If I ever feel this cultured in Missouri again, that would truly be the day that the nation's melting pot has made its way into the heart of America. I found myself hanging out with the Amish in Brashear, Mo., two hours north of good ol' Columbia, Mo., and studying Fundamental Mormon practices on polygamy this week -- and found myself in a place of judgement.
The Amish
Maybe it's my career choice that has created my issues with the Amish community. I spoke with Bishop Clarence Miller, a former member of the overpopulated Clark settlement who packed up his buggy and moved 75 miles north to establish a new settlement. My convergence partner and I spontaneously drove the two hours up Hwy 63 to interview Miller for our current project, hoping that we would: 1) run into him because we could not call him before commuting, and 2) be allowed to record his voice to accomplish our pitched KBIA story on his move. So here's the crux of the problem a -- Miller does not allow himself to be recorded or photographed in accordance with traditional Amish practices, which forbid idolatry.
After speaking with Miller, we became quite comfortable with him and his witty sense of humor -- even taking a joy ride on his horse and buggy -- and developed a strong respect for his peaceful lifestyle. He was very content and probably the most confident people that I have met. I am sure confidence and pride are looked down upon in their culture, but I mean these characteristics as having no want or desire for more than what they have. It's refreshing.
Still, I could not get over their complete rejection of technology. No phones, internet, electricity, gasoline, etc. This completely goes against the very essence of convergence journalism. Telling a story with multiple mediums was quite difficult to accomplish with our sources, but we made it work. We wrote a text piece regarding Miller's move due to population increases in Clark, took photos of his new property, and included an audio story covering how local businesses who cater to the Amish are dealing with these increases. Only our grade will tell, just how well we worked with our loop hole.
The Mormons
Polygamy and their practices on "celestial marriage" completely baffle me. I can understand their beliefs that there can be a hierarchy in Heaven, based on the number of wives they acquire on Earth because this would provide the men a larger base of people he can preside over after death. Sure, I can understand it, but cannot in any way, shape or form agree with it. This patriarchal form of society views love, sex and family in an incredibly abstract form.
As a minority myself, I am almost ashamed that I have judged these cultures this week. But, how better can we prevent these judgments than educating ourselves.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
What this blog is NOT about...
The purpose of this blog is not to complain about every time someone asks me, "Where are you from?"
The purpose of this blog is not to rant about white supremacy.
The purpose of this blog is not to point out that I, being an asian woman, am subject to double standards for success.
The purpose of this blog is not to further seclude asian or asian-american minorities from the rest of society.
The purpose of this blog is not to make a big deal out of every instance when I am reminded that I do not look like the majority of my friends.
Too many times do great people in minority organizations use their numbers to advance their regressive efforts. If anyone intends on reducing stereotypical views of their race/gender/orientation/(insert discriminatory category here), then they should project a more outwardly educational and positive message that promotes the expression of culture.
Today in my Sociology of Sport class, we participated in an active lesson on minority success in America's society. You've probably played the game. Everyone stands in a line, side-by-side, facing the instructor. She then directs the crowd with a categorical statement, "Anyone who is white, step forward." It proceeded, "Anyone who is a male, step forward." You can guess where this exercise goes from here. Basically, as the instructions progressed, we were visual pons in the social graphic that the white male typically has the most chances for success, based on our society's definition on inherent class. My friends and I in the class joked around about how distraught I was upon the realization that I stood approximately fifth to the back, stepping forward less times than more than 95% of the class. Honestly, I felt embarrassed during the majority of this activity, yet knew the lesson throughout the process.
Essentially, the point of this blog is to express my views on being a Filipino-American because you can only base someone's success on an individual basis. Generalizations are made based on quantitative knowledge acquired from majorities who experience similar situations/struggles and are categorized together. Truly understanding minorities in America and sharing their culture is best learned when you take the time to investigate the daily lives, obstacles, talents and various qualities of an individual's life - doing this with multiple people - and developing your own opinion. It's life and it's a constant learning process. This is my method of expression.
