Week 5 Discussion

 I loved the reading “Presidential silence, C. Everett Koop, and the surgeon general's report on AIDS.” I was surprised to see how a single article had such a great influence in the recognition of AIDS as a top hazard for the country. It was also interesting to see how politics came into play and led to Reagan’s 6-year silence regarding AIDS, where he refused to talk about it because of the way in which the public viewed the disease in relation to homosexuality (which was not viewed in the same way that it is viewed today). In this case, misinformation was expressed through silence, which was different from the other articles we’ve read. Reagan’s silence caused people to believe that it wasn’t really that important of an issue, when AIDS was actually killing thousands of Americans. 

I would like to know more about the article itself, and the specifics of what it talked about. I know that this does not relate directly to the impacts that it had regarding the development of AIDS treatment, but it is some context that I would like to know more about, considering that I barely know anything about AIDS.

Week 5 Discussion Questions - Ikuo Yui

 Three AIDS, Women of Color Feminisms, Queer and Trans of Color Critiques, and the Crises of Knowledge Production

• In this article, the connections between AIDS, misinformation, and people of color, queer, and trans individuals in these communities have been subjected to violence and oppression related to AIDS. With these communities being underrepresented and not being presented at all, they decided to organize protests and demonstrate more excellent representation and inclusion in conferences addressing AIDS. 

• How have social movements led by people of color, queer, and trans individuals challenged the dominant narrative and power structures that perpeturate misinformation surrounding AIDS?

Marketing Safe Sex

• As this article focuses on the political and social response towards the AIDs situation in San Francisco from 1983 to 1991, it talks about the strategies and protests that activists do to push for greater awareness for faster, flexible, and effective AIDS research and treatment. For example, they made effort to show more demand for condoms for gay people, creating posters and pamphlets that feature Black and Latino modes, protesting to challenge the AIDS research they faced through discrimination, etc. 

• What role did advocay groups and community-based organizations play in addressing the needs of minority communities affected by the AIDS epidemic?

Week 5 Discussion Questions (Jacqueline Chavez)

 

1. Over the years, science majors have been subjected to increasingly demanding and time-sensitive course requirements. This has ultimately disregarded the knowledge that race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation continue to be institutionally separated from scientific matters. The integration of gender perspectives into science education is a topic that is currently being explored and understood by the nation. What are the recommended steps for effectively educating the next generation on this subject matter while minimizing opposition?

2. In what ways did the San Francisco AIDS Foundation grapple with obstacles when promoting safe sexual practices within the gay community, particularly concerning facets of racial and cultural diversity, and how did the organization endeavor to navigate and mitigate these complexities? And most importantly, what could we understand from these experiences and how sexuality can mix with race, ethnicity, and diversity?

3. The potential implications of President Ronald Reagan's position and initial lack of response regarding the issue of AIDS can provide valuable insights into the long-term actions a nation may undertake. Does the development of social media afford individuals greater agency and influence over their own lives? In what manner can individuals be educated as media consumers, in the absence of holding the position of Presidency or possessing a reputation for truthfulness?

Week 5 Discussion Questions

 

1.  The San Francisco AIDS Foundation in produced multiple campaign relating to AIDS awareness and practices during the 1980s and would gain insights from those in the gay community through interviews, however, the foundation had shortcomings in relations to inclusion of people of color.  How does media campaigns and information about the AIDS crisis create an effective, truthful dialogue between those in the whole community if it does not gain insights from everyone? 

2. What type of role do educational institutions play in creating an environment that addresses and validates issues related to women of color, queer and trans people? 

Week 5 Questions (Jordan Renville)

How do various issues, such as the AIDS epidemic and worsening transgender rights, draw parallels between each other? Are there certain political and social measures that we see repeated over time? Despite these parallels, what are the differences in approaches, especially considering generational differences?

Are the systems we have in place designed to work as they do? For example, allow lawmakers to overtly discriminate against gay men and the transgender community? If so, what do you think are the main reasons why our society was built this way, and how can we go about removing this discrimination?

Now being able to look back, In what ways was the American population misinformed about the AIDS crisis? Although they are two completely different situations, are there any parallels to be drawn between the hate for gay men and the hate for Japanese Americans? Do you think that this same hate could be generated for a different group of people in the future?

Are you susceptible to misinformation? If all of your friends and family started growing hate for a certain type of person because of what they saw on the news and in the media, would you be more likely to also hate that group of people?

Melany Keroglyan - Week 5 Discussion Post

Melany Keroglyan - Week 5 Discussion Post

Based on Jih-Fei Cheng’s reading, “AIDS, Women of Color Feminisms, Queer and Trans of Color Critiques, and the Crisis of Knowledge Production,” how does intersectionality function as a critical part of the mentioned social movements (#BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, aids activism), and how do these social justice campaigns echo their founders’ revolutionary and intersectional conventions?

Additionally, Cheng’s text examines the significance of focusing and incorporating women and trans + queer POC in knowledge production and social movements. How can we guarantee their voices are not dismissed for consideration and justly incorporated into the address and decision making procedures taken?

In Jennifer Briers’s text, “Marketing Safe Sex,” Brier explores how the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Les Pappas used a method that aimed to eroticize the prevention of AIDS, specifically the usage of condoms, as a way to sell the product to gay men and market safe sex. How did this strategy counter conventional general health approaches? Moreover, what were the conceivable benefits and drawbacks of using eroticism in the movements for AIDS prevention?

