the editors

By student editor, Alex Patel

3:10…hmmm…so here I am, sitting in the art room waiting for the FLUSHED weekly meeting, this time with yours truly being thrown into the mix. Armed with a folder of technical information and a few nights of background research, I felt prepared for what I was sure would amount to a minor role. Ready, but nervous nonetheless. After all, I had to wonder, what was I really getting into? The eternal pessimist, I was thinking along the lines of ‘The View’. You know, women talking about their own issues, almost oblivious to the fact that 47% of us out there even exist. Except that ‘The View’ never had new members, let alone 23-yr old male ones, join midseason. Now that would be entertaining, this on the other hand, may not. Would I face a pre-emptive strike? Or maybe I would just be too intimidating and scare the others off? Maybe I was over-estimating my importance in this process, as I do so many other things, but I really felt that I was going to be the focal point of the meeting, one way or another. Remember I told myself; just help them with the technical details, come across as friendly, and don’t set yourself up to get shot down. As I take a moment to gather my thoughts, in walks the rest of the group, appearing ready to go... this is going to get interesting!

On first inspection, things look pretty much as expected, although another new member has also joined. After the customary introductions and my short blurb on how I was evaluating FLUSHED with the survey [side note: please tell us what you think], I get my nod of approval the meeting shifts to more pressing issues. I sit back and listen to the dialogue: someone has an issue with the color scheme. Seems pretty standard. Suddenly, the group starts tossing around some new ideas that sound pretty cool. A small discussion ensues about the title, and the editors discuss sending letters back and forth to describe the title in more detail. This then leads into a discussion about what the viewers might have to say about the title….then I hear my name called out and everyone is staring at me wondering about how feasible a message board might be.

I clear my throat and launch into a short technical explanation. But this is not nearly enough. They want to know what I think, and how I think we might incorporate the viewer comments into the design of FLUSHED. You know, what creative ways did I think we could use to let the viewers have their say. Hmm….so far this seems more like a highschool project then it does ‘The View’…just sit back, toss out your ideas, and then either decide what works and what doesn’t. No signs of overt feminism yet. But then again, maybe they are bating me into saying something before I face the wrath of FLUSHED. I decide to go with the gut and offer up an idea to link the comments to the article so viewers can read the article and then click to send us their comments. After a few short suggestions, the general consensus seems to be one of agreement: the idea seems good. I then offer up some more suggestions about how they might add music, or custom cds, and some other things that you might soon see coming in the next issue. Not everything is accepted, but everyone seems pretty understanding. They are willing to consider everything I say; even some things that I later realize deserve a far different form of ‘flushing’. The meeting ends shortly thereafter and I leave with some homework under my belt. All in all, not quite what I expected. I didn’t change the dynamics of the group. I didn’t scare anyone, and vice versa. Yup, over-estimated again. I was accepted as another member. But the way I saw it, a member with a unique perspective. Hey, maybe I was more valuable then I thought, maybe they really wanted me to be here because they recognized what I could offer. Or then again maybe they are just nice people.