Below is a verbal portrait I wrote on February 18, 2007:
When Feedback is a Bad Thing: Verbal Portrait of a 12-year-old Halo 2 Informant
I took advantage of a snow day to interview my son about video games. I’m taking a class in ethnography, which is the study of groups, and I’m studying a group I don’t belong to: Halo 2 players.
At first, Daniel was an eager informant, but he became resistant when he saw there were sixty-five questions on my list. I bribed him with a cheeseburger and a mug of hot chocolate, but that wasn’t enough to keep him from fidgeting.
“Come on, Mom, it’s a snow day. I was in the middle of game.”
I resorted to parental authority. He continued to exhibit symptoms of withdrawal, his excessive thumb twitching evidence of my contention that his gaming is obsessive.
The interview provided useful background information for someone who has little knowledge of and even less interest in video games. The very first question provided insight: “Why do you like video games?”
“’Cause they’re fun! Interactive!”
He actually said the word “interactive.” Ah, so this is not a passive medium, and it even has the potential to improve vocabulary.
Daniel’s favorite game is Halo 2. It takes a lot of practice to get good at the game, and yet Daniel insists that age and skill don’t matter so much among Halo 2 players.
“What matters is how you act. How you treat people. That you’re a good sport.” An ethical code of conduct among group members!
Daniel gets angry at “modders,” people who modify the game to take unfair advantage of other players. Modders can be reported by providing “feedback” online to the “Bungee people” who represent the manufacturer.
“Another player gave feedback on me ‘cause I beat him.”
My poor, innocent—wait a second. I remember seeing a copy of Halo 2 Hacks in Daniel’s book bag. Ambiguity here.
Daniel has X-Box Live, which provides audio so players can talk to each other.
“Is there is anything people say that makes you laugh?”
“Yeah, people acting like they’re constipated.” So potty humor is accepted and appreciated by group members.
I asked about team etiquette on Halo 2.
“Huh?”
I rephrased my question: “Is there any particular behavior that is not tolerated among teammates?”
“What?”
I rephrased again: “What makes people think you’re a jerk?”
Instant recognition.
“Running over your teammates with the wart-hog,” he said. Apparently a
wart-hog is a type of transport vehicle.
My husband, Brad, sometimes plays, but Daniel said he’d rather play with other kids: “Dad’s not that good at Halo.”
Daniel said that once when they were playing Halo 2 together on X-Box Live, Brad could hear their teammates saying that he “sucked.” So Brad blew up the teammates and logged off. Apparently Dad’s not a very good sport.
I decided to visit a friend from high school, Damion Atkins, someone who had always been open and very willing to talk about his homosexuality with others, even when criticized. He was extremely excited when I told him I needed to ask some questions about being gay and assured me he would do his best to convey his feelings to me on a realistic level. Damion had shoulder-length dark hair with defined blonde highlights. He wore several bracelets, some of them even sporting the gay pride colors - those of the rainbow. The first questions I asked him are generally the most probing question people who do not understand homosexuality ask - is it a choice? Were you born gay? Both seemed very obvious to Damion as he happily explained to me that he never really decided that he wanted to like boys, he just had a natural attraction to males, which also answered my second question.. "When I was a child, I didn't worry about who was cute. I didn't exactly have an attraction toward anyone; I was just worried about having fun with my toys and video games. When I hit puberty, that's when I started noticing I wasn't really attracted to girls... that I was attracted to guys." Damion then crossed his legs and placed his hands delicately on the tips of his knees. He had a slight obsession with fixing his already perfectly coifed hair, and kept bringing his hands to touch his face. I wondered how he came out to his parents and friends when he realized to himself that he was attracted to males. He told me the story of first going to his mother, someone whose opinion was clearly very important to him now, and he told her he had something to tell her but he hoped she would still love him afterword. He then told her about how he thought he was gay. She asked a lot of questions, as any caring parent would, but told him she would always love him and would support him through any personal choice he made. I learned that Damion’s confidence that he carries with him today probably stems from his support that his mother gave to him. He later had the self-assurance to tell him friends that he was gay, and he told me that they were all very supportive and happy for him to finally be open with them.
