Zoinks, Another Clue!

I felt the same muggy warmth that so often visits State College, staying on like a guest who overstays their welcome. The sun shining down on the steps added insult to injury. I lay back, on a portion of the steps that provided some protection from the sun. I focused beyond the flights of steps to the small space of pavement just before the path of the Pattee Mall. I was sitting on the steps of Willard on this fine Wednesday afternoon. In front of me, and the small group of onlookers who I shared the entrance to Willard with, was a man. Strolling thoughtfully back and forth. His arms clasped behind his back as he paced. He spoke carefully and thoughtfully, and it struck me that I’d never actually really observed the man like this before.
He was dressed extremely plainly. Looking from the ground up, he was wearing what appeared to be old worn-out sneakers that were most likely useless in terms of running due to their age. He wore baggy blue running shorts with drew attention to his chicken-bone legs. He wore a baggy white t-shirt which he tucked into his shorts. I looked again at his face, beneath his glasses his eyes were fixed on the ground as he spoke. He would look off into the distance, at nothing in particular, as he turned to pace in the opposite direction. He seemed so lost in his own thoughts, so pensive as he continued with his lecture. I looked at my peers on the steps and railings, all focused on this center of attention. They were all completely fixed to this strange man pacing back and forth in front of makeshift lecture hall.

Quotations:
“If you are and atheist you have to admit that it’s okay for others to rape 2 year-olds.”
- Willard Preacher
“Anybody who spends his day pushing his religion on others has crossed the line into the nutball neighborhood. You don’t win souls by yelling at people.”
- Mojoey blog
“The vulgar shit this guy says, I love it!”
- Unnamed source
Facts:
Began preaching in 1982
Replaced another preacher, Clarence “Bro” Cope
Has an official website, complete with blog, book, quotes, etc.
Has a number of fan clubs, imitator videos on youtube, etc.

One thing that I never would have thought of before is the extent to which he influences people. I would never have guessed that people would go through all the time-consuming trouble to post their thoughts on the man. There are various supporters and well as angry atheists who get into “forum wars” and other arguments online about the man and his preaching. I especially have been looking into this and wish to bring this to light in my paper.

A Drinking School With a Football Problem

Having looked at investigative reports recently I found the This American Life special on PSU to be an ideal example of a creative investigative report. Their hour long broadcast "#1 Party School" dealt with the issue of drinking at PSU and they made sure to examine the issue from many different perspectives. This move on their part not only made it an accessible report for people with different beliefs regarding drinking, but it also spread knowledge of different perspectives.

The report makes it very clear that there is a problem with some aspects of the drinking at Penn State. The report mentions that 1/4 of students have missed class or skipped homework because of drinking, student drinking often leads to vandalism and disorderly conduct on and around campus, and also the pleas of local residents that something be done. To top all there exigences off there is the issue of Joe Dado's death as a direct result of drinking. These blaring examples make it clear that there needs to be some sort of action taken to combat these undesirable consequesnces of drinking.

As previously mentioned, the report gives an almost 360˚perspective on the issue. The report includes interviews with State College residents, Gram Spanier, with frat members, underage drinkers, policy makers, etc. Each group of people is interviewed and many happily share their views on the topic. The perspectives vary from group to group. Many of the students, alum, and even some of the parents seem to have a very nonchalant view about drinking and how it might have negative impacts. A group of freshman interviewed before their outting to a frat proudl boast of how they "got slutty once [they] got to college." The effective use of interviews with college students and exploration of several parties and a bus full of drunks really paint a picture of college life for the audience. The report takes the audience in, no matter what their experience with drinking is, and shows them the reality at Penn State for college students, and (with the beginning scenes) of the sitaution for residents near frat row. These residents give an impression of stark contrast to the perspective of the college students, giving their opinions about the destructive and irritating nature of the drinking at PSU. The residents show interviewers the theft of a stop-sign by drunken students, the urination on private property by groups of girls that is commonplace, and countless other acts that become the norm on campus. These residents express their concerns with how this situation is becoming more and more commonplace on campus and how it effects their lives negatively. Both opinions are openly explored on the report giving it a very raw, and honest look at both sides of the issue. This exploration of both sides is important as it allows both sides of the audience to relate to their side and to feel like their perspective is being explored while at the same time raising awareness of how others migth view their behavior. In this aspect the report is able to incorporate a personal reach to both groups without leaving one or the other feeling attacked or as if their opinion is being or ignored. This plurality makes the report highly accessible to both groups.

