The Importance of the Human Element

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The cheerleaders, who by other measures of the book feel like the odd girls out, reveal Laskas’s devotion to humanizing her subjects. She provides vignettes of Cheerleaders Rhonee, Sarah and Shannon, Adrienne, showing the scientist, business women, or construction worker behind the pom-poms. Not only are these women complex human beings, but they emerge as the human face of the fans’ energy and love of the game. In contrast to their glittery facade that hides the human truth, air traffic controllers remain totally behind the scenes. Yet the thousands of split-second decisions they make every day keep planes out of each other’s airspace and passengers safer and happier than they could possibly know. Each time we get in a plane, there’s a whole chain of human minds we trust to land us safely at our destination.

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            In an era of increasing automation and technological isolation, explore the unseen human touch on the services we rely on.

Medium suggestions: investigative journalism, short story, film or documentary, visual art, dance

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            Have you ever faced an inhumane bureaucracy (government agencies, health care or schools systems), especially during a difficult time, when one human could have or did make a difference to you?

Medium suggestions: essay, short story, film, dance, music, visual art

 

If Laskas gently reminds us of the human element in Hidden America, Shaka Senghor and Chad Beckim force us to confront the humanity of our imprisoned population, a whole other hidden America. Racism, poverty, and all kinds of human error contribute to America’s staggeringly large and dysfunctional criminal justice system. What effect does truly acknowledging prisoners’ humanity have on that system? How would you present the human face of crime and punishment?

Medium suggestions: exposé, monologue, portrait in any 2-D medium, documentary

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