From Honey Boo Boo to T.I and Tiny: What Reality Television has Taught Us about Whiteness
Danielle Ligocki –Oakland University
Reality television shows appear to have a limitless reach. Not only have we seen an unprecedented 7900% increase in the number of reality television shows on air from 2000 to 2010 (Ocasio, 2010), but the type of people who participate (for example, current and former presidents) and the variety of people that we see seems to have no limits. In this time of endless choices and shows that are readily available at our fingertips, what messages are we really taking away from these shows? What are reality shows teaching their viewers – specifically, their young viewers – about race and identity?
Hick-Hop, Dirt Roads, Camouflage, Lift-Kit Trucks and John Deere: Rural White Working Class Pride
William M. Reynolds, Georgia Southern University & Brad Porfilio, Seattle University
There has been extensive research done on whiteness over the last decades (Kincheloe & Steinberg, 2000; Sleeter, 2016 & Matias, 2016). During the 2016 presidential election, white rural identity became one of the cornerstones of Donald Trump’s campaign. Although the embrace of white working class was for Trump a lie, it did give white nationalists (alt-right) a sense of empowerment. Attempting to understand that sense of empowerment and pride, this presentation discusses the manifestations of White Working Class Pride through the analysis of Hick-Hop music. The historical development of hick-hop music and its connections to hip-hop will be discussed. There will be an analysis of representative examples of Hick-Hop including Bubba Sparks and Jawga Boyz to demonstrate the characteristics of Hick-hop. The connections among Hick-Hop, white pride and the politics of working class empowerment concludes the presentation.
Kincheloe, J. L. & Steinberg, S. R. (Eds.). (2000). White Reign: Deploying whiteness in America. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Matias, C. L. (2016). Feeling white: Whiteness, emotionality, and education.
Sleeter, C. E. & Carmona, J. F. (2106). Un-Standardizing curriculum: Multicultural teaching in the
standards-based classroom (2nd Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press
