exploration 2

Hi guys!

In my second round of observations and interviews, I was able to learn more about the role the producer plays, as well as meet some different news anchors. I interviewed Maggie O'Mara and Don Nelson, and I also spoke with Mark Johnson and Carolyn Holly. Mark and Carolyn both just got back from the olympics so I was able to hear about their involvement with the community. I also observed as Mark Johnson and Carolyn prepared for the 10 pm news and changed their scripts slightly to fit their personalities, and to make the language easier to understand for the viewers.

It was interesting to me that the producer was only 24 yrs old. He seemed like a boy genius or something like that for being able to know so much about how to operate the whole show. I asked him if he minded when anchors would change around the scripts and he said that he didn't mind. He said they don't change the facts, just the wording. They also add little side conversations to keep the news entertaining.

Exploration 2- Beauty Pageants

When I first chose to study beauty pageants, I was mostly interested in being able to attend a live pageant. I had spent hours online searching for weeks for local Idaho pageants scheduled for February or March, but I was unable to find any within the time frame I needed. I was forced to find another pageant somewhere close, and I was really excited when I found a pageant being held in Las Vegas the weekend I would be in town. The day before the pageant I went to the website to buy my ticket, and to my surprise they had moved the date back three weeks to try to get more participants. I was devastated; I was so looking forward to seeing a live beauty pageant. Luckily, I was able to contact one of the girls I interviewed, and I borrowed the dvd of her latest pageant, which ended up saving me twenty dollars on a ticket in the long run.
Watching the video was just like being in the Civic Center when the pageant was held, except for the fact that I already knew who the winners would be. It was surprising to me how short the actual pageant was, and how little time each girl had on the stage. After so many weeks and months of preparation, I thought there would be a little more time for each girl to show what they had accomplished. Watching the pageant answered a lot of my questions about the actual performance. For example, I was confused on what the “fun fashion” event was, which ended up being the first event in which the girls participated. Also, I wasn’t sure what role the runner ups played in the future and their important role was explained right before the crowning. I was shocked by a couple of the girls’ physical appearances, so watching the pageant helped tear down some of the stereotypes I have about the slim nature of beauty queens. I also had no idea that there were entertainers during the competition, which makes sense because it allowed the judges time to collaborate. I would like to learn more about the competitors’ interaction with one another backstage during the pageant. Lacey and Bree both assured me that they were great friends with the other competitors, but by the look on the runners-up faces I wasn’t so certain.
Although watching the pageant take place was informative and a great learning experience, I felt that the interviews and my observation of the coaching session are much more beneficial to my project. We were told to find out everything we could about the people of our community, and watching a pageant was more about the subject of pageantry and less about the pageant contestants themselves. I now completely understand the importance of observing at multiple locations; the interactions were not the same at both places and I received a totally different perspective from each location. The pageant didn’t highlight the dedication of the girls and all the fine details that goes into competing, so I found the coaching session more insightful.

Exploration 2

Sofia Soto

English 102.44

Melissa Keith

March 5, 2010

Observation 2 Notes

I went to Sin for my second observation. Sin is a gay and straight club downtown. They have great music for dancing and it’s a very diverse and friendly establishment. I decided to do my second observation here because I thought I would have a better chance on finding gay Hispanics at a gay club than at any other place.

We got there at around 10 pm. As soon as we walked in, a guy wearing tight, black spandex shorts and a red tank top one size too small greeted us. I couldn’t help notice his purposely over exaggerated crotch. All of the males working there had the exact same look -- spandex shorts, red tops, combat boots and big fake crotches. The attire was completely unattractive, but I guess it wasn’t me they were targeting. He checked our IDs and then asked if we wanted our coats checked. We said no thanks and proceeded to enter the club.

