Partial Chicago Skyline

Here, we are looking at a portion of the Chicago skyline from Ashland Avenue. “The image—as a necessary simplification of the city reflects this unique experience. The language people use about places provides a valuable insight into this personal experience, and the image may be studied through their descriptions. It is through these descriptions of places that stereotypes have the greatest potential for development”(Burgess 1974). When people hear “Chicago” they picture our beautiful skyline or the stigma associated with the city, but rarely both simultaneously. This photo being black and white leaves the readers to make sense of what they see Chicago as based off of their personal experiences.

Personally, I love the city, the food, the accessibility of everything and more. However, I also dislike aspects of it. Chicago can be very odd at times, but the stigma associated with it isn’t prevalent everywhere. For example, it’s a place that gets really hot or cold. One neighborhood can be safe and the next one brings unease. It’s a segregated melting pot. “'Stereotypes appear to be learned by word of mouth or from books and films. The media creates a vast cultural matrix in which images can develop and persist irrespective of the reality they are supposed to represent'”(Karlins, Coffman and Walters, 1969)( As cited in Burgess 1974).

Mass media is powerful. Likely, it can influence its audience on how to portray Chicago. As a result, it'll reinforce the stereotypes. Focusing on violence led to coining the term “Chiraq” because of how media depicts Chicago's gun violence. However, police say that compared to last year, “Chicago saw nearly a 16% decline in murders, according to statistics”(Park 2018), but not many people are aware of that because the media only portrays the “chiraq” aspects of it.

Not only does the city have a stigma, but so do Chicagoans. From a conflict theory perspective, people’s social interactions are always about power. On “Urbanism as a Way of Life,” Louis Wirth states, “In particular, urban residents are more tolerant than rural residents of nontraditional attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles, in part because they are much more exposed than rural residents to these nontraditional ways”(as cited in “Social Problems”). Media’s power makes their depiction realistic about Chicagoans as violent when, in fact, they’re more open-minded, yet still complex.

Through an ethnographic method we see that “audiences, then, are constituted as a discrete site of meaning-making, as they decode the significance of the mass media that they encounter in their everyday lives. It’s possible by bringing their own knowledges and understandings to bear on the products of the media”(Rose 259).

Ultimately, it is up to the audience to decide what they believe or not. There isn’t much of either just “good” or “bad” things. Chicago is not always “black or white”, rather a mixture of both perspectives. Some people may be more limited than others if, for instance, one has never visited Chicago and/or only has knowledge coming from only mass media.

References
[Author removed at request of original publisher].(2016, March 25). Social Problems:
Continuity and Change. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/14-2-sociological-perspectives-on-urbanization/
Burgess, J. (1974). Stereotypes and Urban Images. Area, 6(3), 167-171.
Park, M. (2018, January 01). Chicago Police Count Fewer Murders in 2017, but 650 People
Were Killed. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/01/us/chicago-murders-2017-statistics/index.html
Rose, G. 2016. Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual
Methods, 4th ed. Sage.
Sturken, M. and Cartwright, L. 2018. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual
Culture, 3rd ed. Oxford.

Commentary on Rachel Tanur's Works: Guatemalan Mother and Child

From this image alone, I see issues with ideologies, social class, and sexism.That being said, through the use of the marxist/conflict theory(critical race theory), which say that social interactions are associated with power, and the semiology method, which “offers a very full box of analytical tools for taking an image apart and tracing how it works in relation to broader systems of meaning” (Rose 106), I will elaborate on how this image illustrates that in times of socioeconomic shocks parents turn to child labor for help around the house (Vasquez and Bohara 2010). Although others may think that this is just an image of a mother and daughter running errands somewhere in Guatemala, there’s always more to this than meets our eyes. Evidently, both are dressed in fairly traditional attire, similar hairstyles, both are carrying things, and even have similar facial expressions. It appears that this could be a regular day for them, but what else is this trying to tell us? Because “our world is organized around practices of looking” and “the power of images is derived both from the shared meaning they generate across locations and the particular meanings they hold in a given place or culture” (Sturken and Cartwright 13), I will use the signs in the image and symbolism to understand, describe, and define the world as I see it (Sturken and Cartwright 18). The amount of power that an image alone possess is incredible. There are multiple perspectives to look at a image from. Sturken and Cartwright mention that “visual culture is not simply about images. It’s also about practices we engage in relative to seeing, and about the ways the world is visually organized in relationship to power” (p. 22). This image makes me wonder if this was taken in a specific area to portray their social class. When we look at their hair, it looks messy. Could it be because they were hot and exhausted from running errands or the lack of time and resources to maintain their hair? Additionally, observing the background, the concrete looks worn out and what seems to be a man in old casual clothes, is resting. Something as small as one's appearance and location/background can tell us much more than the image itself. After analyzing this image, I perceive sexism. The woman and her daughter fulfill the traditional stereotype of doing the housework, while men relax like the man, I assume, in the background. Also, why is the child carrying something almost their own size instead of attending school? Traditionally child labor has been considered a household response to income poverty (Amin, Quayes and Rives 2004; Jensen and Nielsen 1997; Ray 2002)(As cited in Vasquez and Bohara 2010). Also, boys are more probable to attend school than girls; however, boys are most likely sent to the labor market(Vasquez and Bohara 2010). In some areas, to become a “woman”, young girls will learn to work like their mother. Ultimately, this leaves me curious as to why some societies put education aside while prioritizing labor knowing that it will keep them in that continuous cycle. I know because I can relate to this. Growing up in Chicago, things weren’t always pretty; some sacrifices had to be made. As a first generation college student, I hope to break that cycle in my family. There is definitely more to the image than what we are able to see. Embedded in the image, issues are present in regards to ideologies, social class, and sexism. Social interactions are, indeed, associated with power. Being able to take an image apart and tracing how it works in relation to broader systems of meaning allows me to reach the conclusion that in times of socioeconomic shocks parents turn to child labor for help around the house (Vasquez and Bohara 2010). References Rose, G. 2016.Visual Methodologies:An Introduction to Researching with Visual Methods, 4th ed.Sage. Sturken, M & Lisa C. 2018. Practices of Looking:An Introduction to Visual Culture, 3rd ed.Oxford. Vásquez, W. & Bohara, A. (2010). HOUSEHOLD SHOCKS, CHILD LABOR, AND CHILD SCHOOLING:Evidence from Guatemala. Latin American Research Review, 45(3), 165-186.