Negative Segmentation in the Food Court

So we were sitting there in East Commons Food Court on a high after completing our first successful focus group for our Family PACT project when a man came up with one of those petition clipboards. I NEVER stop and sign them but I guess I was feeling safer because I was in a group and/or I was feeling like I pay it forward because 5 very nice people had just spoke to me about their sexual health practices. So I took the board and then he quickly handed 3 more out to the rest of my group mates. That was the beginning of the end. The man sat down and his friend came over and sat on the other end of the table. I read the first petition, it was about allowing victims to know the status of their perpetrators (or at least I think that was what it was). After I read and signed that one, the man sitting next to me said, oh there are 7 total, just keep flipping and signing. So I flipped to the next one, I think it was about making sentences harder for people who commit violent acts, so I signed it. The next, was rezoning San Diego, I didn’t sign because I didn’t understand it. When the man saw that I didn’t sign he said to me “Oh, you don’t want to get corrupt politicians out of office?” I responded with “Of course I do, but I can’t tell that that is what this is saying so I am choosing not to sign.” He rolled his eyes and repeatedly said that by not signing I want to keep corrupt politicians in office. The next petition was about informing parents when there child is having an abortion. For me that was a definite NO. Next, ban gay marriages, again, NO. Lastly, there was one for sustainable energy, sure I signed that one. (That doesn’t add up to seven but I don’t remember what the other ones were) I handed the clipboard back to the man and so did another one of my group mates. He then looked through the petitions to see which ones we signed. When he saw that we didn’t sign the one about informing parents he asked us why. Both of us responded by saying that we don’t think it is right and that the girls should be allowed to if they wish. I was thinking in my head, what nerve does this guy have to question what he sign and don’t sign and then he opened his mouth with “Well, I think that girls should just keep there legs closed (and he used his hands to demonstrate) and then there wouldn’t be a problem.” WHAT?!?!?!?!? How dare he say that? But it only got better, he looked at us and said “Oh, you are girls that is why you don’t want to sign.” The other man piped in with “We shouldn’t of found such smart girls to sign. Those who read don’t sign and those who sign don’t read.” This simple act of reading and signing petitions was turning into an offensive segmentation experience. It gets better. The man sitting next to me, flips over the clipboard and there is a voter registration form on the back. He asks me to just sign it. Of course, I as why because I am already registered to vote. He asks me when I registered. I informed him that I registered in January. He told me that was too long ago (ONE MONTH!) and that my signatures would be invalid and that all I need to do is sign and he will fill out the rest. I was so disgusted at this point I rolled my eyes and said “You have got to be kidding me, I am not going to sign that” At this point, I was so upset with them that I don’t even know if they said anything else and they just left. After they left the four of us discussed the experience and how disheartening it was to be ‘attacked’ like that. Later, one of the staff from the food court came up and told us that he kicked the two guys out. I don’t want to let that one experience with petitioners taint my perception of the rest of them but it is hard, I don’t foresee myself stopping and giving them the time of day any time soon. I hope that the man is right, that my signatures will be thrown out and he doesn't get a cent.

I was telling my boyfriend about my experience and he said that he had seen a report on the news where people are illegally re-registering people to vote and they change their political party without them knowing it. He said the scam was exactly what happened to me, a person signed the voter registration form and then the petitioner filled out the rest, changing their political party. The news report he mentioned it was Republicans doing it but I am sure it goes both ways. Now that I think about it, the topics were very much Republican issues. Ah, I really wish I would have never taken that clipboard!

Thank you!

Just a story to share that shows smiling at strangers does matter
I was walking home from coffee and found a bunch of white flowers on the ground so I bent down and picked it up. Flowers always make me smile so naturally I was smiling. Then an old man passed me carrying a box of to go food. For the most part I look up while I walk and try to make eye contact with the people I pass. This habit comes from a self-defense class I took years ago that instilled in me the importance of keeping your head high (not looking at the ground) to help prevent getting attacked. Thinking nothing of it, I smiled at the old man carrying the box of food and he kind of smiled back. When we were about ten steps away from each other he said "Excuse me" very loudly. When I turned around to see if he was speaking to me he looked at me with a large smile and said "Thank you for the smile." I smiled even larger and said "You are welcome" and then turned around to continue home. My entire disposition changed in that instant, I walked home with a happy bounce in my step and a perma-smile plastered to my face. So for all those people who avoid my eye contact and don't smile back, I will not remember them but I guarantee you a year down the road (even 10 years later) I will remember the old man who thanked me for my smile.

This is going to be a quick post but I found this website and I found it powerful and effective. It is about preventing brain injuries and to me it seems as if it is targeted towards young men who ride motorcycles and don't wear helmets. The pictures of the ladies are quite seductive and are obviously intended to get a young many attention, but the activities are kind of cool and put what it would be like to have a brain injury into perspective. Like we were talking about in class this week, the people who created this campaign did their formative research and segemented their auidence and decided to target young men through sex, looks, and money. Check out the website! www.protectyourhead.com

Class Project

So for class we all have a group project and personally I think the group and the organization I got assigned to is the best!!! We are working with Student Health Services to design a health communication campain for the Family PACT program. Family PACT is a statewide program that provides family planning services to anyone who is capapable of having a baby or creating a a baby (so that means guys ARE eligible). There are income guidelines and you are can't have other insurance that covers family planning (unless you want to keep it confidential and then you are still eligible). It is an amazing program that is totally under-utilized at SDSU. We met with Student Health Services last week and they told us that they fully plan on using whatever we create. It is so exciting to be doing something hands on and that will acutally be used. We are currently doing the formative research to collect info about who we are targeting and the best way to reach them. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the semester on how the project is going!

Check out the link www.familypact.org

Tell me more with an open face!

I challenge who ever is reading my blog (if there is anyone at all) to use these three powerful words when speaking to people. Instead of asking another question or asking why, simply request the person to expand on what they already said. Then wait and see where it goes. There may be silence, and that is ok, just let the person talk and you listen. I can guarantee that they will appreciate it and that you will find out something more interesting that if you continually bombarded them with questions or just didn’t listen at all. One more challenge, when you talk to someone keep your eye brows raised, see how that changes your facial expression and your voice. I think so many of us go through our lives with a frown and/or blank stares. Try smiling when you talk and just notice how the other person responds. But more importantly notice how much better your feel about the conversations you have. It is amazing how simply raising your eye brown can change how you approach people and challenges in your life.

Midwest Teen Sex Show

CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE…This is the Midwest Teen Sex Show and they create sex information videos for teenagers. The videos are so funny yet full of valuable information that is so taboo in our society. Below is just one example of what the shows are like but check out the website because they are all worth seeing




Here is the website. www.midwestteensexshow.com

The sad part is these videos would never be used in a classroom setting so teens are left to find them on their own. It looks as if they just had some major national exposure on CBS evening news so hopefully more and more teens will find out about them and watch them (if it is just because they are funny.)

US vs THEM

Another thing we learned about in class was the importance of the way messages are delivered. Are they sender driven or receiver driven? Are we, public health professionals, the focus of the communication or are the customers (patients) at the center? A perfect example of a customer focused health campaign is the Kaiser Thrive Campaign. The commercials always catch my attention on TV and are focused around giving the members power over their own health. I hadn’t seen the commercial below before but I think it is brilliant!