May 7th Draft Questions - Sarah Yang

1. In “Deus ex Machina”, Ramirez writes about how land is seen as a “powerful ethnic symbol in Hispano struggles” as well as noting how there are assumptions that “romanticize Hispanos’ relationship to their physical surroundings also serve to primitivize them” (64). Are there other symbols in Hispanic cultures (and in other cultures) that have a duality like this? What significance does this have? 
2. In “Afrofuturism/Chicanafuturism”, Cathrine Ramierez writes about how she loved science fiction but was disappointed with the representation within the media. This piece was written in 2008, and in 2020, there have been more efforts to include diversity in mainstream media. How has it improved? What are the problems within it? What could be made better? 
3. “Missed Connections” examined how “just because search engines are shrouded in hightech processes … doesn’t mean that the search methods of all the market leaders shouldn’t be examined” (40). How would it be possible to reform the habits of big monopolies like Google? In addition, what are some of the effects of having skewed search engine results in our world? 
4. From ““How did social media unite and empower DREAMers?”, Basma writes how “through the use of social media, undocumented youths regained a sense of community”. How has social media changed the landscape for people to connect with each other and create movements? How has it been used for good and for bad?