Podcasts going forward
Today in class we discussed the possibility of creating a new podcast. Throughout the process of developing our first podcast we were able to interview members of the communities we went to, talk to shop owners, and purchase food in these neighborhoods.
Something that I have been thinking about is how we can make this project more of an exchange between our class community and the communities that have given us so much and made it possible for us to bring our podcasts to fruition. Many times I think the poly community can approach things from a “service” centered lens and in my opinion, this can be problematic in that it creates an imbalance in relationships setting up a power dynamic that is contrary to building community. However, with our podcasts I think we have been given so much from these neighborhoods and the people who live and work in them. Whether, speaking to store owners, community developers, homeowners/renters, our class has learned from first hand experiences of those who are on the ground doing the work every day.
How can we create a balance between simply taking and providing “service”? How can this project be more of an exchange?
I definitely agree with this. I think while we do a lot as far as involvement with other communities, (Poly overall), I do think we usually take the stance of "service provider". Yes, we are interacting with the community (or organization), but we aren't forming relationships really, we're just almost speaking to them. In regards to the podcast, I definitely felt this to be the case. In my group's interview experience, it's not that I felt like I was taking from or disrespecting the neighborhood, but I still felt like there was something missing from our side. It is hard to think about this and come up with ways to make it more of an exchange since our intention was to ask questions and learn more about the certain aspects of the city, and John (who we interviewed) was happy to provide us with information. We don't want to feel like we are intruding yet we don't want it to feel like we are tip-toeing around a neighborhood's culture and historical background. I can't really think of anything specific, but I am interested to hear what others have to contribute in our group discussion.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement about Poly students leading with a "service" lense when reaching outside of our bubble. I think a great start would be to share the podcasts with those who helped us make them. I know for the Cypress Park group that the principles of the schools in which we explored would appreciate the dedication and work that we put into creating their stories. That could start a bond with these schools that are outside of our neighborhood. As of right now we interviewed them and that is the extent of our exchange, but sharing our finalized project could take the next step and show that we appreciate what they did for us. I also think that this has been an eye opening project for me. We are exploring a neighborhood. It sounds and feels weird when thinking about it because it implies that there are "different" lives being lived than our own to explore. But as we worked through our first podcast, I found that we are actually uncovering the truth of these neighborhoods and spending the time to investigate what is really going on within them. I think it is a fantastic thing because instead of driving through Cypress Park and making assumptions, we are physically there finding what makes Cypress Park Cypress Park, if that makes sense. But to the question, I think a great first step is sharing our podcasts with those interviewed and talked to through the process.
ReplyDeleteIn the neighborhoods that we visit often I do agree that often times we can be seen as people who come into a new setting and who tend to observe others. It is also important to realize that creating a balance between simply taking and providing "service" is an important thing to do. Ways I believe that we can impact the communities that we travel to would be for one engaging in activities whether they be physical or just showing support for local businesses. Also if we were to recommend businesses to friends and family of really good pockets of our neighborhoods this could help traffic within the neighborhood and thus boosting the economy as well. I also believe that if we tell these locals that we are trying to create a story to share valuable information about their neighborhoods, then I believe that people would be able to benefit from our research as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter completing the first podcast, I felt more knowledgable about Cypress Park, but dd not feel more connected at all. I feel like I just visited different locations and talked to different people without actually giving anything back or really creating connections. Honestly at this point, I could tell you about education in Cypress Park but not at all what the people or culture is like. One of the principals that we spoke to asked for a copy of our podcast when we finished it, but besides that no further relationships were developed. However, i'm not sure if it really needs to be an exchange. It's not like we are treating these neighborhoods as exhibits in a museum. We are interacting with the people and trying to understand as much of a specific topic as possible through conversation and communication. Also, we aren't just observing in these neighborhoods. We are interacting with its residents and learning through experiences rather than reading from a book.
ReplyDeleteI think there are many different ways we can connect with a community of discovery rather than simply making them our research projects. We can connect by having genuine conversations with whichever member of the community we are talking to. Honestly, I think that just walking up to someone whom you have not had any previous interactions/conversations with is just the key to make for an awkward conversation and a much less genuine conversation. Instead, I think that going forward, it would be best if we started starting with a conversation about something other than gentrification (or whatever your topic is about) and eventually leading to the hot question. That way people will be able to trust you because you are no longer as random of a person to them and the interviewee will deliver a much more honest and thoughtful reply.