ReplyDeleteI then decided to get to more probing questions about his past and peers. I asked what type of discrimination he had encountered because of his personal choice of being gay and he explained to me that, “Most guys act awkward around me, especially if it's just him and I alone. Guys don't like to be in a public bathroom with me. Some guys won't be my friend or socialize with me. I can't even remember how many times I've been called a fag, queer, gay, etc. […] not everyday do I deal with being discriminated against because of my sexuality, but it is quite frequent.” He seemed sadder in recalling these events, and still being in high school, I could only imagine the type of criticism and judgments he must deal with throughout his daily life.
I met up with a friend of mine, Jamie, to talk to him about being a drag queen. Since he is an active member of Spectrum at Ball State, I met with him in the Spectrum office of the Student Center during his office hours. As I walked in the door, he greeted me with a friendly wave as he sat at a computer desk. I prepared my pen and paper while he adjusted his blazer and tie in a studious manner, then cleaned his black framed glasses. The first thing I wanted to know was what had influenced him to begin drag. "I was always a performer. I was always into theater, dancing, and singing, and just saw this as another outlet for me to perform,"he answered. Avery Leigh Whitmore is his stage name and I found it quite a surprise that he has only been on the drag circuit for only about a year. He then explained to me how "caddy" queens can be out of jealously, especially to "fishes," guys who look more feminine in drag. Many of them tend to be rude and harbor unnecessary drama. Luckily, Avery isn't like that. Jaime told me,"I've given outfits away and advice to newer queens." Taking on a drag persona doesn't mean he has multiple personalities. I asked him, "What has Avery done for you since creating her?" He replied "Avery and I are still the same person, but since doing drag I feel more diva-ish, tougher, confident and more charitable. I have always been nice, but being Avery has magnified that." I was was curious to know what were some common misconceptions about drag queens that people have. Jaime explained to me that people assume all drag queens are uncomfortable with their sexuality, that they all have certain sexual fetishes, and that all drag queens are gay. Of course these aren't all correct. One of my most personal questions dealt with how well relationships work as a drag queen. He explained to me that they don't work out well. "Relationships are hard to get into and/or maintain. Gay guys don't really go for drag queens and the ones that do are probably "tranny chasers"(men who attempt to hook up with drag queens)." Overall, I've learned a lot about the drag queen community from talking to Jaime. Not only is his number of gigs growing, but also his fan base. Even though he is "technically" fresh out of the drag oven, he is a well seasoned queen.
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ReplyDeleteLast year I had my first job interview. I applied to be a worker for Target, one of my favorite shops. My plan was for it to be a nice summer job to get me cash. Going into Target I moved my way to the front desk to let them know I was there. Later I was escorted through some plain and boring white hallways to a room. The room was white and tiny. The room consisted of a calendar. Sadly I expected more for a employee to have in her room. The lady made it to the room shortly after me with her questions. We formally introduced each other and she started the questions. "What grade are you?" "What college do you plan to attend?" That question in which overall hurt me from getting me the job. It hurt since I originally planned to attend Franklin College and couldn't work there but for only a couple months. She said, "Well if you decided to attend Ball State then we could work out a transfer with the Muncie Target." Now this summer I should be able to re-try my interview with her. But come this time she will say "Your hired!".
ReplyDeleteWhen I interviewed my friend about what it was like being in the Army I did not receive the response I was expecting. Before signing up for the Army he went to Purdue University and was studying nursing there. After getting into some trouble though he decided that the Army was what he wanted to do with his life. He needed to get his life back on track and stay out of trouble so the military was the path he chose. Since he had already began studying nursing at the University he said he wanted to continue studying this field and become an EMT. I asked him if he felt scared or frightened by the fact that he will be deploying to Afghanistan but rather he remained confident. "This is something I have wanted to do since I was very little so it is almost like a dream come true." He will be deployed for a year and over that time I am interested to see the changes he will make in his life.
ReplyDeleteI choose to talk to my friend, Lindsey about what it was like to have a boyfriend in the military. We set up a day to skype so that i could interview her. she sat on her bed, in her dorm at Dort college. The room was homey, you could tell she shared it with four other girls, it has a few posters on the wall along with the slight noise of the tv in the background. As usual, her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was smiling, making her blue-gray eyes shine. We exchanged pleasantries, i inquired about school and how everything was going at home with her horse and family. After we caught up on how the other was doing, i started my interview, asking about what it was like to have her boyfriend in the military and how she coped and handled it. She was animated with her responses and she was very upbeat, which is nothing new. When the interview was over we discussed when i was next coming home and how we were going to hang out and catch up on our supernatural watching, we said our goodnights and ended the call.
