Assignment #11

Overheard Conversations

1. On a crowded bus at 4:30 pm Monday.
Female to male friend: “Yeah, well, when I lived in South Korea, I was actually raped.”
Male friend’s response: “Uh…okay…bad subject.”
Female: “No, it’s just, when you’re young, you take your naps in these rooms and they’re not very big. Everyone is really close to each other and there was a guy close to me…”

Story Ideas:
What to do when someone tells you they’ve been raped.
How prevalent is the rape of young children in South Korea?

2. Boy (dressed in slacks and dress shirt) walks up to his friends (dressed casually) in the UU.
Friends to well-dressed boy:
“Hey Mr. President.”
“What are you all dressed up for?”
“Well don’t you look fancy.”
“You look ridiculous.”

Story Ideas:
What is the student stigma against dressing like a professional?
The casualization of America.

3. A seemingly ‘girly-girl’ sits amongst a group of 6 male friends in the U.U.
Conversation between males of the group:
“Did you watch the game this weekend?”
“No, man, I was at the gym.”
“Are you workin’ on your car today dude?”
“Yeah, but I wanna get some grub first, maybe barbecue tonight.”
“Alright, I’ll pick up some beers.”
“You coming?” (directed at female”
“Sure, I’ll bring some food.” (female’s response)

Story Ideas:
Can a girly-girl also be a guy’s guy?
What does it take to be “one of the guys” and is it ever worth it?


4. Three male friends are sitting together and eating. One has a plate of chips covered with nacho cheese sauce, one has a greasy piece of pizza, and one has a Taco Bell taco.
“Dude, how many times have you had Taco Bell this week?” – nacho guy
“I don’t know, not that many.” – taco guy
“You had it Saturday, Sunday, today?!” – nacho guy
“ You gotta cut back, that shit’ll kill you.” – pizza guy

Story Ideas:
Where do American’s rank different fast foods on the “health” scale
How does the college-aged male mind define “health” and “nutrition.”

5. Two girls study at a table together.
“I have to take that class nest quarter.”
“Oh, don’t worry about, it’s a total joke.”
“Really”
“Yeah, you never have to go, she never uses the book, and she gives all As”
“Oh, perfect! That’s such good news.”

Story Ideas:
Are college students in it for the education or the GPA?
Is it possible to weed out the truly worthless teachers? Does tenure decrease the quality of a college education?