The purpose of this blog is not to rant about white supremacy.
The purpose of this blog is not to point out that I, being an asian woman, am subject to double standards for success.
The purpose of this blog is not to further seclude asian or asian-american minorities from the rest of society.
The purpose of this blog is not to make a big deal out of every instance when I am reminded that I do not look like the majority of my friends.
Too many times do great people in minority organizations use their numbers to advance their regressive efforts. If anyone intends on reducing stereotypical views of their race/gender/orientation/(insert discriminatory category here), then they should project a more outwardly educational and positive message that promotes the expression of culture.
Today in my Sociology of Sport class, we participated in an active lesson on minority success in America's society. You've probably played the game. Everyone stands in a line, side-by-side, facing the instructor. She then directs the crowd with a categorical statement, "Anyone who is white, step forward." It proceeded, "Anyone who is a male, step forward." You can guess where this exercise goes from here. Basically, as the instructions progressed, we were visual pons in the social graphic that the white male typically has the most chances for success, based on our society's definition on inherent class. My friends and I in the class joked around about how distraught I was upon the realization that I stood approximately fifth to the back, stepping forward less times than more than 95% of the class. Honestly, I felt embarrassed during the majority of this activity, yet knew the lesson throughout the process.
Essentially, the point of this blog is to express my views on being a Filipino-American because you can only base someone's success on an individual basis. Generalizations are made based on quantitative knowledge acquired from majorities who experience similar situations/struggles and are categorized together. Truly understanding minorities in America and sharing their culture is best learned when you take the time to investigate the daily lives, obstacles, talents and various qualities of an individual's life - doing this with multiple people - and developing your own opinion. It's life and it's a constant learning process. This is my method of expression.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
FASA makes new friends on the playground
Conveniently located at the columns, probably one of the hottest spots to be on MU's campus when the weather isn't being bipolar, FASA (Filipino-American Student Association) held its first general body meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 7. We acquired a handful of fresh faces who are interested in learning more about our culture and creating new friendships, but it was not the meeting's agenda that made my day, but the games that we played.
Of course, we could not stay on topic for long and the ice breaker games seemed to morph into the games we used to avoid doing homework. After jedi-tag, the name game and 'no-limbs' tag (the new name of the game because I cannot remember it), we were stuck on Ultimate Ninja. This intense single-elimination modification of martial arts tag kept us busy for upwards of 30 minutes - and caught the attention of some onlookers and fellow students on the quad.
It was quite entertaining to see a group of roughly 15 "asian" students slicing at each other in awkward positions, posing in pathetic excuses for ninja stances, however I couldn't help but feel like the eyes of judgement were there, too. Regardless, four youngsters approached me when I stole a moment to grab a drink of water and were wide-eyed in the fact that we have also been their entertainment for the last 20 minutes. "We've been videotaping you guys for a while! We can't believe you guys know how to play Ultimate Ninja, too... but you guys are actually ninjas," exclaimed a girl, clad in all pink. I couldn't help but laugh and invite them over to play a few rounds with us, but it was a perfect example of how sheltered even the quad could be. Was it that blatant in the observations of the onlookers that Asian-Americans were playing a fun game, as opposed to a fun game was being played by MU students?
I'm not one to rant about stereotyping, discrimination or inequality, so I'm not going to. The point of the matter is, FASA is a group of MU students who are interested in the Filipino culture and want to share it with Columbia, Mo. Filipino heritage is not a requirement and is not what embodies this organization and I am so proud of it. Here's to the rest of the school year!
Of course, we could not stay on topic for long and the ice breaker games seemed to morph into the games we used to avoid doing homework. After jedi-tag, the name game and 'no-limbs' tag (the new name of the game because I cannot remember it), we were stuck on Ultimate Ninja. This intense single-elimination modification of martial arts tag kept us busy for upwards of 30 minutes - and caught the attention of some onlookers and fellow students on the quad.
