sometimes, I wonder...

Here is the latest opinions column I wrote for The Whitworthian. And honestly, I could've written about three times as much after further reading of the book the column is based on, "Seventeen Things to Do While Waiting For Mr. Right: A single girl's handbook for the 21st century bride-to-be."

'Mr. Right' focus misses equity in marriages"

that's what she said

On the back of the door to the media office at Whitworth, The Whitworthian editors maintain a "Quotations" board. This board is really just a large piece of white butcher paper with silly sayings or pieces of conversations pulled from the long hours of Sunday production. Many residence halls or other organizations keep similar records of words taken out of context. And in almost all of these situations, the quotations deemed "funny" have sexual connotations.

I remain fascinated by mankind's relationship with sex. Sure, it's been around since the first of mankind, but sexuality is contextual to cultural and time periods. Take, for example, ideas of physical "sexiness." A recent episode of Oprah explored beauty standards from around the world, from the noses of Iran to the staggering rate of plastic surgeries in Brazil. In almost every culture, sexual attraction is based on that culture's own somewhat arbitrary definitions.

In my class last year about the English language, part of our reading included Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue. The chapter on swearing studies the history of profanity, and points out two common insults across history: the male member and someone's mother. Somehow, a man's penis, at least in terms of civilizations that contributed to the development of English, has always been seen as funny.

I have failed to conclude an answer to why sexuality is a go-to joke generator. Maybe it's because regardless of culture, sex happens in some capacity, whether simply as the method for procreation or a nonchalant activity. Maybe it's because language and history have been dominated by the male narrative, and thus jokes that relate to something that universal male understanding at the most basic level. This could also contribute to the fact that it's much harder for a female comedian to incorporate sexual material into their act, compared to acts like this one from Dane Cook. All I know is, my staff has come up with way too many "that's what she said" comments to ignore this somehow innate understanding of humor.

Carmen San Diego style

Growing up in the Tri-Cities, most of my classmates and I swore we would graduate high school and move to a town with excitement, glamor, or at least more concert tour stops. But as a look ahead to a potential future with Teach for America, I'm finding myself slightly stumped in answering what seems like such an easy question: what do you look for in a place to live?

My original plan, and probably still top choice, is the D.C. area. I've visited there three times in my life, and with the exception of one bitingly cold winter day, I love the city. It has plenty to do and see, a large majority of which is free to the public. I also enjoy its public transportation system, as well as diverse culture.

But beyond that, I really have no concrete reason of wanting to move there, or for that matter, not wanting to move somewhere else. I could, I suppose, take the advice of several articles and sites that offer "top places to live"-type lists. Take, for example, findyourspot.com, which offers a simple online quiz to determine your list of top cities. Questions focus on weather, cultivating culture, teachers and doctors, outdoor recreation, and regional preference. I was surprised at how many different way this quiz asked how important college or professional sporting events are to my happiness. According to my results, my top spots include Memphis, Little Rock, Honolulu, Norfolk Virginia, and most of Texas. Not exactly my ideal locations. Other lists include Money Magazine, which rates Plymouth, MN as the top city for 2008, based on its "Topnotch schools, good jobs, affordable housing, low crime, an active outdoor culture."

Then I could move on to look at lists geared toward specific genres, such as "30 great cities to start out in" (ranges from Atlanta to Seattle to Cleaveland). Criteria for this list included "major breadwinning," "social and recreational scene," "crib sheet," and "navigating."

But in searching through the lists and reading all the statistics, I'm realizing that no one asks the questions that have more significance than whether I can go clubbing on a Tuesday for only a $5 cover. Questions like "will I be able to fly home for Christmas affordably?" or "how likely is it I'll get so lost in the first week I'll never find my apartment again?" I still haven't really come up with any sort of criteria, or even a definition of what I consider a "good place to live." I would love any suggestions.

big picture classrooms

I've thrown a shout out to Mrs. Stairet before in this blog, for her ability to teach a meaningful, in-depth AP literature course my senior year in high school. And now, it looks like I'm not the only one who was influenced by this class.

A recent Washington Post article, "A Tale of Two Literature Courses,"is the first in what they're calling an "occasional" series of articles exploring how popular courses are taught. It's conclusions should be no surprise to anyone in secondary education: teachers teach material they enjoy, not necessarily what the curriculum dictates. Sure, everyone has to teach the dreaded district-mandated texts, or teach to specific testing material, but for the most part, a good teacher is one who is passionate about their subject and thus conveys that passion to their students.

