THE ACADEMIC: Review - An Evening with Dan O'Shannon

As a part of our course for Fundamentals of Speech (Public Speaking--*groan*), we were asked to watch a public speech and write up a review about it.  Last week, Executive Producer of Modern Family (and writer on such shows as: Cheers, Fraiser, and Newhart) Dan O'Shannon came to visit and give a little taste of what it is like being in television, being passionate about writing, and chasing dreams.

An Evening with Dan O'Shannon

     Executive Producer for the hit television series Modern Family, Dan O'Shannon, has assembled quite the resume in his near-30 years of experience as a producer, television writer, and editor. In a recent visit to the Ithaca College campus, O'Shannon spoke as the 17^th lecturer of the Park Distinguished Visitor Series. Given his background in sitcom writing and his experience in the T.V. biz, I expected to hear about writing strategies, navigating the entertainment industry, and of course maybe hear some funny anecdotes about his personal experiences. I certainly was not disappointed – O'Shannon engaged the audience in a way that was informative, entertaining, and motivating.

     The format of the lecture, however, was most unexpected. After Associate Professor Jack Powers briefed the audience on some of O'Shannon's previous accomplishments, he informed us that this lecture would be interview-style, with Powers asking questions and then allowing O'Shannon to respond. Powers himself seemed a bit awkward during the introduction, possibly being thrown off my O'Shannon's many witty interjections. But, I couldn't quite shake the feeling of Powers flaunting his friendship with O'Shannon like one giant, self-serving name-drop, which was quite distracting.  In contrast, O'Shannon seemed genuine, confident, and motivated to deliver his message to the audience.

     Yet given the format of the lecture, finding the core of that message was somewhat difficult. The “interview-style” presented similarly to a podcast played out on stage, with Powers asking questions and O'Shannon giving lengthy, anecdotal responses that felt like mini-speeches in their own right. So, while it's difficult to pinpoint a particular thesis, there are certainly themes present throughout O'Shannon's responses. But, what I took away most from this lecture is: chase what inspires you.

     The first question asked was, “How old were you when you knew you wanted to write for television?,” which transitioned into what felt like the 'origin story' of a character. Inspired by a speaker at a school assembly at the age of 8, and not what he would deem “naturally funny,” O'Shannon started “playing” with comedy in an experimental, “Wow-kid-you're-trying-too-hard” way that I found very relatable. About a decade later, things began to click and he moved to California, where he crashed on a friend's couch and honed his writing skills. He spoke of his commitment and dedication to the craft; writing and meticulously formatting spec scripts on a broken, manual typewriter. He stressed that, in order to be successful, it is important that you make sure that you're putting forth quality material – don't be lazy, and do it the right way even when it's a challenge.

     When O'Shannon entered the lecture hall, I overheard him comment to Powers on the size of the crowd. But, despite any nerves that may have caused, O'Shannon's presence was warm, charismatic, and comfortable. He engaged the audience in a way that was both commanding of attention yet down-to-earth and approachable. His voice was dynamic, and though he was seated, he still told his stories in a way which was entirely captivating.

     Throughout the entertaining anecdotes, there was a sprinkling of solid advice for writers and those looking to enter the television industry. He spoke about remembering the things that aren't necessarily funny at the time, because the things that are the funniest and most memorable down the road are likely the things which were mortifying when they happened. He talked about working with actors, children, the collaborative process between a group of writers, and his personal theory about comedy – that it is a landscape that should be a place of experimentation and manipulating variables to see what works, and what doesn't.

     The main lecture portion closed with O'Shannon speaking about the “power” of writing, which made for an appropriate and memorable close. He spoke of the ability to jot down some squiggles on paper, to release your feelings out into the world, and to have someone else read them and feel something. Writing is a special skill that has resonance and permanence in our world. You can have a conversation with someone you will never meet or speak to, and you can share yourself with the world, which is a truly beautiful sentiment.

     Afterward, O'Shannon fielded several questions from the audience. His responses echoed the general sentiments of his lecture, and reinforced the point of chasing that which inspires you – and staying connected to the things which you are passionate about. Overall, there were plenty of memorable moments to take away. And while there were not many points of controversy or drama, he was passionate about what he was saying– and that is infectious, and something that will stay with me for a long time.

THE ACADEMIC: Social Psychology Journal Assignment

I wanted to share this assignment with the world because, firstly, it got a perfect grade which I was super-excited about, and secondly, because I think that it is a common occurrence, and maybe someone out there will relate to it and feel something.

As a preface, I will paste the criteria for the assignment here, as most of the poor transitions in the final assignment are due to having to address all of the individual questions listed within a word count.

