Ethnographic Project Conducted at the University of Arizona
Media Arts Cultural Studies Assignment Spring Semester 2010
The task of collecting honest answers to questions concerning gender or race is extremely difficult. The natural human instinct is to censor the truth, lie, or state the politically correct answer in order to avoid embarrassment."Language is not an object which can be studied with the law-like precision of a science" (Hall, 35). The ethnographic project provides an opportunity to conduct a field exercise in which the interviewers collecting the information get to have a personal interaction with the interviewees. The personal interaction allows the interviewer to get a more personal perspective, ask additional questions, and develop a trusting relationship. The ethnographic project openly engages the interviewers and the interviewees into an exchange of assumptions that reflect attitudes about specific ethnic stereotypes that an entire culture must endure. The purpose of the project is to interview students at the University of Arizona to study the level of diversity through a personalized subjective interview to reveal attitudes about gender and other races in relation to the interviewee's self-identity. "Member of distinct genders, classes, races, nations, regions, sexual preferences, and political ideologies are going to read texts differently, and cultural studies can illuminate why diverse audiences interpret texts in various, sometimes conflicting ways" (Dines, 15). The text of the questionnaire is going to be presented to university educated students. The sheet will ask for a first name and gender. The ages are divided into three grouping; the under eighteen, the over eighteen, and the over thirty age group. The idea is that the potential interviewees will have similar answers and read the questions the same. The venue selected for the ethnographic project was the University of Arizona mall area. The majority of the interviews were conducted on the morning of February 15, 2010. The
location was selected because it was a prime location to gather a variety of perspectives from people of different races and viewpoints. The University of Arizona is a learning institution that openly encourages self-expression and respectful debates. The campus grounds do not allow alcohol or weapons which add to the location's safety. The attitudes about gender or race are expected to be politically correct, sanitized responses that the students have learned. It is expected that the students will have had or are currently taking a course that focuses on race due to the institutions educational requirement. The questions were presented in the same order for each interviewee on a questionnaire sheet. Each interviewee was allowed to read the questions before officially participating in the project. The purpose was to build a relationship of trust for the purpose of verbal interaction to clarify responses. The opportunity of reading the question and asking permission was to give the interviewee a sense of empowerment. The project required a total of ten participants. A sum of fourteen refused; nine people refused because of questions focusing on race. The concept was to stop couples. The goal was to correlate relationships in answers to race or gender. The ten questions in the survey are: 1) Which culture do you consider sexually attractive (Why)?, 2) Which culture do you consider dirty (Why)?, 3) Which culture do you consider talented (Why)?, 4) What topics do you not discuss with people of different races (Why)?, 5) How do you think President Obama is managing as the first Black President?, 6) Would you still watch a film if your race were not represented on screen?, 7) Do you think racial discrimination is a problem on our campus, and if so please provide an example of an incident, 8) Do you feel that your race is represented enough in the Media?
If not, explain how this trend will change, 9) Do your family values affect the way you view other cultures or religions? 10) Is there a superior race? Why do you think this way, does your thinking stem from a previous incident with another race?
