So Much to Say

Hi

I can’t believe the semester is over in a few days. Wow! this has been an amazing time for me. I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. 

First of all, I have had a chance to do something I never thought I would ever try. I actually wrote a blog! That may not be a big thing for you who have gown up with blogs and iPods and major technology.  That wasn’t the case with me.  I must admit that I’m still not that great at it  but it has been fun to get this far.

I have also learned that the media is not absolutely factual at all times.  A story is written from a particular point of view to express a bias for or against something. Biases are not good or bad but everyone has at least one. Now I have learned to look for that slant in a story.  These biases are all around us. They color the way we say things. They figure into the choices we make.  For example, I have arachnophobia. The fear of spiders made it hard for me to watch “Spider Riders” a children’s cartoon.  If I had been asked to write a review of the show I would had a hard time not panning it from the start.  Now I would be aware of that bias. I would work very hard to be more objective.

I would like to wish all my classmates a wonderful summer! I hope we can take the things we have learned in this class and apply them to the other classes we take at SMC and beyond.  Now we have a budding inner journalist within each of us. We can critique much more effectively. Each class will be a richer experience! Enjoy!

Carly

Mr and Mrs America and all the ships at sea! Flash!
This was a familiar phrase in my house when I was a little kid. Radio still had a few programs on and “The Untouchables” was a weekly TV show. Walter Winchell was a weekly columnist and Hedda Hopper was still around. She was a very powerful columnist with many connections. I think I would like to be a columnist but not like the ones of my youth. In a lot of ways bloggers are the columnists of today. Most of them don’t work for a newspaper or TV or radio station but they give thier spin on the news thats in thier world. That’s not a bad thing at all. In class we have learned that newspapers, radio and TV all have a certain spin on the events they report, all the way from what they choose to report to how they look at the story they’re reporting. I guess if we get enough colmunists to report on the same story we will eventually learn what really happened. I remember it said that the journalists of today don’t have the luxury of taking time to report the news. If they wait too long somebody else will run with the story and it won’t be news anymore. A columnist doesn’t have to be so fast with everything. They can take a minute to think before they speak and possibly get a better grasp of the facts and not the sensationalism. Thats the kind of columnist I want to be when I grow up. Oh well, time to go to class. Miore on this story as soon as I have time to think and write. As always, let me know what you think about this.

Me Again

Well, its official. I have a job. Since we last talked, I have gone through being sworn in, training and I am ready to do my best at my new job. I’m an enumerator. I think thats about all I can tell you about my job. I can tell you about what I have gone through so far as long as I don’t divulge any private information. That’s ok. I wouldn’t tell anyway. Besides, It wouldn’t pertain to our class.

 Lets look at my new experience from a different perspective. I am an ethnic woman. I have a different perspective than my male counterparts. Because of my gender and ethnicity, my report will be much different than some of my peers. Lets have an ongoing dialog on this. If I have readers, let me know your thoughts.

It’s Me Again

You know we were just talking about catching up. Here’s a new wrinkle. I just got a call from the Census that I may have a job. Now that may not seem that unusual but I haven’t worked in about 9 years. I’ve been on disability for a multitude of reasons. This would be my first foray into working life. I go for an interview this evening. Boy! They don’t give much advance notice. The job is only three days so far but the prospect after so long out of the workforce is daunting. Oh well, I’ll keep you posted. Let me know your thoughts.

Catching Up

When I was younger, I worked as a receptionist for the summer. The head receptionist had a sticker on her desk. It was a picture of a snail sitting on top of a tennis ball. The caption read: “The hurrier I do, the behinder I get. I never forgot that line. It has explained parts of my life ever since. I seem to always play catch up in one part of my life or another. I’m up to date on homework but the bills are not paid. I’m current on housework but three weeks behind in homework. I’ve succeeded in one area but am tottering on the brink of disaster in another. Some of my chauvinistic friends would say that I have attempted too much. Since I am a woman, I should concentrate on the home and very little else. Amazingly, some of my friends that carry this opinion are women. Some of my professors feel that I have failed to organize and plan effectively. I need to go through every thing that I have to do and prioritize and plan a strategy for accomplishing my tasks. I should re-visit my to do list often and refine it. Right now, even that takes too much time for me.

I think I will follow advice from both camps. I will concentrate on maintaining my home more while integrating that duty with my other duties; homework, helping my daughter succeed,and making my life meaningful and exciting. Man!! Thats a bigger job than I started with! Well, guess I’d better get started. No, wait! I already have. I’ve begun to catch up with my blogging. This might work after all. I’ll keep you posted.

Married and Working

In class we discussed a film clip about married women who are working outside the home. This film placed great emphasis on proving to the reader that the women pictured were married. As each woman was introduced, the camera focused on her wedding ring while showing her performing her duties in the workplace.
The clip also showed men uncomfortable with their wives working. They would repeatedly say that their wives would be leaving their jobs soon only to be rebuffed. The women had no intentions of quitting thier jobs. These clips appeared to be over 40 years old. You would think much has changed in women’s opinion of maintaining dual responsibilities.

I did.

I also found out that there are still women out there who wondered why a woman would want to work if her husband wanted her to stay home.  I must admit that I was surprised, given all the strides womanhood has made over the years. I can remember women burning their bras in protest and suffering over the lack of equality in the workplace.

While things have definitely changed there is a quiet undercurrent of sameness present.The number of women in the workplace has risen exponentially.  It is no longer a rarity to see a married woman at work. Given today’s economy its hard not the see a woman helping to incresase the financial picture by returning to work. Two incomes do help to maintain the necessities of life and a few extras, perhaps. As the “extras” increase so does the need for additional income making a two paycheck household inevitable.

Many women work for the feeling of accomplishment it gives.  Many men want women to work but don’t want to be upstaged. The extra income is a plus but the sense of empowerment women get from working is hard for men to acknowledge.  In an effort to regain a little of that lost power, a husband might tell his wife to leave the employment world and devote her energies totally to the home.  If she has been successful at her job it would be hard for her to give it up.  Some might disagree with me.  How do you feel about this? Let me know.

I know there is only one week of class left. Although I have not been there in person, I hae been there with you in spirit. I hope your experience has been enjoyable and meaningful. As you complete the class, think of all the viewpoints you have encountered. Have a happy Spring and enjoy media from a new perspctive.

Hi, For the last week I have been in the hospital or recuperating from surgery. I have missed everyone a lot. I was really looking forward to the next week of classes. Since I have had very limited mobility, I have had the opportunity to view the media coverage of the earthquake in Haiti and little else. I have noticed that the devestation is the first thing shown. I am heartened to see some rescue stories and notices of found family members among the stories I viewed. I still feel that the news is unbalanced in that it did not give enough uplifting information. I understand that this is a tragedy of epic proportions but where are the lists of found people so that they can bring some comfort to those looking for thier loved ones? I did not see any reference to a website or other place to find such a listing. I applaud the efforts to get aid for the Haitian people and hope there will be continuing notices so that this does not completely leave everyones mind. There will be new stories but this should have its place too. I don’t have much internet access since I can’t sit very well yet. Thankfully, the library has standing computer stations. Keep me posted on the happenings in class. I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Hi, In class today we discussed stories that make it to the newspaper. It was noted that positive news does not get a lot of space since it is usually not of a sensational nature. Isn’t there a place for the lighter side of life? Would you like to read about the good things that happen in your neighborhood,community and city? Would you support at least a page of news like that? Let me know what you think.

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