My caveman instincts and Opa-locka

So now we know we have our biases and that it's completely normal. But what do we do once we acknowledge this? Absolutely nothing! It's somewhat of an odd concept, but all we have to do is just acknowledge that we have them and move on with our lives. In the case of reporters, we just have to try to produce the best coverage possible. But moving past these inner feelings is easier said than done.  

Recently, I realized just how difficult it is to try to accept your biases and behave in a way that is rational and fair. During one of my interning outings, I was driving behind an NBC 6 live truck. We were coming back to the station after going live from Hollywood for the 11 p.m. newscast. I am notoriously terrible with directions so I was following the station's truck like my life depended on it. When I finally got to an area that I recognized, I decided to get off at another exit and head home. This turned out to be a terrible mistake. Despite my seeming familiarity with the road, I actually took the wrong exit and ended up in the heart of Opa-locka. I was terrified. 

I continued to drive straight down the road, passing dark parking lots with run down businesses and shady alleys. After about five minutes, I called my parents so they could help me find my way home. The minute I told them where I was, they started panicking. How was their white daughter in her little Elantra going to survive driving through "black people" town? I felt bad for being so scared, but I couldn't help it. It was almost 1 a.m., I was lost and I was in a bad neighborhood. Like Reisner has said, was I simply being street smart by being ultra aware of my surroundings, or was I just being racist? I don't know. What I do know is that I wanted to get home desperately. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I started to see Lincoln Marti schools and other Hispanic establishments. Needless to say, my parents were relieved too.