Geocaching in the USA Today

[Guest Rubberhead]

s an article on Geocaching on the front page of the on-line USA Today.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/hphoto.htm

[Guest mfratto]

Except for the *extremely* gender-biased, total load of BS, "this is a man's game" slant to the article, hey, great.

 

grrrr.

 

Mauri

[Guest dmdeitz]

Thanks!!! I get the paper and don't see it in today's issue (7/26). I guess this is a dot com article only? Or will it be in tomorrow's edition? If it's like most articles, it'll go away soon from their website / you have to pay to retrieve it from the archive.... so if you missed it at their website, go to:

 

http://www.aimcg.com/geocaching

[Guest McIrish]

quote:

---

Originally posted by dmdeitz:

Thanks!!! I get the paper and don't see it in today's issue (7/26). I guess this is a dot com article only? Or will it be in tomorrow's edition? If it's like most articles, it'll go away soon from their website / you have to pay to retrieve it from the archive.... so if you missed it at their website, go to:

 

http://www.aimcg.com/geocaching

 

---

 

I so agree with you Mauri! I am a stay at home mom and I have been geocaching for about a month and a half. We have logged 19 finds and 3 hides so far. I have been to all 22, my son and father and husband have taken turns going with me. I was happy to see the article on geocaching, but very disappointed on the gender bias also. Lets set the USA Today reporter (a woman!) straight.

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 26 July 2001).]

[Guest yrium]

Having an interest in Biased journalism and having read the article earlier in the day it was with interest that I went back and read it again and looked for the bias.

 

I didn't find it unless it was when the two women were portrayed as being less than enthusiastic?

 

Help me out with a quote please?

 

--- yrium ---

[Guest McIrish]

quote:

---

Originally posted by yrium:

Having an interest in Biased journalism and having read the article earlier in the day it was with interest that I went back and read it again and looked for the bias.

 

I didn't find it unless it was when the two women were portrayed as being less than enthusiastic?

 

Help me out with a quote please?

 

--- yrium ---

---

 

I don't want this thread to turn into a man vs. woman geocaching debate. However, this article truly is biased.

 

Quote: "daughter Samantha, ten minutes after leaving the parking lot. My feet hurt, can we go back?"

 

"Son Zack, consults his own GPS unit for the families latest postition."

(hand Samantha the GPS and maybe she would enjoy the hobby a little more, like Zach)

 

"Aprils wife seems more resigned than revved"

 

"What looked like a 1.5 miles on the map turned out to be a 4 mile slog through steep terrain with whining kids and skeptical wives in tow".

(Let Dina have the GPS, maybe they won't get lost next time)

 

"By the time Dave and Zach line up their north-south coordinates, Samantha and her mother are dreaming of Dairly Queen and an air-conditioned van."

(Maybe if they were participants instead of trailers, they would be having a bit more fun)

 

"Like the games other predominately male participants, April, is not the type who leaves zero's flashing on his VCR".

 

(have we done a count on how many women geocachers are out there??) (Hard to tell from the handles that people have chosen) (McIrish??? Does that tell you if I am a man or a woman? I am not sure, but I don't think that question was asked when I registered either.)

 

"Every guy wants them because they are cool." (I wanted one too....because they were cool)

 

"Samantha & Dina may be a tough sell, but Zack is ready to give geocaching another try"

(Wow I wonder why??)

 

These quotes seem very biased to me. Sounds like this is not a sport for whiney women and their daughters. This is a mans sport.

 

I feel the article was unfair to all of the women geocachers out there. In the past week I have met two other mothers that have contacted me and we have made plans to go caching together because our husbands can't or don't want to go. This is a gender free hobby or sport. You only have to be a person who loves a little adventure and the outdoors. I go caching with my son, my daughter, my father and my husband. I also go out with other women geocachers in my area to hunt caches when I can't get my family to go.

 

I wonder how poor Debbie ever found the "Marry Me Note" while sitting in the air conditioned van, eating Dairy Queen.

[Guest zoedog]

IMHO the article makes the guy look like a boob and the sport sound goofy. It seemed like a joke on the guys expence if you ask me. expesally this part

 

"I hate geocaching," he moans, scratching a suspiciously red knee.

 

Baffled and dejected, April volunteers to pick up the van by taking a shortcut along a nearby highway.

