Blog Post #7

The issue that I am looking to explore in my Storytelling As Resistance project is the way that the coronavirus pandemic, and the way that people have responded to the various troubles that it has caused, has beautifully illustrated what privilege in America looks like. This is important to me for a few reasons. First of all, as a graduating senior, I am very much directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic in way that exist outside of the obvious realm of health. The pandemic has robbed me of my final semester of college, my commencement ceremony, the last few months with the friends that I have spent making for four years, and all of the  job opportunities that I have worked tirelessly for since the day I arrived on campus. While I feel completely accountable for being upset about missing this events and the past few months have obviously not been ideal, I still maintain the sense of self required to realize that my problems are so minute compared to the vast and dark reality that many people around the globe are facing. Many people have lost loved ones, lost the only member of their household who earns a paycheck, been laid off from careers they have been working toward for decades, are unable to feed their families, are homeless and are scared. So to see people on social media and in conversation acting as though they have suffered some great loss because they are unable to walk across a stage in a cap and gown this month reflects a serious tone deafness to the actual struggles that are being faced by so many people who are less fortunate.

I think this message, while potentially harsh, should be heard and felt by many people who benefit from privilege in our society. While my anecdotal experience and personal feelings may pertain more directly to my direct peers at Hofstra University, the underlying message is more of an umbrella that can be used to ground people and force them to realize how much they have to be thankful for, as opposed to how much they have to complain about.

I am tentatively exploring the idea of conveying my message through podcast. Through generative writing exercises I have been able to form a lot of linear thoughts and put them down onto paper as a way to organize what I would like to accomplish, the methods by which I would like to do so, and the disclaimers that I may need to give in order to adequately express my point. Initially, I thought that I would write a traditional essay, as that is what I am most comfortable doing and how I am most used to expressing my thoughts. However, during the breakout session of last week’s class, one of my classmates heard me express my ideas verbally and urged me to consider exploring a podcast as a medium. I think this would be an interesting medium to explore, while also getting me out of my comfort zone.