The first interviewee is Katrina a female Hispanic from Tucson over the age of thirty. She considers the Asian culture to be sexually attractive because of the females' submissive nature. She considers the Mexican culture to be dirty based on occupation. The word dirty focused her to answer 'blue collar' jobs like garbage man, gardener, construction, or mechanic. She found this question insulting. She considers African to be talented because of rhythm and business; citing Diddy and Russell Simons. She does not discuss race because it causes tension. She thinks President Obama is doing a good job and only on the survey because he's Black. She answered yes to watching films even if her race were not represented. She thinks that racial discrimination is on campus "It must beit's everywhere. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there." She believes her race does get represented in the Media. She doesn't believe her family values affect her personal views. She writes "My values are my own. And I have an open view, except for Texas Christians." The last question is about expressing an opinion about a superior race. She was openly offended to that question and stated "NO....That's just BS" Katrina answered the survey in ten minutes and refused to make any video comments. The second interviewee is Jaime a male Hispanic from Tucson over the age of thirty. He believes Hispanics are sexually more attractive as a culture because they are more romantic. He doesn't consider any culture to be dirty. He gives the politically correct answer that I will paraphrase; there are things about specific individuals that may be flaws but you cannot attribute these flaws to an entire culture. He considers all cultures to be talented and differences are what make each culture special. He would not discuss race because it's used to provoke arguments. He thinks President Obama is doing a fine job considering what he inherited. He would still watch a film even if his race wasn't represented. He doesn't think racial discrimination is a problem on campus. He does feel that his race is represented in the Media. He does believe his family values affects the way he views other cultures. He states that there is no superior race. Jaime took about eight minutes to answer the survey and refused to make a video comment. The third interviewee is No Name. She scratched out her name and wrote 'No Name' as the identification. No Name is a female African-American over the age of eighteen. She considers the African culture to be sexually attractive because of physical features. She is very proud of her breast size and butt shape. She considers Asian women to be dirty. She based her answer on a video in which the women allowed substances to be placed on them
or inside them. She considers Blacks to be talented because of sports and music. She doesn't discuss race because it "obviously people get upset." She thinks President Obama is doing fine. She would watch a film even f her race wasn't represented. She does think that racial discrimination is on campus. She did not elaborate in her answer. She does believe her race is in the Media and that her family values affect her perceptions of other cultures. The last question she was offended by. She wrote "Fucked up question." She would not engage in any conversation. She completed the survey in less than ten minutes and refused to give a video comment. The fourth interviewee is TJ. A male African-American over the age of eighteen. He considers the Asian culture to be sexually attractive. He has a confessed Asian fetish that focuses on the slim body shape. He considers the Asian culture to be dirty in regards to sexual activity. There is a possibility that the interviewee interpreted 'dirty' as positive references. He considers Blacks to be the most talented in music and sports. He doesn't consider any topics to be off limits in mixed company. He thinks that President Obama is so-so in getting changes to happen. He would still watch a film even if his race were not represented. He supposes there must be racial discrimination on the campus. He has no direct experience to comment about. He does feel that his race is represented in the Media, but in the wrong way. He does believe that his family values affect the way he sees other cultures and religions. The last question he wrote "No Comment" and did not want to respond verbally. He was offended by the word "superior". He completed the survey in less than fifteen minutes and refused to give a video response. The fifth interviewee is PX a female Chinese exchange student over eighteen. She considers Mexicans to be sexually attractive because they are more sexually aggressive. She considers Mexican culture to be dirty because of occupations. She cited jobs that involved taking out the garbage or cleaning. She considers the Chinese to be talented because of intellect. She believes that it is impolite to discuss money. She's not sure if President Obama is doing a good job or knowledgeable about American politics. He seems to be on TV a lot explaining. She would still watch a film even if her race were not represented. She doesn't think there's any racial discrimination on the campus. She thinks that Media highlights everyone. She has family values. She doesn't believe there is a superior race. She answered in less than three minutes and refused to be videotaped. The sixth interviewee is Ren a male Chinese exchange student over the age of eighteen. He considers Chinese women to be more attractive because that have delicate features. He likes beautiful eyes. He considers some white people to be dirty. He especially remarked on the people he encountered by Fourth Avenue that smoke, dress badly, and smell like they don't shower. He considers the Chinese to be talented because of education achievement. He believes he would discuss any topic with anyone. He thinks that President Obama is doing okay. He watches films that are comedies. He thinks there is no racial
