1. Here's a good piece from Neha. Here's what she said, "We make it to the world series and suddenly everyones a die hard Giants fan! Also the lead and closing have some nice style elements to them." Agree. What are your thoughts not only on the topic but also the style of the article? And who is this mighty Casey mentioned at the end? (yes, I know the answer, but do you?)
2. A powerful piece from the NYTimes about undocumented students at UCLA. This article delves into the Dream Act a bit, but it's really a profile piece on some young people and the struggles they face as a result of their undocumented status. What are your thoughts on the style of the piece? Does the journalist present a clear and unbiased picture of the situation?
4 comments:
World Series:
I think that Bruce Newman made some very good points in his article about how the Giants’ fan base has shifted because of their recent success. When I was reading the article, the phrase that came to mind was what fair weather fans the Giants have. I take pride in the fact that I disliked the Giants before they made it to the World Series, and now that they’re doing well, I still dislike them. After admittedly a bit of research, I have discovered that the reference to “Mighty Casey” refers to a Twilight Zone episode where an overly confident batter, the crowd’s favorite, strikes out and loses the game. The TV show was based on a poem by Ernest Thayer. I think that Newman’s writing style, which consists of several short paragraphs, is fits well with his topic--sports.
Coming Out Illegal
Despite the fact that both articles are relevant to California, the two topics could not be any more different. As Maggie Jones profiled the life of Leslie, the undocumented UCLA student, I couldn’t help but feel as if, in this very complicated and controversial debate, sides were being taken. Leslie was just a child when she came to the US, I felt like Jones was urging, you can’t take it out on her. Towards the end of the article, Jones did reference Dream Act opposition, which definitely helped neutralize the article. This is not to say that I disagree with Jones’ subtle sentiment; it’s essential that we provide undocumented Americans with equal opportunities, such as equity regarding education. It’s key to note, however, what kind of toll this will take on everyone else in the country—and how much documented Americans are willing to sacrifice. I also thought it was interesting how undocumented Americans have created a parallel between “coming out of the closet” and “coming out” as undocumented workers.
Giants Fans:
It is impressive to think about the lengths that people will go to to make some money. It's also impressive that people will actually pay. At the same time, I think that it is indicative of the feeling that "if it costs a lot, it must be good." The style of the writing does definitely make you feel for the carpenter.
Undocumented Students:
There are some definite parallels between this movement and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This is also a very interesting topic in and of itself. I'll occasionally hear about the "problems with illegal immigrants" on the news, but those stories never discuss the immigrants in a very unbiased fashion, somewhat like this journalist. The major difference is that the news generally gives the story a negative spin, while this journalist made you feel for and sympathize with the students.
World Series:
All aboard the bandwagon!
I'll admit that I am the epitome of a fair weather fan when it comes to something that I'm not passionate about, and I know that there are thousands of others just like me. Before reading this, I hadn't really thought about the loyal giants fans getting pushed out of the park by the highest bidder for the past few weeks. I feel a little bad for the fans that stuck with the giants through the last eight years, but then were outbid by someone from the bay that thought it might be a fun thing to take their kids to a Series game, with a complete disregard for the people that would literally loan out their beach house for a chance to watch Renteria send another one over the fence. At the same time, though, I think it's only fair that the season ticket holders got to make some money or at least go to the game for free by selling a few of their tickets, because those are the people that you know actually care about watching their favorite team, even if they lose.
While I realize some people may deserve to go to a game a little more than others, I think all the bandwagon talk needs to stop. Sure, there are people that only like the Giants because they won, but it's all because of Bay Area pride. If someone from another country were to ask you where you lived, it would be hard to say America without feeling a little wave of national pride, no matter how much you disagree with American policies or politics. It's pride by association. Unless you moved from somewhere else or legitimately hate the core of who the Giants are, you can't help but be proud to say that your home-town team is the San Francisco Giants, and want to go see them grind the Rangers into the dirt.
Baseball:
Wow. I mean, that is a lot of money for a baseball game. And I wouldn't peg the people attending the games as bandwagon fans...too expensive. I think using the World Series as a base to earn even more money is a smart move by the team. Lots of people seem to be profiting from this, leaving the only unhappy ones would-be spectators. In short: bummer for fans who want tickets, prime chance to make some money for everybody with them already.
p.s. we have a children's book about mighty casey. it rhymed (probably a poem). i think it was called "Casey At The Bat". he struck out and lost the game for 'Mudville'. whoops.
Immigration:
The first thing I noticed about this article was it's length. We definitely don't have the opportunity to write such long articles. However, I do think that may help us. We need to really shave things down to what needs to be written. I felt that at times this article lost its thread a little and became repetitive. Or, maybe I just have an extremely short attention span. It was interesting to learn about the community surrounding this issue. I had never heard of the Dream Act before. I liked to hear about how supportive and cohesive that group was, like a family. However, agree with Ilana and Alex; the reporter didn't even try to keep the story objective. After a certain point the slanted perspective made me wish I had the other side of the story (opposing the Act) as well.
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