 

He heads east.

 

The van is north.

 

Recalls a shellshocked April: "I had the distinct pleasure of stopping a passing police officer and saying, " 'Uh, sir, I was out in the woods with my family playing a game that uses these GPS units to point you with an unbelievable degree of accuracy to a given spot on Earth and I, uh, am lost. Can I please have a ride?' "

 

Hours later, alone in front of his computer, April discovers his fatal error. By adding an extra zero to the north-south position of N 42 degrees 2.54, he wound up off the mark by eight-tenths of a mile

[Guest tslack2000]

I've tried to bring my wife along on some hunts and she doesn't seem to like it all that much. I'm still working on her and she's giving it a chance, but she's "less than enthused" at this point. However, my example in no way reflects the attitude of women as a whole towards the sport of Geocaching. I'm raising my 4 month old daughter to love the sport. (I hope she'll love it) I take her on quite a few hunts with me and as she gets older I'll take her on more! She's getting pretty experienced already with a battlewound to boot! (It was my fault but it has healed and she's a happy baby!)

[Guest tslack2000]

I've tried to bring my wife along on some hunts and she doesn't seem to like it all that much. I'm still working on her and she's giving it a chance, but she's "less than enthused" at this point. However, my example in no way reflects the attitude of women as a whole towards the sport of Geocaching. I'm raising my 4 month old daughter to love the sport. (I hope she'll love it) I take her on quite a few hunts with me and as she gets older I'll take her on more! She's getting pretty experienced already with a battlewound to boot! (It was my fault but it has healed and she's a happy baby!)

[Guest McIrish]

Your right zoedog, the article wasn't to flattering to Mr. April either.

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest zoedog]

It almost seems like this guy was on some kind of a mission to make the whole geocaching thing seem stupid. Lets bring the kids and wife off on a wild goose chase as well as freinds on another cache as well. He had to flag down a cop to find his car, while before the writer talked about gps's being able to put you back to say your cars area. I thing this goes way past gender for me. I have had several ladies hit my cache so I know they are there. This "reporter" picked a guy that has only found what 3 cahches. The guy did not put the way point in right , instead of forgiving his mistake and saying lets try again they run this. In any other sport if the guy is new and he drops the ball to say do you badmouth the sport? It did not show geochahing in a good light in any way in my point.

 

zoedog

[Guest Khao Mun Gai]

First - David April has his own website with his account of his "ill-fated trip with a reporter from USAToday." Its worth a read - there is a lot more personality and soul to it as written by David (perhaps he should be writing for USAToday?) - http://www.soasoas.com/geocaching/dutchClog.html

 

Second - I hate when my liberal Berkeley brainwashing rears its head, but I have to agree with most of the comments here regarding the "gender-biased" tone of the article. (At Berkeley we would have called it "misogynistic" which is probably a bit extreme.)

 

The writer seems to invent colorful filler to place emphasis not only on the stereotype of gadget-crazed, bull-headed men - but more importantly, she juxtaposes this against [presumably] exaggerated images of the females in the story as whining, weak, coddled, skeptical, subservient and unadventurous.

 

This is disappointing and it spoils a good article. It is a real example of gender-bias in the media - a real problem that is probably not as bad as it seemed back at Berkeley, but is more of a problem than most of us realize.

 

The fact that the article appeared in USAToday doesn't surprise me. USAToday is certainly not on the cutting edge of social awareness or commentary. Thank you Laura Bly for predigesting this story for us and reminding us that men and women have their predestined roles in society and they'd better goddamn well stick to 'em!

[Guest mfratto]

Thanks McIrish, for your well-put and accurate posts -- you selected all the quotes that were most annoying! I did have a thread on "who are the woman cachers out there?" but it probably didn't even scratch the surface of how many of us there are. And often, we are seen as "the companions" but as I posted there originally, I love to cache, I am not the "tagger alonger." I use the GPS, plan my caches, etc. I can read a map and a compass! LOL

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000448.html

 

And Khao, thanks for the reminder that there are always two sides to the stereotype, and the men in this article, as you say, are not portrayed positively either. There is, however, this element of geocaching that has the "rugged individualist" element (Usually meaning a male individual) to it. That sort of came up in my thread about the "spirit" of geocaching.

