andersen,
(Ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
