Reflection On The Humans Of Longview Project

The Humans of Longview project was one of the project that I was really apprehensive about as I dislike talking to strangers, and it makes me uncomfortable. When the assignment was announced, I was afraid that I would not be able to approach strangers as I have been told that my countenance scared people. As a result, I spent almost two month thinking about the project and how I would approach my first stranger. I thought about the various questions I could ask people. I even thought about the questions that would be appropriate to the age group. I believe that my greatest challenge was to overcome my fears, and step out of my comfort zone, even though it was just talking to people in Longview. This fear, however, diminished after I managed …show more content…
She interrupted by saying that she was not willing to answer personal questions. She said that I could ask her about anything related to her work, but nothing about her personal life. She said that I should try asking people who were younger, and who were in my generation. I was surprised by what she said as I never had expected anyone to refuse to answer simple questions. Through this encounter, I learned that there were people in the older generation that have stereotypes on the younger generation. They perceive younger generation as more outgoing and willing to converse with strangers if they have to. This lady helped me relate to our persuasion topic, where we learned that persuasion can only occur depending the speaker, the message, the medium, and the audience. I failed to persuade the lady as she already had a prejudice against people of my age. After this attempt, I learned to carefully choose who to interview. I changed my approach by going to places where people were at their comfort. I chose the food areas and places of …show more content…
Apart from the two White Americans I had managed to talk to, most of the strangers I talked were a minority. I found that fascinating as I am also considered a minority in this country. I found it easier to approach these people to ask them for a favor. At the same time, they were more willing to help me with my project, and had conversed with me. Many of them continued their conversation with me by inspiring me to continue to pursue in what I was doing. I could actually feel their care and love for me, even though we were strangers. The two Americans that I approached had mentioned that they have been culturally exposed. Thus, making them more willing to help a minority such as myself. This assignment has taught me that outside of my LeTourneau bubble, there are people who do are not willing to listen to me because of my age, gender, and ethnicity. It was a little disheartening, but it broaden my worldview about