Youth Radio - Topic: Audio

What's the New What? Gay Fashion is the New Straight Fashion

kara — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:51:02 -0500

Anthony says he’s always had a distinctive sense of fashion, until recently that is. Now, the very same boys who teased him as a kid are jacking his style, shedding their plain blue denim and white T’s for ornamented skinny jeans and patterned shirts in every shade. In this story, Anthony explores the intersection of fashion, youth culture, and identity, reframing what it means to look tough, and reminding us that the best fashion is always dangerous.

What’s the new what? I say, gay fashion is the new straight fashion, in the hood, that is. And that’s what makes it new.

In ghetto neighborhoods, male fashion has always been about blending in. I know you’ve seen the look before: white T’s, blue jeans, and Nikes. The rapper, Keak Da Sneak, even recorded an anthem dedicated to the boring uniform of the street.

I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the white T look. I’m all about big shiny sunglasses, sparkling necklaces, tight legged jeans…and this cute shirt I spotted at one of my favorite stories: DD’s Discounts.

Anthony: "Look at this! Oh my gosh, I’ve been looking for this shirt forever."

The straight boys who used to whisper about me on the bus haven’t discovered DD’s yet, but they are jacking my style. It all started when artists like Kanye West, Pherrell, and Cam’ron showed up on the TV screen, suited and booted in outfits I would have picked out in middle school. Now my uber-macho nephew, AR, is raiding my closet.

AR: "Tell you the truth, unc, you got swag."

AR loves that word swag.

AR: "Swag is how you dress, it’s how you make people compliment you on everything you do, even how you walk, that’s swag."

I’m so proud AR doesn’t look like every other fashion reject in a white t-shirt. But standing outside my closet at home, I ask AR if he thinks my favorite new shirt is “swagalicious” (his word, not mine). It’s got a rainbow pattern and says, “I will not apologize.”

AR: "I mean. No disrespect to the homos, but that’s not my swag."

No disrespect taken, cause I’ll always dress better than he does. But then I ask AR if he’d at least compliment a gay boy on a nice pair of jeans.

AR: "If they do got something nice on, I will respect that, and I will let em know that. I like the jeans."

Hearing that comforts me. But Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal, who writes about gender and race, isn’t so optimistic. He says straight boys might push the boundaries in terms of fashion…

Professor Neal: "But might not push those boundaries in terms of the cultures and life styles that some of those clothing styles come from. So they can dress gay in their minds, but they might not want to have friendships with gay men."

They don’t have to be friends with me. They just better realize they wanna look like me. And if ghetto fashion has always been about looking tough, there is nothing tougher than being who you are, without apologizing.

What's the New What? Kayaking Is the New Canoeing

kara — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:00:00 -0500

It's time again to hear what's in and what's out from our friends at Youth Radio in the latest installment of their series What's the New What? This week, our story comes from Maine, where outdoor enthusiasts are enjoying the lingering warm days and going on full moon adventures in the water this week (Sept 14-16) to wrap up the season. But as Molly Adams of Blunt Radio reports, there's been a sea change in Maine when it comes to HOW people are riding the waters.

What is the new what? Kayaking is the new canoeing.

The open-hulled canoe is classic Americana. Boy Scouts don't kayak…they canoe. They even get canoe badges. But lately faster, sleeker, lighter kayaks have overshadowed and outsold the heavy lumbering canoe. And who cares? Well, we Mainers do. Canoes are the Maine paddle-craft! They are part of our history.

Kellogg: "A lot of place names here in Maine, Kennebec, Penobscot, Presumpscot, Machias, they're river names."

That's Zip Kellogg, the author of "The Whole Paddler's Catalog."

Kellogg: "They have names like that because the Native Americans were traveling on these rivers in their canoes mostly."

My earliest memory of a canoe is falling out of it. Maybe that's why kayaks sell better. They don't tip as easily. Zip doesn't think so.

Kellogg: "Um…Personally, I don't think that's true because I think the canoe does fine on its own. It's when people get in it that things start to happen."