 

It's interesting.

 

This article, however, was not.

 

Mauri

 

[This message has been edited by mfratto (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest CWuestefeld]

I'm sorry, McIrish, but I've got to take exception to your post. First, let me point out that while your pseudonym is genderless, it's inherently racist. Not that I care, but as long as we're being hypersensitive, let's not stop with sexism.

 

More to the point, you seem to be the one that's guilty of attempting to draw stereotypes out of what seems to be a straightforward story. You parenthetically provide your commentary of what you think should have happened (Let Dina have the GPS, maybe they won't get lost next time). However, this is NOT what happened; just what you wish transpired.

 

The duty of the reporter is to report what happened, not to filter it for your sensibilities. If you feel the report perpetuated stereotypes, perhaps you've got an issue with Mr. April. But reporting that David carried the GPS rather than his wife is not sexist, it's just reporting.

 

How would you have presented the story such that it's gender neutral yet covers all the information? Surely you wouldn't be evasive, saying, "The parent who was holding the GPS". The irony that Dave wanted to geocache and then got himself lost is a relevant part of the story, particularly since Dina wasn't enthused. Likewise, the fact that Samantha quickly complained about her feet hurt while Zack is willing to try again is critical information for other parents thinking of giving it a try.

[Guest Khao Mun Gai]

our commentary of what you think should have happened (Let Dina have the GPS, maybe they won't get lost next time). However, this is NOT what happened; just what you wish transpired.

 

The duty of the reporter is to report what happened, not to filter it for your sensibilities. If you feel the report perpetuated stereotypes, perhaps you've got an issue with Mr. April. But reporting that David carried the GPS rather than his wife is not sexist, it's just reporting.

 

How would you have presented the story such that it's gender neutral yet covers all the information? Surely you wouldn't be evasive, saying, "The parent who was holding the GPS". The irony that Dave wanted to geocache and then got himself lost is a relevant part of the story, particularly since Dina wasn't enthused. Likewise, the fact that Samantha quickly complained about her feet hurt while Zack is willing to try again is critical information for other parents thinking of giving it a try.

---

 

Is the comment about the women folk longing for the air conditioned van and Dairy Queen not an embellishment?

 

Raging, politically correct accusations that find fault everywhere annoy me as much as anybody - but I honestly think this article was written with a "gender bias" in mind and merits criticism as a result. I don't think it was TERRIBLE, INSIDIOUS or SUBVERSIVE but it is what it is.

[Guest CWuestefeld]

quote:

---

Is the comment about the women folk longing for the air conditioned van and Dairy Queen not an embellishment?

---

 

Perhaps it's an embellishment, but we have no reason to believe so. Is it hard to swallow that during their trek through the woods, mom said "I wish I was back in the air conditioned van", and Samantha replied, "Yeah, with an ice cream sundae".

 

We don't know, and never will. But it's wrong to jump to conclusions and make accusations when there's not one shred of evidence that anything here is fabricated or selectively reported.

 

Indeed, here's one comment that would contradict the claim of the PC zealots:

 

quote:

---

"I hate geocaching," he (Zack) moans, scratching a suspiciously red knee.

---

 

And Mr. April goes on to make light of himself in the context of male stereotypes when he relates his encounter with a police officer.

 

If you've got a genuine reason to believe that any of the story is fabricated, or even reported with a selective eye, then speak up, but everything said so far is pure supposition.

 

And that makes this thread nothing but a witch hunt.

[Guest robamy]

Hey maybe this will bring more traffic to my "Dutch Clog" waypoint GC85B Geocache!? Or maybe my other one near by "Beverly" wayapoint GC28 (the first one in Illinois)!

 

Thanks Dave for picking my Geocache for the USAToday!

 

Rob

[Guest robamy]

Hey maybe this will bring more traffic to my "Dutch Clog" waypoint GC85B Geocache!? Or maybe my other one near by "Beverly" wayapoint GC28 (the first one in Illinois)!

 

Thanks Dave for picking my Geocache for the USAToday!

 

Rob

[Guest mfratto]

While it is true that this reporter may have reported "as she saw it," please do not try to convince me about the absolute objectivity of the press -- just reporting "the way I see it" is a great cop-out -- we all look at the world through filters, and have choices about how we write and what we write.

