Back in Kansas.
During my class on films from 1939 — a Berkeley professor mused on Dorothy’s reaction to waking up on her aunt’s farm in Kansas. She said she wondered if Dorothy was truly happy to be home: a sepia-colored land stuck in the Depression. She asked: How could Dorothy be content with Kansas after the Technicolor paradise of Oz? She was buddy-buddy with magical beings, adored by little People plus she had Emerald City residents bowing at her feet. She as happy to leave that all behind?
I think I finally understood my professor’s point when my plane touched down at MCI on Thursday night.
On our last night in Vegas, we strolled through Bellagio’s gardens with my boss and general manager. I love how this space is separated from the smoke and bling of the casino next door. It’s an oasis from gambling and in my case, losing money. If Bellagio decided to enter a float into the Rose Parade, I’m sure the hotel could pull-off an award winning entry. Its gardeners have an amazing eye for color, detail and whimsy.
On Thursday, I felt hollow as I left behind the glitz, glam and promise of Vegas. Then, I felt sad when I came home to an empty apartment. Things will be better when Mark finishes up his next business trip in Cali. He’s currently enjoying good food and family in Southern California. This morning, I had Ramen noodles for breakfast. Yes, I need to do some grocery shopping.
Yesterday, I was happy to throw myself back into work. I soaked up the energy from the newsroom; starting off as a little ball at the top of hill and rolled down into a snowball by show time. Lot’s of emotion over Virginia Tech’s day of mourning. Plus, drivers stuck on I-70 in Topeka. Traffic is something that simply doesn’t happen in this part of Kansas. Last night, I needed video of the accidents and everyone on shift was out on other stories. Crazy! Thankfully, our on-call photog stepped up and shot the accident scenes.
OK – a few more words on the shootings at Virginia Tech. From the casinos, to the airport to my newsroom in Kansas, people could not stop talking about what happened and what could have been done to save lives.
News stations could not resist the race card. Newsrooms told reporters to go out into the community and see if there was a backlash against South Koreans and Asian people; similar to 9/11 and Arab-Americans. Others were directed to get the “South Korean” perspective and ask “how did they feel about the shooter being one of their own?”
What the hell? Last year, did news people go into white communities and ask the same thing for the Amish schoolhouse shootings? I think that’s a fair question. At the convention, I heard how a Vegas station tried to send one of their reporters out into the Asian community. She was Hapa. Her newsroom told her to talk to anybody and she asked if she was assigned to this story because she was part Asian. Another good question.
I think a South Korean businessman from Cho’s neighborhood said it best to one network reporter: It doesn’t matter if he was South Korean. The shooter could have been anybody, any race.