I've been dreading this class for a long time. I've made some pretty good friends that have gone through SJMC and many of them tell me that Multi-Ethinc was possibly the biggest pain in the butt for them. The combination of going outside of your comfort zone and having to go far out of your way to do so does not seem like a good time to me.
However, this class isn't about having a good time and I know it. It's supposed to be about breaking down preconceived notions and learning to not be bothered by my own prejudices, subtle or not. Reading the article on the boundaries of "Liberty City" reminds me of my own perceptions of the 'good' and 'bad' neighborhoods.
Due to their high entertainment factor, I find myself in what I think is the outskirts of Little Haiti and Overtown fairly often and I've learned to always keep my guard up when I'm in these areas. That said, I don't find discomfort in being there. I treat it like it's any other area of Miami, just that I have a higher chance of being mugged when walking there at night.
Either way, I don't believe that it would effect my writing since I don't let it affect the way I speak. The Poynter article about the way 'race' makes writing inaccurate really speaks to me, in that I don't like to use euphemisms when I'm talking about people or situations. It's gotten me in a couple of uncomfortable situations over the years, but I feel it's disingenuous to resort to politically correct double speak when you're talking to somebody or writing a story.
So I go into this class with a bit of anxiety and a bit of excitement. I'm anxious because I don't know where I'm going to end up going and excitement because I'll be forced to step out of my little comfortable zone. It's going to be exciting, that's all I know.
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