What kind of conversations are you having about the pandemic? In your conversations, are different cultural perspectives represented? Do you find yourself frustrated? Maybe overwhelmed and/or confused?
If you are interested in learning from a variety of critical voices, you will enjoy this blog! It is intended to create a space for intelligent reflection on the topic and engagement of different cultural perspectives.
As the authors of this blog we find ourselves ranging a whole gamut of feelings, from disappointment to disapproval, from frustration to indignation, about the way pandemic is ‘talked about’ and ‘commented’ on the most popular media (such as newspapers, web news, broadcasting, postcasts, etc.). What is most troubling to us is the lack of contextualization and cultural attentiveness we particularly experience, as women who come from Southern Europe (respectively from Italy and Spain), who have lived and worked in various parts of the world, and who now live in Holland, which is considered Central/Western Europe.
Our professions and lived experiences have trained us to be extra attentive to cultural nuances, particularly the way in which values are transmitted through public discourse. We are seeking ways to contribute to the conversation with a weekly blog. We would like to discuss issues of fairness and adequate representation and offer a critical engagement of the values expressed through the medium of public information, in order to broaden the dialogue and invite other voices in the conversation.
The general category of consideration and reflection we would like to tackle is: whose story, voices, and interests are being showcased and through which cultural lenses are they being presented? What is the intended audience and what is the ultimate agenda and purpose of the featured information we receive through the media?
The few problematic issues we have identified have to do with the following topics:
Attention to the psychosocial, geographical and religious contexts addressed in the discussion of the global pandemic;
The socio-cultural values promoted or ignored/neglected in the communication;
The impact that these potential ‘mis-representations’ might have in the way we experience, understand, process and prepare for the future in the ‘post-pandemic’ phase as a European community
Our main objective for sharing our reflections, observations, grievances and ideas is to co-create a picture of reality, which broadens the reality projected for us by the media.
Hopefully, we can generate a more nuanced cultural representation of ALL people impacted by the current crisis; and construct a collective response, which includes the voices and stories of those who are being neglected, ignored, or simply assimilated in the larger/universalized story the media are feeding us.
You are welcome to offer your voice, story and perspective as we join together in this blog adventure!