 

So, this might have better been a case of a reporter who looked at this story and said, "geez, this outing seemed kind of lame, and I wonder if I should interview more than one person before writing this up" , or "is all this stuff about the wife really relevant? Maybe I can find more info on geocaching to fill out this space" -- but instead, as someone noted, the writer just sort of filled up the page with irrelevant and, as it ends up, offensive detail that is gender-biased in both directions. It's a thoughtless story.

And I'm sorry, but you don't get to tell other people what they should be offended about. If you don't find it so, fine -- but you have no right to tell others not to feel so.

 

If this story was among several vignettes of caching, some showing, perhaps, McIrish with her kids out cache chasing (or perhaps having to wrestle her husband into going, or showing him how to use the GPS, hahaha) -- and maybe some others -- then you have balanced reporting. No one, not even (especially) a repoter, can ever be completely objective, so the best you can do is try to approach your topic from as many perspectives as you can in order to balance out the picture. The writer also had a choice about not including all the complainy comments from the women, they didn't really have anything to do with caching, so they were not relevant to the article, but they did include them and it serves to create a context wherein this is seen as something geeky men do and their wive's just suffer along. This is a stereotype on both ends.

 

Yes, reporters do not always have a lot of space for articles, they have deadlines, they don't have a lot of time, and in such small spaces things can get reduced and misunderstood, etc, etc all the excuses -- but there is also ethics (I know, I teach them -- reporters --among others -- and writing). They all have choices about what and how they write, and they are responsible for how it comes across. We're saying this one didn't come across so well.

 

You don't have to agree, but you don't have a right to insult other people for their views. It's easy to pass all the things that bother people of the world away with "hey, that's just they way it is." Some people don't see the world that way, maybe because they are not the ones who benefit from that view.

 

Mauri

 

[This message has been edited by mfratto (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest david.april]

indeed brain dead on this day annd made a critical error with my coordinates. So the difficulty of the cache is irrelevant. You won't even find a 1 star cache if you are looking in the wrong place. (even if the light is better there... ) My wife Dina and my daughter Samantha are not into geocaching as much as I would like them to be and were very vocal in their complaining on this given day. In Dina's case, this is somewhat justified because she has had some other bad experiences with geocaching and hiking. This does not reflect on any other women who are enthusiastic about geocaching or outdoor sports. My wife just doesn't happen to be one of them. Samantha has, on many occasions "held the GPS" and, if the mood is right for her, enjoys it. If not, she is not shy about expressing what a terrible time she is having.

 

All in all, the outing, that I tied so hard to plan well, was a disaster and the incident with the cop at the end was just the frosting on the cake of my humiliation. I was bummed out afterwards, but time heals all wounds and I thought it was a pretty funny story and, in my opinion, Laura captured the mood and personalities quite well. So lighten up a bit eh?

 

It is my pleasure to play the fool (which I do quite well, unfortunately) for your entertainment pleasure.

 

Dave

 

------------------

 

[This message has been edited by david.april (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest david.april]

indeed brain dead on this day annd made a critical error with my coordinates. So the difficulty of the cache is irrelevant. You won't even find a 1 star cache if you are looking in the wrong place. (even if the light is better there... ) My wife Dina and my daughter Samantha are not into geocaching as much as I would like them to be and were very vocal in their complaining on this given day. In Dina's case, this is somewhat justified because she has had some other bad experiences with geocaching and hiking. This does not reflect on any other women who are enthusiastic about geocaching or outdoor sports. My wife just doesn't happen to be one of them. Samantha has, on many occasions "held the GPS" and, if the mood is right for her, enjoys it. If not, she is not shy about expressing what a terrible time she is having.

 

All in all, the outing, that I tied so hard to plan well, was a disaster and the incident with the cop at the end was just the frosting on the cake of my humiliation. I was bummed out afterwards, but time heals all wounds and I thought it was a pretty funny story and, in my opinion, Laura captured the mood and personalities quite well. So lighten up a bit eh?

 

It is my pleasure to play the fool (which I do quite well, unfortunately) for your entertainment pleasure.

 

Dave

 

------------------

 

[This message has been edited by david.april (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest jeremy]

Press articles (especially lighthearted fun ones) are just spin. I wouldn't worry to much about it (and quite enjoyed the article, personally).

