Writers Strike for Democracy. Mk, maybe not.

Super Tuesday

I have a theory about the youth vote this year. Does anyone else think the “Year of the Youth Vote” (as TIME would put it) is energized not just because the political stakes are massive but because, well…there’s nothing else on TV?

I know that as a journalist and political junkie, I’m way out of touch with the reality of the way the broader public views politics. But I can’t help wondering if the writers’ strike has helped stoke the flames, ever so slightly, of political ownership among people my age…people who were, in a lot of ways, raised by cable TV. We have few sitcoms and dramas left to watch. Pseudo-news is pretty much the only new material on television besides actual news. Even MTV’s “TRL” seems more political than it used to.

I hope I’m wrong, and I know I probably am; it’d be nice to think that people are just so fed up with the status quo that they’re finally getting energized about their political system. Still, I’d find it entertaining to see a by-the-numbers breakdown. Are more young people watching the news? Are fewer young people watching re-runs and reality shows? It’s something interesting to ponder, if nothing else.

Progress Report:

Monday morning, I interviewed the curator of the Art and Archaeology museum on campus. Since then, I’ve been to the library and have done some background research on Missouri’s pre-Columbian civilizations and the Southeast Ceremonial Complex. Missouri, apparently, was once home to civilizations that produced artwork with some pretty amazing consistencies from Wisconsin all the way down to the Gulf Coast and throughout the Mississippi River Valley. Symbols in artwork from the Mississippian time period (about 1000-1600 AD) are impressively, even mysteriously, similar over a large region. The similarities transcend language and cultural boundaries and are the subject of hot debate and curiosity among archaeologists. I want to explore the Southeast Ceremonial Complex and the place Missouri has within it for my story inspired by the Art & Archaeology Museum’s “Before Columbus” exhibit featuring iconography from the Americas. I’ll be interviewing the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for this story Monday afternoon, as he’s an expert in North American Archeology and is also curator of the Anthropology museum here. I will probably visit some rock art sites across Missouri next weekend and may venture all the way to East St. Louis to visit Cahokia.

It’s weird to feel like I’m making progress when I’m not producing tangible clips every day, but I’m feeling pretty good nonetheless. It’s just taking me a while to get used to working on long term, in-depth stories instead of breaking news.