Week 5 Assignment (Sophia Mager)

1. What are the consequences of treating interdisciplinary courses that assess science through a sociopolitical lens as “of lesser importance”? What attitudes will continue to be perpetuated as long as sciences and liberal arts are treated as mutually exclusive disciplines?

2. What is the impact of non inclusive and non comprehensive public health practices? 

3. How can we prevent stigmas and scientifically unfounded connotations from becoming ingrained in the public psyche? What are the steps that can be taken to undo existing attitudes?

Week 5 - Ben Bowler

How can we apply an intersectional approach to AIDS prevention? How will this help AIDS prevention and treatment?

How is the visibility of the AIDS crisis different for marginalized groups?

How can classroom curriculum be redesigned to educate about the AIDS crisis in a more inclusive way?

Week 5 Discussion Questions - Aurora Hindman

 1. How did the organizations like SFAF working towards AIDS awareness and prevention adjust their style of information distribution aimed at gay men, and does presenting information in a particular vernacular or style change its meaning or interpretation? When does it become misinformation? How did they maintain accuracy and work conducive to their goals? (Marketing Safe Sex)

As a San Francisco Bay Area native, and someone who has experienced some of the queer community there (though not as a gay man), the history in this article is fascinating to me. I knew some of it of course, but perhaps was ignorant towards the full scope of the deep involvement of San Francisco in the AIDS crisis and activism.

2. How did capitalism and consumerism influence the marketing of condoms? Is this negative, positive, or neutral? In what other ways does capitalism intertwine with activism and informational campaigns? (Marketing Safe Sex)

3. I felt like Cheng's article (Three AIDS, Women of Color Feminism...) was not truly getting to the important point about Black feminist lesbians (and other queer identities) supporting gay men during the AIDS crisis. Lesbians showed solidarity in this time, when white cisgender heterosexuals left the queer community to suffer. Intersectionality comes into play as many queer people getting AIDS were people of color. Cheng speaks to the intersectional oppression and community, and "resistance," race and sexuality bring together. I love that the article mentioned The Watermelon Woman-- that is a great New Queer Cinema film.

Cheng writes, "I have heard decriers of Black protest urge, instead, that Black activists conduct research and write articles—as if they have not and are not already doing so." This quote led to my question-- how many queer people of color were writing, protesting, and working for help and change with the AIDS crisis, that were never heard? How many essays, local neighborhood signs, letters, and pamphlets have been ignored in discussion of AIDS history, because the contribution and disproportionate suffering of people of color are overlooked? Or rather, how many were not passed on and widely proliferated or supported, perhaps impacting or preventing the spread of information? How do discussions of history change with such omissions? 

Week 5 Discussion Questions - Khalil Siddeeq

 The readings, especially the historical reading by Brier, brought to mind many insights about the difficulties of navigating specific contemporary cultures while also trying to spearhead a public health campaign. In this one question which came to mind is:

How does one effectively take into account the cultural differences which dictate the ways certain people react to crises?

The reading taking note of how the Latino community in San Francisco responded to certain informational posters and pamphlets with erotic undertones. Considering even recently I've encountered people in certain Latino communities who subscribe to ideas of masculinity which foreclose being both a proper man and being a homosexual man, it's more important than ever to tailor these PSAs designed to save lives with one's audience in mind. Even if it feels un-progressive in certain ways to water down the message, it is often a necessary sacrifice to water it down and get the message through rather than go all out with it and risk shutting out certain demographics completely.

Another question which comes to mind is:

How did the public education campaigns about AIDS in San Francisco in the early-to-mid 1980s build trust with the communities they served? (Note: This question was generated upon request by bard.google.com)

The reading demonstrates that even when groups ostensibly have the same goals (i.e. prevent the transmission of AIDS), they don't necessarily have the same values or care for the well-being of the same demographics of people. Public health should be the one place where a rising tide truly lifts all ships and everyone should have access to the best care possible, but in a situation like this where resources are limited (no thanks to the federal government turning a mostly blind and at times even destructive eye to the crisis on a ground level) decisions had to be made which caused certain racial, ethnic, and sexual cross-sections of the populace to turn against one another and lose trust amongst each other. The SFAF's regaining of trust amongst Black and BIPOC members of the gay community took time and effort which surely resulted in some level of increased suffering in the meantime among people they failed to reach.

Tyler Tang Week 5

 I focused on Cheng's reading to develop 3 questions

How do the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality impact knowledge production in the context of AIDS activism and advocacy? What specific challenges and opportunities arise for women of color, queer individuals, and trans people in this context?

In the reading, Jih-Fei Cheng discusses the concept of "knowledge production" within the context of AIDS activism. What are some key takeaways from the text regarding how knowledge is produced, disseminated, and challenged within marginalized communities, particularly women of color, queer, and trans communities?

The reading touches upon the idea of "crises of knowledge production." What are some of the main crises identified by the author, and how do these crises manifest in the context of AIDS activism and feminist and queer scholarship? How can these crises be addressed to foster more inclusive and equitable knowledge production practices?

Jonathan Guerra Assignment Week 5

 The readings were definitely interesting and had different approaches in their content. I felt that Cheng’s article was more geared towards informing the reader about the specific challenges and misrepresentation people of color, women, queers, and trans people have in relation to AIDS activism. I never knew of this misrepresentation and how educational factors play into this as well. I was curious about how misinformation and disinformation relates to the misrepresentation of these specific groups. Do you think misinformation or disinformation in the media was a contributing factor to this or not? 