Journal #3:

Describe an aspect of your social identity (gender/race/ethnic group/ socioeconomic status/sexual orientation/weight etc.) that you believe has caused you to be the target of prejudice in some significant area of your life (i.e.: home or school or workplace). If you do not believe this has ever happened to you, then pick a friend or family member who has had this happen to them (ask your mom or dad for example). Try to pick just one in order to focus your answer.

Briefly describe both the aspect of identity and the situation(s) that made you/the person in question feel they were treated differently. Even if you have lots of situations, try to focus on a couple of really important ones in your life.

       Address these questions from chapter 6:

Was there a stereotype being used by the person treating you differently? if so, what was the stereotype? What type of discrimination was shown in the way you/the person in question were treated? Was there tokenism?   Do you think that those who displayed the prejudice were aware of (explicit) the prejudice they displayed, or was it subtle (implicit)? Why?

How do you think the attitudes of the people engaging in the discrimination were formed? Do you think they acquired their prejudice through social learning? 

Could their self-esteem have been threatened, could they have felt they were competing for resources, or was it a case of social categorization? Why do you think this?

       Answer these questions referring to material in chapter 4:

Was this aspect of your social identity important to you or less important? Is it an aspect of your identity that you usually only think about in a certain context? If so, what contexts made this identity noticeable to you (salient) and in what contexts did you tend to not think about that aspect of your identity? Did the differential treatment cause you try to hide or distance yourself from that aspect of your identity? Or did it cause the identity to become even more self-defining as a way of rebelling against the differential treatment? How does this match up with what the textbook says about these two ways of reacting?

Did the treatment you/the person in question received affect other aspects of your self identity (for example, the possible selves you envisioned, your self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-ideal discrepancy or the types of people you chose to use for social comparisons)? Be specific about why. How does this relate to what the textbook says about these aspects of self-identity?

Did you make an attribution that you were treated differently because of prejudice? Did you attribute this to be prejudice isolated to this specific situation or a prejudice that would occur in many situations? How did this affect your well-being? How does this match up with what the textbook says about these types of attributions and their affect on well-being?

Were there cognitive or behavioral consequences to this experience of being treated differently due to a prejudice?   Be specific about what consequences and use material in the text.

       And again from chapter 6:

What do you think would be the most effective way of changing the attitudes and behavior of the people who engaged in the discrimination? How does this relate to the methods discussed in the book for countering the effects of prejudice?

Below, is my assignment:

     I have been overweight almost my entire life; I would say since I was about 5 or 6 years old. My weight has been something that I've struggled with and I was subjected to ridicule from a very young age that continued through my teen and even my adult years, though overt criticism has declined with age. I encountered many typical situations that any overweight kid might encounter due to prejudice and discrimination – perhaps the most common being chosen last for sports or in gym class to participate in any activities that required physical aptitude. But, perhaps the most memorable moment of discrimination occurred when I was 16.

     I was always heavily involved in the music program at my school. I went to a small school and was well-known for being the best vocalist at the time (I even went to college for vocal performance straight out of high school). When we were doing some of the pre-planning for the following years' musical production, one of our choral teachers approached me and told me, “If you want to have a chance at a lead next year, I suggest you lose at least 30lbs. The audience can't relate to an overweight lead involved in a romantic relationship on-stage, it's just awkward.” When audition time came around the following season, I had not lost any weight. I was cast in a minor part, despite being the best vocalist and the best actress (which was admitted by half of the panel which was making casting decisions).

     There are several stereotypes about overweight individuals, such as: laziness, ineptitude, stupidity, sloppiness, etc. But, perhaps the one that was most prevalent here is that, to those who are prejudiced, overweight people are perceived as being universally unattractive and unworthy of love and relationships.

     The type of discrimination being exhibited in this case was denial of an opportunity based on physical appearance: specifically body weight. Tokenism was not present because it was not a case where a gesture was being made to be inclusive of a minority group.

     I believe that the prejudice exhibited in this case was implicit. It was not discriminatory in an overt way, but it was discrimination based on socially accepted stereotypes about overweight individuals and their roles in love and relationships. I was not discriminated against strictly because I was overweight, but because of how the teacher assumed the audience would react given the perceptions that people may carry about overweight individuals.

     I think that the attitudes my teacher held were formed through social learning and by stereotypes perpetuated by mass media outlets. There is little to no representation of overweight individuals in television and film, and when there is representation, it is usually in a way that perpetuates stereotypes of gluttonous, lazy, stupid, ineffectual people with little to no capacity to form real, meaningful relationships. Seeing overweight people in a sexual context is even more rare. These bombardments of messages reinforce our notion that these qualities are the norm for overweight people, and that any overweight person who exhibits different qualities must be an exception to the rule, or must be exhibiting those behaviors situationally.

