5/7 Draft Questions, Haleh Mawson
1. In "Deus ex Machina," Ramirez mentions that New Mexican folk art began (or began a "revival") in the 1920s among Anglo Americans due to its perceived connection to "a less complicated and more innocent time, place, and people" (61). The text, justifiably, phrases this as being a simplified appropriation of a much grander and more complex tradition, but were/are there any benefits to this view of New Mexican art? Are there upsides to the "romantic myths" (64)?
2. Martinez uses discarded hardware to construct her art, but most of her peers use computer software, presumably in the form of graphic design (Ramirez 68). There are a number of other superficial differences as well, but are there deeper ones? Does this change in technology change the message communicated by the art?
3. In "Missed Connections," Noble talks about how search algorithms often push discriminatory results to the top, often because they've been paid to. Her conclusion seems to be to boycott those companies that "prioritize the most explicit, racist, and sexist" stuff on the Internet. Presumably, some of this bias would disappear if Google stopped selling off top positions, but what about the rest? We can rewrite algorithms to give us better results, but that is still allowing Google and other big companies the ability to promote or hide results they deem unfit. Is that OK?
4. The excellently named Basma Basma argues that social media allowed undocumented kids to connect with one another, organize, and get the DREAM Act passed. We've also seen, though, that plenty of folks have managed to find community and fight together throughout history, and that meeting folks online (*cough* Zoom) is a poor substitute for gathering in person. So do you agree with that person of the eminent name? Is social media the new key to changing the world?
-Haleh
2. Martinez uses discarded hardware to construct her art, but most of her peers use computer software, presumably in the form of graphic design (Ramirez 68). There are a number of other superficial differences as well, but are there deeper ones? Does this change in technology change the message communicated by the art?
3. In "Missed Connections," Noble talks about how search algorithms often push discriminatory results to the top, often because they've been paid to. Her conclusion seems to be to boycott those companies that "prioritize the most explicit, racist, and sexist" stuff on the Internet. Presumably, some of this bias would disappear if Google stopped selling off top positions, but what about the rest? We can rewrite algorithms to give us better results, but that is still allowing Google and other big companies the ability to promote or hide results they deem unfit. Is that OK?
4. The excellently named Basma Basma argues that social media allowed undocumented kids to connect with one another, organize, and get the DREAM Act passed. We've also seen, though, that plenty of folks have managed to find community and fight together throughout history, and that meeting folks online (*cough* Zoom) is a poor substitute for gathering in person. So do you agree with that person of the eminent name? Is social media the new key to changing the world?
-Haleh
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