VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 153 YEAR IN REVIEW
AIR DATE 12 18 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN? ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
The Pandemic
((Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator, Museum
of the City of New York))
That energy of New York’s street life is what I find most
viscerally absent during this strange and quiet time of
sheltering in place.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
The Politics
((John Hunter, Inventor))
We made marriage great again! She happens to distribute
me totally in everything, except for one thing. We both like
Mexico.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
The Pain
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
When people were yelling and screaming, ‘All lives matter.
White lives matter. You are racist,’ I was hurt but my other
emotion was, ‘This is why we’re here.’
BLOCK A
((PKG)) 2020 Lessons
((TRT: 36))
((Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Eau Claire, Wisconsin))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((Tabitha Voss, Eau Claire, Wisconsin))
I think my biggest lesson of 2020 is adaptability. There’s so
much that has changed. Within myself, like I’ve learned a
lot about myself, but I’ve also learned a lot about how
people are in the world. Through my customers, through
My friendships, through other relationships that I have. I
think that everyone is trying to come from a good place and
everyone’s trying their hardest and you know, that looks
different for everyone.
((Banner: 2020 The Pandemic))
((PKG)) EMPTY NEW YORK CITY
((Banner: New York, Paused))
((TRT)): 2:33
((Reporter/Camera/Drone Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Voice of Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator,
Museum of the City of New York))
At the Museum of the City of New York, we think a lot about
what makes New York, New York.? And when we bring it
down to just four ideas: money, density, diversity and
creativity, they're all rooted in and felt in the vibrant street life
of New York. And that energy of New York’s street life is
what I find most viscerally absence during this strange and
quiet time of sheltering in place, staying at home, social
distancing and quarantine.?
((NATS: Computer Train Announcement))
Use soap and water and wash for at least 20 seconds or use
hand sanitizer. Please cover your nose, mouth and your
elbow when you cough or sneeze. Let’s work together to
keep our state healthy.
((NATS))
((Voice of Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator,
Museum of the City of New York))
The streets are dense. They're diverse, full of creative
people. People from all over the world.? The crowds, the
jostling, people bumping up against strangers and hearing all
the languages of the globe. That's typically the experience
of moving through the streets of New York.?
((NATS))
((Voice of Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator,
Museum of the City of New York))
It's going to be interesting to see the aftermath of this really
historic period and whether it changes the direction or the
slope of New York's development.
((NATS))
((Voice of Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator,
Museum of the City of New York))
New York has a lot of monikers and nicknames. One is
famously “The City That Never Sleeps”. Yet right now,
people are feeling that the city that never sleeps is at least
napping. And yet, when you look closer at what it takes to
keep this city moving and all the people putting their lives on
the front lines, whether literally in hospitals or just keeping
the subways and buses moving, deliveries coming and food
on the shelves, there are still a lot of people not sleeping in
New York.
((NATS: Nurses))
Thank you firemen. Thank you.
((PKG)) 2020 The Pandemic
((TRT: 1:01))
((Camera: June Soh, Philip Alexiou, Gabrielle Weiss))
((Main characters: 2 females; 1 male))
((Ralph Buehler, Urban Planning Professor, Virgina
Tech University))
We saw some very surprising things happen in the US. We
saw streets closed off to cars and given to restaurants for
outdoor seating, to pedestrians to, to enjoy themselves and
walk around, neighborhoods, slow streets closed to traffic
from the outside just for neighborhood traffic where you can
drive slowly in your neighborhood and you have runners,
playing children and others using that space that was before
dedicated for cars. Many of these things will stay around
and it would not have been possible without such a big
outside shock that sort of showed us that we have to be
innovative.
((Michelle Moon, Motel Cleaner, Harmarville,
Pennsylvania))
I’m used to things. I worked through it and I’m still working
through it. Virus and all, health-wise and everything so, just
nothing changed. I’m still surviving, whatever I can, whatever
I do, day-by-day.
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
2020 The Arguments
((SOT))
((John and Laura Hunter))
John: She gives me 5 minutes, you got 25 minutes.
