Symposium Abstract

The Journal’s fourth symposium focused on the intersection of race, sexuality, class, and gender in popular culture.

In the context of the sports world, contributors examined how the vilification of African-American athletes has less to do with behavior and more to do with underlying racist attitudes. African-American athletes, in particular, experience a type of "backlash" because they refuse to unnecessarily modify their behavior to conform to a predominantly white audience. On the other hand, panelists noted that the Title IX mandate provided more opportunities for women in sports but cautioned that the law’s continued adherence to the male model of athletic participation does not capture the nuances of harassment that women athletes face.

Moreover, African Americans are grossly underrepresented on television by the four primary networks, and the networks typically depict them in roles that perpetuate gendered and racialized stereotypes. These stereotypes occur in other realms of the entertainment industry and are harmful because they negatively affect how minorities view themselves and how whites view minorities. Additionally, these stereotypes facilitate disharmony between reality and perception.

Finally, the panelists explored human rights violations in the contexts of the Internet and the "sex tourist" industry. Contributors argued that the amorphous nature of the Internet requires international cooperation in determining world values with respect to free speech and child safety. Absent international consensuses in regulating Internet content, the world may never be able to totally prevent child pornography. Unfortunately, within the sex tourist industry, women of color may be disproportionately victimized because of the prevalence of racialized, gender stereotypes.

Symposium Articles

Kenneth L. Shropshire, Keynote Address: "Beyond Sprewell: The New American Dream"

Madeleine Mercedes Plasencia, Internet Sexual Predators: "Protecting Children in the Global Community"

Ediberto Roman, "Who Exactly is Living La Vida Loca?: The Legal and Political Consequences of Latino-Latina Ethnic and Racial Stereotypes in Film and Other Media"

Madhavi Sunder, "Intellectual Property and Identity Politics: Playing with Fire"

Gary Williams, "'Don't Try to Adjust Your Television - I'm Black': Ruminations on the Recurrent Controversy over the Whiteness of TV"

Sherri Burr, "Television and Societal Effects: An Analysis of Media Images of African-Americans in Historical Context"

Tanya Kateri Hernandez, "Sexual Harassment and Racial Disparity: The Mutual Construction of Gender and Race"

Alfred Dennis Mathweson, "Grooming Crossovers"

Rhonda Reaves, "'There's No Crying in Baseball': Sports and the Legal and Social Construction of Gender"

Margaret F. Brinig, "In Search of Prince Charming" (Commentary)