5/7 Draft Questions - Caroline Johnson

1.     In “Afrofuturism/Chicanafuturism”, it is discussed how the lack of people of color in sci-fi makes it so “…people of color have been erased from the future…”(Ramirez 4). How does Afrofuturism and Chicanafuturism stop the elimination of people of color from the future and also tries to work in the injustices of technology uses in the past towards people of color?

2.     In “Monstrous Children of Pregnant Androids” it describes the response of the Latinx community to the Pulse Massacre. It says that “We can change the parameters of kinship and learn new practices for keeping our queer and trans, nonwhite and nonhuman families safe” (Cardenas 29). How does this article show the strength and resilience of this community?

3.      The article “How did social media unite and empower DREAMers?”, shows how beneficial social media was for youth immigrants with the DREAM Act, “Through the use of social media, undocumented youths regained a sense of community by sharing their obstacles and fears with others in similar situations”. How is this example of the political success of social media similar to the benefits of other art forms or music we have discussed in class?

4.     In “Missed Connections” it discusses the biases that are created against women of color through the algorithms used by Google and other search engines. What do the messages of this article say for what it means to be an ethical engineer today who is adjusting these algorithms to take these biases into account?