It was quite entertaining to see a group of roughly 15 "asian" students slicing at each other in awkward positions, posing in pathetic excuses for ninja stances, however I couldn't help but feel like the eyes of judgement were there, too. Regardless, four youngsters approached me when I stole a moment to grab a drink of water and were wide-eyed in the fact that we have also been their entertainment for the last 20 minutes. "We've been videotaping you guys for a while! We can't believe you guys know how to play Ultimate Ninja, too... but you guys are actually ninjas," exclaimed a girl, clad in all pink. I couldn't help but laugh and invite them over to play a few rounds with us, but it was a perfect example of how sheltered even the quad could be. Was it that blatant in the observations of the onlookers that Asian-Americans were playing a fun game, as opposed to a fun game was being played by MU students?
I'm not one to rant about stereotyping, discrimination or inequality, so I'm not going to. The point of the matter is, FASA is a group of MU students who are interested in the Filipino culture and want to share it with Columbia, Mo. Filipino heritage is not a requirement and is not what embodies this organization and I am so proud of it. Here's to the rest of the school year!
KOMU, look what I can do!
My first convergence shift began immediately with the story meeting, each reporter pitching at least three ideas to get started on instantly after the meeting. The ideas varied from investigative dayside pieces focusing on a current bacterial turf study, to sewage leakage in Callaway County, to MU’s crowded buses. I paired up with Ciara Corley to cover the crowded buses because Jenn Reeves and I dubbed this idea with the most potential for visual appeal.
With that, Ciara and I jet off to the bus stops along Old 63 Hwy where I began snapping pictures of groggy students, time check: 8:10 a.m. My duty as a convergence reporter was to, essentially, shadow a broadcast reporter and take photos to create my own photo slideshow that would supplement the ACC (text web story). The photos at the 8:10 a.m. bus stop were turning out decently, however Ciara’s camera was overexposed and neither of us could fix the technical difficulty. We then sped back to the station to switch out cameras and catch the 9:10 a.m. buses.
We began acquiring interviews with students and I convinced one of the bus drivers to agree to an on-camera interview, as well. Information and opinions were streaming in about the inconvenience of overcrowding and how the Columbia Transit buses were doing the best they could. The story was unraveling and we covered all the bases by interviewing a Columbia Transit official before noon.
Focusing on my photos specifically, they seemed to develop and improve as the story and day advanced. Like a college student slowly getting back into the groove of a new school year, I gradually got the hang of finding angles and framing photos through the eye of the D70 lens.
At the end of the day, I am pretty proud of my photos on my first day as a convergence reporter. I particularly liked my photo captions because I feel like they, paired with the photos, have effectively told a story about overflowing buses and how students and the Columbia Transit buses are coping. Sure, the pictures are not perfect in the least bit, I could have gotten a lot more tight shots, I could have done this, I could have done that.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Could I do this everyday?
After a long 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. convergence reporting shift at KOMU today, my thoughts on my future in journalism are unchanged - and unclear. I went into the newsroom doubting my ability to produce a quality package in one dayside shift and I still feel the same way. I am, however, really excited to be able to finally do work at a broadcast station and feel like I could put together some decent packages under deadline in the near future. I suppose, if I concluded on anything today, it's that I wouldn't be satisfied just taking pictures and writing captions. I'd love to get more involved in the story, really dig deep into the gist of the piece, interview the sources, shoot, edit and produce it all. There's a certain level of gratification and connection with the story that I missed, by attending to the Nikon alone. I have to thank Ciara Corley, the dayside reporter whom I tagged along with today, for letting me help shoot her standup and a few broll shots. Her standup even got some praise for doing it on a moving Columbia Transit bus.
Please check out my photo slideshow from my shift today! http://www.komu.com/KOMU/d7e2017e-80ce-18b5-00fa-0004d8d229cb/d3d12645-c0a8-4612-017d-8e5a568a2ebe.html
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