discrimination on the campus and that's okay. He believes the Media question is a restatement of the film representation question. He answered that he watches comedies and implied he is watching films he brought with him to America. He believes that his family affected his viewpoint. He wrote "Family is very religious." The last question he answered no to a superior race. He wrote "I don't understand." He replied that the question can be taken offensively. The seventh interviewee is Lionel a White male Causation over the age of eighteen. He believes that Puerto Ricans are sexually more attractive. He doesn't consider any culture to be dirty. He considers Asians to be talented. He claims that he would discuss race. He stated that President Obama; "He's doing fine, regardless of race." He would watch a film even if his race wasn't represented. He doesn't think racial discrimination is a problem on campus due to lack of personal experience; "I don't have any knowledge of any." He does feel that his race is represented in the media "too much." He does believe that his family values affect the way in which he views other cultures. He states "No" to the question of a superior race. The eight interviewees is Vanessa a female Hispanic over the age of eighteen. She considers no particular culture to be more sexually attractive. She doesn't consider any culture to be dirty. She doesn't consider any culture to be more talented or special. She believes that President Obama is doing "very well." She would watch a film even if her race is not represented. She doesn't think there is any racial discrimination on campus. She doesn't believe her values or how she views other cultures was influenced by her family. She doesn't believe there is a superior race. The ninth interviewee is Amal a female Arab over the age of eighteen. She considers the Italians to be sexually attractive. She considers the Indian culture to be dirty. "I've seen dirty images." She considers the Asians to be talented. "They're smart. They're going to take over the world." She thinks President Obama is doing well. "I don't see a lot of change. I think he's smart." She would watch still watch a film even if her race were not represented. She doesn't think there is racial discrimination on the campus. "I haven't witnessed it on campus." She states two answers for media representation. She is half African (Sudan) and half Arab. As an African-American she believes she is being represented in the media. As an Arab she does not believe she is being well represented. The media is focusing on the negative actions of a few individuals. She believes her family affects her values. The final question about one race being superior to another she answers no. However; she states "White superior. No they're just dominant, but I don't think for long...China and India are catching-up."
The tenth interviewee is Thomas an African-American male over the age of thirty. He considers African-Americans to be sexually attractive. "African-Americans...a person of color...come in different shades. This is why I consider them sexually attractive." He gives a politically correct response that no culture is dirty. "All cultures have good and bad attributes." He makes a similar diplomatic comment for which culture is talented. He states "Each culture is talented in their own way." He believes there are no topics are limits for discussion. "There are no topics that I feel I cannot discuss with any culture." He thinks President Obama is doing fine. He would watch a film even if his race were not represented. He thinks that "maybe" the media is representing his race. He does believe that his family affects the way he views other cultures. He does believe that there is racial discrimination on the campus. "In my own experience, a department chair who did not want me in the program because I'm Black." He answered yes to a superior race. He then wrote "There is no race superior." "Meaning is constantly being produced and exchanged in every personal and social interaction in which we take part" (Hall, 3). The project had interesting results in a couple of the questions asked that focused on personal preference. Question one dealt with sexual attractiveness. The Hispanic female known as Vanessa refused to answer. The interviewer stated the interviewee was in a hurry and did not wish to discuss any of her answers. The three males and one female selected the familiarity of their own culture. However, two males and three females selected a different culture based on the exotic appeal of 'otherness'. The Hispanic female and the African male selected the Asian culture based on sexual submissiveness. The Chinese female selected Mexican because of sexual assertiveness. The White male selected Puerto Rican and the Arab female selected the Italians. The answers seem to be based on cultural stereotypes. The question asked their opinion, but not if they have been with or are with someone of a different race. The African-American couple (No name and T.J.) are cohabitating, but answered the question differently. She prefers Black to be more sexually attractive for her. She expanded the answer to mean physical features on the man and on her. No name is very proud of her