ReplyDeleteIt was a blistering cold winter morning and me and my father were nestled in a small four by eight foot box overlooking the ice covered lake in front of us. It was freezing cold and the overcast sky spit out small flakes of snow as the wind whipped across our faces. The goose decoys we had set out on the ice in front of us looked like a flock that was snuggled in trying to battle the cold. Our shotguns rested against the short wall in front of us as we sat, looking into the sky for any sign of waterfowl that may be coming our way. I looked over to my dad, his face beat red from the freezing wind that continuously hit him in the face. He was looking in the sky when he mumbled under his breath, "damn birds outta fly today". I asked him how successful hunting on the ice had been when he first started getting into waterfowl hunting, over thirty years ago. He explained,"We would just sit here at this exact spot and use cut tires as decoys and the birds would absolutely fill the sky. Now we have hundreds of dollars worth of the most realistic decoys made and the birds just don't react the same way." I thought about this for a while. Using cut tires as goose decoys is a trick that is never heard of being used today. I then asked him if he'd ever consider going back to using old cut tires again. He replied, "With the realism of the decoys we have now, I don't see how we could ever go back to using the tires. Plus, I don't think anyone that would see us using tires again would think we were sane"
ReplyDeleteMy Uncle Jerry is a big time business man. He stands at about 6'3". He is a very in-your-face type of character. Not necessarily in a bad way though. He always has fascinating stories to tell and is always fascinated by other’s stories. He will always laugh honestly at a bad joke, and often times tell a bad joke. If one word had to be used to describe him, enthusiastic would be perfect. When I interviewed him he had nothing but the neatest things to say. Whether it was about his favorite baseball player or actually about his business, everything was interesting. Perhaps the stories were that good or perhaps his enthusiasm made them that much better. Thing felt a bit awkward because his wife (my aunt) is starting to suffer Alzheimer’s disease. However, they are still able to go to certain areas of the world and do many great things. For example, they are going to revisit the pyramids this march. Fortunately they will be able to get through this together and I’m glad he remains optimistic despite the hardship that has fallen upon him.
ReplyDeleteI interviewed my dad about how he felt about being let go from Hill-Rom. Hill-Rom is one of two companies in my hometown, they make hospital beds. It's a subject that he actually doesnt mind taking about, which suprised me really because my dad is such a closed off person. I asked him how he felt sitting in his bosses office hearing the news.
ReplyDelete"It wasnt really a shock, I mean they had been doing cutbacks and layoffs for the past three years sometimes thirty or fourty workers at a time."
I asked him then if it hurt that the company he had worked for, for over twenty years had let him go.
"it did to an extent, but you know better than anybody that I was unhappy working there. It had gone from this great family owned business that had it's workers in mind to a corprate company owned by men who had never once stepped foot in the building."
He how has a new job, which is so much better than Hill-Rom. I can tell that he is happier and it's nice to know that even though he lost his job he feels like he has accomplished more without Hill-Rom than he did when he was working there.
"The drive is long (about 45 min. each way) but it gives me time to think. Also the people i work with are very nice and get my hummor. I've graduated from college now and finally, after thirty years, have a degree. Hill-Rom made me mad, to the point where i didnt have the energy to do anything for myself. Now i do."
To say i am proud of my dad is an understatment. Getting a bad grade on a test puts me in a bad mood for a week, but the day after he lost his job he was right back out there looking for something new.I guess my dad losing his job, in a way, was what he needed to be happy.
On January 23rd, 2012, I interviewed my great-aunt Miriam over the phone about her life, and more specifically about living in the large mansion her family owned for a portion of her life. Interest sparked by bits and pieces of information about the mansion being passed down through the generations, I was eager to find out more about the details of what it was like to live in this great house, and what memories stood out the most in her mind.
ReplyDelete“I can remember walking down the drive and my father would make me name every tree as we went down.” she responded, addressing my curiosity.
Her grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, was a traveller, and as such brought exotic species of trees back with him from the different places he went. This stood out in her mind as a distinct memory, as the house had an extremely long driveway, and the naming of the trees happened more than once.