Laura: Sweetheart, you are doing that “Trump” right now.
You are doing a “Trump” but lying about it.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) 2020 The Discord
((TRT: 52))
((Camera: Philip Alexiou))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((Patrice Moore, Retired Sales Manager, Annandale,
Virginia ))
You're getting me in a very bad time because I’ve just come
from a discussion with good friends at a restaurant and the
whole discussion was about, if God is not in your life or if you
don’t have a strong religious belief and you know good from
evil…and my argument was you don’t have to have God or a
religious belief or a religious foundation. People are born
intrinsically good. That is my belief. However philosophers
have argued this argument for centuries and I am not that (
) of a person. So, I should have shut up early on but I didn’t.
So, it continued onward and basically I had two people
against me saying that everybody has to have a foundation
and my foundation for this year is what a screwed up year.
((PKG)) LOVE AND TRUMP
repeat
((TRT: 03:51))
((Banner: Love and Ballots))
((Reporter: Genia Dulot))
((Map: Escondido, California ))
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((NATS))
((John Hunter, Inventor))
Hi. I’m John Hunter, I’m a conservative, I’m a Trump
supporter, I think he’s done a great job, sure, he has a few
character flaws in terms of his personality. He makes fun of
the wrong, I think, people sometimes, but otherwise the
results are spectacular, so I support him fully.
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
Hi, my name is Laura Hunter, I am a Mexican, I don’t like
Trump character or policies in many ways.
((John Hunter kissing Laura))
What about me? You ever asked me about me? Come here,
my little guacamole.
Location: on the way to the Mexican border
((John Hunter, Inventor))
I was a, I started the project called “Water Station” in 2000,
and, we’re, we started putting water in the desert. Bill was
Laura’s boyfriend at the time, I guess he read about me in
some newspaper, and so, they came out to help me.
Location: in the desert near the Mexican border, 90
miles east of San Diego, CA
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
When John got to start “Water Station”, I was one of the first
volunteers. He started this project because in year 2000
there were 29 people, that died on this area. Since operation
“Gatekeeper” it was very difficult for people to come across –
they started going to more desolated areas. Our main goal is
to reduce the heat- related deaths in this area here.
((John Hunter, Inventor))
But she would work alongside me, but she was not only
strong and had a heart of a lion, but she was also very
feminine, very rare combination in women.
So, that’s how I met Laura
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
Be serious.
((John Hunter, Inventor))
We got rid of the boyfriend, and the rest is history. We flew
to Vegas, we had a quick, really fantastic marriage. It was,
how does Trump doing it, honey? It was fantastic! It was
fantastic marriage, and we made marriage great again!
Location: Escondido, CA
She happens to distribute me totally in everything, except for
one thing. We both like Mexico, even they hate me here in
Mexico. I am only kidding. Just joking. But in my opinion
Trump is killing it, and the people that the left is running right
now are a clown show. It’s ridiculous, the do not represent
middle class values whatsoever. So I’m an average guy, I
like people that work hard and try hard. And that represents
more of the conservative thing that these guys just want to
get everyone a free pass. Who’s going pay for the free
pass? The guys who work their asses off.
I like Trump for what he’s done for the economy and forget
the immigration stuff, he’s no worse than Obama, except he
is honest. Obama was dishonest about the immigration
situation. I started the water station project when all the
lefties were afraid. They were shivering. They were bending
their fingernails. I went and put water in the desert for the
last 20 years. So, I’ve been a liberal since. But I also believe
in being honest.
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
How in the world somebody has the nerve to start accusing
Mexicans of being rapists, of being criminals? You can make
your point, but you don’t have to belittle, you don’t have to
insult.
Location: Crossing the Mexican border at Tecate.
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
How can you teach children to be respectful if the guy in the
White House is a bully? This is such an issue on John and
our marriage because I don’t like bullies.
Location: Tecate, Mexico
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
And what I dislike about him the most is his lack of respect
for women.
((John Hunter, Inventor))
I understand where she’s coming from. I have to admit, he
insulted a lot of nice women.