One example from the article is a teacher's decision to teach The Scarlet Letter because it "teaches well." In my own experiences, Hawthorne's story of adulterated love and Puritan double standards brings back both horror stories and memories of success. I first read the story in my junior year of high school, and anyone who knew me then could tell you it was not a pleasant experience (As a silver lining, though, I did get the privilege of capturing the essence of Hester Prynne as a band tramp for the class' final project). However, upon my second reading of the story in my college American Literature survey course, I found I was really able to engage with the story and get some real meaning out of it. Part of this I know is from our additional Hawthorne texts, which I greatly enjoyed and thus lumped The Scarlet Letter into that enjoyment. But I also know a large part of my 180 was due to the professor's passion for Puritan-era writings, and his amazing ability to bring the stories, and time period, to life in a meaningful contextual study.

This isn't to say the first teacher wasn't passionate, but rather she taught to a test, and not to our intellect. As the article notes, many high school students grumble at the seemingly formulaic discussions of "rhyme, meter, metaphor, tone, similes, themes and imagery." However, as was the case for me, teaching these fundamentals can be done in a way that reflects on their ability to create a meaningful story, rather than a form for classic literature.

copyright schmopyright

Sarah and I (along with my sister and two other friends from school) attended the Jason Mraz concert last night at Spokane's IMB Performing Arts Center. Besides the show being OUT OF THIS WORLD AMAZING, I was especially impressed with the tour's theme of user generated content. Before the show started, screens at the back of the stage were showing slideshows of pictures fans sent in by text message, along with captions and messages to their friends. Messages repeatedly reminded us that "photos and videos ARE allowed, so please take them and share them with us." At any given moment during the show, you could see dozens of phones or digital cameras recording the performance.

As much as I respect artists who crack down on illegal downloading and file sharing, I respect musicians that can say their music is more important than the bottom line. In the case of this concert, it's not like people wouldn't go to the show because they could watch someone's video post of it on YouTube. I guess it fit with his album title of "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things." And since I already had the sing and dance parts thoroughly covered, it was refreshing to not have to worry about stealing intellectual property just to capture a memory with my best friend through my phone's camera.

feel included

This blog is now open to all commenters, anonymous or otherwise. So for those of you who have always been dying to post your 2 cents but didn't have a blogger account, feel free to throw in 4 cents to make up for lost time.

I want a sticker

Like Alyssa, this was the first presidential election I was eligible to vote in. As such, I became eligible after Washington state switched all elections to mail-in voting only. So last week as I filled out my double-sided, unusually sized piece of paper they call a ballot, I kept saying "all I want is the sticker." The brightly colored sticker that I would've received after voting at a local elementary school or such designated precinct. I remember going with my mom to Tapteal Elementary and sitting for what seemed like hours in cold metal chairs as she disappeared behind a thick blue curtain. She and my dad would always give my sister and I their stickers, which we promptly stuck to our bed frames and competed to see who's would stick the longest (she usually won, because I could never decide where I wanted mine to go, so I kept taking it on and off.)

Last night, I didn't find out about the call for the Presidential race until about 20 minutes after it happened, because at the time I was focused on state supreme court races in Virginia or referendums in Nevada. And as I dubiously entered the votes in individual numeric order (you read 123 as "one, two three," not "one hundred twenty three",) I just kept thinking about all those people who were getting stickers for standing in long lines and, in more than one case, delaying childbirth, in order to vote.

I got no such tangible stamp of democracy. I couldn't walk into Starbucks and take my free cup of coffee without getting a second glance (or my free scoop of ice cream, or slurpee, or any of the other numerous corporate celebrations of election day). I have to tell people that my vote contributed to our first black president, rather than them being able to see me pump my "yes we can" fist walking out of the voting booth. I guess I'll have to settle with a Facebook application.

let's hope my fingers don't cramp

First of all, I'm never ceased to be amazed at how many tidbits of political insider knowledge I've picked up from my habitual "West Wing" watching. Take today, for example. It's early in the afternoon, but the rain clouds are so thick you would think it's close to dusk. It's been raining all day, and is supposed to continue for another 10 straight days. Relevance? Because of Josh Lyman, I know that both parties are freaking out that voter turnout will be down because of the bad weather.

And speaking of TV, that's where you can watch me tonight. I'm working in one of the four Associated Press Election Centers in the country. How half of these centers ended up in Spokane is still a bit of a mystery. I will be tabulating voting results by phone as AP stringers call in from counties from 11 states, including Washington, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and California. So as you watch the CNN ticker, give a shout out to whatever election bash you're attending and say "hey, I know one of the people who's sitting for 11 hours at a computer typing in numbers all night." The best part? We get free lasagna for dinner.