Next, “Marketing Safe Sex” differed from the previous article because this text was more about how marketing was changed over the course of time to better represent and inform gays how to practice sex safely with the usage of contraceptions. I was not aware of the history of AIDS before and did not know most gay men did not use condoms before because there was no research proving the significance of condoms until 1985. It was also interesting to learn about the dynamics of neighborhoods and how demographics played a critical role in marketing tactics to spread awareness of condoms and AIDS. My question from this article is how time plays a role in the perceptions of AIDS. If AIDS was not brought up in the 1980s but rather today in the 21st century, would marketing safe sex be easier due to America becoming more progressive?

Week 4 Discussion Questions

 

1. In “Absent Images of Memory: Remembering and Reenacting the Japense Internment”, Sturken states that “cultural memory is always being rescripted, just as personal memories are constantly recrafted and rethought” (16). What is the inherent problem with collective cultural memory? Is it possible to have a collective memory that is not subjective? 

2. What role does the media play in national atonement, and is there a favorable way to memorialize the camps of Manzanar, Poston, Tule Lake, Topaz, Minidoka, Heart Mountain, Jerome, Gila River, Amache, and Rohwer? 

3. Do you believe that the journalists who fabricated ideas that Japanese-Americans were a threat to national security, which then caused local and state lawmakers to attack these groups, could still happen today? Is there a way to fix these issues in misinformed media?

Week 4: Jacqueline Chavez Discussion Post

1. In the reading, “Absent Images of Memory: Remembering and Reenacting the Japanese Internment,” by Marita Sturken, the text promotes the notion of encouraging readers to actively address the challenges associated with recognizing the internment camps and their impact on national memory and identity. This study examines the relationship between memory and history, recognizing that personal memories can be incorporated into historical accounts and that historical narratives can influence and reshape personal memories. Rea Tajiri examines camera images and their significance within the realm where personal, cultural, and historical memory intersect in her work. The examination of the complex and ever-changing relationship between camera images and the formation of memory, both on an individual and societal level, proved to be an intriguing piece of writing. This topic is especially relevant in the current era, in which film is a prominent medium for depicting and interpreting historical events. This observation leads to the realization that there is a paradox, in that cameras can actively contribute to the formation and erasure of memories. This is exemplified when Tajiri embarks on a quest to uncover her family's historical background and discovers that the information she has received thus far is insufficient and lacking key details. This particular instance challenges the notion that memory diminishes over time as individuals pass away, suggesting instead that it manifests as a distinct variant of embodied memory. In addition, it can be classified as a cultural memory because the individual uses novel imagery to fill in gaps in their recollection using family background. Within the context of historical trauma and intergenerational transmission, the author's reinterpretation and intervention serve to highlight the intricate and dynamic characteristics of memory. However, my inquiry pertains to the required memory representation and its capacity to convey the significance and impact of historical events accurately. In modern times, Hollywood war films are characterized by their distinct emphasis on realism. What types of cultural, historical, or personal memory are implicated in the endeavor of not only recounting history but frequently advocating for its dissemination? And as we disseminate history through a collection of distant memories, is it possible to argue that this is a dismissive or a required attitude?

2. In Ronald Bishop's article titled "To Protect and Serve: The "Guard Dog" Function of Journalism in Coverage of the Japanese-American Internment," the author examines the distinct roles assumed by print journalists during this period of history. Initially, they fulfilled the "watchdog" role by advocating for tolerance towards Japanese-Americans. However, their role later shifted to that of a "guard dog," wherein they functioned as the government's sentinels, actively monitoring and suppressing any narratives that posed a threat to the official stance. Moreover, the article delves into the instances provided by the “New York Times” and elucidates the distinctions between the guard dog and watchdog prompts. Following the reading of these newspapers, individuals promptly encountered inaccurate and inciting accounts of these declared activities. Can it be argued that journalism no longer holds dominant power positions, as individuals are now accessing information online rather than relying solely on journalists? And if this idea holds true, how does it intersect with the traditional concept of a watchdog or guard dog if the readers are now the editors?

Week 4 Discussion Questions

The two readings are quite intriguing. Bishop's article focuses on the evolution of the print media coverage of Japanese-Americans during the duration of Pearl Harbor to when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order. During this change, journalists originally played the role of “watchdog”, which challenged the government’s official version of events. After that, they switched roles to “guard dogs” which were groups that challenged other groups that they might suspect something might going on. They changed because the information they gathered is heavily dependent on the leaders, but it makes me wonder how it will change towards the media and the role of journalists.

“How did the shift in the role of journalists change and affect the coverage of Japanese American Internment in the media?

This article mainly focuses on how memory is such an important and complex process that it can alter cultural and political factors. Some of the factors that Sturken mentioned about how memory is not always a fixed entity, but a dynamic progress that shapes the present as much as the past. Memories were also mediated through mainly photography and film and it can be reenacted by act of remembrance and commemoration. This makes me wonder 

“How has the technological advancement changed the way we remember and commemorate these historical events? How does social media in the general impact it?

Melany Keroglyan - Week 4 Assignment

Melany Keroglyan - Week 4 Assignment 

Discussion question for the Marita Sturken reading, “Absent Images of Memory: Remembering and Reenacting the Japanese Internment”: 

Sturken stresses the role and significance of photographs in paving the way for historical and cultural recollections. She explores how some moments, like the Japanese internment period, lacked such historical and cultural context in photos, expressing, “Yet forgetting can also be produced through the presence of images. A single image-icon can screen out other images of a historical event. For instance, the iconic image of the mushroom cloud of the atom bomb obliterates the less well-known images of the bomb’s destruction.” (Sturken 690). And therefore, factual context is less represented in collective memory. How do photographs affect our view and recollection of historical circumstances? Can an event be recalled differently with the sight or lack of visual documentation?