((Laura and John Hunter))
Laura: What would you do, if he insulted me? What would
you do?
John: Honey, you know me, I punch people in the nose just
for fun.
((Laura Hunter, Retired School Teacher))
We argue a lot about it, I have told people, “I’m not an
extension of John, I am myself. And we argue, if he is
watching Fox News, I just walk away.
((John and Laura Hunter))
John: For the last two years I turn on CNN, they’re bashing
Trump, that’s all they do. We hate Trump, we hate Trump.
Laura: Don’t exaggerate, they don’t say, “We hate”.
John: I’m paraphrasing.
Laura: Be truthful.
John: Honey, this is my interview. She gives me 5 minutes,
you got 25 minutes.
Laura: Sweetheart, you are doing that “Trump” right now.
You are doing a “Trump” but lying about it.
John: I get five minutes of something, right!
I’m a big fan of Trump’s. I’m going to vote for him three or
four times if I could legally do it.
((PKG)) 2020 Too much politics
((TRT: 38))
((Camera: Philip Alexiou))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((Terry Green, Loan Manager, Fairfax, Virginia))
Nobody will shut up about anything if it's, unless it includes
politics. People that have no business sharing their opinions
constantly share their opinions. When I go to a movie to see
an entertainer, I want to be entertained. I don't want to hear
a political speech. When I listen to the radio, I want to hear
music, I don't want to hear political speeches unless I'm on a
political channel. Everybody seems to think that their political
opinion is what I want to hear. I've got news for them all. I
don't want to hear what they have to say. They have the right
to think what they want, I just don't want to hear it. Whether
they agree with me or not.
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Racial Justice
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
When people were yelling and screaming, “All lives matter.
White lives matter. You are racist.” I was hurt but my other
emotion was just kind of, “Wow, this is why we’re here. This
is why.”
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
Racial Justice
((PKG)) 2020 The Reckoning
((TRT: 1:18))
((Camera: Philip Alexiou) )
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((Alejandro Otero, Event Producer, Miami, Florida))
Well, the racial issue, I mean, I'm originally from Puerto Rico
and I've lived in New York, so I've seen how the system and
I've traveled to a lot of the cities, you know, over 20 years.
So I've I've already known about the racial division and the
strife and the limitations, you know, from the different
perspectives. I think that it got mass disgust, you know,
during this time and really elaborated the weakness of this
region, this hemisphere with such a racial divide. You know,
it weakens us. It doesn't strengthen us, you know, in any
way.
((Jillian Phillips, Profession, City, State ??))
I also learned that when people come together to fight for
what they believe in; things can get done and things can
change. When you protest and you keep it peaceful but firm,
you can inspire other people. You can wake people up that
were not awake before. That’s what I learned in 2020.
((PKG)) PROTEST IN A SMALL TOWN
((TRT: 6:32))
((Banner: August 2020, Protest in a Small Town))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Map: Minerva, Ohio))
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female; 1 male))
((NATS))
((July 7, 2020))
Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
All lives still matter.
Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
All lives can't matter till Black lives matter.
Just go home. Just go home. Just go home.
Black lives matter.
Blue lives matter. Blue lives matter.
All lives matter.
Just go home. Just go home. Just go home. Just go home.
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
They just burned a Black Lives Matter flag. That's alright.
That's alright. They can do that. They can be disrespectful.?
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
There?was?no?need?to?disrespect?them.
It?was?very?clear?to?me?quickly?that?we?were?not?dealing?
with?a?hostile?group?of?people?who?were?here?to?wreck?
and?pillage things.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
I?went?there?yesterday?not?exactly?knowing?what?to?expect?
but?knowing?what?I'd?seen?on?TV,?a?large?crowd?of Black Lives
Matter protesters. And?not?only?that.?
From?what?I've?seen?on?the?TV?and?media
and?news,?a?violent?crowd?of?Black Lives Matter protesters.?
So?that's?why?I?went?prepared?and?to?help?stop?
any?damage?to?my?friends?and?families?and?businesses?there
in?the?town.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
When?I?got?there,?that?isn't?what?I?saw?at?all.