When I asked for a bit of history behind the house and when they moved in, she replied that the house had been built and furnished in 1905 by her great-great-grandfather and grandmother, and it wasn’t until 1932 when they had both passed on that my great-grandfather and grandmother moved in with their kids, my great-aunt included, being four at the time. The house was gorgeous, she said. A large three-story brick mansion, complete with a U-shaped staircase, botanical conservatory, large living and dining areas, and even quarters for the maid and governess they had.
As she talked, I could tell some subjects regarding my great-grandfather, her father, were touchy.
“So why did your father choose to move out of the house”
“He had his own way of looking at things....alot of the things my father did we didn’t
agree with.”
When she was ten, her father decided to move everyone out without giving an explanation why, and to this day she still, even over the phone, gives off the sense that it deeply bothers her.
The house was left and turned into a boarding house that was run by some of her father’s farming friends, and eventually abandoned, then burned down. To this day she doesn’t know why, only that no one would have ever dared to ask or questioned her father’s behavior. I have to wonder whether details like these are why my great-aunt had grown up and gained the kind of view on life that she did. I’ve been close with my aunt Miriam for quite some time now, visiting her in Pennsylvania when I can and spending as much time with her as possible. She’s a strong women who has been through a lot, and I have to wonder now how much of her strength and modesty is due to her early life. It’s something to think about.
My nana is my inspiration for many many things in my life. She has been such a great influence and she is definitely someone I look up to. I decided to interview my nana on her career and how she did what she did everyday. Some things that I found out were out were just kind of shocking. I guess I thought i knew a lot more about what she did everyday than I really did. It was interesting hearing how much she really did actually love working at a bank. I knew she worked at the bank for a long time but I never knew exactly what she did, how long she did it, what all had to be done, and different scenarios. I learned exactly what they do on the computers when they sit back behind the desk and just type type type. I also learned how to work the ATM, drive thru, and what had to be done when she got to work and before they could leave. It was really neat to hear everything she did on a daily basis that I have never really thought about. I would definitely consider being a banker someday if I couldn't get a job in a field. She is such a lover and hardworker; someone who I am happy to call my nana and someone I strive to be as I grow.
ReplyDeleteA year ago before I came to college my brother and I had a conversation about what college is like. I already had my preconceptions of college, but it was still interesting to see what he had to say. I asked him how being in college was different from being in high school. He said, “It is a lot different, because you have a lot of free time to yourself.” “You have to learn how to use your time wisely so that you don’t fall behind in your school work.” I asked him what his favorite parts of college were. He enthusiastically responded with, “I love college because your day isn’t as restricted to your class schedule as it is in high school.” “I also love meeting new people and making new friends.” After having this conversation with my brother, I was definitely persuaded to come to Ball State.
ReplyDeleteI chose to talk to my roommate, Aaron, about what it was like to study a foreign language that is not his native language. Aaron is an African America who comes from Indianapolis. He is currently majoring in telecommunication in Ball State.
ReplyDeleteI picked up his room as the location for our interview. It was kind of crowd and dark there. Aaron opened his door with his x-box and amplifier on. His guitar was lying on the bed.
During the interview, he talked about how he studied Spanish when he was in high school. He was somehow active and excited about what he was talking. Many sentences he said were begun with a rapid and hurried "oh, oh, I see/I think/That is.." I could easily tell he is good at understanding different accent of English.
He also mentioned his experience of studying Chinese in another college(ought to be IUPUI? He is a transfer student. And I didn't bring notes with me). When I asked "which language do you think is harder, Spanish or Chinese", he answered without any hesitation "Spanish" for which I got a big surprise.
Paul Lorenzo is a good friend and a successful guitarist. He is 5'9'' with black short curly hair. He is generally quiet, but very well spoken. We live on the same floor, and I popped into his as I do everyday and asked I he'd mind being interviewed. He had no problem with it.
ReplyDeleteWe casually made brownies in the forth floor kitchen of Studebaker West while I asked him about his experience about guitar. How Many Years have you played guitar? What’s your favorite style? What style(s) would you suggest studying to challenge your skills? What does it take to become a successful guitarist? Did you have anyone that helped you? How important is the quality of guitar you’re playing? Where you grew up influenced you? What bands inspired you? Is having support from family important? Is there advice you’d give to young guitarists? Or beginners? What kinda guitars do you own? What experience do you have playing with other musicians? Is it important to do so?