Discussion question for the Ronald Bishop reading, “To Protect and Serve: The “GuardDog” Function of Journalism Coverage of the Japanese-American Internment”: 

The reading explores how print journalists shifted from “watchdogs” to “guard dogs” in their news coverage of Japanese-Americans during the internment period. How does this transition in journalistic duty and role influence our familiarity with the media’s impact on general views and government policies in moments of crisis? Are there any current instances where the media has adopted a comparable “guard dog” position?

Week 4 Questions (Jordan Renville)

How can we learn from imagery from events like the Japanese internment camps to make sure that things like this don't happen again? Sturken points directly to the photography and artwork from inside the camps, which offer us a raw view of what life is like. Do these images help in the effort to make sure that these things never happen again, or do they only serve as art for the time and are forgotten shortly after?

Were the photographers who photographed the true nature of the camps doing anything wrong? Did they have an obligation to the government as part of their job to make the camps look like a safe and welcoming environment, or did they do the right thing by telling the world about the closed-off and less-than-ideal living conditions?

Memorials and memory

 https://edgeeffects.net/protest-art/

Yanzhou Long

 Yanzhou Long

Weekly Discussion Questions 

After the in-class screening of last week, I was reminded of the Laval Decree in France, from 1934 to 1960, which banned any filming and photographing in French African colonies. I was thinking of the question of how to grasp the history when the ways of preserving the obtaining historical evidence are restricted and forbidden by the government. In Marita Sturken’s paper, she argues that “while the memories of survivors can become part of the texts of history, historical narratives can often reshape personal memories.” (688) That is, existing historical narratives and untold personal stories have mutual influence on each other in making history. As she also points out later in her paper, this kind of history/memory belongs to the realm of fluidity (702). From there, my question is if forbidden and forgotten history/memory is always under debate and dismissal and how do we reach consensus. 

 

Later in the essay, Martina Sturken points out that “The most powerful kinds of memorials demand forms of reenactment in the sense that they force viewers to participate rather than to find a comfortable distance.” (703) Sturken pivots from the ocular centric paradigm of remembering and instead urges people to remember with bodily and haptic experience by providing instances from other museums. I would like to discuss more on how to produce a historical account that reinscribes memory of the incarceration in this approach.

Week 4 Post - Aurora Hindman

 1. How does the Guard Dog article (Ronald Bishop) relate to previous readings (Week 1) discussing defining the study misinformation when it comes to expert or credible sources? Essentially, is a source labeled credible or official always accurate and unbiased? How does this historical tragedy inform this issue?

As the article mentions, the blurry lines of "credible" or "official" sources contributed to misinformation, propaganda, and emission of information during the time of Japanese-American internment. Although quotes or information could be from the President, for example, it could be biased and inaccurate. Furthermore, despite certain news sources being considered credible, many "news organizations are part of conglomerates" so there is, in some ways, simply an illusion of choice and variety. I relate this to the documentary we watched early in the semester-- capitalism is detrimental to truth and ethics in news. As we also discussed in class, there have been clips put together today from different modern news channels where anchors and reporters would say the exact same clip. Yet some sources may be considered more credible than others. Even "official" and seemingly trustworthy sources in the 1940's contributed to the internment. It is important to think critically beyond reading an author's or publishing company's name.

2. Absent Images of Memory (Sturken) - According to Sturken, what influenced the forgotten nature of the internment? How do historical narratives change over time? Should we try to intervene in the way media and lack of media control historical narratives? 

My favorite quote from the essay is, "On the one hand, camera images can embody and create memories; on the other hand, they have the capacity through the power of their presence to obliterate other, unphotographed memories. As technologies of memory, they actively produce both memory and forgetting." It is difficult to say if we should and how we can interfere with historical narratives that are created by iconography and lack thereof. We, as Americans, as filmmakers, have power over certain things-- the bias and narrative pushed in the news, like newspapers, as Bishop wrote with the Guard Dog journalists. Hollywood and the film industry, as a highly consumed and influential form of media, could have a role or responsibility in the narrative. Yet, I think some of it is unfortunately not in our collective control directly. Counter-images-- in fact, any images-- were produced showing the internment, yet did not become iconic and well-remembered. Therefore, the internment is not "remembered," meaning is not common knowledge in culture and not taught significantly in schools. Some genocides other than the Holocaust, as Sturken mentions, are treated in that same way. The process by which history is written, spread, and becomes a narrative is complex. I think there are some ways certain groups, like the government, journalists, and filmmakers, may have a responsibility and influence, but in other ways, some things are out of the control of at least the average American citizen. Sturken's commentary on how photographs are technology of memory, producing memory and forgetting, is really crucial to the conversation, I think.

Tyler Tang Week 4 Questions

 1. Sturken touches on the idea of "absent images" and how certain aspects of the Japanese internment have been omitted or overlooked in collective memory. What are the consequences of these omissions in terms of understanding the full scope of historical events? How might the selective memory of traumatic events impact future generations' understanding of history and its lessons?

2. Sturken also discusses how the Japanese internment is remembered and represented in various forms, including photography, museums, and reenactments. How does the act of representation shape our understanding of historical events, and what are the ethical considerations that arise when representing traumatic events like the internment?

