blog 4

These two podcasts gave a glimpse into a world, from one story. The summer camp had stories central to the happenings of that camp in Michigan, and how it was a microcosm of society and other camps. The kids felt free there. That the society and world they live in puts certain mundane regulations on them that are more expressive at camp. “ A couple years form now, these kid will turn into cynical and too cool for this”. It all of a sudden becomes a community of events that are more central to our beings natural environment in a way. No longer attached the borders that naturally happen with lines, like the lines of a room, house, street, and city. The woods and camp is an empowering experience to these kids, because of the elegant simplicity. I think of Lord of the Flies when it comes to this power, except this camp story is a positive version. There is also this freedom to be blissfully ignorant and be a kid. They did the bloody Mary challenge and they were free to do it. That environment was so accepting and vibrant, that the other days in regular life weren’t as fulfilling.

We followed the kids around and made it more of a fly on the wall way of looking. There were minimal questions, and it was all things dealing with what they were doing. In our process to make things better, maybe we have destroyed our solution. The fake Indianess" is such a powerful moral to have considering the appreciation and the authenticity of our lives can be prosaic to theirs. With the summer camp, it was probably better to do ethnography because it was a point that is showered over most of the kids. It wasn’t one story, acting like a megaphone or a can opener to a world not known yet.

         This world I did not know yet was about the blind. The social constructions we put on the impaired have handicapped them more than what they are already. I think of the Fault in Our Stars, and how in the book the cancer perks and the eyes that watched Hazel made her feel like the reality the reality she had was different than what others would consider a bad one. It is not only the blind; it is the maybe the quiet kid that doesn’t have the confidence in school because of the way he or she is treated. “Blind people can do those things” is the quote that is radiated on the whole society of handicaps and hurt people. So many people don’t tap into their potential, and the barriers that those people go through are both internal and external. From this podcast, it seems like all external. That they would believe if society did and didn’t patronize them with what is considered help, but it only makes them feel more impaired. “A blind kid crashing into a pole, is a drag. A blind kid not being able to crash into a pole, is a disaster”.

In this podcast, you heard mostly from the people experiencing it. We sat as an observer and then triggered questions form that. It was a lot more form the people outside the realm of the situation, than the camp story. This was a microspore, were the camp story was uncovering something. We heard form doctors and sociologists, but it was all coming form the web spun by Daniel, the leading blind person. This one was definitely a more chronological view, and how Daniel’s life was and now, with his thoughts on the world being consistent with his motives. One more idea that stuck with me was I thought it was the best symbol of appreciation for the world around you and to trust everyone when the blind person helped the fully sighted journalist out of the woods, that they could be the leaders of not only the blind, but for everyone. We could take a lot from their vision of the world. “There is life, and then there is living your life”. That is if we let them.

part 2

With my question, I think that I could go both ways. I think that the personal aspect of what this question entails would be very represented with a profile. However, when I try to draw this back to people in power, maybe seeing the spectrum of others is better and hearing all of their talking points. I was thinking if I could sit in meeting at some board of directors or unicameral here in Lincoln, how much information on what was best for people would di be able to acquire? With issues that concern both the rich, middle class, and poor it would be significant to see the people talking points. With profile, maybe I would go on a platform like a regular occupation. Maybe a community social worker, and tie it into how and why they do the thing they do. However, that role that those powerful people go into is very important to se what is within them. Maybe a psychiatrist that wants to try and help the patient, but is pressured into writing for pharmaceuticals that may not be in the best interest of the patient, but for money.

The paradox could be represented in both ways, but strongly in when a person does well for themselves, and the common good with how they see themselves in that role. I could talk about the indecision maybe a lot of them face with really how much effect they see themselves happening like construction workers or local business owners. I think a strong pint of my critical question is how is the balance between the way others perceive someone and how they see the environment.