ReplyDeleteI went into the project thinking that the idea of creating a podcast about neighborhoods was parasitic, but I don't think it is anymore, and therefore do not think a "balance" is necessary or feasible. We are making podcasts that are supposed to be informative. No one has an obligation to speak to us, and I have trouble coming up with anything materially problematic that comes about from us investigating a neighborhood. I also do not know when or how our making of these podcasts was framed as a "service" for the communities in question. In fact, it seemed like most students went into the podcast with the intent of revealing the beauty and strength of these communities in the face of people trying to provide them a “service” (i.e development projects to “improve” a neighborhood). If we go into the project with curiosity and a desire learn more about a community (rather trivialize their existence), I feel like telling their story is a sufficient "exchange." Additionally, there will never be a "complete" amount of information that will paint a wholly complete representation of a neighborhood. Even if we had five times as much time as we do know, there will always be a perspective or facet of a neighborhood/topic not included. Our job is to get the most out of the time we have, any other goal will just generate frustration.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the Chinatown group, I can honestly say that we only get interviews from 10-20 percent of the people we approach. Our group has had days when we approach twenty store owners only to get one or two total interview clips. Speaking to the service aspect of the question, our group has provided some of the people we have interviewed with new information about Chinatown. For example, our group introduced new information about upcoming and ongoing developments in Chinatown to a couple of storeowners and representatives of the Thien Hau Temple. I think that the overall goal of these podcasts is to introduce aspects and characteristics of our neighborhoods, and providing information and connecting with the individuals of the neighborhood is an added bonus
ReplyDeleteI feel like the world would be a better place if we all looked at our relationships through this lens... but obviously thats idealistic...anyway I love this prompt because I think about it a lot. Being part of programs like Union Station or even attending the GIP service trip to Nicaragua my sophomore year, have showed me that we really do have control over social hierarchies.. obviously you have to have the desire to live in a balanced world in the first place.. but what I mean is that just because the literal and numerical scale of economics and privilege may be out of balance, the relationship between the individuals doesn't have to be. As we embark on this new podcast adventure, I think it would be effective to set an intention to tell the story of the people. In doing this we are setting stakes high because we are wanting to give something back to the community: a voice, a story. I think we need to drop a "classroom mentality" and focus more on building a relationship with our neighborhoods (instead of a grade).
ReplyDeleteThe way to change the dynamic in the groups is to start every interaction with harmless interrogation. Make sure the person who you are interacting with knows from the get go that you are clueless and are not assuming you know any information. With this established from the get go, the person you are interviewing is aware of your position in that neighborhood and in Los Angeles. With this in mind I believe we all can enjoy and learn more about our neighborhoods as locals are far less intimidated by us. On top of this we all need to be more outgoing as it is clear that we are all very timid when it comes to approaching people. I know in our group we had struggles initially because no one in our neighborhood really speaks english. Luckily I know enough Spanish to get around and make interviews. Im afraid that at times it may come off as ignorant, but then I realize that there is literally no other form of communication so I think it's fine and needed.
ReplyDeleteWith my experience in Cypress Park, I think there hasn’t been much of a “service”aspect and definitely more of an “exchange” approach. However, if we have the opportunity to work on another podcast we would be speaking with more shop owners and people of the city instead of members of school administrations. I do not think that our role with the podcast is to provide any type of “service” to our various communities except the possible service of simply becoming more aware and educated of the cities surrounding us. I do not think that anyone is necessarily asking for our help, we are just giving peoples lives and jobs a voice in our podcasts. I think that we can continue this exchange between communities by having less of an interview type approach to our recordings and instead a more conversational approach where we can share stories instead of just getting one side.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you’re saying. Same as Tom, I really don’t feel connected to Cypress Park at all, I only feel connected with that one guy who gives me free rice and beans at Tierra Caliente. Maybe we can have a podcast around helping or providing service for the community that way we can have a better connection with the neighborhood and help them at the same time. I believe that this project can be more of an exchange because we can go around asking people what needs to change in whichever neighborhood you’re in and how that can be achieved.
ReplyDeleteI don't think our research into neighborhoods is vampiric upon the communities from which we are learning. Our job as researchers is simply that, research. When we do our podcasts, it's not like we are somehow using their personal identities or narratives for our benefit as the reason we make these trips is for the case of education which is an unselfish goal to reach towards. If we monetized the podcasts (yo apple might be interested in a franchising deal, ya never know), then our actions might be close to being ethically questionable, but as it is now we are not complicit in any form of violence towards the communities we have explored. I'd be fine with having a service trip, but I'm not sure if that would be the most educational activity to do. We might get to learn more about a community and learn how to better people, which are all very admirable goals that we should strive for on our own, but those aren't the purpose of this class. The goal for us is rather to learn about writing narratives, creating linkages between different facets of a story, critical thinking, and storytelling for which I feel like our studies have been focused on.
ReplyDelete