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man on the street
Aug. 5th, 2005 11:34 pmThis evening, having a nice after-dinner stroll through downtown Amherst with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alphacygni, we were approached by "Motown Man", with his blue cape and bucket. Moments later, though, we were also approached by a reporter and cameraman for WWLP 22 in Springfield. They asked if we were Amherst residents, blew off Motown Man, and proceeded to ask me about the UMass housing crunch. I said a few things about how the university should build more dorms if they're planning to expand their student body (an opinion largely generated by my experiences with the fallout of overcrowding at MIT, which was weird enough that it probably isn't relevant at all). They asked me to say it again on tape, which I did - not quite as nuanced as the first time I said something, but reasonable.
I set up the TiVo to record the news at 11. First story (after the opening with the weather) and there I am, with my remark clipped down a bit, sounding a bit harsher than the entire statement I made, but still reasonably accurate. About as good as I can expect, I suppose. I still don't like the way my voice sounds very much.
I suspect I was "profiled" by the reporter as a respectable-looking person to talk to and/or show on TV, since I was in the regular dress-shirt-and-slacks uniform that I wear to work. Here in western mass, the long hair probably doesn't even count against me.
alphacygni, we were approached by "Motown Man", with his blue cape and bucket. Moments later, though, we were also approached by a reporter and cameraman for WWLP 22 in Springfield. They asked if we were Amherst residents, blew off Motown Man, and proceeded to ask me about the UMass housing crunch. I said a few things about how the university should build more dorms if they're planning to expand their student body (an opinion largely generated by my experiences with the fallout of overcrowding at MIT, which was weird enough that it probably isn't relevant at all). They asked me to say it again on tape, which I did - not quite as nuanced as the first time I said something, but reasonable.I set up the TiVo to record the news at 11. First story (after the opening with the weather) and there I am, with my remark clipped down a bit, sounding a bit harsher than the entire statement I made, but still reasonably accurate. About as good as I can expect, I suppose. I still don't like the way my voice sounds very much.
I suspect I was "profiled" by the reporter as a respectable-looking person to talk to and/or show on TV, since I was in the regular dress-shirt-and-slacks uniform that I wear to work. Here in western mass, the long hair probably doesn't even count against me.
