Summary: Chandra's mother is distant toward her activities, including cheerleading, at high school. Her mom has never watched her cheer. She objects to the short skirt and wishes the daughter would spend more time with her.
I really enjoyed this piece. It not only tells the tale of a great American Cambodian in the making, but it also has an undertone of how generations culturally differ. I was intrigued when I learned that though her mom still held fast to her Cambodian ideals while living in America, but since Chandra was raised around families who upheld American traditions, Chandra felt the pressures of American culture (such as graduating from high school, participating in extracurricular activities, working hard, and excelling academically).
The cheer in the beginning was a beautiful touch, especially since the picture has her in the cheerleading uniform. The transition from the cheerleading chants to the interview with her mom was a tadbit awkward for me though. Everything else was smooth sailing... sound bytes from the interview, energy from the narration, ambient sound... everything was on key. Kudos to you Chandra Touch, and I hope to hear your story on the waves soon!
Chandra Touch's personal look into her school activities, her Cambodian culture and her mother's disapproval is an engaging piece.
Touch communications to the listener by speaking with her own mother -- a bold move that shows that Touch isn't afraid to interrogate her own parent about why she disapproves of cheerleading or the differences between American and Cambodian culture.
The main detractors of this segment were the narration and pacing. At times, Touch feels righteous, perhaps a bit preachy. Although I empathized with Touch, as I come from a family where my family does not truly understand the importance of my activities or the weight of going to college, I feel that her approach was heavy-handed. Touch's mother speaks in a way that my own mother has; a quiet request for a daughter to remain faithful to her culture.
I loved the mother-daughter interaction, but the narration seemed a bit too righteous and even the questions directed at the mother seemed to be "leading" or suggesting a desired answer.
The piece builds well with nice tempo in the conversation between Chandra and her mother. It softly raises to a lot of cultural questions about women's sexual roles Cambodia, being an immigrant in America and being a teenager in America.
I wish these questions were explored more deeply... BUT as a short piece, the mother/daughter moments convey a lot of what goes unsaid, how a new "culture" has become more significant than "family."
Comments for The All-American Cambodian
Produced by Chandra Touch with Youth Radio
Other pieces by Blunt Youth Radio Project
Rating Summary
3 comments
KaMeisha Jerae Hodge
Posted on January 26, 2008 at 11:29 AM | Permalink
Review of The All-American Cambodian
I really enjoyed this piece. It not only tells the tale of a great American Cambodian in the making, but it also has an undertone of how generations culturally differ. I was intrigued when I learned that though her mom still held fast to her Cambodian ideals while living in America, but since Chandra was raised around families who upheld American traditions, Chandra felt the pressures of American culture (such as graduating from high school, participating in extracurricular activities, working hard, and excelling academically).
The cheer in the beginning was a beautiful touch, especially since the picture has her in the cheerleading uniform. The transition from the cheerleading chants to the interview with her mom was a tadbit awkward for me though. Everything else was smooth sailing... sound bytes from the interview, energy from the narration, ambient sound... everything was on key. Kudos to you Chandra Touch, and I hope to hear your story on the waves soon!
Minhal Baig
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 06:55 PM | Permalink
Review of The All-American Cambodian
Chandra Touch's personal look into her school activities, her Cambodian culture and her mother's disapproval is an engaging piece.
Touch communications to the listener by speaking with her own mother -- a bold move that shows that Touch isn't afraid to interrogate her own parent about why she disapproves of cheerleading or the differences between American and Cambodian culture.
The main detractors of this segment were the narration and pacing. At times, Touch feels righteous, perhaps a bit preachy. Although I empathized with Touch, as I come from a family where my family does not truly understand the importance of my activities or the weight of going to college, I feel that her approach was heavy-handed. Touch's mother speaks in a way that my own mother has; a quiet request for a daughter to remain faithful to her culture.
I loved the mother-daughter interaction, but the narration seemed a bit too righteous and even the questions directed at the mother seemed to be "leading" or suggesting a desired answer.
Dee Hopton
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 09:22 AM | Permalink
Review of The All-American Cambodian
The piece builds well with nice tempo in the conversation between Chandra and her mother. It softly raises to a lot of cultural questions about women's sexual roles Cambodia, being an immigrant in America and being a teenager in America.
I wish these questions were explored more deeply... BUT as a short piece, the mother/daughter moments convey a lot of what goes unsaid, how a new "culture" has become more significant than "family."