Race & Comedy - Interracial Marriage and "Doing Race" across the globe. [Video]

A student sent this one to me and I wanted to share with AVID readers.

South African Comedian Trevor Noah, born to a white father and a black mother, uses his stand up routine to address several layers of race.

In this clip, he discusses

•  interracial marriage and mixed families (his family was illegal in Apartheid era South Africa)
• "doing race" - he imitates both white,  black Americans, and Germans.
• the social construction of race - if he was black in South Africa, why was he Mexican in America?

Manifest and Latent Functions of Alcohol Ads [Video]

I asked my students to find video clips that demonstrated both the latent and manifest functions of the media.  One student found this South Park 'commercial' that showed how clearly these lines often get blurred. Are alcohol ads simply designed to sell us beer & liquor?  Or are they trying to tell us something else about status and lifestyle?
Check out the video and ask students what they think.

Condemning Extremist Muslim Acts and White Privilege [Video]

Many people condemned the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, but why do Muslims often feel like they have to  announce their condemnation with greater fervor than other ethnic and racial groups do?  In fact, why does it seem like there is pressure for individuals to explain the actions of people who look like them?  And why doesn't that apply to whites in the US?

Let this funny Daily Show video be a good start to this conversation in your classroom.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Accountability and doing gender while being a police man [Video]

This in-car camera footage ("Dash Cam Confessionals") of a Dover police officer captures him singing (and dancing) along to the Taylor Swift song "Shake It Off." Students find this 4 minute video clip helps them understand "doing gender" and how we are accountable for our gender performances. Have your students watch (and probably laugh) as this policeman changes from enthusiastic sing-along exuberance to "cool and collected" greeting-behavior when he drives by other people.

Video link: http://youtu.be/8XFBUM8dMqw