I?would?say?they?numbered?15?to?20, plus?or?minus?a?little?bit.
Just?young?people?wanted?to?get?their?voice?out.
((NATS))
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
Yesterday,?in?Minerva,?was?definitely?a?day?I?will?never?
forget. We?had?a?relatively?small?group?and?they?definitely?
outnumbered?us?
and?I?would?say?a?solid?percent?of?those?people?had?at?
least?an?AK?or?a?rifle,?like?a?huge?gun.
It?was?an?intimidation?tactic.
((NATS))
((Bianca?Houze, Bartender))
I?don't?necessarily?believe?that?the?people?with?guns?were
there?to?intimidate.
We?were?there?to?protect?anyone?that?needed?protected
whether?it?was?BLM?or?a?Minerva citizen?or?an?officer.
We?wanted?to?make?sure?that?if?that?force?was?needed?that?
we?were?there?and?ready.? It?had?nothing?to?do?with?
intimidation.
((NATS))
Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
I?thought?a?lot?of?the?people?that?would?show?up?would?be
like?me,?would?be?carrying?their?weapons?and?would?be?
there to?protect?their?community.? Not?to?antagonize.
Not?to?throw?gas?on?the?fire.
((NATS))
All lives matter, just not Blacks.
All lives matter, just not Blacks.
All lives matter, just not Blacks.
Now go home to your mommy's basement.
Go home.
Go back home to your mommy's basement.
Go home.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
What?they're?doing?is?a?right?that?myself?and?every?other?
veteran secured?for?them.? The?right?to?protest.
The?right?to?march. It's?not?a problem.
((NATS))
Black lives matter all day, every day.
Black lives matter all day, every day.
((Bianca?Houze, Bartender))
Most?of?the?BLM?protesters?were?from?out?of?town.? They?
were?not?people?that?live?in?the?community.? There?were?
a?few?that?are?from Minerva.?
I?don't?understand?why?they're?coming?to?a?
community?that is?not?their?own.
((NATS))
I don't know what you came to do.
I don't know what you came to do.
But I?came?here?to?protest.?
Protest.
Minerva is here to protest.
Protest.
Black lives matter.
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
We?protested?in
Minerva?because?we?got?quite?a?few?requests?to?be?in?
Minerva.? There
are?biracial?and?Black?children?that?live?in?that?community?
who?feel?uncomfortable.
((NATS))
Black lives matter.
((NATS))
White people are being?violated?too.?
They are.
You say Black lives matter. It's all lives matter.
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
When?somebody?says?Black?lives?matter,?small?town?
America?hears?‘only?Black?lives?matter.’?I?believe?that's?where
the Black?Lives Matter?
gets?off?track?with?your?middle?American?people.
Unfortunately,?I?do?believe?that?racism?still?exists?in?America.
I?think it's?not?the?way?people?envision?it.? When?I?say?people,?
I?mean?people
like?myself,?your?everyday?white?person.? Okay.
We?have?no?animosity?towards?any?other?groups?of?people,?
any?ethnicities.
But?the?racism?is?so?ingrained?that?we?don't?even?realize?
we're?doing?it.?
In?my?opinion,?Mr.?[George]
Floyd?was?murdered?by?that?police?officer?right?
there?on?video.? And?it?hurt?me. It?hurt?me?very?badly?that
this?happened?in?my?country, a?country?that?so?many?people
from?the?very?beginning?have?sacrificed,?some?of?them?all,?
everything,?their?lives,?to?make?a?different?kind?of?country.
((NATS))
All lives can't matter until Black lives matter.
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
When?we?say?Black?lives?matter,?we're?not?saying?only?
Black lives?matter.?
We're?simply?saying?that?there?is?a?crisis?in?the?Black
community.? We?need?to?do?what?we?can?in?our?own?
cities?to?make?a?change.
((NATS))
Thank you so much.
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
The?way?that?they?conducted?themselves?was?very?
instrumental?in?
changing?a?lot?of?people's?minds. There it is, right there.
