I Just Don't Know!!

I think all my stress over all has finally melted my brain. I can't concentrate and put my thoughts together at all. Its very upsetting. 

This interview has really gotten me annoyed. I can’t interview anyone, so you know I write a blog post based on that. And now a two page paper on my interview that doesn’t exist? I can’t write two pages on an interview that would take place, that would be way to extensive, and well shitty. I can’t interview anyone worth interviewing, it wouldn’t benefit my paper, and while yes I understand it’s an assignment, it is completely pointless for my specific topic of discussion. 

Another problem, every time I’ve talked to someone new about my paper I get a different direction for it, I can’t make up my mind! This is probably why I don’t know how to conclude my paper, I think I’m just really over this paper right now because I want spring break already, I feel like all I do is write papers and study and well, its overrated at this point.

 I don’t know how to write a well-written research paper, I think it’s because it has no fun, creativity or voice, its just information. I’m really nervous for it to be honest, and I think I’ll probably fail. Since there is so much on gender roles, I cant find what to put in the paper and what not to put, its really beginning to frustrate me, once I put stuff together I realize I have to many ideas or concepts I’m working with. I guess the fact my writing center editor, well, sucked, really messed it up. I was counting on a constructive feedback, and that failed. During my conference, I had great ideas, but I don’t know how to put them all together into a good paper. I wish you could go in my brain see what I want to do, and that could be my paper. My ideas don’t make sense or flow well on paper, ever! And trying to make this eight to ten pages seems hopeless for me. Yea I can make the number, but what is actually on the paper, well it a kind of blows. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!

Ms. O’Malley what are you mainly looking for in this paper? The context? The quality? The topic? What would be the one thing to really help make the grade?

AAAHH!... It's Not That Bad

I’ve never really been a big fan of writing research papers. But this paper isn’t as bad as the one’s that I had to write in high school because it is more flexible and I got to choose a topic that is of interest to me. However, that does not mean that I will not have some difficulties writing this paper. One of the things that I am having trouble with is finding movies or shows that have an Asian, other than Jackie Chan, as the main actor. Essentially, the only other films that I’ve seen with an Asian being the star are action movies with Jet Li.
I have to work with what I have and depict certain elements of these films that can be used in my paper. Although there aren’t too many aspects of Jackie Chan or Jet Li films that portray Asians as being smart, you have to pay attention to the small details. For example, in Rush Hour, I notice how most of the decisions that Lee was making usually led to something positive but the ones that Carter made did not end up so well. Although I have other media sources like video games and cartoon shows, my biggest focus at this point is to find a film that has somewhat of a focus on the intelligence of Asians.
I’m considering a documentary but that would pose additional problems. Since the topic is stereotypes in the media, I don’t know how much can a film effect the public’s opinion if it did not have much exposure? Nonetheless, I will use Spring Break to watch some films that can be incorporated into my paper.
I’ve also been having some problems with my interviews. The first interview went great. But I find myself asking the same questions for the second interview. I’m having trouble finding a range of questions that to ask my interviewee that will make my paper more flexible, giving me more options and personal information to use.
The intro was not much of a problem in the beginning. But after reading the Curious Researcher pg. 182-202, I’m not so sure about my current introduction. I’m going to need to revise it and write several different intros as suggested by Ballenger and choose one. It makes a lot of sense that an intro that your reader can relate to will make the reader that much more interested in reading your paper. Ballenger suggested it would be alright to have a first person point of view as long as you are conscious of overusing the word I which would make the paper sound egotistical or narcissistic. But it would feel awkward writing a research paper in first person after being told that it is unacceptable for so long.
Writing this paper is not as much of a pain as I thought it would be. After I began writing, my thoughts began to fall in place and my paper began to flow. Although I still think I have some unorganized or irrelevant information in certain parts of my paper. To fix most of the problems that I have, I could have a couple of people to read my paper and give me some feed back as to what caught their attention, where did they drift off, what they did not understand, what information was irrelevant, etc.

Complaints

So far the only real problem that I have had with my paper is length. I am just tired of writing it. And right now there are mid-terms and I am super stressed about my grades and I am just kind of over writing the whole thing in general. I feel like the process is dragged out and I would rather just write it and have the conference and turn it in. I don’t really like the peer reviews, I don’t like reading, much less reading other research papers. I don’t necessarily want other people reading my paper either, I would rather it just be the teacher. I do like feed-back, which is why I like the conference but I like to get the teacher’s feedback. I don’t even really know what I have written in my paper anymore, I have been avoiding it for about a week now because Im so sick of it. I feel like all of the information starts to sound the same after a while. Umm I guess the best way to sum up how I am feeling about my paper right now is that I am just over it and want it turned in and done. Then on top of this work we have readings, blogs, that 3 page double journal entry, I have to study, go to other classes, and just a ton of other shit to do and I am just wicked stressed out right now. Right now I am honestly not putting very much effort in to my paper, mostly because I am just kind of tired of doing work and am ready for spring break. I am over the cold weather and waking up at 7 and I am running very low on motivation to even get to class in the morning but I am guessing that will change after break. The only troubles I have had with the paper is, like I said, length but that is just because I am tired of writing. I am also kind of pissed some one else has the same topic as me and I don’t remember reading any of the pieces of construction paper with the same topic as mine but whatever. In the beginning I was having trouble with my sources and getting enough info, but after my meeting in the RWC I figured that out and learned how to extract more information and how to better analyze what I already had. One thing that I actually did like about my research so far was the interviews, I had fun conducting them and my answers were really helpful and gave me a new perspective on my topic, so I guess I don’t really have any complaints there. I guess my question would have to do with that fact that someone has the same topic as me now and that is… will our papers be compared at all during the grading process? Like if that person has information that I do not have or could not find, will I be penalized, or vice versa?