 

It wasn't the portrayal of "joe and joan geocacher" but a real family on a real trip. And real people can moan and complain and mess up from time to time. It doesn't even have to be intentional.

 

Whether you feel that there was some sense of stereotyping going on or not, most folks will read the article and walk away thinking "Wow. What a neat idea!" And go to their local outdoor store and join in on the game. They can then come to their own conclusions on whether it is a gender specific sport.

 

Press is spin, and taking an angle on a story. And people are people. No need to get in a flame war on this

 

Jeremy

[Guest jeremy]

Press articles (especially lighthearted fun ones) are just spin. I wouldn't worry to much about it (and quite enjoyed the article, personally).

 

It wasn't the portrayal of "joe and joan geocacher" but a real family on a real trip. And real people can moan and complain and mess up from time to time. It doesn't even have to be intentional.

 

Whether you feel that there was some sense of stereotyping going on or not, most folks will read the article and walk away thinking "Wow. What a neat idea!" And go to their local outdoor store and join in on the game. They can then come to their own conclusions on whether it is a gender specific sport.

 

Press is spin, and taking an angle on a story. And people are people. No need to get in a flame war on this

 

Jeremy

[Guest McIrish]

No flame war Jeremy, just a good debate! (By the way, you need to think about changing your last name) LOL.

[Guest McIrish]

No flame war Jeremy, just a good debate! (By the way, you need to think about changing your last name) LOL.

[Guest mfratto]

I agree with McIrish -- no flames, just honest discussion -- does everything have to be "light"?

 

Anyway, it's interesting to me that most of the men here have no real problem with this, and some of the women do, and the men are like "hey babe, lighten up...it's just, like, what it is" (Now, if you really are "light, you won't be offended at my intonation there...)

 

Mmmm-hmm. Yup. Uh-huh. lalala...I'll stop now. But only for the moment.

 

Mauri

 

PS: Dave, this discussion is not about you or your family, whom I am sure are great, and the article may, as I said, have been right on -- but it could have been more well-rounded too, in talking about the sport. I could see many people reading the article, and thinking "that sounds like a pain the arse -- who wants to go through all that to find junk in the woods?" It could have been played up more positively in many ways. I'm sorry you had a bad day, though.

[Guest mfratto]

I agree with McIrish -- no flames, just honest discussion -- does everything have to be "light"?

 

Anyway, it's interesting to me that most of the men here have no real problem with this, and some of the women do, and the men are like "hey babe, lighten up...it's just, like, what it is" (Now, if you really are "light, you won't be offended at my intonation there...)

 

Mmmm-hmm. Yup. Uh-huh. lalala...I'll stop now. But only for the moment.

 

Mauri

 

PS: Dave, this discussion is not about you or your family, whom I am sure are great, and the article may, as I said, have been right on -- but it could have been more well-rounded too, in talking about the sport. I could see many people reading the article, and thinking "that sounds like a pain the arse -- who wants to go through all that to find junk in the woods?" It could have been played up more positively in many ways. I'm sorry you had a bad day, though.

[Guest McIrish]

Hahaha I agree Mauri, as co-witch in the "witch hunt". (interesting choice of words)

 

I think stereotypical behaviors are learned early in life and perpetrated thoughtout life in media depictions of women. I am not a hard core feminist. I just don't think that Samantha's sore feet or her longing for Dairy Queen was "critical information".

 

Bias free reporting should be true to the fact and not misleading. This article seemed not to be a typical day out geocaching. I am not particularly "hypersensitive" but I found this article demeaning to women geocachers. Biased reporting can cause a reader to focus on HOW you are reporting rather than WHAT you are trying to say. If your reporting is free of bias it should offend no one.

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest McIrish]

Hahaha I agree Mauri, as co-witch in the "witch hunt". (interesting choice of words)

 

I think stereotypical behaviors are learned early in life and perpetrated thoughtout life in media depictions of women. I am not a hard core feminist. I just don't think that Samantha's sore feet or her longing for Dairy Queen was "critical information".

 

Bias free reporting should be true to the fact and not misleading. This article seemed not to be a typical day out geocaching. I am not particularly "hypersensitive" but I found this article demeaning to women geocachers. Biased reporting can cause a reader to focus on HOW you are reporting rather than WHAT you are trying to say. If your reporting is free of bias it should offend no one.

