Blog Post #2: Cole’s Idea of Location

 In Cole’s first chapter, Robert Coles talks about an encounter he had with Bob Moses, the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, when Coles volunteered with Moses to document the Civil Rights movement in the South. While together, Moses explains and states “ So, it’s location, man, location, for us: where we’re at, and where you’re at, and where we can do, and where we can’t go- that’s why I favor stopping to look at one person, then the next…” (30) In this quote, Moses is describing that location goes far beyond just a physical place but rather involves the people around us and our connections with them. Location can also include our varying perspectives, our past experiences that help shape our perspectives. Location is also constantly changing based on our current experiences that shape us and our beliefs. This idea relates to one of Cole’s ideas in the introduction that location or the “field” of documentary is an “ever-changing entity” and constantly evolving (13).

This reminds me of when I moved away for college last year. For the first half of my first semester, I didn’t feel at home at Muhlenberg. I remember sobbing all of move-in day, scared of this unknown place and lifestyle I was about to begin. All the people and places I considered home were 2 and a half hours away in Baltimore, leaving me to feel lonely and lost. Over time, I started to feel more comfortable at Muhlenberg, creating a routine that I got comfortable with and gaining genuine friendships that felt similar to those back at home. Over time, Muhlenberg has begun to feel like another home for me and a place that I love with people and things that I love. My new experiences and the new people around me have shifted my perspective of Muhlenberg from being a place of unknowns and fears to a place full of joy and love. Over time, my location and my perception of it began to change, just as Moses and Coles talk about. My experience with Muhlenberg demonstrates that location is not fixed; it is constantly evolving and is defined by more than just the physical location.