     This is not a scenario where the teacher's self esteem would have been threatened. However, I believe that the prejudice is a combination of social categorization (“us” vs. “them”) and, on some level, a perceived threat to limited resources. Overweight people are categorized as a group associated with the stereotypes of being lazy, ineffectual, stupid, romantically and sexually undesirable, and clumsy. They are set apart from “normal-weight” individuals who would be seen as the “ingroup” in this particular case. Situational attributions are made for positive outgroup behaviors (behaviors that show an overweight person as being lazy, stupid, etc.) dispositional attributions are made for negative outgroup behaviors in-line with stereotypes, thus reinforcing the stereotype and downplaying “exceptions to the rule”.

     In terms of competing for resources, I believe that there is a perceived threat in this case – particularly when it comes to reproduction and mating. Overweight individuals are seen as less attractive (or, “disgusting”) and less worthy of love or partnership than individuals with more average body-types – meaning that, to the prejudiced individual, the overweight person is seen as less worthy of a relationship than a person within the “ingroup” of an average-weight person. Since there is sexual, reproductive competition in play, the potential partners should always be available to those of the “ingroup” of average weight. I believe that this is the case because the argument of the teacher was that seeing an overweight girl in a lead role that had a romantic element to the part would be awkward, unattractive, and difficult for an audience to relate to.

     My weight has never been an important part of my social identity to me, but more of a social and physical obstacle. I usually have only thought of my weight in a health context, or in the context of social difficulty due to the misconceptions of other people.

     Interpersonal interactions – particularly ones with romantic interests – always made me very conscious of my weight and it presented itself as a stronger part of my identity and lead to insecurity. Personal, individual endeavors, (such as academics) were less affected by this part of my identity because the performance was not seen as being reliant on appearance in any significant way.

     Coping with the differential treatment was done by acting in spite of it, or acting outwardly as if I did not care about the discrimination that took place due to my weight. I participated in things that most girls my size would refuse to participate in – such as multiple varsity sports – and performed regularly as part of musical productions, was involved in extra-curricular activities and student government. I constantly put myself on display as the center of attention, which was something that was not typically done by other overweight peers. I felt like if I acted as if my weight wasn't a big deal to me, that others might not see it as a big deal either – and in many situations, it worked to an extent. I didn't flaunt my weight, or the identity of being “overweight and proud,” but I ignored my weight and pretended that it wasn't an issue and participated in my life in a way I thought that any other “average” person might. In this way, I focused on defining myself on an individual level, looking for ways to set myself apart from my peer group, and attempting to shed the stereotypes associated with it.

     I believe that the discriminatory treatment that I experienced in my youth affected my self-esteem, self-efficacy, and caused self-ideal discrepancy. As I continued through school, and particularly after this specific situation, my self-esteem suffered. I saw myself as unworthy of achievement because of my weight. My self-efficacy was affected because I no longer thought that I was capable of achieving the things that I had previously thought myself capable of. I thought that giving my best would not be good enough to be successful in attaining my goals in college and in a future career. I became more unhappy with the way that I looked, because I had envisioned an ideal self who was more attractive and less overweight than I actually was.

     I made an attribution that I was being treated differently because of prejudice. I thought that this was a prejudice that would be likely to occur in many situations, including my romantic life at the time, and in my career in the future. This affected by well-being by making me feel as if there was a boundary between myself and my goals that seemed unfair and impermeable, and in many ways it sapped me of my ambition and caused me to want to just give up on the big dreams that I had altogether.

     There were behavioral consequences to being treated differently due to prejudice. The negative impact to my self-esteem caused me to doubt my talent and abilities in such a way that made me afraid to put myself in a situation where I would be likely to be criticized again. When I was applying to colleges as a junior and senior, I ended up skipping my scheduled auditions for more prestigious music programs such as Ithaca College and Syracuse University because I feared rejection and no longer believed I was capable of getting into such programs.

     I think that the most effective way to change the attitudes and behavior of people engaging in this type of discrimination would be mass recategorization. Being able to see overweight people in the context of simply being human and realizing that there is the same variation of characteristics and behaviors associated with them would go a long way. Social influence would also be a helpful way of reducing prejudice. If more members of the “ingroup” of average-weight individuals advocated for the rights of overweight individuals – and particularly if this advocation resulted in more normalized representation within mainstream media – I believe that there would be significant decrease in prejudice and discrimination.

References

Baron, R. &  Branscombe, N. (2012). Social Psychology, 12th ed. New York: Allyn and Bacon

My professor left me the following note at the end of her evaluation:


"Heartbreaking journal to read because of the discrimination you endured at the hands of the choral teacher. I'm sorry you had to go through an experience like this as a teen. You should mail her a copy of this journal so that she may think twice about making a remark like this again. If she worked for me and I had learned of her behavior, there would have been a major consequence."