UPDATED: America's youth, again corrupted by the media

Before you read on, I must admit a huge personal bias: I am a strong supporter of comprehensive sex education in public schools. While I believe that stressing abstinence is important, I value freedom of information over my personal beliefs about what the right choice is. Besides, when it comes to sex education, decisions should be based on health issues, not value systems (at least when we're talking about public funds).

A new study released in the November issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics has found a "prospective link between exposure to sexual content on television and the experience of a pregnancy before the age of 20." In interviews with the Washington Post, lead researcher Anita Chandra noted that in TV depictions of sex (or activities such as kissing that imply a sexual relationship) rarely display topics such as STD protection or other risks involved in sexual activity.

My reaction to this study is the same as my reaction to many studies that have linked video game violence to school shootings or other violence in children: the problem isn't the media, it's personal responsibility. I don't argue that media, especially those that focus on visuals such as television or certain Internet sites, have a huge influence on public opinion on all levels. Republicans wouldn't care about a "biased" Oct. 13 Newsweek cover of Sarah Palin if they didn't think the image would sway voters away from the McCain ticket. Responsible voters are looking at issues and their interpretation of a candidate's ability to do the job, not their ability to remove facial hair.

The same responsibility should fall on media consumers when it comes to sexual or violent content. I know that when I watch Grey's Anatomy, I'm not watching a realistic depiction of a Seattle hospital. I watch the show for personal enjoyment and a way to relax in someone else's storyline, not for a dose of reality. However, the controversy comes when we're talking about children (and yes, teenagers are children). As an avid supporter of the First Amendment, can I also say that censorship in the name of childhood development and socialization is ok? I struggle with this line a lot, because I think the core of the issue is not who is doing who on TV, but rather why Sally and Jimmy feel that their lives would be bettered by emulating the characters they see on television. I don't have an answer, or even a clear argument, except to say that blaming media for teenage pregnancies (as many of the abstinence-supporting sources in the WA post article do) is not the solution.

Other sites that have covered the study: The Spokesman-Review (from the AP), Los Angeles Times, FOX news, China Daily, New York Times, a CBS affiliate (this one includes a quiz titled "test your pregnancy know-how", which is a blog commentary in and of itself). As a side note, this story makes an interesting media study on how the same information gets turned into totally different stories, especially in regards to leads and headlines.

Another tally in the "we're screwed" column

I try not to make this whole blog just about posting other articles I think others should read, but this one is worth the exception:

Almost half of women have sexual problems, from the Washington Post.

The interesting part is that of this almost 50 percent, only 12 percent reported distress due to the physical problems. And the survey includes nothing about the role of these women's partners in their "problems." Yet another example of how women are expected to be the perfect Cosmo girl, and if it's not working then she's to blame. No good.

trains, planes, and really cramped automobiles

This is a first for me: I'm blogging from the airport. It's appropriate considering I'm leaving Kansas City (Missouri) after a 4-day college media convention that screamed themes of convergence and the mysterious world of online journalism. (Note of interest: I was in a session with the University of Washington's newspaper advisor, and got to talk to her about their ethical decisions in running a photo of the man who lit himself on fire. Crazy stuff.) And as I sat through sessions about anything from Twitter to using Facebook for community journalism, I couldn't help but wonder if hyper-connectivity is really a good thing.

I realize this sounds like the grandparent argument that everyone is just on their cell phones all the time, and no one talks face to face anymore. And as mass media history will teach you, this "phenomena" and changing trends in media consumption are nothing new. People thought radio was the end of all civilized neighborhoods, for goodness sakes. I guess for me, the lines aren't necessarily drawn at who is allowed to be a journalist, but rather how we will continue to distinguish the personal from the professional. I maintain this blog mainly for personal reasons, and as a rule leave out specifics about my work on The Whitworthian or other publications. Does that mean it's fair game for a reader to point out a bias I hold in the off-chance I report about something I've blogged about?

Facebook is a whole other ballpark. Again, I have to this point kept a Facebook profile for personal reasons. But as co-workers and potential employers scan my pages and updates, do they now get the right to evaluate my professional abilities by my personal proclamations? Newspapers want to know that I can use social networking, but I don't want to have to water down my photo albums or censor wall posts from friends just because I'm worried about how they may be perceived.

This all goes along with the changing roles, and even definitions, of journalists. Anyone with a phone camera can make headlines on CNN these days if they're in the right place at the right time. I just worry that as we spread the roots of journalism into worlds previously considered off limits, the lines of professional and personal get a little too complicated.