interview

The interview process has been amazing in my research. Not only did people reinforce my ideas, they broadened my understanding, and were just as passionate of the topic as I was. one of my interviews came from a a published writer and world traveler. His insight from his experiences really taught me a lot about the cultural aspect and reinforced the "culture of thiness" idea. I am going to incooperate a lot of the things he said into my paper as an outside opinion who has an idea of different people, from all points of the globe. I really think that his interview will help my paper tenfold.

DUCK AND COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(just kidding)

I have begun the interviewing process I have divided my interviews up into two parts the first part is completed I have interview my Mother and Father on their experiences of the heat of the early Cold War around the time of the Bay of pigs and later. My father had the most vivid memory of the time. He told me the soviets where not discussed really in school or his parents didn’t talk to him about the Soviet Union. He did remember though on the television were propaganda commercials. One commercial really stuck out in his mind. He said that it was a commercial telling that behind the iron curtain was the Soviet Union and the Communist and that they Did not believe in God. This was a really prime example of negative propaganda. However during my research I came across files from PBS on Soviet propaganda and in the photos is a picture of a kid with a banner that read “Pioneers sound the alarm if your parents Believe in God!” it was taken in Moscow in 1929. Here is the link it is the last picture on the bottom on the lefthttp://www.pbs.org/redfiles/prop/inv/prop_inv_photos.htm. This Organization could be the seed of the propaganda seen on TV. This is Ironic Only because during the rise of Russia throughout the Middle ages Russia saw themselves as the Heir to the Greek orthodox throne after the fall of Constantinople 1453. My Dad also remembers vividly being extremely frightened of Nuclear War during the time of the Bay of Pigs he was fairly young at the time. My mother did not really remember too much of the Cold war but she remembers doing the Duck and Cover drills at school. This weekend we are traveling to see my Grandparents (my dad’s parents) and my uncles my grandfather is a WWII veteran and Uncles are Vietnam Veterans my second part of the interviews will take place then. For now though I believe this is a very good information.

Just ask questions

For my research paper I chose to interview some of my friends, convenient right? But that’s not my reason for choosing them for my interview. Because I chose to do the stereotypes in Family Guy I am dealing with racial slurs that cover a wide audience. So I thought why not just ask members of one or two of these stereotypes how they feel about the stereotype in itself and how they feel about how the show portrays that certain group. I felt these questions would cover the base of my paper to show how they feel about being portrayed in a certain way and to see if they care if that stereotype is displayed alongside a joke or as a joke (hoping for an opinion on that in the answer too).
At first I thought of asking more elderly people thinking they might have a stronger opinion on the stereotypes but how many of them are knowledgeable on the show? It would probably be hard to find one that was. I hoped that students like me would be more aware of the modern stereotypes and more aware of the show and its purpose seeing that we are generally the ones watching it.

Do you see it?

The topic gender roles in it is almost endless in research and information, so what makes such a well-known issue still active and publicly unknown? What people classify as a gender role, is common sense to one person, why? because we see it all the time. I might relate the answer to that to a well-known series such as Boy Meets World. The entire series from their first day of middle school to the wedding of Cory and Topanga is filled with stereotypical roles men and women are played out to be. I must admit there are a few twists to the normal roles, but slight and not by much. For my paper, I would have loved to interview the two creators of the show series, April Kelly and Michael Jacobs. Unfortunately, this interview process was a challenge, and I was unable to interview them or main actor Ben Savage like I had hoped. When I started thinking about what to write for the blog, I was going to write everything I could have asked and possible outcomes, but then it hit me. My writing center helper was kind of my interviewee. As he edited he’d ask my specific questions on the show, and I’d answer using research I found and he was completely shocked. He helped me support my thesis and he didn’t even realize it. He had no idea of the gender roles in Boy Meets World, or the few twists at all, and then I realized I, I hadn’t seen them all either at first. It took me rewatching a few of the episodes to actually pick up on some roles, we always just saw as human nature.
When I chose to write about Boy Meets World, I knew it had gender roles so I wrote the out and got info about them. Once I had somewhat of background knowledge of sex roles in society, rewatching the shows I was completely able to pick out more complex ones. So I guess my editor and myself, are my primary first hand knowledge of how gender roles aren’t even perceived as stereotypes to many people, until pointed out or more informed of the case. People in our society are so use to and comfortable seeing actors play out roles, that they don’t see as stereotypically because that’s how a great majority is perceived. But the keyword in all that is perceived, what we think people are supposed to do, say look like, or act. So anyone off that outline is seen as weird, or outcast, when in fact they are normal, not something they are supposed to be.