3. Bishop's work focuses on the Japanese-American internment during World War II, but it raises questions about the role of journalism in covering similar issues in contemporary society. What lessons can we draw from the past in terms of journalism's responsibilities when it comes to government actions that may infringe on civil liberties?

Week 4 Assignment - Khalil Siddeeq

This week's readings all forced a much-needed recontextualization of causes, effects, and greater place in social and informational discourse borne by the interment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Particularly, the Bishop reading grants a more in-depth idea of what role the media played in an almost play-by-play of news coverage following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Some questions which arose during my reading include:

1. To what extent is this level of analysis of news coverage even possible in a more modern context?

The Bishop reading only selects a handful of newspapers to truly zone in on, but it still required an avalanche's worth of sources directly from that era in history. To get a somewhat accurate reflection of the cultural zeitgeist no doubt required extensive reading and cross analyzing these news sources in addition to some other after-the-fact soundbites and interviews. It's a difficult but plausible endeavor. However today in the era of the 24 hour news cycle and Twitter X up-to-the-minute reporting, there are not as many centralized places that a casual observer can go to in order to get a general but accurate idea of what the media is generally trying to say. On one hand, considering the media's role in upholding power structures during the time of internment, one could argue this decentralization as a plus. But it also makes the quest to find and plug the outlets which, say, encourage radicalization or spread mis and disinformation much more difficult.

2. What role does post-memory play in the gradual transformation of an event in the public perception?

A personal example which I think of is 9/11, an event which neither I nor most of my peers existed in a fully human context to witness. Yet reactions to it and those consequences shaped the lives of many (including to an extent myself), and destroyed the lives of many more. My only 'memory' of it lies in the photographic evidence which headlines, similar to the images of the atomic bomb regarding the Asia Pacific War, the spectacle and tragedy inherent in images of the collapsing towers. But the way this set of photographs became the dominant narrative is, as members of my generation grow older, becoming recognizable as an intentional choice on the part of the newsmedia to guide the conversation toward certain things and guide away from others. In this case, I can personally identify a burgeoning counter-culture among these young people which seeks to point at least as much attention toward victims of the American military industrial complex as the attention has gone to the victims of that tragic terrorist attack. How the perception of this event will change even more as time goes on is something I am very curious to witness.

Week 4 - Ben Bowler

 

How do journalistic institutions enable the government’s wrongdoings? What motivations or power dynamics are at play?

How do survivors pose a threat to dominant narratives of history? Alternatively, how do survivors inform dominant narratives of history?

What makes photography more democratic than other forms of documentation or journalism? How do photographs work to tell victim’s stories?

Week 4 Assignment (Sophia Mager)

 

1. Are camera images more prone to aiding in memory or forgetting? Is there a best way to “authentically” capture a memory? Or is any mode of memory subjective and incomplete?

The Sturken reading makes really interesting points about how memory is largely subject to change and is, in many ways, fluid. Images are a really interesting mode of memory capture to consider. One of the noteworthy points the piece makes is that, perhaps counterintuitively, images cause forgetting - through the absence of image but also the capturing of one moment, thereby erasing or understating another. This is important in the context of Japan, where images of the catastrophic impacts of Hiroshima, for example, were hidden in government archives until much later. On the other hand, images were important in this time to counteract any negative stereotypes pushed by the government and show the normalcy of all the people held in the internment camps. It is interesting to consider the balance between images showcasing something but also playing a role in forgetting.

2. In what ways do governments cover ups of wrongdoing and injustice perpetuate forgetting and the erasure of memory?

As outlined in the documentary, the government reportedly had intelligence that Executive Order 9066 of 1942 was entirely unnecessary and that there was in fact no Japanese threat on the West Coast. The documentary goes on to highlight the psychological damage inflicted upon 120,000 innocent people, who only four decades later began to gain public recognition and reparations by the government. 

3. The Bishop reading says that journalists “are drawn into a symbiotic relationship with powerful sources of information” (93), and “instead of examining the validity of the government’s claims, journalists…accepted and disseminated the information” (72). What are the implications of blind acceptance? In what ways are journalists responsible for the upholding of racist and harmful sentiments?

The Bishop reading makes many interesting points about journalism, and especially the role journalists played in furthering the government’s post-Pearl Harbor messages about Japanese Americans. The press’ coverage of Japanese Americans was instrumental in perpetuating the lies pushed by the government, and their coverage often coincided with unreasonable and unfounded policy decisions.

Jonathan Guerra Assignment Week 4

 The readings this week definitely brought a new perspective into how I viewed the Japanese-American internment. Bishop’s article was interesting due to the journalism practices during the time and how they shaped the view on Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the United States. I never knew that for a short time, there were reports that were actually defending Japanese Americans and claimed that they were loyal citizens. However, it made me curious once I found out about the “guard dog” practice. It was amazing to see how quickly journalists switched up their reports once areas of power such as the government started to bash the Japanese in the United States. Everything the government was saying against the Japanese Americans was all lies and there was never real proof that the Japanese Americans were partaking in sabotage against the US. This makes me wonder if this would be an example of misinformation or if would it fall under the category of disinformation. Also, did journalists partake in “guard dog” journalism because they wanted to be popular and accepted by the majority of society, or did they truly believe what the government (the dominant power) was saying? I also had the question of what are examples of guard dog journalism today in the 21st century.

