In the last few weeks of class we talked about covering politics. We listened to the NPR discussion about the election. One of the things that caught my attention was when one of the black male participants said he had been aware of his race since he was about 5 or 6 years old. He said he had mainly attended white schools and was one of those who was afraid of "big black men". Another person commented that big black men have to be friendly. You could hear the chuckles around the room. It's true, you get that image in your head of a big black man and his stature for one is intimidating. But what if that same man was white? Would he be just as intimidating or would people just think he's strong and not be scared by his presence?
I think the whole class was shocked when we heard the story of the sheltered woman who grew up on a farm. She said she was voting for McCain because she didn't trust Obama. She said he was a Muslim, and that the only time someone is no longer a Muslim is when they're dead. I couldn't believe that this woman, who had just said she wasn't aware of prejudice when she was little, could say something so ignorant. She told the story about the black man who used to get on the bus with a shotgun, and how she thought it was perfectly normal. So she doesn't like Obama, not because he's black, but because he's a Muslim, and because obviously all Muslims are evil. It just doesn't make any sense. It only goes to show you that we all have prejudices, and a lot of say things, and don't realize how ignorant and ridiculous we sound.
We talked about retail and commercial politics. And it's true what we talked about- people don't deal with politics on global terms. We are concerned much more with what is going on in our neighborhoods and our country than anywhere else in the world. I could argue, from what I've experienced, that most Hispanics in this country care more about what is going on in their homelands. It goes back to ethnic media. People want to know what's happening in their country of origin because that's what they feel the most attached to. My mom, for example, is always watching news about Colombia. She wants to know what's going on there, but doesn't care so much about news here. Even though she's been here for 40 years, she is the only one in her family living in the States. She feels a deep sense of pride for her country, and is very concerned about what goes on there.
I thought it was interesting when Reisner said that all politics is ethnic and that our tribe membership influences our political choices. We don't choose our leaders based on their qualifications or on their policies. We choose them because something about them resonates with us. It's about how they make us feel. I voted for Obama because of how he made me feel. He brought hope and enthusiasm. I didn't vote for McCain based on feelings too. I'm not fond of Republicans, I didn't like Bush at all, hated Palin, and I voted mainly because I didn't want another Republican as president.
We talked about how to do things differently. I learned some good tips about reporting. You have ask questions of the politicians, look up their record, get the information from the community. Don't be afraid to ask questions and hold people accountable.
SUMMARY
I think the most important thing I learned all semester was to not be afraid to ask questions. I learned it's o.k. to ask what you may think is a stupid question, sometimes being curious gets you the best answers. I learned to ask the right questions, and the right way to ask them. I learned that you have to be informed, always take some measure to prepare yourself for an interview.
It's important to think outside the box, or else you'll just end p writing what everyone else does. We have to be careful about the words we use, be mindful of what we say. Certain words have different meanings for different people. We have to be conscious of how we portray people.
We all have prejudices. I thought I had been around diversity because I lived in Miami, the so called "melting pot". What I discovered is that there are so many people and places I have yet to encounter and experience, and because of this class, I feel i can do it now. I realized I have a long way to go, but I know that with the discussions we've had in class and with the LP experience, I'm one step further than most. This class has really opened my eyes to see that we all have a common thread. We may not have the same beliefs, but we are all human and we can all relate.
It's not just about this little bubble we've lived in for so long. there is so much out there yet to discover. It's our job to find the stories that are different from all the other ones. It's our responsibility to present all sides of an issue, and cover things well. We have the power to choose what we say and send the message we want to send.
We talked about a lot of things I had never discussed in a mixed group. I only hope this opportunity can come again.
No comments:
Post a Comment