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Life & Times Transcript
10/30/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- A different approach to preventing rape, teaching young men that strength has nothing to do with muscle. Kyle Pacheco>> "I know people that got raped and not just in the school, but you don't really hear about it as much because like it's so common that it's just kind of overlooked now because people know that it's there." Val Zavala>> In an era of lawsuits and agents, being Santa Claus takes a lot of training. These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> When it comes to rape, the focus has almost always been on female victims. But what about the perpetrators? Is there anything that can be done to keep a young man from becoming a rapist? Some people say yes and they are teaching young men the difference between strength and force. Toni Guinyard went to a Riverside high school to find out how it works. Toni Guinyard>> It's a Friday afternoon and, as students come and go, wrapping up another week of classes, members of a club unlike any other on this high school campus get together, grab a bite to eat, sit down and talk. Shawn Johnson>> "Basically what we're going to be talking about is trying to figure out our role in preventing sexual assault, trying to figure out what it means to be a man, what it means to be masculine." Christopher Gonzalez>> "How many guys will be there?" Shawn Johnson>> "For this group, I believe we're at fourteen." Toni Guinyard>> Stopping sexual violence is at the heart of the conversation. The students are members of what is called The Men of Strength, or MOST club. They represent different peer groups on campus and they want to be part of the solution. This pilot program is part of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, statewide My Strength Campaign, the theme, "My Strength Is Not For Hurting". William Villareal>> When young men begin to talk about this idea that, hey, my strength is not for hurting, that catches other guys. Because if my strength is not for hurting, then what is it for? Because society has taught me as a young man that my strength is for kicking butt and for being a great athlete. But if my strength is not just for those things or is not for violence, then what is my strength for? Toni Guinyard>> William Villareal is one of three Strength Team members hired to travel throughout the state promoting the campaign candidly talking about sex and violence to anyone willing to listen. William Villareal>> These issues are taboo only because us as adults have made it so taboo. I mean, I know it's a sensitive issue and should be talked about with respect and with sensitivity and with compassion, but if we do not talk about it, then how do we learn about it? How do we learn to prevent rape and sexual assault if we're not given the opportunity to talk about it, to share our ideas about it? Shawn Johnson>> "What makes us men? What makes us masculine?" Toni Guinyard>> What makes this rape prevention campaign different from others is the target audience: men, not women. Debora Heaps>> For a long time, there hasn't been any programs available for just men to talk about stopping rape from happening. It's often been a woman's issue. Toni Guinyard>> Debora Heaps is Director of Programs for the Riverside Rape Crisis Center. Most of the victims they counsel are young women fourteen to eighteen years old. The young men recruited for the Men of Strength Club are exactly the same age. Debora Heaps>> It's about educating young men about their masculinity, about sexual assault and about violence and why it happens and trying to help them to understand that they don't have to be identified as a perpetrator. Shawn Johnson>> "If all this rape prevention and sexual assault prevention is geared towards them, where does that leave us?" >> "If I'm doing the right thing, then you should do the right thing too because that's how I'm raised and that's how I want other people to start --" Christopher Gonzalez>> -- "yeah, seeing things, you know, like because it's not always about, oh, yeah, you shouldn't wear that. I think a girl should be the way she wants to be, the way she feels comfortable, and a guy has to know how to respect that. That's how I feel." Toni Guinyard>> Men of Strength Clubs have been established at six high schools throughout the state of California, including here at John North High School in Riverside. Now the program has received a lot of attention and some praise, but it's also received some criticism. Debora Heaps>> The criticism has been that it's a bunch of angry women trying to pick on men and identify them as perpetrators and that's a problem because that is an adversarial approach. William Villareal>> We're not going in there to accuse or blame or to, you know, get in peoples' faces and make them feel bad about themselves. Shawn Johnson>> "We know that we're stronger, but