In the late 1980s, there was a popular television show called 21 Jump Street. Johnny Depp and friends portrayed cops in their twenties. Because they were too young looking to be taken seriously, they went undercover in high schools to take down drug dealers, gangs, etc. By today’s standards, the show was painfully bad—a guilty pleasure which few people will admit to having watched. (Personally I, um… only heard about it from a friend.) Still, it raised some interesting questions about the importance we place on outward appearance and first impressions. [Read more…] about People of Color, Outward Appearances, and Academia: Lessons from 80s Pop Culture