You can see how the canoe vs kayak debate gets personal.

But preferences aside, Maine's top paddling retailer Johnson Outdoors says kayaks are outselling canoes almost three to one.

(Water sounds)

I went to try out a kayak myself, something I haven't done in a couple years.

LL Bean Guide Steven Custer: "Go ahead and get in there and get your butt as far back in the seat as it will go."

Molly: "All right."

(Water sounds)

I'm in the Harraseeket Bay in Freeport, Maine on a kayak tour. I meet Ken and Eric Desmitt there, a father-son pair from Ohio.

Eric: "Yeah. I'd rather go kayaking than canoeing."

Molly: "Is it 'cause it's like, faster?"

Eric: "It's easier too."

Molly: "Now have you ever been canoeing before, Ken?"

Ken: "Uh, many, many years ago in the Boy Scouts."

That's the problem right there. Kids these days… they learn how to paddle in a kayak not a canoe, like the Boy Scouts did and do. Families are buying three or four kayaks a piece if they can afford it; two small or tandem kayaks for the kids, two for the adults. That's a big shift from buying one canoe per family. And in Freeport, Maine, LL Bean's Alice Andrenyak has canoes in stock, they're just out-numbered.

Alice: "Recreational kayaks are significantly up in sales. This is a me boat, so people who have limited time can go out by themselves."

These "me" boats…in personalized colors like "cloud" and "sunrise"…are taking over, even as canoe sales remain steady.

In a sign of the times, an Old Town, Maine fixture "Old Town Canoes" is now called "Old Town Canoes and Kayaks."

I feel somewhat wistful about the rise of the kayak. I like canoes. They're kind of dorky in a slow, sweet way and you can meet a friend in the middle to share a sandwich.

Maybe in a few years, canoes will become an object of nostalgic lust and come back on top, but for now, here in Maine, kayaking is the new canoeing.

What's the New What? Slacktivism is the New Apathy

kara — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:11:22 -0500

Youth Radio’s Nico Savidge examines the trend of “slacktivism” – how internet awareness campaigns and “social” ventures offer political involvement, without offering real pathways to action.

What is the New What? I say slacktivism is the new apathy.

Everyone knows the old stereotypes about the so-called “apathetic teenagers” of Generations X and Y: we couldn’t care less about politics; we’d rather rock out on Guitar Hero than learn about issues affecting our community; we’re tuned out; we’re uninformed.

But now, my peers are finding a new way to get involved in politics: slacktivism.

[Mike DiCenzo]: (7.45) For years, government-backed Arab forces known as the Janjaweed militia had attempted to wipe out black farmers in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

That’s Mike DiCenzo, senior writer at The Onion, reading from the satirical atlas, “Our Dumb World.”

However, just as they were about to set fire to another village, word reached them that an American teenager thought that what was happening in Sudan “sucked.” After learning that all her friends agreed, they immediately called off the whole genocide. (8.05) Mike DiCenzo: (13.35)

DiCenzo is mocking slacktivists – the hybrid of slackers and activists.

Caitlin (14.25) I get at least 5 e-mails a day asking me to either sign a petition, send a letter, call a Congressman,

Sixteen-year-old Caitlin Grey is a classic slacktivist.

[FADE IN – FULL VOLUME AT ‘I ALWAYS’] would be that I always type in my name and e-mail address when they ask me to sign a petition, but when they ask me to call a congressman? Never done it once.

You won’t see slacktivists march in the street for their beliefs, but you will see their passive forms of protest on blogs and Facebook pages. Here, Caitlin reads off some of the causes she supports online:

Caitlin: End the seal hunt, stop global warming, rebirth the earth trees for tomorrow – didn’t even know I was in that one – contribute to the humane society PETA [FADE Down]

While Caitlin is realistic that her Facebook support doesn’t affect those causes, some people think these symbolic acts create real change.

Caitlin: [FADE UP]: Animal abuse fighting abandoning and testing, stop all of it now.

