16A- What's Your Secret Sauce?

1)    Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. What is it about you, exactly, that makes you different? Write this up in a detailed list. 

1.    I’m incredibly quantitative. I like to think of things in terms of numbers, ratios, functions. I think quantitative models can be applied to optimize everything, even a project as qualitative as this.

2.    I’m the consumer of my own product. I’ve been reading the news daily for years now, I feel I’m a consumer of the product I’m creating. I understand intimately the consumer perspective of the media—it was my own frustration that got me involved in this project.

3.    In addition to being a consumer of my own product, I’ve consumed many alternatives to the news I read currently. I feel I’m very open-minded when it comes to sources, so I understand how the format of CNN vs FOX is. This may be synonymous with understanding the competitor.

4.    I’m a huge history buff. I like reading about the past, and I think that helps frame a lot of studies. Historical and current context makes a story fuller, this being said, I see this as a huge advantage when it comes to actually produce this content.

5.    I’ve been involved in debate teams my entire life, I know there are always two sides—its important to present the best two versions of competing arguments when addressing issues in the media. I think being able to identify these arguments and break them down without their fallacies is the optimal way to create the media

The key takeaways of my interviews:

“You think like an economist”

“You’re always trying to pick things apart”

“You call out fallacies, even when you use them”

“You try your best to see both sides”

“You like to argue”

My first interview was Kristin Bausch. We talk a lot about current events and theories, and she said “you think like an economist, you like to apply your stupid economic theories to everything that’s not economics” What I think she's getting at is using incentive structures to make processes more efficient. I showed her all my 5 points and she agreed.

My second interview was Kye Livezey, my brother. He said “you always like to pick things apart” which I agree with too. He agreed with all my points, except #3 where I said I consume a variety of sources

My third source was Garrett Kost. He said, “You call out fallacies, even when you use them”. Garrett was on the debate team with me, so I suppose he knows me pretty intimately when it comes to that matter. He agreed with all my points

My fourth source was my Mom, tina. She said, “you try your best to see both sides” (thanks mom). She agreed with all my points and added that she loves me very much. Cool

My fifth source was my roommate, Isaac price. Isaac said “you like to argue” but that’s only because he leaves dishes in the sink (: I showed Isaac my points and he agreed with all of them except #1. He said he “sees [me] as more qualitative than quantitative, quality over quantity,” I thought this was… interesting

Most of my sources had similar (but slightly different?) perspectives of me than I did of myself. I thought it was interesting to see the responses change based on who I was interviewing. They were all the same adjectives but used in a different connotation. I think the differences in the role I play in these people’s lives, and vice versa. I think they were correct, but if I were to make any corrections I’d create a counterargument to each of my points to see if they still all stand