body shape, specifically her butt and her breast size. She listed the Black males sexually appeal as height, size of the hands, and referred to his stick [taking the word stick as code for penis]. T.J. is and Katrina based preference on films. Question two dealt with the subjective interpretation of the word dirty connected to culture. Four of the interviewees did not answer this question, but rather gave a politically correct answer. The Chinese male associated the word dirty to White people on Fourth Avenue that lack hygiene. He felt that the smoke surrounding them made them smell bad and that they don't seem to shower on a regular basis. The Hispanic female and the Chinese female associated the word dirty to Mexicans in terms to occupation. The AfricanAmerican couple stated the same answer but with different intentions. The AfricanAmerican female answered Asian, but believed that the sexual activity that she witnessed on a DVD was gross and wrong allowing for foreign objects within the body. The AfricanAmerican male answered Asian for exactly the same reason of sexual activity. However, he found the media material to be entertaining and arousing. He interpreted a link in the questions and answered accordingly to how he decoded the word dirty. The Arab female answered the question in relation to sex. She was insulted by the question, but responded that the Indian culture is dirty based on images of sexual positions. The subject found offense to the root word sex because of her Muslim religion. The third question dealt with which culture is talented. Three people answered politically correct giving each culture credit for being talented in their own way. Three people selected other cultures to credit with talent. Katrina, the Hispanic female, stated that African-Americans like Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Russell Simmons are both talented in
music, business, and are self made entrepreneurs. The White male and the Arab female selected Asians, but the interviewer wasn't able to get specifics. Four people selected their own culture as talented. The African-American male (Thomas) and female (No name) mentioned talent ability as playing sports and talent for playing music. The Chinese male and female exchange students answered Chinese based on intellect. The word talent got interpreted as a cultural hierarchy, physical ability, and mental ability depending on specific strengths associated with the interviewee's race. The eighth and tenth question dealt with willingness to discuss race as a topic and naming a superior race. Eight interviewees answered no to discussing race as a topic. The written answers were short responses. The answers were "No", there is no superior race, "no comment", [paraphrasing] B.S... Question is there to intentionally provoke, "Fucked up question", and "could be taken offensively." The two using profanity are both females (No name and Katrina). The two African-American males answered yes to discussing the subject of race. However, both two men replied to the tenth question as "no comment" and "no superior race" without discussion. T.J. was very open to the other questions, but was able to change the subject and leave. The things that were done correctly were creating a consistent questionnaire sheet in case people did not want to be orally interviewed. The location at the U of A mall provided the opportunity to interview a diverse group of people. Each person was asked for permission to conduct the interview. Space was given to each person to answer questions alone, but the interviewer stayed nearby to engage in a verbal interaction to go over responses. The concept is for the questions to reveal cultural attitudes. The division of age
groups opened up a different perspective about the interviewees. The over thirty age groups participated by engaging in conversation, taking their time to answer the questions, and were the most direct. They actively contributed to their questions because they consented. The thing that may not have been completely right was the team conducting interviews separately. The information or documenting was not consistent. There was a lack of follow up questions to understand the intention of the interviewees' answers. The questionnaire sheet had questions that were answered in a single word. The project may have been better served by expanding the number of interviewees. The increased number would allow for a change in location. A second location at a bar with alcohol may have opened up interviewees' answers to be less censored and more direct. The lowering of inhabitations and personal guard would allow a truthful expression of their beliefs and reveal a pattern of logic. The over eighteen age group revealed a compulsion to leave by answering the questions in fewer than two minutes. The agreement to participate actively was not enough incentive. The thought is to probably create an online forum to gather information and place the interviewees in a more comfortable environment to answer race questions. The interpretation of the words was left to the interviewee to construct a reading. "This preferred reading involves the dual process of unraveling certain meaningsdecoding- but equally of selection and creativity which allows certain messages to surfaceencoding" (Hall, 166). The students at the university did not read the questions or answer the questions in a similar fashion. A vast number of the answers were honest and
uncensored. A small number of people answered the questions according to a politically correct type of response. The assumption was that the university instructed students on how to decode a reading. However, the interviewees drew from personal experiences and their own subjectivity to interpret and answer the questions. The participants revealed their present ideology about their own culture and their thoughts about other cultures.
Bibliography
Dines, Gail and Jean M. Humez. Gender, Race, and Class in Media a text-Reader. London: Sage Publications, 2003. Hall, Stuart. Representation Cultural Reprsentation and signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications, 2009.