These questions were casually asked and professionally answered. We had a blast and weren't rushed at all. This was possibly the easiest interview ever.
http://penguinforum.miniclip.com/showthread.php?82248-The-top-Ten-Cliches...-or-Whatever
ReplyDeletehttp://listverse.com/2010/12/08/top-10-guy-tattoos-you-should-get/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkUMbrT5SU
DeleteAndrea's post:
ReplyDeleteDr. Megumi Hamada is an English linguistics professor at Ball State University. Originally from Japan, she studied in the United States for graduate work and decided to move to California. With her career change, she relocated to Indiana and has been teaching for a few years now.
Due to confusion and difficult with scheduling, I have not yet been able to interview Mrs. Hamada but I have an appointment with her tomorrow. For the purpose of this assignment, I can speculate on how I think the interview could go.
I can imagine an interview with her going well. I feel comfortable around her and she seems very eager to answer what questions I have. Dr. Hamada is of middle age so I think it will be very interesting to see how American English and Japanese have responded to one another since a few decades ago. Her perspective on Japanese culture and American culture will be unique regardless of whether or not I find information for my “topic” because she comes from a different generation and culture. She is a little bit reserved about some things (and I have a few reservations of my own) so I will have to be conscientious about the types of questions I include in my interview.
I interviewed my dad. He is someone i look up to and he knows a lot about what he does. He works for a company where they make car parts and parts for other motorized things. That is also one of the questions i asked him, what do you make at your company? Also i asked him many questions about why his business has changed names so many times. This all interests me because i will be working there over the summer.
ReplyDeleteChristine Mitchell, an 18-year-old CAP student, first strikes you as a normal, pretty, run of the mill blonde chick. But then she darts over to an open piano and pours forth music that astounds and surprises you. You find out more about her and are amazed: she used to do professional ballet, she teaches piano lessons, and she was home schooled, which caught my attention since I did not know very much about it. When you talk with her, she wears a slightly bemused expression all the time and seems to take life as it is, very easily and frankly. He striped pajama pants and cute side pony set off a vibe of a girl who loves to be comfortable and is okay with however she looks.
ReplyDeleteVora Grayson has worked with special needs students for ten years. She started in a resource room at Madison High School working with students of varying ability levels, she even had a short stent in an autistic kindergarten classroom. She has always conveyed her love for her job and, I feel that she will be able to honestly answer my questions.
ReplyDeleteI sat in the study lounge calling my grandparents Jack and Joyce Zern on January 26, 2012 waiting for them to answer the phone. John Ruel Zern was born on June 20, 1932 and Joyce Clara Gerver was born on September 11, 1935. I have always loved to listen to their stories, and this occasion was nothing different. They were both on separate phone, but we all talking at the same time. I didn’t ask them many specifics, I just wanted to here about their childhood and how different it was growing up then than it is now. My grandmother said that she had a wonderful life, and when she looks back she can’t see anything but happy times. Growing up she played outside in her neighborhood and the neighborhood kids, she road her bike everywhere, walked to school, came home fore lunch everyday, walked back to school and finally walked back. She was taught by nuns at her school, and went to church everyday. Times were simpler and people were happy with what they had. My Papa also agreed that times were simpler, more innocent and family oriented. They entertained themselves, and “didn’t have all of these gadgets”. They listened to the radio and enjoyed stories like, “Lux Radio Theater”, “Let’s Pretend”, and “Green Hornet” instead of watching television. They both said their whole lives were happy, it’s not fair how happy their lives have been. They both agreed that they would give anything to live it over again.
ReplyDeleteCole Craven is a strapping young man. He was brought up in a home of music and was introduced to the guitar at a very young age. He lives in Johnson A on the same floor as me and the reason we met is, he heard that I play drums. He wanted to see what kind of musician I was and so the friendship started there. After hanging out with him I began to realize his passion for guitar. His dad played professionally and toured with Keith Urban playing the steel guitar. Cole said the reason that he started playing guitar was ultimately because of his dad. He's not wanting to do anything professional with it but he loves playing recreationally by himself and at his church. That is perfectly fine because some people will get burnt out of their own passion if they play it too much. Cole is going to always play guitar because it is his was of expressing his emotions. Quite the hobby if you ask me.
ReplyDelete