It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's The L.A. Times featuring an article about
Whyville! (And a somewhat late Giggler01 (I have been putting this article
off for some time, please forgive me!).)
As you've probably noticed, a "newsflash" is now featured on the title page
of Whyville.net. I read this article. Quite honestly, I feel that it is more news that Whyville is in the paper, because the article really didn't tell me anything new. And I wasn't actually surprised by the article, so it's being there wasn't really "news" to me.
Some of you may remember a while ago when City Worker Jen announced that a
real life reporter of the L.A. Times wanted to write an article about Whyville. She then told citizens that they could be interviewed, and all they had to do was write City Hall. So, you'd think that there would be tons and tons of people rushing to write City Hall. It's funny then to learn that only one citizen is actually interviewed in this article.
And quite honestly, it talks mostly about the Why-Pox, the educational content of Whyville (asking if we are actually learning), and how much we care about our faces. Is it my being ignorant, or is this just another case of "The Media" glamorizing the bad things and making the good things sound bad?
I will be honest with you. I am a face-changing freak most of the time (not
to mention anything about a shopping freak, which is also mentioned). But
why are they trying to prove that we aren't learning anything?
We do learn things. Since the first time you came on Whyville, have any of you
learned nothing? I think quite honestly, it's impossible. Here are the facts:
- We all care about our faces.
- We all need money to be able to buy the better faces parts.
- To earn money, you've got to work.
- While working, you are guaranteed to learn something "school-ish".
Am I missing something? Did I just get left out of "the loop"? Any citizen
could tell you this. I mean, from the time you start the Skater Game, to the
time you've finished your second Solstice Safari, how can you not learn a
fair amount of things? There's this whole cycle (as shown above) that
permits us and encourages us to learn on Whyville.
Another thing that is mentioned in this article is the possibility of an upcoming "nutrition game." I'm just curious as to why the article chooses to
focus on something that Whyville doesn't have yet. Isn't the stuff that we
have amazing enough? I mean, goodness, my entire house never gets dirty! I never have
to take out the garbage! Oh, I'm sorry, I'd forgotten that we are always
needing something more.
Anyway, even though there are some good things about this article, such as the many
more citizens we will be getting soon, I think it lacks a lot of detail on what Whyville really is. Is this just another media-ism? (And, yes, I do know that's not really a word, but it's a way of describing one of the thoughts in my head!)
I got to go baby-sit; the drama queen does not fancy lightning. Wish me luck.
Giggler01
(Sorry again for being late, guys!)
Editor's Note: What a fascinating perspective, Giggler01! To tell the truth, we thought Mr. Colvin's article was very very positive! Considering he was trying to explain WHYVILLE to thousands of millions of folks who've never heard of the place, never imagined such weird, wonderful world, we think he did a darn good job. He'd need an awfully big book to tell the whole story of our town, don't you think?
Primarily, we read his article as asking the "inevitable" question, "How can kids possibly be learning AND having fun at the same time??" Most folks don't understand how that's possible, so he had to explain it carefully and, well, doubtfully, because that's how his readers would be. Doubtful, questioning, and curious.
In the end, because of his research and experience with Whyville, the author of that article has become one of our biggest fans. But he's clearly not as big a fan as you, Giggler01: you can barely stand to see any criticism of us in print! :-) And I can't tell you how grand that makes us feel, to have earned that much faith and love and support. Thank you. Thank you all!