I ordered an Absolute martini with a couple of olives. My husband was with me, he order a PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon). The cocktail waitresses wore tight booty shorts and low-cut tops. Cute. The music was loud and hopping and everyone appeared to be having a good time. After we got our drinks we walked around the club observing the crowd and looked for a spot to sit. I saw a male couple sitting at one of the couches in the corner of the room. I told my husband that I was pretty sure that the couple was Hispanic and I suggested sitting in their vicinity. We sat on the couch next to them. I over heard them speaking Spanish so I made my move. “Hola como estan, ablan Español (Hello. How are you? Do you speak Spanish)?” I could tell that they were a bit skeptical about me. They hesitated for a couple of second then they responded “Bien, si ablamos Español (Good. Yes we do speak Spanish).” I continued to make small talk with them. They were quiet and I was doing most of the talking. They were really nice and I could tell that they were in love. They held hands, giggled, and joked with each other. The music was very loud and we couldn’t hear each other, which made it difficult to have a conversation. All I wanted to do was talk to them and get to know them more.

After an hour or so their friends showed up. They mingled for a while and then they all got up and moved to a larger table. I could still see them from our seat. I jotted down some notes after they left. I continued to observe them. I glanced around the room and it was full by then. I noticed the cliques. I noticed the congregation of manly and rugged men on one side of the room and the pretty, clean-cut boys on the other side. There was also a group of very feminine women and another group of women with more of a masculine look. There was a skater group, a Goth group, the older crowd, the straight crowd (it’s very hard to tell who is gay and who isn’t at a gay club) and, of course, the drag queens.

Even though everyone had come to the club with their own crowd, it didn’t appear that way on the dance floor. Everyone danced with everyone else because they were all there for the same reason, to just have fun. I noticed the isolation of the Hispanic group. They stuck together, danced together and drank together while members of other groups came and went from their cliques. This reminded me of high school. I remember how all of the Hispanic kids and Black kids grouped themselves with their own race. I couldn’t help but wonder why? Was it for safety reasons? Ease? I contemplated some more then I saw them all get up and leave together. Soon after, I went home as well.

Exploration 1

Sofia Soto

English 102.44

Melissa Keith

March 5, 2010

Observation 1 Notes

My first observation was attending the BGLAD organization meeting on campus. I thought that this would be a good place to start even though I didn’t know for sure if there would be any gay Hispanics. So I took my chances and went.

The meeting was on Tuesday and I felt kind of weird about going. I didn’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable about me being there, observing and taking notes about them as if they were some bizarre type of creatures. After all, they’re not any different than you and I. They’re just people.

I sat outside the Alexander room (located in the student union building) and read while I waited for people to show up. Bob (not his real name) from one of my classes showed up for the meeting. I felt relived because at least I would know one person in the meeting. The president of the organization showed up and I introduced myself. I had emailed him about coming, so he already knew who I was. We waited for every one to show up. It was cold in the room and I was nervous to meet everyone.

After everyone was there we began to introduce ourselves. There were a total of nine of us in the room. Two of the males were Hispanic so I was pretty happy, but to be honest I was surprised. While I had been hoping for there to be a few Hispanics in attendance, I hadn’t really expected to find any. Everyone there was very nice and insanely funny. It made me want to attend these meetings regularly.

The president of the BGLAD organization began by talking about some show or event that they were trying to put together. I wasn’t sure what they were talking about exactly, but I eventually caught on. The name of the event is Sheaster (not sure about the spelling), kind of like Easter and it will be held in the Hatch room in the student union building in April. They talked about having Minerva Jayne, drag queen and entertainer extraordinaire, as the host and emcee. I’m familiar with Minerva and she’s amazing so I plan to attend this event. There was also a lot of talk about posters for promoting the event, bunny ears, decoration of bunnies, diversity week, make-up assistants, budget for the event and the gay agenda (not sure what the gay agenda is). I just sat there, listened and laughed about the funny things they said.

It was time to go. On my way out I made small talk with one of the two Hispanic guys. We exchanged a few words but nothing too in depth. I’m glad I went to this meeting even though I didn’t really get the chance to speak with the Hispanic guys for a long period. I met some pretty nice people during this observation.