Appendix A.1: Interview Schedule of Black Male Participants

Appendix A.1: Interview Schedule of Black Male Participants The interviews of Black males were conducted between March 27, 2009, and July 17, 2013. A purposeful sample of participants was chosen from Wichita, Kansas; Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Washington, DC; and Atlanta, Georgia. This project was partially funded by the University of Houston—Clear Lake, via the Faculty Research and Support Fund (FRSF_2010). The research team was composed of university students and myself. We solicited interviews face-to-face, by phone, email, and via online through surveymonkey.com. The majority of Black males were interviewed face-to-face using semistruc- tured, open-ended questions. As described by Berg (1998, 61), “this type of interview involves the implementation of a number of predetermined questions . in a systematic and consistent order, but the interviewers are allowed freedom to digress; that is, the interviewers are permitted to probe far beyond the answers.” All face-to-face and phone interviews averaged around 20–35 minutes in length. The length of the interviews varied depending on the depth of the responses. Each respondent was asked the same series of questions from the interview schedule. In some cases responses were too narrow and needed follow-up questions for further clarifica- tion. Beamer (2002, 92) indicates that the researcher should ask more broad questions at the beginning of the interview to allow the respondent to speak freely and follow-up with more specific questions. He suggests that this approach per- mits the interview to stay more structured and focused. Once each interview was complete, each audiotape was transcribed and reviewed. 158 AppENDIX A.1 Professional and ethical standards were adhered to in main- taining the confidentiality of the information provided. This research used pseudonyms for participants. The anonymity of research participants was maintained to allow full disclo- sure on questions and their position on topics discussed in the book. The responses were treated confidentially. In social science research it is important for participants to know that their responses if published will not be identifiable as theirs (Robson 1995, 43). The demographics of occupation and age were current at the time of this writing. The final number of Black males interviewed in each city is as follows: Wichita, Kansas—31; Houston, Texas—58; New Orleans, Louisiana—39; Washington, DC —22; Atlanta, Georgia—35. A total of 185 Black males were interviewed. Question Wording Evaluation of Black Male Identity 1. What does it mean to be a Black male in the twenty- first century? Black Linked Fate 2. Do you think that what happens generally to Black people in this country will have something to do with what happens in your life? Influence of Rap Music 3. What are your thoughts on the current state of rap music? 4. How has rap music influenced Black males? Crime 5. Would you say that the amount of crime in (your city) has increased, decreased, or remained about the same over the last several years? 6. Do you think it is warranted for Black males to be per- ceived as violent criminals? 7. What is your opinion on Black-on-Black murders? AppENDIX A.1 159 Employment 8. When Black people are not getting jobs, is it the gov- ernment in Washington’s responsibility or the individual’s responsibility to obtain employment? Education 9. How would you rate the quality of public education in (your city)? 10. Do you think there is a still a gap in academic achieve- ment among Black and White youth? Vote Choice 11. Who did you vote for in the presidential election, November 4th 2008? 12. Who did you vote for in the presidential election, November 6th 2012? Black Solidarity 13. How important is it for Blacks to vote for Black can- didates when they run for office? Obama Effect 14. Would you say that the election and presence of President Barack H. Obama, as the first Black president, has motivated you to work harder or about the same to achieve success? Symbolic Racism 15. Over the past few years, have Blacks gotten more or less than they deserve with President Barack H. Obama in office? Self-Improvement 16. In general, what is the best advice you can give to Black males to achieve success? Appendix A.2: Chapter Two Methodology Participants Students volunteered to participate in the study from three political science courses and four sociology courses over the fall 2008 and spring 2009 semesters. Data were pooled from two consecutive semesters. A baseline survey was administered to a convenient sample of Black undergraduate students at a Midwestern University to determine whether or not rap songs that contain the misogynistic message of sexual assault and rape shaped their attitudes. There were two groups, an experimental group and control group. In the experimental group, there were 83 students. There