In a Diversity in the Media class, a professor once asked "If you were to need a quote from a member of the Asian community, would you pick someone below the poverty level or an upper-class professional?"
The question was obviously designed to show what horrible people journalists can be in their reluctance to broach the unfamiliar, but my immediate response was that one should choose the source with the best quote.
That statement may seem crass at first, but the philosophy behind it I think is one that can turn the notions of class-ism, racism, sexism, etc. on their heads.
As a journalist (or just as a human) one can peak through the curtains of all the isms and learn to view all people through an objective lens. The best way to do this sounds simple on paper, but it's quite obvious many people have neglected to try: expose yourself to something new. That's it. It can be done simply by taking an extra step to interact with someone you may not normally interact with, reading up on a culture that is literally and figuratively foreign to you, or by simply boning up on geography.
A study in 2006 showed that two-thirds of Americans 18-24 could not locate Iraq on a map. This might be great fodder for a Leno piece, but in the end it is shameful and, more importantly, shockingly easy to remedy.
By taking in a little bit of everything, we can start to see the world how it really is: not as a T.V. dinner where each demographic is as different and separate as the enchilada entre from the vegetables and dessert, but as that scary looking casserole your aunt put on the Thanksgiving table, it is a sum of its parts, and each part is virtually indistinguishable from every other. Chances are, that casserole is better for you anyway, so put your fears and apprehensions aside and take a big bite.
The question was obviously designed to show what horrible people journalists can be in their reluctance to broach the unfamiliar, but my immediate response was that one should choose the source with the best quote.
That statement may seem crass at first, but the philosophy behind it I think is one that can turn the notions of class-ism, racism, sexism, etc. on their heads.
As a journalist (or just as a human) one can peak through the curtains of all the isms and learn to view all people through an objective lens. The best way to do this sounds simple on paper, but it's quite obvious many people have neglected to try: expose yourself to something new. That's it. It can be done simply by taking an extra step to interact with someone you may not normally interact with, reading up on a culture that is literally and figuratively foreign to you, or by simply boning up on geography.
A study in 2006 showed that two-thirds of Americans 18-24 could not locate Iraq on a map. This might be great fodder for a Leno piece, but in the end it is shameful and, more importantly, shockingly easy to remedy.
By taking in a little bit of everything, we can start to see the world how it really is: not as a T.V. dinner where each demographic is as different and separate as the enchilada entre from the vegetables and dessert, but as that scary looking casserole your aunt put on the Thanksgiving table, it is a sum of its parts, and each part is virtually indistinguishable from every other. Chances are, that casserole is better for you anyway, so put your fears and apprehensions aside and take a big bite.
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