corporate journalism

After two weeks of shadowing, training and ride alongs, the nature of this internship finally hit me.
it wasn't the alternating kinda weird, kinda lame assignments or the talented photographers that run the gamut on backgrounds and attitudes that struck me.

it all came together in this throat-closing moment during what was hopefully my last human resources orientation (going on three) -- they sat us in a grey conference room and made us watch videos advocating diversity and tolerance circa 1987.

while the videos were hilarious in their "respect your minority co-worker there, white guy, or you're going to get slapped with a law suit" approach and highly believable re-enactments, the entire gesture of making us watch them overwhelmed me for a second.

decaf coffee and pre-cut, pre-cream cheesed bagels. diversity. sensitivity. confedentiality. it's signed and dated in three different places and sitting in a manilla folder: i am now working for "the Company".

this was sort of an anvil-on-the-toe reminder of the fact that i'm expected to work for a corporation first and the truth second. this is after days of passenger-seat philosophizing about journalism with all sorts of people.

but it was just for a second.

i've traveled far outside of the beautiful, idealistic bubble i had created around myself at the alligator and somehow floated into this very different realm.

whatever.

i suppose this is the standard rant of disillusionment. no one to blame for propagating the values of the beast. its hard for people to disrupt the flow of devolution sometimes. escpecially when it gives you a paycheck and hooks it up with the benefits. working class playas got get their dental on, you know?

for now, i'll work on building my army for the journalism coup'detatatatat and not being jaded. i never, ever want to be jaded.