Slactivism may have replaced outright apathy, but often the only thing it changes is how active people think they are. However, some organizations have turned slacktivism into action. The Product (RED) campaign sells RED-branded mp3 players, t-shirts, and even laptops. So far, the brand has raised more than 110 million dollars for treatment and education about HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Although examples of effective slacktivism are rare, it’s great that my peers have found a way to educate themselves about major issues in the world. Even if our political dedication stops when we leave the internet, awareness is often the first step in creating real change.

I’m Looking for a Go-Getter

kara — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:05:06 -0500

By Asha Richardson

It seems like it's getting harder for a productive, black, young lady to find her counter part.

I'm Asha Richardson with a commentary for Youth Radio.

I want a boyfriend, but I can't seem to find a black guy who's as interested in his future as I am in mine. I consider myself to be driven, creative, and open-minded, and I'd like to find the same in a boyfriend. My friends say my standards are too high, but I don't think I'm asking for too much.

Most of the guys who do pay me attention are more interested in exploring their sexuality in two-week relationships, rather than truly taking the time to create something meaningful, which is what I want.

I know there are plenty of educated, ambitious young black men out there, but maybe I need to make an effort to seek them out, instead of waiting for them to find me. Maybe I should go out more to meet new people and find my dream guy that way.

In the meantime, I have commissioned my good friends to find me a boyfriend. Unfortunately, they haven't gotten back to me with anything yet though.

Conservative Radio Host Ben Ferguson Talks

kara — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:08:54 -0500

By Ankitha Bharadwaj

Radio row at the Republican National Convention is basically a frenzied lobby where all these hosts compete to be the loudest and clearest voice in the room. One baby-faced guy with a mic stands out.

Ben: "This is what irritates me about liberals is..."

That's Ben Ferguson broadcasting his nationally syndicated radio show. Remember how the RNC cancelled the first day's speakers because of Hurricane Gustav?

Ben: "But I can tell you this much: the war protesters are here...how come they can't call off their protests for a day?"

Watching Ben up there behind his mixing board, I wonder where he gets all this confidence. Maybe it's all the practice, since Ben was only 12 when he got his start in conservative talk radio.

Ben: "For me radio was a great equalizer. It was a place where I had opportunity to represent my generation and stand up for young people."

It all started when Ben began calling--and calling--into a local radio show. When the host came to recognize his prepubescent squeak, Ben says she started giving him more air-time and eventually a co-host spot. Now, if Ben achieves half,

Ben: "Or three quarters."

Of what Rush Limbaugh has done, he says he'll be thrilled. But nothing gets this guy more hot and bothered, than a good 'ol fashion smack down.

(screaming match from CNN)

Like this one of Ben going at it with Randi Rhodes on Larry King Live!

Yowza!! Half the time, when I listen to what this guy says, I feel like ripping my hair out. But as I watch him so seemingly impervious to criticism -- I find him strangely fascinating. Ben discovered his passion at such a young age and turned it into a successful career, while I'm struggling to figure out my first quarter course load. And for the longest time, I thought I was too young to claim a voice.

Ben: "I've always had to beat the stereotype of being too young to do what I'm doing, ... that I don't have the life experience to have an opinion."

Ankitha: Have you ever gotten into a heated argument about someone stereotyping you as being too young?"

Ben: "I had a guy on national TV call me junior, sport and champ at one time when we were debating and I finally said to him, Listen grandpa, just because you're old doesn't mean you know everything. I'm gonna be paying for the mistakes you make with this government so you can call me anything you want..."

Ben tells me he's shot a couple TV pilots, and he's still hoping to get that big break into prime-time. So from now on, when I channel surf at the end of my day, I'll be looking out for Ben’s bulldog determination...along with his faux-comb-over, and bright yellow tie, covered with elephants.

(Complete audio story is not featured)

What's the New What? Convention is the New Club

kara — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 -0500

By Ankitha Bharadwaj, Youth Radio (Republican National Convention Coverage)

Ankitha:
What's the New What? I'm starting to think political conventions are the new nightclubs. And those unsightly metal detectors outside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul are like the velvet ropes that keep the riffraff outside the hippest spots in town.