Next, the Surken article was intriguing because it made me think outside of the box about how we remember history. I suddenly realized the deep impact that some images have on the way we process history. This line, “On the one hand, camera images can embody and create memories; on the other hand, they have the capacity through the power of their presence to obliterate other, unphotographed memories. As technologies of memory, they actively produce both memory and forgetting” stood out to me. I am now curious are we only seeing images of history that we want to see? Do you think there are other parts of history that are completely misinterpreted just because it was never documented or photographed and shown to the public?

Week 3 Blog Post

 David Welch, “Nazi Propaganda and the Volksgemeinschaft: Constructing a People’s Community,” Journal of Contemporary History, 39:2

The article dives deep into the Nazi Propaganda campaign that was aimed to create a “national community” called Volsgemeinschaft by uniting all social and class divisions to let them discover the true German values. As the propaganda was aimed at uniting people, instead it did not reflect the actual social and economic conditions that people were experiencing and was the cause of the downfall of the Nazi regime. This makes me wonder, 

“How did the Nazi regime able to create these propagandas that completely differ from the true living conditions of the German people? How are they able to hide the contrast even though they were making this propaganda to unite everyone?

Alan Sennett, “Film Propaganda: Triumph of the Will as a Case Study” Framework 55:1 Spring 2014

The article dives deep into propaganda as a form of political communication, technique of persuasion, and manipulation to achieve what they want. Propaganda was heavily used during the First World War and the rise of mass society but the article challenges the propaganda by mentioning the ethical and aesthetic implications of the propaganda and how the film Triumph of the Will was made to create a message of how powerful the Nazi Party and the leaders were. 

“How did the film “Triumph of the Will” reception change over time and what factors contributed to the way we see the film?

Week 4 Clips

 Fascism as defined by Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism   

 

Hitler speech to youth: in Triumph:  https://criticalcommons.org/view?m=oLIYyRqS9 

Olympia opening:  https://criticalcommons.org/view?m=A3ATsQXT9 

 

Sontag: image and essay Fascinating Fascism 

http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/index.shtml 

 https://campus.albion.edu/gcocks/files/2013/08/Fascinating-Fascism.pdf 

 

Busby Berkeley 

From Dames 7 min in: https://criticalcommons.org/view?m=10Mrmhz3f 

 

Hunger Games 

https://criticalcommons.org/view?m=tMC6TUgsPca 

 

Leni on the aesthetics: 1:09-1:17 The Wonderful Horrible Life of LR 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwG1gbt4xBg 

 

Leni on Time Cover: https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19360217,00.html 

 

Radio poster: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/1936-poster-all-of-germany-listens-to-the-fuehrer-with-the-peoples-radio 

 

Start at 17:00 : The Path to Nazi Genocide: 

 https://www.ushmm.org/learn/holocaust/path-to-nazi-genocide/the-path-to-nazi-genocide/full-film 

 

Screenings for next week: 

Log in to USC:  And Then They Came for Us. 51 m 

https://uosc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991044119430703731&context=PC&vid=01USC_INST:01USC&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&mode=Basic 

 

On PBS: Betrayed. 57 m 

https://www.pbs.org/video/betrayed-survivng-an-american-concentration-camp-1J4Nna/ 

 

 

Week 3 Discussion Questions

When reading the first piece by David Welch about how Nazi Germany utilized propaganda to persuade its people to believe in the inhumane practices that were going on in the country, it became very clear to me how important film as a medium was to the advancement of this propaganda. Welch touches on how because film was a relatively new art form, it was able to give people a view of various important moments through a lens that they had never experienced before. I wonder if this could be replicated in the future using new medium live VR etc.

In the second piece, I specifically found it interesting when Alan Sennett talked about the plane going over the town in the film that we watched last class. I, too, pegged this scene as something that must have been a very new sight for people at this time and put into perspective the vastness of not only the tow that they lived in but the world. How much do you think propaganda in World War II impacted the worldview of people experiencing it?

Discussion Post 2

 A) In the middle of Alan Sennett's work, he spends an amount of time to write nuanced formal analysis of scenes from Triumph of the Will and engages the history of film theory a little bit. And I found his strategy of case studies to be effective, because it pays specific attention to how a film is composed and structured by the woman behind the camera and thus is able to discusses how the film sutures the audience into the world of false belief. What this paper brings up to me is that, to think of disinformation in media, we must also think of the specificity and form of the media. Moreover, I also believe this paper is in dialogue with the proposal for a more interdisciplinary research method which we have discussed last week.

B) According to the reading, if every film is political to some extent and may be taken out of context to propagate ideologies, should we, the audience, to think of film and media beyond its representational logics and effects. Should we teach ourselves to develop a new understanding toward the media we are exposed to everyday?

Week 3

 

How does propaganda exist at the intersection of art and ideology?

How does an audience’s consciousness of a message affect propaganda?

Why is there debate over the extent of Triumph’s impact on the German masses?

Week 3 Assignment

 

1. What are the conditions that most promote propaganda? And how can you consider the distinction between the prevalence of propaganda and its ability to effectively persuade/indoctrinate?

This is interesting to consider in the context of the Welch reading, which explained that propaganda is largely only successful when reinforcing existing opinions, as opposed to introducing new concepts. The reading also explained how Goebbels placed an extra emphasis on monitoring public opinion. In this sense, it can be seen how Nazi propaganda capitalized on the German public’s stances and prejudices on certain issues (especially post-World War 1 humiliation and economic hardship such as rampant inflation). The second part of the question is important to consider because, as per the reading, Nazi propaganda was not always well received or believed, nor did it successfully address any of the issues (such as unemployment) it promised to.