The report leaves the reader with some of the new initiatives by policy makers and Penn State to combat drinking problems and underage drinking. Several ideas are discussed (bouncers at teh doors of frats, harsher measures for being caught drinking underage...) the question of these measures is left with the audience. The report closes with a sharp jolt into the reality that Gram Spanier and PSU have to deal with. They bring up the ever changing tide of students that come and go from PSU. Because of this fact each they they must "start again" with the new classes, making progress painfully slow. This is the end of the report and leaves the audience pondering the the complexities and challenges facing change in the drinking situation at PSU...

The Dreaded Writer's Block

Lamott says, in her "Shitty First Drafts," that the perceptions most people have of how writers work is different from the reality of the work itself. She refers to this in paragraph 1 as
“the fantasy of the uninitiated."

I think that many people, often those who don't write often, believe that writer's do possess some sort of supernatural ability to simply conjure up ground-breaking and concise ideas all the time. This however is not the case at all. I, as one who loves writing, often struggle with beginning and even get stuck part-way through...(this clip illustrates struggles with "writer's block") as Lammott says, "very few writers really know what they are doing until they've done it ." I think that this is something that I can very much relate to. My writing style tends to be simply running with an idea that pops into my head. Once I have an idea that I am set on writing about I will simply write and write without any sort of organization. The goal is simply for me to get the ideas onto the paper before they slip back into the deep, dark recesses of my mind never to be seen again. If I concentrate too hard on working with my ideas and with any sort of strict organization I lose the creativity and enthusiasm that drives any quality writing I produce.

For me, writing is a type of freedom. Due to the fact that I see writing as freedom it doesn't make sense to put this freedom behind the oppressive bars of formal organization (at least at the beginning). When I do this to my writing, it ceases to be a work of love, it turns into a painstaking process of forcing myself to think of ideas that work within the confines of this set structure. If the situation occurs in the reverse, the writing is saved. Once my ideas are out, all the details and a vast quantity of possible directions it might take, I can then shape it to fit the requirments. Like a sculpter shaping a slab of marble into a masterpiece I am able to work with the mass of ideas and shape it into the appropriate form. If for example a sculpter were forced to make a statue from a very limmited quantity of material he would have to add to his piece and his work would be that much harder.

A "shitty first draft" is a writers defense against blocks, and allows the writer much freedom to simply express any ideas and emotions without any concern for grammar, structure, or anything else. Once this hard part is over the process of shaping this rough draft into a finished piece begins. That is the real writing process...