Ankitha:
I know teens who'd rather blog about VP Nominee Sarah Palin than kick it at the club. Like 17-year-old political junkie Kelly Chau, who felt like she'd been invited to P-Diddy's exclusive annual bash, when she was sent to St. Paul to cover the RNC.

Kelly:
I was just really excited, because this is like a once in a lifetime thing… you get to witness history in the making.

Ankitha:
Kelly could hardly wait to tote around her omnidirectional mic and talk politics with the media elite. While most of us are pining for Orlando Bloom, Kelly's crush is.

Ankitha:
That's right, conservative commentator Joe Scarborough -- who in Kelly's eyes is…

Kelly:
"drop-dead gorgeous with a cute baby face."

Ankitha:
So you can imagine Kelly's heartbreak when she found out she wasn't eligible for a press credential at the Republicans' convention. You have to be at least 18 to get one of those bad boys. With mine in hand, I decided to dig around the Xcel Center to get a better understanding of the RNC's credentialing policy. Finally, I found the spokesperson for specialty media, who was supposed to have the answer. I asked Yohana de la Torre why journalists have to be 18 to cover the convention.

GOP Yohana de la Torre:
Along with Senator John McCain, the Republican Party's values value what the youth have to do and what they have to say for the American people and this nation. And like Senator John McCain says, we are taking off our Republican hats, and we're putting on our American hats.

Ankitha:
Wwwwait a minute. I'm glad you're such a fan of our nation's youth…but why don't you invite them inside the velvet rope? I ended up getting more concrete information from a youth media organization called YPress in Indianapolis. Their oldest reporter on the Republican Convention beat is definitely under-age. 15-year-old YPress reporter, Tommaso Verderame, says they'd spent more than a year--and lots of money--preparing for their convention coverage.

Tommaso Verderame:
We found out we were denied for the first time in July. They claim they've never given a credential to anyone under 18. Well that's entirely untrue...because YPress has gone to every DNC and RNC since 1992.

Ankitha:
So Tommaso and his fellow YPressers have been covering this convention from outside the barricades, like the juveniles who can't get past those beefy bouncers at the club. But I'm sure there are intrepid young reporters who find their own ways in to get the scoop. And to me, that's a lot better than faking IDs to get a drink.

Our Day with Princella, Young Political Star

kara — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:38:49 -0500

By Alana Germany, Youth Radio

People are always asking Princella Smith how old she is. At 24, she's used to being the youngest person in the room, as Chief Advocate for Newt Gingrich's American Solutions project. Youth Radio's Alana Germany tailed Smith for the first unpredictable days of the Republican National Convention. She brings us this glimpse into the convention through the eyes of one of its youngest rising stars.

ALANA
Hitting the party scene at the Republican National Convention with Princella Smith is like hanging out with one of the popular girls.

PRINCELLA:
(party ambi) It’s about 1:00…

ALANA
in the morning, that is—and Princella’s night has just begun.

PRINCELLA:
We are at the Rock the Vote party in Minneapolis, first night of the convention.

ALANA
Princella broke into national politics in a big way at the last RNC, when she won MTV’s essay contest, Stand Up and Holla.

MTV:
I’m twenty years old, I’m speaking at the national convention! This is so exciting! ….ladies and gentlemen, Princella D. Smith.

ALANA
Princella’s a rising star in the party. She’s worked for big name right-wingers like Michael Steele, Mike Huckabee, and now Newt Gingrich, and she’s a regular on the cable news shows, like Your World, on Fox News.

Princella’s clearly building her fan base, like this tipsy young gentleman in shiny red mardi-gras beads at the Rock the Vote bash…

GUY:
Look at this big-timer. Let’s take a picture with me?

PRINCELLA:
Do you have a camera?