2. To what extent can appealing to emotion be considered one of the core tenants of propaganda?

The Welch reading again focuses on the Nazi’s decision to narrow in on emotions like patriotism and pride - which was mirrored in their slogans and campaigns (such as “Beauty of Labor”). The Nazis made a series of choices, such as creating public rituals and new public holidays to attempt to foster a sense of national pride. This is again interesting to consider in the context of the German youth, where the emphasis on emotion was both where they were able to (forcefully) garner support but also foster resistance amongst youth groups. The reading details the loss of critical judgment that comes with emotionally charged propaganda. 

3. Is any piece of media created ever able to be truly impartial or non-curated? 

I found Leni Riefenstahl’s attempt at moral blamelessness as outlined in the Sennett reading to be noteworthy, as were the subsequent points made about how “aesthetics are not politically neutral or value free”. One of the concluding statements here really struck me - that in insisting that the film can be seen for its value as art without considering the political elements and intentions, she “continued to trumpet a key Nazi deception: that its art was nonpolitical and impartial”. The Nazi’s attempt to make propaganda “slickly” (or without letting across that it was, in fact, for propaganda/persuasion) is also relevant to consider in the context of this question.

Week 3 Assignment: Melany Keroglyan

Week 3 Assignment: Melany Keroglyan

Discussion questions based on the David Welch reading “Nazi Propaganda and the Volksgemeinschaft: Constructing a People’s Community”:

• In the reading, Welch notes that Nazi Germany propaganda aimed to alter public view and affirm existing perspectives and opinions. How did Nazi propaganda counteract the reinforcement of already established existing values while pushing to create a new value system? Can we pull similarities amongst these past propaganda methods and the political-based communication that currently exists in our present day?

Discussion questions based on the Alan Sennett reading “Film Propaganda: Triumph of the Will as a Case Study”:

• The written case study by Sennett explores the function of realism and manipulation of information in propaganda movies. In what ways does the film’s usage of actual historical affairs, orchestrated sequences, and editing styles impact its persuasiveness as an element of political propaganda?

The readings by David Welch and Alan Sennett present insights into the ideas of propaganda, the media’s function in shaping the public’s views, and the intricacies of historical/art-based propaganda. Both articles stress the movie’s importance, as it is a powerful political mechanism for spreading propaganda. Welch’s reading concentrates on Nazi propaganda and how the Nazi regime ideology can be applied to observers through film. On the other hand, Sennett’s article explores the controversy surrounding Riefenstahl’s film Triumph of the Will and whether it should be categorized as a piece of art, propaganda, or both. It would be interesting to further examine these propaganda films’ various aesthetic/stylistic techniques and processes and how they sought to attain distinct political goals.

Week 3 Blog Posts - Khalil Siddeeq

This week's readings provided a useful historical context and background for the release of Triumph of the Will which we screened last Tuesday. Watching the movie brought about complex feelings thinking about what came afterward, especially seeing the tens of thousands of cheering and adoring fans of the Nazi party and Hitler in particular. But the readings make it clear there is more to the story than simply what was deliberately curated in the film to evoke certain reactions in 1934. More specifically, the mood in Germany at and following the time is not entirely representative of the feelings the film seeks to evoke. I found particular kinship with the ways in which work was lauded by the Nazi regime in 30s and 40s. There are ways in which the Nazi party sought to cultivate a level of equity and equality among German working class citizens (so long as they weren't Jews) but never to the extent of actually smoothening out the real economic differences that made up their class society. Workers could be interviewed in a positive light and given certain opportunities of leisure and encouraged to save their money for a Volkswagon, but there was little expectation of any real fundamental change in the class structure. It's a form of propaganda which drew up memories for me of the COVID 19 pandemic. It was a time when the 'essential worker' was lauded and called a hero. The people who continued to do the crucial jobs without which society couldn't function, the grocery store workers, sanitation officers, and other blue collar jobs. Those people were given plenty of praise but ultimately their performance in the pandemic has led to little shifts in real life regarding the runaway income inequality which pervades the United States today.

The article on Leni Riefenstahl poses some interesting questions about both the definition of propaganda and the level of responsibility an artist commissioned to do a job has for the results of how their art is utilized and what it is used to justify. It's an especially difficult question thinking about the almost paradoxical ways in which art (using the general definition of the term) today is so ubiquitous yet artists themselves are so undervalued. Taking a job propping up propoganda for a regime that one was at most ambivalent toward wasn't an uncommon way of making a living back then, and indeed today such situations are practically the definition of the mantra that "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism". But that Riefenstahl might have in some way been a true believer in the tenets of the Nazi party oddly seem to confer a deeper status of propaganda to her film. That because it was by many indications true to her, its status as a film meant to induce a certain kind of thinking becomes stronger.

Tyler Tang Week 3

1. "Triumph of the Will" is often remembered as a landmark in the history of film propaganda. In what ways did the film employ cinematic techniques and aesthetics to convey Nazi propaganda messages and ideologies, and how did these techniques contribute to its effectiveness as a propaganda tool?

2. How did Riefenstahl's personal involvement in the project raise questions about the responsibility of artists and filmmakers in disseminating propaganda? What can we learn from her career and the controversies surrounding it?

3. How did Nazi propaganda contribute to the construction of the Volksgemeinschaft and what were the key elements or messages that were promoted to shape this "ideal" community?