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest mfratto]

Hey McIrish, if we get a few more women in this conversation, we'll have a coven! But will we know which witch is which? Do you think riding a broom gives an unfair advantage in looking for the cache? (cackle cackle).

 

Good points all, in your posts. Cache on, witchy.

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

---

Originally posted by McIrish:

I am not a hard core feminist. I just don't think that Samantha's sore feet or her longing for Dairy Queen was "critical information".

---

 

I assumed that the author included information she thought would convey the attitudes and personalities of the participants. That is, I didn't think she made anything up.

 

David April, who was actually there, said of the author, "in my opinion, Laura captured the mood and personalities quite well." So, who are we to argue that the author did NOT portray everyone accurately?

 

Would it have been "critical information" had the reporter said, "David had sore feet and longed for a beer"? Should the author have left out information to make everyone "look good"?

 

I'm not looking to argue, just better understand your point of view.

 

P.S. Please don't cast a spell on me!

 

[This message has been edited by c.mathis (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

---

Originally posted by McIrish:

I am not a hard core feminist. I just don't think that Samantha's sore feet or her longing for Dairy Queen was "critical information".

---

 

I assumed that the author included information she thought would convey the attitudes and personalities of the participants. That is, I didn't think she made anything up.

 

David April, who was actually there, said of the author, "in my opinion, Laura captured the mood and personalities quite well." So, who are we to argue that the author did NOT portray everyone accurately?

 

Would it have been "critical information" had the reporter said, "David had sore feet and longed for a beer"? Should the author have left out information to make everyone "look good"?

 

I'm not looking to argue, just better understand your point of view.

 

P.S. Please don't cast a spell on me!

 

[This message has been edited by c.mathis (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest cpnmidnite]

t was biased to both genders. How can that be? I don't think anybody believes this was a typical geocashing experience. Having been in the news business for years, I know the reporter is writing something people will read. They don't have time to go out and do polls to find out who does most geocaching, and who complains the most. I am McIrish's dad, and she is sure the driving force in this group. She will assure you that I am not gender biased. Just let this be what it was meant to be - a little story on a new game - with a human touch. Sorry McIrish. LOL

[Guest mfratto]

Didn't say it wasn't accurate, said it portrayed a negative, whiney view of women geocaching. It did that very accurately.

 

No offense to Dave's family, I have done some champion whining myself from time to time, but I wasn't put on the front page for it.

[Guest McIrish]

C.Mathis...hehehehe we can't cast spells! What a stereotype...hehehehehe

 

You do kind of miss our point though. I guess what I was trying to say was this.....

 

Geocaching is a hobby/sport for everyone. Many different types of people enjoy it and not enjoy it. I have been telling everyone about it (men and women) with equal enthusiastic reponses. Sterotyping has been around for a long time. Not just between men and women, but races, ages and so on. Geocaching is relatively new....lets just try and keep this gender free and not imply to women that its not for them. I would like to see everyone as enthusiastic as I am about geocaching.

 

I do regret that the April family was put in the middle of the debate. I feel that I was a bit insensitive and didn't curtail my opinion about what I assume is a very nice family.

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

 

[This message has been edited by McIrish (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

---

Originally posted by McIrish:

You do kind of miss our point though. I guess what I was trying to say was this.....

 

Geocaching is a hobby/sport for everyone. Many different types of people enjoy it and not enjoy it. I have been telling everyone about it (men and women) with equal enthusiastic reponses. Sterotyping has been around for a long time. Not just between men and women, but races, ages and so on. Geocaching is relatively new....lets just try and keep this gender free and not imply to women that its not for them. I would like to see everyone as enthusiastic as I am about geocaching.

---

 

I get it and I agree.

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

---

Originally posted by McIrish:

You do kind of miss our point though. I guess what I was trying to say was this.....

 

Geocaching is a hobby/sport for everyone. Many different types of people enjoy it and not enjoy it. I have been telling everyone about it (men and women) with equal enthusiastic reponses. Sterotyping has been around for a long time. Not just between men and women, but races, ages and so on. Geocaching is relatively new....lets just try and keep this gender free and not imply to women that its not for them. I would like to see everyone as enthusiastic as I am about geocaching.