ALANA:
This convention is a stage for Princella to show the world, she’s arrived … But Hurricane Gustav came first. And that means the shindigs she’s learned to work so well are being re-framed as charity events for hurricane relief. And Princella’s been bumped from press gigs she’d been planning for weeks …

PRINCELLA:
Obviously there are bigger things in the world than whether Princella Smith gets on TV or not…

ALANA:
But her interview with Essence magazine went on as planned on the convention’s first day. That’s when Princella heard about McCain’s VP candidate, and her teenage daughter’s pregnancy. Princella got the news from Essence reporter, Cynthia Gordy.

PRINCELLA:
Dang is she a teenager, right?

REPORTER:
She’s 17, she’s a senior in high school, she’s gonna marry the father, so it’s all good.

ALANA
That’s not all good.

Oops, that was me. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but then Princella checked me…

PRINCELLA
How many families has that happened to? Who’s gonna start trying to pass judgment on television?

ALANA
Princella knows what it’s like to be judged.

PRINCELLA:
See me, I have all of it, I’m African American, so I can be pinged, as an angry black person, so I can’t show that much emotion. I’m a female, so I can be pinged as too emotional, and I am young, so I could be viewed as immature. And the main thing you have to do is hold your composure.

ALANA
And that’s just what Princella plans to do this week and beyond, to live up to her regal name and status as a leading voice of the Republican party’s next generation.

What’s the New What? Hope is the New Rebellion

kara — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 -0500

So what’s it like to be a young protester at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week? Complicated. That’s because some young organizers and activists are trying to craft critical messages while trying to harness the positive energy of Obama-supporters. Martin Macias of Radio Arte reports how that conflict is appearing on the streets of Denver among protesters.

What’s the new what? Here at the Democratic National Convention, I’ve observed that hope is the new rebellion. Meaning, protesters outside the Convention are using Barack Obama’s message of “hope” as a way to frame their demonstrations against Democratic Party politics as usual.

Jean: Today, we’re just trying to be really positive, really hopeful, let Obama supporters know that we want the end of the war to be at the forefront of their minds.

That’s 24-year-old Jean Stevens with the female-led peace group Code Pink. Instead of their usual “Stop the War” slogans, Code Pink’s main chant today is “get’r done!” They’re urging Senator Obama and other leaders to find quick and peaceful solutions in the Middle East.

That sort of solution-oriented framing is a departure from the “lesser of 2 evils” rhetoric that dominated DNC protests like this one four years ago.

It appears the Code Pink protestors aren’t alone in embracing upbeat messaging. Other demonstrators carry colorful puppets and costumes at a march called the Procession For the Future.

Twenty-three-year old Kristy Horner from Washington State is setting up a Statue of Liberty Float, an American icon she says she wants to reclaim in the name of peace.

KRISTY: I'm not protesting the DNC, we need change. I'm trying to say that peace is possible and that we can do things non violently. There's no need to be yelling or condemning people.

But Jean Stevens of Code Pink says despite the softer approach of this year’s DNC protestors, they’re still being criticized by party die-hards.

JEAN: People saying you're preaching to the choir why are you bringing negative energy? Why are you here- Obama's on your side, the democratic party's on your side.

Stevens says there’s a debate among activist groups here about what it even means to protest this week when so many young people are driving Barack Obama's campaign for "hope and change."

Okay, if you’re thinking there’s no way the protests in Denver are a complete hippie hope fest, you’re right. There are those protesters who are openly disappointed with Obama. Here’s 23-year-old Emily Isley.

Emily: It's such a bummer this whole area is so Obamatized. We're from Detroit and people are selling these t shirts with Obama and a little picture of Malcolm X in the corner. And its such a projection on what people want and what they're not getting- something more radical.

Emily has a poster that says "Obama: different face, same system, no change."

But even she’s taking the opportunity to "reach across the aisle" to Obama supporters of every variety.

Emily: I think we do need to use this moment strategically look we're progressive, you're progressive, we need to unite for change and that change needs to come from below.

So it seems like hope is the new rebellion, at least this week, anyway. They could be singing a very different tune next week at the Republican Convention in St Paul.