how can we use our strength in another way?" >> "By reaching out in open words, by speaking out to them." Toni Guinyard>> This is only the second meeting of North High's MOST Club. Some members did not show up. Of those who did, some sat in silence. Others seemed eager to speak up. Kyle Pacheco>> "I know people that got raped and not just in the school, but you don't really hear about it as much because like it's so common that it's just kind of overlooked now because people know that it's there and that, you know, it's not like something that's so rare that they talk about it all the time. It's so common." Christopher Gonzalez>> "Hardly none of us talk about it, you know. We know it's there, but we always keep it down low." Toni Guinyard>> The conversation is a bit awkward. The young men still are a bit unsure about what to say and how to say what's on their minds. It's Shawn Johnson's job to facilitate the conversation. What makes you the perfect person to facilitate this group? Shawn Johnson>> Because I believe, at one point in time, I am one of those kids. I went to this school. I know the diversity in the school and I feel like I can relate to a lot of the things that they say, a lot of things that they believe. "Are we going to be perceived from girls and from your peers as being soft? And are you guys okay with that?" >> "I'm happy if I'm doing the right thing, so if they think I'm soft just because I'm sticking up for this girl, then I'm soft. But I'm doing the right thing and I don't care what people think because I know I'm doing the right thing." Shawn Johnson>> "You agree with that?" >> "Yeah." Shawn Johnson>> "That was nice, that was nice (laughter)." David Breunig>> "What are you doing to keep yourself eligible in the classroom? That's the important part." >> "Doing my work. Keeping focused." Toni Guinyard>> David Breunig is a teacher, football and basketball coach at North High. He is also an advocate of the MOST Club. David Breunig>> My expectation for these young men is to learn the lesson, learn what they can do to become powerful male role models and then spread the word to not only their peers, but to their children as they grow up. Toni Guinyard>> Breunig says he hasn't received any criticism about the program, but admits it has limits. David Breunig>> Are you going to reach everybody? No. There's no way. But for every kid I can take under my wing and try to change his outlook on life, tell him he can be a successful person and be a strong person and not have to do these negative type things, then it's a win for me. Toni Guinyard>> So they pin their hopes on this group of young men chosen from more than one hundred students who signed up. They provide us a peek inside their world of challenges and pressures as they face the topics of sex, relationships, respect and role models. Christopher Gonzalez>> "My dad treats my mom like a princess, like a queen, you know. That's the way it should be. It's wonderful because they're always happy, always going out, always having fun and I want that for my wife, to treat her the same way." David Breunig>> Most of the kids on campus, I think most kids in general, want to do the right thing, but some of them need to be led in the right direction. Toni Guinyard>> Is it going to take a lot of work to get young men to think that -- Christopher Gonzalez>> -- A lot, a lot of work. Toni Guinyard>> Why do you say that? Christopher Gonzalez>> Because they're so into like the same style they are in like looking at girls differently, looking at them as just somebody to like be with, you know, not as someone to respect. William Villareal>> You cannot ignore the problem. It is a fact. Rape and sexual assault happens. Toni Guinyard>> It happens, but the young men in the MOST Club are willing to confront the issue head-on and do their part by living up to the motto "My Strength Is Not For Hurting". Shawn Johnson>> "Appreciate you guys coming out and I hope to see you next week or the week after, so thanks, guys." Toni Guinyard>> I'm Toni Guinyard for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> It seems to be the season for world-class concert halls. In Philadelphia, Nashville, Miami and Toronto, multi-million dollar music venues are opening. Well, now it's Orange County's turn to step into the spotlight with the opening of the two thousand seat, two hundred million dollar Segerstrom Concert Hall. It will be home to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. But after all the glamorous galas are over, it's the sound that matters. Orange County reporter, Roger Cooper, met the man in charge of acoustics. Announcer>> "Maestro Carl St. Clair, along with his virtuoso Caterpillar performers." Roger Cooper>> It's been more than three years since the Orange County Performing Arts Center broke ground on its new concert hall. That night, heavy equipment operators in tuxedos directed by the conductor of the Pacific Symphony danced in the spotlight. On what had once been a Costa Mesa bean field, a world-class two hundred million dollar hall for great music began to rise. In the drawings that architects like to turn out, we were told it would look like this. This time lapse condenses three years of work into twenty-four seconds. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> Halfway through construction, Segerstrom Hall looked like this and now the renderings have become real. Designed by Cesar Pelli, the entrance is a massive wall of waving glass. The lobby leads upward to a spiral staircase and a spiral chandelier of lights that hang from three hundred lines. Then you stand before it, the great hall itself. The new home for the Pacific Symphony soars eighty-three feet with seating for two thousand. But like a beautiful opera singer, a concert hall gets judged not on its looks, but its sound. And that enormous responsibility fell to a New Yorker. He's been living in Orange County the past few weeks and listening. He does a lot of listening. Damian Doria>> It's been about eight years from the first time that they contacted us about programming the hall and starting to budget what their cost would be. Roger Cooper>> Damian Doria is an acoustician, one of the two principal acoustic consultants on the project. Henry Segerstrom who has donated fifty million dollars to make the hall possible believes acoustics come first. Henry Segerstrom>> We chose the acousticians really before we chose the architect because we wanted to create a musical instrument. Roger Cooper>> And like a violin, this concert hall is tunable, which is what Doria is doing. Unlike Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the acoustics in Segerstrom Hall are adjustable. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> How do you tune a concert hall? There are three different ways. The first is by raising or lowering sections of the acoustic canapé that hangs over the orchestra. Second, strategically located velour drapes around the hall can be moved into place to absorb sound. And finally, you can adjust the doors to these stretchers with the glowing blue interior. These are giant reverberation chambers that run from floor to ceiling in the hall. By opening and shutting their doors, Doria can set things like the music's decay, the time it takes notes to die away. Damian Doria>> You can have a reverberant sound like a symphony orchestra would normally have in a concert hall. We can also open the doors fully and extend all the fabric and make the hall much better suited to amplified work. Roger Cooper>> Symphony violinist, Jeanne Skrocki, likes what she hears. Jeanne Skrocki>> Oh, my goodness. This is definitely a dream come true. I think for any musician, any fine musician, the sound in this hall allows us to really produce what it is that we've been training our whole lives to do. It's very exciting to hear a true sound of what it is that we're producing on stage. Roger Cooper>> And Performing Arts Center president, Terrence Dwyer, says so far, so good. Terrence Dwyer>> It looks beautiful, it sounds extraordinary. The artists of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra are just over the moon with excitement about how great it sounds and how thrilled they are about their future. Roger Cooper>> Doria decides what to adjust by listening to the orchestra in rehearsal and consulting with Maestro St. Clair. Damian Doria>> It was obvious from the start that the room had a very good presence, that we had a very good string sound. A lot of warmth and strength in the strings which was one of the things the PSO was very concerned about. We also have a very good woodwind sound and good balance between the different sections. Roger Cooper>> Jeanne can tell when Doria changes the canapé. Jeanne Skrocki>> Definitely. It's very easy for us to tell on stage when he changes it. In fact, we can tell even when he changes. There are three partitions at the top that are movable and we can tell when he moves each one. There's a little difference of sound, either the balance within the orchestra or the sound of the entire orchestra that goes out into the hall. Roger Cooper>> The attention to detail even extends to the air conditioning. Vents are placed at the base of the seats to reduce noise. Damian Doria>> That's a little unusual for North America and other parts of the world, particularly Europe. It's very common for air to come from below the seats and rise. In North America, we very often had top-down systems where air is put into the room at the top and then drawn down through the room, so you're using a lot more energy and you're also making it a lot noisier. Roger Cooper>> And the walls of the building are also designed to keep outside noise outside. Damian Doria>> The building itself is very heavy for sound isolation. We have aircraft that fly over from Santa Ana Airport and John Wayne Airport. There's also the potential for sirens or loud vehicles outside, so we have to protect the hall from those types of intrusive noises. Roger Cooper>> The Center's president says all this effort will be worth it. Terrence Dwyer>> This is a building where I expect exciting things to happen. I expect to experience creativity. I expect to experience innovation and to be challenged and inspired by the art on the stage. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> The debut of the Segerstrom Concert Hall marks a cultural milestone for Orange County. It joins other major cities that have built impressive new homes for their orchestras. Patrons are convinced that the investment they've made is a sound one, a beautiful sound. In Costa Mesa, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> You may think it's strange that we're doing a story about Santa Claus this time of year, but what you may not realize is that being Santa these days is serious business and, if you don't know what you're doing, you could get sued. Hena Cuevas takes a look at what Santas have to learn before they go to work. Hena Cuevas>> There's no snow, reindeer or mistletoe, but for one day, this conference room in San Dimas is Los Angeles's branch of the North Pole. This is Santa Claus University, or SCU, where these men and women come to learn the secrets of being Santa. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "We're going to cover a lot of things today. Today is like the tip of an iceberg, okay? There's a lot to be learned." Hena Cuevas>> It's Dave Blau's first class. He came all the way from Sacramento. Santa Dave Blau>> I've only done it in so much as I'm walking through Costco or the grocery store, that type of thing. Little kids will look at me and they'll say to their sister, "That's Santa Claus". You know, that's how I've done it, but I've never done it professionally. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "Knowledge of toys. Very, very important. How many of you started watching Saturday morning cartoons? Okay (laughter)." Hena Cuevas>> Teaching in the class is fifty-eight year old Tim Connaghan, or Santa Tim. He's been playing Santa Claus for almost forty years. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "You create happiness. That's what our job is. We create happiness." Hena Cuevas>> He's part of a group proudly calling themselves the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas. There's over a thousand members worldwide who get together at least once a year. They consider themselves Santa's ambassadors, helping the big boss accomplish his Yuletide mission. Santa Tim Connaghan>> There is a little bit of -- I won't say there's a chip on our shoulder, but a little bit of pride that we've taken the time and the energy to grow a real beard and to carry on this persona year-round. Hena Cuevas>> For them, Santa is serious business with high earning potential. Top-notch Santas can make as much as a hundred thousand dollars a year, but getting to that level takes time. Santa Tim Connaghan>> An average Santa will make eight to ten thousand dollars if they're working in a mall, let's say, but it takes a lot of work to get there. They're not just going to hire a guy off the street. They want someone with experience, someone who has credentials, who can pass a background check. Hena Cuevas>> But playing Santa nowadays has its liabilities and Santa Tim wants to make sure his students avoid any suspicion of child abuse. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "The other way is, of course, is the parents bring the child on your lap because this eliminates you having to put your hands under their armpits, things like that. Years ago, that was fine, but now people don't want Santa being that touchy-feely with kids with their hands." Hena Cuevas>> Also, never ask a child for an address or any other question the parents might find objectionable. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "Same thing is that your hands are always in the photo. Hands are never behind the child. So if you end up having three children in the picture and you've got a little one here and a couple of kids over here, this hand is way over here. If you can't get your hand over here, bring it back in front and put it right here. This has become a very important thing because liability-wise, some people don't see the hand in the picture and they wonder where is Santa's hand. We don't want to give them any doubt of where Santa's hand is, okay?" Hena Cuevas>> This is information that Ric Erwin and his wife, Victoria, of Ontario find very useful. They've been working as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for three years. Santa Ric Erwin>> The touching, I guess, is the evolution that I'm noticing the most. That really wasn't even a part of the business and even quite recently it wasn't even a part of the business, but now we're having to pay a lot more attention to it. That's