were 53 males (64 percent) and 30 females (36 percent). The mean age was (21.2). The control group con- tained 61 students. There were 26 males (43 percent) and 35 females (57 percent). All participants ranged in academic year from freshman to senior. The mean age was (20.8). Procedure The study received approval from the Institutional Review Board. Those that participated were told that the purpose of the study was to gauge the current state of rap music and whether artists should be more accountable for their lyrical content (see Chapter Two for full description of Procedure). Instrumentation Participants were asked to complete a 14-question survey. They were asked their age, gender, academic classification, and vari- ous questions related to rap music and misogyny. Questions 162 AppENDIX A.2 were constructed on a Likert scale. This type of scale measures whether participants have either positive or negative responses to a statement. After completion of the survey, the participants’ responses were summed to create a score for each question item. The survey questions are as follows: Questions 1. What is your age? 2. What is your gender? 3. What is your academic classification? 4. How often do you listen to rap music? Response categories: 5. Very Frequent (20+ hours a week); 4. Frequent (12–19 hours a week); 3. Sometimes (6–11 hours a week); 2. Rarely (1–5 hours a week); 1. Never (0 hours a week). 5. What do you pay attention to most when listening to rap music? Response categories: The instrumental beat, The lyrical content, Both equally. 6. In general, would you classify your attitude toward rap music as: Response categories: Positive, Neutral, Negative. 7. Do you believe that rap songs are more offensive to males or females or both? Response categories: Males, Females, Both equally. 8. Which misogynistic message do you find most offensive in rap music? Response categories: a. Derogatory name-calling. b. Prostitution and pimping. c. Legitimation of physical violence against females. d. Sexual assault and rape. e. None of the above. 9. Do you believe that rap music provokes disrespectful attitudes toward females? Response categories: 5. Strongly agree; 4. Somewhat agree; 3. Neutral; 2. Somewhat disagree; 1. Strongly disagree. AppENDIX A.2 163 10. Do you believe that rap music promotes aggressive and violent behavior toward females? Response categories: 5. Strongly agree; 4. Somewhat agree; 3. Neutral; 2. Somewhat disagree; 1. Strongly disagree. 11. Do you believe that rap music encourages the sexual assault and rape of females? Response categories: 5. Strongly agree; 4. Somewhat agree; 3. Neutral; 2. Somewhat disagree; 1. Strongly disagree. 12. Do you believe that rap music shapes male listeners’ attitudes toward sexually assaulting and raping females? Response categories: 5. Strongly agree; 4. Somewhat agree; 3. Neutral; 2. Somewhat disagree; 1. Strongly disagree. 13. Do you believe that rap artists should be more accountable for their lyrical content? Response categories: 5. Strongly agree; 4. Somewhat agree; 3. Neutral; 2. Somewhat disagree; 1. Strongly disagree. 14. What are your thoughts on the current state of rap music? Limitations There were several limitations of the survey. First, the sample may not be generalizable to other Black college students, Blacks living in the Midwest, or the mass Black population. Second, the Likert scale only measures agreement or disagreement with a statement. There was no narrative for each individual response. Third, as with all surveys, it is impossible to know whether participants were truthful with their answers. Notes Introduction 1. See the opinion editorial, “A Poverty of the Mind,” by Orlando Patterson, March 26, 2006, The New York Times, Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/opinion /26patterson.html. 1 The Black Male Identity 1. See the opinion editorial, “What Obama isn’t: Black like me on race,” by Stanley Crouch, November 2, 2006, New York Daily News. Available at http://www.nydailynews.com /archives/opinions/obama-isn-black-race-article-1.585922. 2. Ibid. 3. See the opinion editorial, “Colorblind: Barack Obama would be the great black hope in the next president race—if he were actually black,” by Debra J. Dickerson, January 22, 2007, Salon. Available at http://www.salon.com/2007/01/22 /obama_161. 4. Transcript from the interview, “No bias no bull: Race in the Race: The great unknown,” by Charlie Rose, October 11, 2008, CNN. Available at http://transcripts.cnn.com /TRANSCRIPTS/0810/11/se.03.html. 5. The Father’s Day speech by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois was on June 15, 2008. Transcript of speech available at http://www.politico .com/news/stories/0608/11094.html. 6. In 1858, Senator Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln faced each other in a series of seven debates for the Illinois Senator seat.

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