What's the New What? Inner-City is the New In-Crowd

kara — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:55:24 -0500

by Alix Black

In cities around the country, white flight from downtown centers is a decades old trend. But now, big cities are attracting those suburbanites with loft living and the promise of shorter commutes. In Atlanta, Georgia, the downtown isn't being RE-populated. People are populating the once dead downtown for the first time. Which is a major transformation in a city where everything suburban has always been cool.

What's the New What? Inner-City is the New In-Crowd

I know it sounds obvious. But not in Atlanta. Here, it's finally cool to live downtown.

You want proof? I called out to the suburbs to talk to my friend Maddy Davis.

Maddy: "Yea I'd say that the suburbs are definitely less cool now downtown is more cool."

And I didn't even tell her to say that. You see, people used to make fun of kids like me growing up close to the inner city, which was considered dangerous. It wasn't cool like the suburbs where all the malls were. The hip spot was Buckhead - and that's miles from the city center.

(Song: Hey Ya)

Andre 3000 of Atlanta hip hop fame is a perfect example of the "ice cold" suburban cool in Atlanta. Known for his preppy outfits, he went to middle school in the suburbs before moving to a more urban area. That's when he became part of the duo Outkast. I wonder if Andre and his partner Big Boi felt like I did in high school - an outcast living in the inner city.

(Song: Hey Ya)

If you want to know how this all happened, the '96 Olympics marked the beginning of the shift to downtown's popularity. Now, suburbanites are not only willing to visit the inner city, but to actually live there…With new downtown developments, they can have the best of both worlds.

Jesse: "When you go in-town, you're closer to people, there's more of a sense of social connections."

That's my friend Jesse Budlong. He's the perfect example of the growing coolness of the inner city. He moved in-town with his family from the suburbs when he was in high school.

Jesse: "My neighborhood was developed as the new mixed use you know live, work, play lifestyle center…"

Jesse lives in essentially an outdoor mall complex in downtown Atlanta, part of a growing trend of developments bringing suburban style into the inner city. This "lifestyle" center is nothing like the sprawling area where Jesse lived before. He attended one of the biggest high schools in Georgia, built to accommodate 1970's suburban growth and popularity.

In a sign of the times, moving intown may have made Jesse cooler. I called up Sakura Stevens, one of his old friends from the suburbs.

Sakura: "Before he moved to the city, I would say that he was not the most popular person I'd ever met in my life. He just became like really like urban. Like the way he dressed. He was just more laid back and relaxed."

I get a little wistful for the familiar neighborhoods I grew up with. The quirky old architecture now replaced by developments that are almost "urban Disney", but it's nice to finally see a downtown Atlanta that's vibrant, instead of deserted. And I love the fact that suburban teens who might have teased me years ago are probably now wishing they were inner-city teens…Atlanta's new in-crowd

(Song: Welcome to Atlanta…where the players play…)

Confessions of a TV Addict

kara — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:37:10 -0500

By Ankitha Bharadwaj- Youth Radio

I have an uncontrollable TV addiction.

I blame the internet. With major networks streaming TV shows on their websites, the problem isn't how to find my favorite shows, it's deciding which one to watch first.

There are even non-network affiliated, slightly illegal, websites that allow fellow fiends to download entire seasons of their favorite shows absolutely free!

Knowing that I can watch TV any time, any where, has intensified my addiction. I can even get my fix on the bus, watching downloaded seasons of The Tudors on my iTouch.

My online TV addiction reaches its peak when I share the experience with my friend Anjelica. She is the Roeper to my Ebert. While watching Lost or Desperate Housewives online, we have lengthy AIM chat sessions analyzing everything from how Juliette and "the others" control the smoke monster, to Gabby Solice's skimpy outfits.

Now I know acceptance is the first step to rehabilitation, but I don't want to recover!

Who wants to go out with friends on a Saturday night anyway? I'd much rather cozy up with my Mac and watch raunchy episodes of Californication.