what I'm paying attention to today. Hena Cuevas>> Santa Tim also covers insurance issues. What happens if you drop a kid or, even worse -- Santa Tim Connaghan>> "What if you find who's been battered and has come up here? How do you handle things like that? These are things that sometimes you can't be involved with and it's hard." Hena Cuevas>> The day-long class has been given plenty of information, including a short history of Santa and how the modern day image of the jolly guy in the red suit was spread around the world by Coca-Cola in an ad campaign in the 1930s. Santa Tim also covers those sensitive questions that kids ask. "Does Santa really exist?" "How do reindeer fly?" And -- Santa Tim Connaghan>> "What if you don't have a chimney?" Well, when you don't have a chimney, a lot of Santas have magic keys, okay?" Hena Cuevas>> One of the main things Santa Tim emphasizes about the business of being Santa Claus is realism because, let's face it, the more realistic Santa looks, the more he can charge. But getting that look isn't cheap and it isn't easy. That's why they get help from specialty shops like this costume store in Hollywood. Theresa Saidy>> This is the most popular color and the most popular traditional style of Santa. Hena Cuevas>> Theresa Saidy is the owner of Adele's of Hollywood. Her store specializes in costumes and Santa suits central. Theresa Saidy>> The Christmas part is more than sixty percent because we have all these shopping centers where we make all these huge numbers of suits which they use throughout the year. Hena Cuevas>> She estimates they make between six to eight hundred Santa outfits a year. Theresa Saidy>> This one is a special item. It has the long cape with the imitation rabbit fur imported from England. Then you have the vest and the pants and the hat. Hena Cuevas>> How much would one of these cost? Theresa Saidy>> Well, one of these costs about eighteen hundred complete because you have a white shirt. Then you have the vest, the pants, the hat, this cape and then there's another cape if you want to wear two capes. Hena Cuevas>> Her most expensive one? Almost three thousand dollars, and Santas are demanding more and more detail. Theresa Saidy>> This Santa came from Georgia to bring me these buttons to put on his suits. Hena Cuevas>> Oh, it has the names of the reindeer. Theresa Saidy>> Uh-huh. They're fifty dollars each. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "A lot of it, though, is what you learn in the chair. What you learn when you're sitting in that chair, when you're talking with the children, when you're working with the families or the photographers, all those things. That's where you really get it. It's on the job training." Hena Cuevas>> Connaghan's first Santa role was decades ago back in 1969 when he was a soldier in Vietnam. He was only twenty-one when he got his first real Santa job in a department store a few years later. He now has one of the most coveted jobs in the Santa business, the official Santa of the Hollywood Parade. Santa Tim Connaghan>> "Hello, everyone. Hello, everyone at home! Ho, ho, ho!" Hena Cuevas>> And in case you're wondering, yes, the beards stay on year-round and take a good amount of primping and plenty of bleach. Santa Tim Connaghan>> I think I have to be more careful sometimes, you know. If somebody cuts me off on the freeway, all I do is wave. I'm a different person. Santa is a different person and you have to be that way all the time. Hena Cuevas>> Now you may be thinking that Santas can make good money, but it's seasonal work at best. Think again. This year in the middle of a warm and sunny September, the Los Angeles County Fair set up a Winter Wonderland with beach sand and an umbrella for a vacationing Santa Ric. Santa Ric Erwin>> "Everybody, big Santa smile and say Christmas tree!" Santa Ric Erwin>> It is just unbelievable how this business is growing. I'm in it. I've been in entertainment for thirty years and I've seen fads come and go, but Santa is like disco on steroids with no end game. It is just getting bigger. Hena Cuevas>> If vacation Santas catch on, Santas could be working summers as well. But all legalities and business aside, these men say the essence of being Santa hasn't changed. Santa Tim Connaghan>> That's where the memories are built. The kids build their memories on what they've experienced and you have to give them that experience. Santa Ric Erwin>> When you put those boots on and you start clomping, clomping, clomping, and you've got that big outfit and that fur swishing and you got these big hand movements, people are getting out of your way and traffic is backing up, man, I'll tell you what, it's a good thing they don't let me near tall buildings because I might try to fly. Santa Ric Erwin>> "Have fun. I'll see you at Christmas. Bye-bye." Hena Cuevas>> I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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