Read the two readings and watch the one screening, then answer the four questions.
Readings:
1. Grace Wang, “A Shot at Half-Exposure: Asian Americans in Reality TV Shows” (2010)
2. Raquel Gates, “Embracing the Ratchet: Reality Television and Strategic Negativity” (2018). This readings is long so feel free to focus on pages 142-152 and 179-181.
Screening:
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (season 1 recap, part 1)
Please respond to the following four questions in full sentences. Each response should be around 100 words. When possible, make specific references to the original text or media object.
1. In her article, Wang talks about the relationship between reality TV and stereotypical representations of racialized minorities. According to Wang, why is it that reality TV as a genre is likely to promote racial stereotypes?
2. Wang talks about the presentation of specific Asian-American contestants on three shows, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and Project Runway. Which episode and/or clips did you watch from these shows? Did you see the issues of racial representation that Wang described?
3. In her chapter, Gates talks about the representation of Black women on what she refers to as “ratchet” reality TV. In a way, her argument is the opposite of Wang’s. What are the main differences in the points that Gates and Wang make racialized representations on reality TV?
4. Gates writes that “ratchet” reality TV offers Black women viewers “a respite from the politics of respectability” (179) – that is, it offers them a chance to enjoy imagining acting in ways that are dramatic, “bad,” or reflect the messiness of real life. Describe a scene from the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta video and explain how it illustrates this idea of refusing to be “respectable.”
