Final Class

I've come to realize that most, if not all, of my blogs are very negative. This strikes me as odd because I am usually not a very negative person; some may even say that I'm very optimistic. Even though I am not a fan of journalism, I did thoroughly enjoy this class (strange, right?). I liked how we spent most of class working on "something big" like making a PB Wiki and even a crossword puzzle to go with it.

I feel like - actually I know that - this class has helped me become a better interrogator - er, I mean, interviewer. My first interviews with the firefighters in my town for the event story were TERRIBLE! I asked so many questions (this was before the 3 question rule) and overall I was very nervous. As I went on to interview more and more, my confidence level built up and I felt more professional, which in turn gave me better data for a stronger story. I also noticed that my questions became more serious as the year went on. Some of my first questions were like "So, you're a firefighter... uh, why?" Definitely an awful first experience, but thank god these interviewee's were so kind and polite.

With that, I feel like I accomplished something. Not only academically, but mentally as well. I feel that this class has helped me establish a firm base on connecting to people, one on one.

Uh oh.

As I read over my previous blogs, I realized that I have made little to no progress towards a career path. I mean, it could be worse... I could have lost my right arm (the one I write with primarily), but it also could have been better... I could have an internship lined up for the summer.

It's weird because I'm surrounded by juniors yet none (that I've spoken with) have an internship lined up. I'm not gonna lie, it makes me feel a whole lot better that everyone seems to be in the same boat, but I'm still left with the same problem. I'm growing up and I have to get a job soon.

I just hope that I find my path in New Zealand next semester. Hopefully I'll have an epiphany there and realize what I was meant to do. Other then that, I can only hope that something strikes me or I meet a super wealthy girl who falls in love with me. I could live with that.

the light at the end of the road isn't so bright

I'll be the first to say it... I'm scared for graduation. I'm still a junior and I still have "a lot of time," but honestly, I'm getting nervous for graduation.

I'm going to New Zealand next semester which should be awesome, but it doesn't help my predicament. I'm clueless and lost in my major. I wish I went into nursing or biology (even though I'm not a fan of either) because at least they would have given me a narrower list of careers (that pay well).

I have yet to apply or even consider an internship. I don't even know what I want to do to be honest.

My mom is always telling me to apply for an internship and I always ask her "where!?" And she responds "a newspaper or magazine company." False. I'm not a fan of the news... why should I write for it?

Also, I'm not a fan of writing in general. Which therein lies the problem: I'm a writing major with no desire to write. I feel like I might have picked a dead-end major which may lead to a dead-end job. I am not thrilled for the future.

An offbeat idea that I recently got was to start an band with electronic synths and pop beats. For fun. Who knows, maybe it'll get popular.

I've also been told that I should get into acting. I don't know why I haven't yet, so maybe sometime soon I'll check it out.

cartoons are informational

Due to shows such as South Park and Family Guy, people are given alternate resources for pop culture and news. South Park is notorious for putting pop culture events and popular views in the limelight. Let’s take the infamous Indiana Jones episode. We all know that Indiana Jones’ latest adventure was not the greatest, so with that, South Park made an episode about Indy getting raped by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. This is funny, controversial and true at the same time. As Americans, we all felt that Lucas and Spielberg “raped” Indiana Jones by making such a terrible movie. In South Park, we get to see that…and laugh about it.

From what I’ve noticed, Family Guy takes a different approach to cover universal subjects. In one instance, the Griffin family encounters the “wonders” of welfare checks. In this episode, Peter gets fired from his factory job and is too embarrassed to tell his wife, so he applies for welfare without her knowing. He then receives a check for $150,000 every week by mail. Although his dog tells him that the welfare committee made a mistake and argues that he is stealing from “American tax payers,” Peter decides that welfare is a blessing and spends his money freely. When his wife finds out that he has not been given a raise at work and that they are actually on welfare, she flips out and explains that welfare is only for individuals who have a disability or lack of education, etc. As Peter learns about welfare, so do we. “Stealing from American tax payers is bad.”

complications with interviews

So I thought that I had an edge. I e-mailed both PETA2 and the Animal Liberation press office a week in advance of my article's due date. I figured that they would take a couple days to respond, so I didn't really worry about it when they hadn't responded over night.

Fast forward to Sunday, three days before my article is due and I have yet to hear back from them. This is a problem.

Nervous, I decided that I would have to take action very quickly. I decided to interview students and a teacher instead. This, for the most part, worked out; just not the way I had hoped.

I see where journalism becomes very difficult. Interviewee's are unpredictable. Deadlines... are not. I just hope that in the future when I'm dealing with large companies I'll make sure to send them the questions a month in advance.

Oh, the funny thing about PETA2 and the Animal Liberation press interviews is that they eventually did respond to my emails... a couple days after the assignment was due.

Journalists = bullseyes

So I guess it's safe to say that going overseas for an article isn't really worth it. From what I learned, you don't get much of a bonus and basically it could be looked at by your boss as a "paid vacation." F-ck that. I would never go to Iraq or Israel or any place dangerous (or in the Middle East) just to get the "inside scoop." I don't think a job is worth your life. Especially a job that doesn't pay you six figures.

As I was watching this I almost couldn't believe my eyes. SO many people have been killed for stupid reasons. One guy, for instance, was killed because he peeked his head out to see what was going on.

Other instances even evoked fear. I was actually scared for some guys when they were being threatened because of their articles. If I was ever threatened because of something I wrote I would totally leave the country and stop writing. A life isn't worth any amount of words unless you want to be a martyr, which I have no plans on being.

I guess we can conclude that curiosity killed the cat-- or the reporter in this case.

A change of heart

After carefully rethinking my first proposal, I've decided that the Ethics of Interpersonal Communication might be a little on the boring side. Actually, it would be on the boring side and I would also probably not have enough words to fill the requirement. With this sudden change of heart, I decided that it would be best to talk about the ethics of road construction regarding the incidents of Snake Hill.

Alright, as you can tell, this entry is being written on the fly. I just googled "Snake Hill" and I have come to the conclusion that I wouldn't have enough information to write a 1,000 word essay.

I would do a piece on Animal Rights, but I wouldn't be able to stop myself from being biased. I would probably start yelling at animal abusers through my words.

Right now I'm considering the ethics of eating meat. I'm sure that there is a lot of information out there and I'm sure that I could be able to talk to a vegetarian from Ramapo and a national against meat-eating spokesperson... but the question is, do I want to?

Actually, yeah, after reading some of the stuff it's pretty interesting. It can also branch out to human and animal rights. This could be pretty deep. I've decided I'll do it.