Riddim Represents Culture and Diversity

Author: Lanford Beard

Slanted, inaccurate and misrepresentative: these words came to mind while reading last week's article on Riddim's Spring show ("Riddim Rolls Out the Red Carpet," The Middlebury Campus, April 23, 2003). The Campus wrote, "The production truly reflected the Club's multi-cultural purpose." Unfortunately, this statement is nowhere near the truth for the article.
As an aspiring journalist, I see journalism as a way of preserving the realities of its time and subject. With articles like the one in last week's Campus, no one will know the truth about what Riddim stands for as a troupe. We in Riddim work hard. Not only do we work hard to choreograph, learn and perfect our dances, we work hard to add a sense of diversity to Middlebury that is often lacking. People respond to these efforts year after year by coming to our shows to support us.
Your visual representation of the show betrayed all of these ideals. People did not come to this spring's show to see the Riddim Rejects. They are great performers and truly supportive friends, but they were a surprise addition that we did not advertise. People came to see Riddim and only Riddim. Through the collective vision and dedication of many people, we organized this show to showcase solely our increasing scope, breadth, humor and development as a group.
Thus, when the article begins by mentioning the "chaos" of all the people waiting to see the show, and when 60 percent of the pictures visually portray less than five percent of the actual show, the truth is grossly misrepresented and will, thus, be grossly misconstrued by anyone looking back at Riddim in years to come. Of the five photos of the show, three of them (including the front page photo) were of the Riddim Rejects. The other two were weak - a shot of four of the troupe members sitting and the other of the uncredited Toni Spence, who is barely distinguishable because the photo is blurred.
We are denied our names and our credibility by your decision that Riddim should play second fiddle to the guest performers at our own show. Moreover, you derogate our artistic credibility by placing the article in the Features (not Arts) section and by allotting a single paragraph of the entire article to the nine dances in the show.
Another essential error in judgment is the inclusion of The Campus' assessment that "Music ranged from gospel to ghetto." We in Riddim would like to know exactly what "ghetto" music is and what such a derogatory term implies not only our group but also for the campus and The Campus. Since I have been back from studying in England this Fall, I've noticed The Campus making a significant shift in the direction of conservative ideology and insensitive reporting.
I am not alone in my belief that the media has a responsibility to lean towards liberal - read: inclusive and diverse - thinking. This point is especially crucial considering The Campus is Middlebury College's only newspaper, and (as it is funded by college money) it must represent all of the student population. If The Campus will not take care to accurately and appropriately represent groups at the College now, what will prevent it from being overtly, blatantly demeaning in a few issues, months or years? This carelessness (both from writers and editors) cannot continue. As a staff writer for the Campus and a past-and-future Riddim board member, I am disappointed with the article's depiction of our show.
Long by Campus standards, the reporting managed to remain superficial and inaccurate through a variety of thematic, typographical and visual errors.
The overall product displays an unintentional but flagrant bias against multiculturalism. It strives to glorify our overall efforts but contradicts itself through politically incorrect terms and heterogeneous imagery.
Most importantly, it does not emphasize Riddim's primary goal: to educate and diversify the campus community through dance forms from all over the world.
As a member of Middlebury's vast white majority, I implore The Middlebury Campus to consider its work more carefully next time. Riddim is a rare, popular source of diversity education. Please don't whitewash us.

Lanford Beard is a English/film and media studies joint major from Birmingham, Alabama.