“People?that?showed?up
probably?were?not?going?to?burn?our?town?down. ?But?you?
don't?know?unless?you?show?up.?
There?were?people?there?saying?the?N-word.?
There?was?some?old?guy?that?said?it?over?and?over?
again
and?I?wanted?to?smack?the?F***?out?of?him?because?that's?
wrong!”
((Bianca Houze, Bartender))
There?were?the?few
that?were?not?a?good?representation?of?this?town.
((Josh Calhoun, Oil/Gas Facility Operator))
Towards?the?end?though,?it?did?have?positives,?like?
everybody?did?
start?talking.? There?were?positive?talks?at?the?end.
Even?though?people?were?still?coming?in?the?back?and?still?yelli
ng?and?having?their?opinion,
there?were?still?positive?talks?that?happened.?
((NATS))
((Sierra Mason, President, Ohio Community Coalition))
Whether the?outcome?was, you know,?they?were?still?mad,
we?didn't?feel?like?we?got?through, we?got through.
((PKG)) 2020 Final Thoughts, Historian
((TRT: 04:37))
((Camera: Gabriel Weiss))
((Video Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Eau Claire, WI))
((Main Characters: 1 female))
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
2020 has taught me to be a better teacher and it’s taught
me to be a better team member. You know, it’s one thing
intellectually to say, ‘I’m teaching the Red Scare. I’m
teaching World War I and II.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))))
I’m teaching the Spanish Flu. And it’s another thing to be
living through it and say, ‘Oh, this is what my ancestors went
through. This is what they were thinking. This is what they
must have been feeling.’ And it’s made me more empathetic
to the suffering of others, but it’s also helped to see that we
haven’t changed as much as we want to think we have, and
that these currents and patterns of human behavior, it’s
reinforced that they repeat. But it’s also given me a lot of
faith that we’ll overcome it. We overcame the first Red
Scare. We overcame the second Red Scare.
((NATS))
Until this moment Senator I think I never really gaged your
loyalty or your recklessness.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
This is the third Red Scare and we’ve lived through this kind
of division before. It’s also made me bolder about speaking
my truth. And stronger when people push back on it to say,
‘No, here’s the evidence, this is my truth, and I can’t help it if
it’s not what you want to hear.’
And I think that, you know, 2020 has been a year where
we’ve had to begin to engage in very difficult conversations.
((NATS))
We are one of the poorest counties in the state of Texas.
As a doctor like myself in a small community we can’t get
funding.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
The pandemic has taught us how much we need these
social ties to people. We need other people, we need the
community and it’s also taught us that the discipline that we
took for granted in this country, we can’t take it for granted.
We can’t take democracy for granted.
((NATS))
All lives can’t matter until, Black Lives Matter. All lives can’t
matter until, Black Lives Matter.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
So, we have to think about how do you go around the
obstacle and not through it. How do you lead people who
don’t want to hear an uncomfortable truth, to be able to deal
with it? How do you get them to understand that everyone
deserves respect no matter what they’ve done? It has been
a hard year.
((Mandatory Photo Courtesy: Julian Emerson))
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
I have lost family members to COVID. And we’ve thought a
lot about mortality and a lot about how do we leave this
world better for people and how do we get fiscal stability for
people.
((NATS))
I’m the head of this house, but I have been paying with my
savings. At this moment I am literally waiting for the sheriff’s
to show up at my front door to remove me.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
And I think to have those conversations in our small circle
and try to make the place where we live better.
((NATS))
This is a woman that hasn't had food for several days.
I’m here by myself.
((Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Historian, University of
Wisconsin, Eau Claire))
If everybody does that, we can get it to reach out and hit the
rest of the world. That sounds really optimistic and
everything but, you know, I’m not the President of the United
States. I’m not in Congress. I don’t have money to pay for
access. So, what I can do is do what I can do here. And get
with like-minded people and continue doing that, and maybe
we’ll drag the politicians along. That’s the best we can do.
CLOSING? ((ANIM))
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CLOSING? ((ANIM))
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