---

 

I get it and I agree.

[Guest CWuestefeld]

First, mfratto is quite right that it's impossible to write an unbiased article. I firmly believe that trying to do so yields a more insidious, veiled bias. I'd rather have any prejudices out in the open -- they're easier for me to filter myself that way.

 

Second, we're not talking about Mideast peace talks or political scandals to report. There's not a whole lot of "hard" information when you're talking about geocaching; most of your content is going to be about people's attitudes. How much various people enjoy or dislike the sport and why will be the bulk of the article. In this case, the reporter does a fair job of showing the many reactions one might get to the activity, even if the vehicle for communicating it might be somewhat stereotyped.

 

Finally, McIrish (who, by the way, hasn't commented on the racism that someone might read into her name) asserts:

quote:

---

If your reporting is free of bias it should offend no one.

---

This is neither true nor desirable.

 

Many things in this world are offensive. I get offended, for example, when I read about the treatment of people of Chinese ancestry in 1800s America. But it happened, and it's better that people know about it.

 

Anyone who goes through life without being offended has an incredibly boring life, and can't hope to learn or grow as a person. Offense challenges our beliefs and assumptions, and this in turn strengthens our faith or allows to shake bad ideas. The idea that the sun orbits the Earth was offensive to many, but it was clearly something that needed to be asked. The idea of communism, where the work of the able supports the wanting, is offensive to me, but still an idea that needed to be tried in order to demonstrate its inherent problems.

[Guest McIrish]

Thanks C.Mathis...

[Guest david.april]

ocus of the article and that's why I was excited about it in the first place. My perception of geocaching as a fun family activity was only reinforced recently at the Chicago area Geocaching Picnic, where many parents and kids in attendance - 66 total, I believe. For another fun geocaching story, check out

http://www.soasoas.com/geocaching/picnic/

 

Dave

[Guest McIrish]

quote:

---

Originally posted by cpnmidnite:

Hey - lighten up everybody. This was just a silly little article about a new game that has arrived on the scene. One message says it was biased to both genders. How can that be? I don't think anybody believes this was a typical geocashing experience. Having been in the news business for years, I know the reporter is writing something people will read. They don't have time to go out and do polls to find out who does most geocaching, and who complains the most. I am McIrish's dad, and she is sure the driving force in this group. She will assure you that I am not gender biased. Just let this be what it was meant to be - a little story on a new game - with a human touch. Sorry McIrish. LOL

---

 

Sorry Pop, it is a reporters job to do just that.....GET THE FACTS. The fact is there are women out there that geocache without help. Yes, this was a cute little article...and could have been just as cute without the reference to ice cream eating, whining women.

 

See you never stop fighting with your dad!

[Guest McIrish]

Your so right David.....But, your not off the hook, we want a follow-up story!! So the heat is still on!

[Guest McIrish]

Your so right David.....But, your not off the hook, we want a follow-up story!! So the heat is still on!

[Guest Ttepee]

How's this for bad publicity? Check out the logs for the "USA TODAY" SPECIAL Geocache posted July 27...read the log by Jorgy!

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=4740

 

Ttepee

 

[This message has been edited by Ttepee (edited 27 July 2001).]

[Guest mfratto]

Sounds like he should have listened to his wife, hahaha, buzz buzz.

 

'night all.

[Guest chrome]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ttepee:

How's this for bad publicity? Check out the logs for the "USA TODAY" SPECIAL Geocache posted July 27...read the log by Jorgy!

B]

---

 

Just read the comments by Jorgy. Sorry about the stings. Anyway, my real comment is about the cache container. Holy Smokes! That thing is HUGE! I've never even heard of one that big. I've got a Yugo I've been trying to figure out what to do with.. Now I know. It's cache material.

-Chrome (KC area)

[Guest chrome]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ttepee:

How's this for bad publicity? Check out the logs for the "USA TODAY" SPECIAL Geocache posted July 27...read the log by Jorgy!

B]

---

 

Just read the comments by Jorgy. Sorry about the stings. Anyway, my real comment is about the cache container. Holy Smokes! That thing is HUGE! I've never even heard of one that big. I've got a Yugo I've been trying to figure out what to do with.. Now I know. It's cache material.

-Chrome (KC area)