 

Aurora Hindman - Week 3 Discussion Questions

 1. After reading Sennett's “Film Propaganda: Triumph of the Will as a Case Study,” how do you feel about the relationship between political art and propaganda? Can art be political without being propaganda? Can art ever be objective? Extra: Consider the quote: "As if technique could exist independently of politics. But aesthetics are not politically neutral or value free."

2. How might have Hitler and the Third Reich's community-based propaganda actually separated Germans? What is the strategy of propaganda? (i.e. turning on one another for the good of the community) Consider the German youth (in Hitler Jugend) told to report their parents, and "transfer allegiance from family to the national community and to subordinate individualism..." (Welch)

3. What is the significance of a passive audience/consumer, as Welch describes in his last pages? Perhaps propaganda does not always radicalize the consumer-- what, then, can its effect be? Do you think you have either passively or radically consumed propaganda?

Week 3: Nazi Germany

 After reading Drake Stutesman's work, I questioned why he thought the cinematic strategies of the film made it viewed from the audience as something "brilliant," "interesting," and "attractive" (60). Stutesman found the editing and treatment of the film were curated so nicely by "cutting out all the boring and repetitive parts of the speeches" (60). Even though I never saw the raw version of these clips, I still believe that this isn't true from a viewer's standpoint. I thought it was incredibly boring and repetitive, and the editing did not serve the film's purpose to propagate German ideals into my head. Although I have a clear bias of disliking Nazi Germany, I did not find the contents of the film interesting enough to possibly be persuaded or amused by the political ideas or efforts. So now, I question if anyone else felt the same as I did, or if they agree with Stutesman. Does anyone think the editing and treatment was brilliant enough to find these ideas heroic? 

I am also interested in discussing how Riefenstahl (if she were still here) feels about the way in which her film was received as political propaganda, even though she viewed it as art. It would be interesting to talk about her biases that she had on the documentary through her editing and clipping of speeches. 

Assignment Week 3

 One of the first things that both readers brought to mind was how propaganda used by the Nazis was not intended to radically change the opinions and attitudes of the masses, but rather it depended on the prevailing opinions of the German public. Both articles seemed to mention that the Nazis used propaganda relevant to already current beliefs. It was stated in the article by Sennett, “The propagandist deals with ideas, perceptions, and emotions that already have social currency.” Another thing the second article brought to my attention was how effective editing and camera angles are in persuading the audience to believe something. Riefenstahl’s tactics in filming her movie made the Nazis and Hitler seem like a wonderful and prideful power ignoring all of the problems that were actually taking place behind the scenes such as unemployment and real social reality. It is frightening to think about how a video was able to create so much approval of the Nazi regime in Germany and it makes me think that the German population was truly brainwashed. 

I was also interested in how strategic the Nazi regime was in finding a way to create the “people’s community.” I never realized how intelligent their plan was and how they relied on the 

German society's humiliation from the loss of the first world war and the society being weakened by inflation, economic depression, and mass unemployment to create a people’s community loyal to the Nazi party. 

Another thing I would like to discuss more about is why is the term propaganda looked down upon in the English-speaking world. A discussion question I would like to propose is that is it true that phrases such as history is written by the victors relate to propaganda. Do you think that if the Nazis and the Axis powers during ww2 won, would the English-speaking world see propaganda as a good thing today? 

I would like to discuss more about Riefenstahl’s beliefs towards the creation of her documentary when she was asked later on in her life. Do you think her intention in creating Triumph was political? I feel that it can go both ways after reading the second article.

Week 2 Assignment

An ABC News article from 2020 detailed a Department of Homeland Security intelligence draft bulletin that warned “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election”. The article quotes the bulletin, which detailed that “this narrative will resonate with some American voters and reduce their confidence in him as a candidate”. The Russian campaign in question was said to be using “covert proxy websites and overt state media” to push these ideas beginning September 2019. The campaign targeted Joe Biden’s mental health and acuity via unsubstantiated or unproven means. This is in line with the Lexicon of Lies: Terms for Problematic Information reading’s determination of a social networking services’ “information operations”, which include “deliberate and systematic attempts to influence public opinion by spreading inaccurate information with puppet accounts” (Jack) This could be considered propaganda - “systematic information campaigns that are deliberately manipulative or deceptive” (Jack).

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-spreading-disinformation-bidens-mental-health-dhs/story?id=72879355

A University of Minnesota finding uncovered that 52 physicians across the United States, between January 2021 and December 2022, spread misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and masks. This had a very wide reach, with the aforementioned doctors having a median of 67,400 followers. The biggest category of untrue information shared surrounded the vaccine, with topics also touching on issues such as mask efficiency, supposed government corruption and secrets, and the origins of the virus. While misinformation surrounding COVID-19 is nothing new, it becomes particularly dangerous when being shared by licensed physicians. The reading Defining Misinformation and Understanding its Bounded Nature: Using Expertise and Evidence for Describing Misinformation touches on this. It touched on the issue of expert consensus and misinformation, which is often readily available but include “incentives to disrupt and diminish perceptions of that expert consensus”. (Vraga, Bode) A technique outlined in the reading describes using “false experts to present a misinformation argument”. (Vraga, Bode) A licensed physician spreading misinformation (whether intentional or not) could be considered a false expert, especially if they practice in unrelated fields.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/report-spotlights-52-us-doctors-who-posted-potentially-harmful-covid-misinformation-online