The Story of Speech

Fball57575: Hey Becky
BeckyGrl34: Hey, what's up?
Fball57575: Not much, just thought I'd talk to you. What are you up to?
BeckyGrl34: Just at home... nothing much.
Fball57575: I had a great time last night... I'd love to see you again soon?
BeckyGrl34: Yeah I had so much fun ;)) It was great to hang out with you finally.
Fball57575: Yeah. Maybe we could go watch a movie this weekend or something?
BeckyGrl34: Oh yeah! There’s this amazing new movie that came out. My friend Lauren said she saw it. We should totally go watch it.
Fball57575: What movie?
BeckyGrl34: It’s called “The Betrayal.” It’s about this girl who cheats on her boyfriend it’s supposed to be really hot.
Fball57575: Chick flick?
BeckyGrl34: No it isn’t. Just some of it’s romantic... you’d love it, I’m sure!
Fball57575: Well I guess I’ll check it out, just because I’m going with you though.
BeckyGrl34: AAAw. That’s sweet of you. There are so many jerks around campus. It’s nice that I’ve got someone like you.
Fball57575: You think so?
BeckyGrl34: Yeah. I know this guy and he’s so hard to get along with...
BeckyGrl34: He’s so selfish sometimes, I just can’t stand the way he puts other things before me and he can act so ridiculous.
Fball57575: I’m sorry. I hate people like that...
BeckyGrl34: Oh it’s fine. I guess maybe I’m just stressed out from the first few weeks of school. I’ve just had so much reading and other work to do. Maybe I’m just stressed out.
Fball57575: Yeah I’ve had lots of work as well.... we just need to get used to it.
BeckyGrl34: Yeah I guess so hopefully It’ll level-off eventually.
Fball57575: I’m sure it will, don’t worry about it.
BeckyGrl34: Haha I’ll try not to. The other day though I slipped up and I was in the wrong classroom for 25 min. before I realized I was in the wrong room.
Fball57575: Wow, really? Maybe you just have too much on your mind...
BeckyGrl34: Yeah I guess so. It was so embarrassing. I can’t believe I could mix something like that up...
Fball57575: Haha. Don’t worry, it could happen to anyone.
BeckyGrl34: Don’t laugh, it’s not funny!
Fball57575: I wasn’t laughing at you...
BeckyGrl34: ...
Fball57575: I’ll tell you what we can go see that movie on Friday. That’ll cheer you up.
BeckyGrl34: Alright. What time?
Fball57575: 9?
BeckyGrl34: Perfect, maybe we can go to your dorm again after ;)
Fball57575: I don’t live in a dorm.... Becky?
BeckyGrl34: Oh shut up Jake, I was there yesterday.
Fball57575: You were with a guy named Jake yesterday after I took you out?!
Fball57575: What the fuck is wrong with you Becky?
BeckyGrl34: OH GOD. Ben I’m so sorry, nothing happened.
Fball57575 left the chat.

The Big Splurge Theory

SPLURGE. That’s a nice, concise way to describe where and how my love of writing began. What the hell is that supposed to mean you might ask?
It was Sophomore year, and at this point, to me, writing was a vague and distant memory. Writing was something off-limits (my attitude was similar to this?). By chance, I signed on for a creative writing class, I figured it was easy credit and from what I had heard the grading system was essentially a joke. The first day we started by receiving a composition book. The instructions were simple: splurge any ideas, thoughts, random words that pop into your mind on the page. The idea was not to have a unified piece of writing. Quite the opposite, the exercise was meant to open us up to simply expressing ourselves... easy enough. From this activity I got a taste of what would become an important part of my life, a love of writing.
My writing tended to be mostly personal narrative. I loved using vivid descriptions, I am a person who lives very much in physical details, as the world to me is a vast , churning, tumultuous sea of stimuli, in which there is nothing better than submersion, so that my senses are completely absorbed in every possible way by my surroundings. This previous cluster of information brings me to the downside of my passion for writing (this itself being only a very mild case). When in the midst of my writing, I tend to drag my thought on, and on... and on. Periods are not something that come naturally to my writing.
Then there came some hope. I am always up for trying new authors, and I attempt to read different styles of literature. I had come across Hemmingway and Camus. The first books I read by Hemingway being “A Call to Arms”, and “The Sun Also Rises”, I was very impressed with his writing. Camus I really enjoyed due to his involvement with Existentialism. These authors brought a new style to my immediate attention. Their writing was so vivid with detail, their characters so strong (I relate personally with Camus’ narrator in “The Stranger”). There was something unexplainable about these authors that had me baffled. They achieved all these things with such minimalist style. I began to write daily, and I yearned to master the ability to conjure up such complexity from so little. I have been writing almost daily about really anything since the time I started the creative writing class. I write about experiences, random thoughts that seem worth exploring. For me the topic is irrelevant, it is the ability to make the topic into something unified and worth reading that counts.
I’ve been able to simplify and shorten some of my writing but I hope to improve on my style even more throughout this year. I find that shortening one’s writing seems to make it more accessible to most readers and it also shows a very important control of language and thought. I intend to practice writing, and to continue to experience new pieces and styles of writing to add inspiration to my own.