Hit a universal theme, sprinkle in cultural details

Several years ago, I wrote a story about the first team of deaf cheerleaders being selected to participate in the biggest cheerleading competition on the West Coast, at Disneyland.

In terms of culture, this story taught me two important lessons:

Widen your horizon about what defines culture. In fact, nearly every group can be classified into a culture if it has specific values, rituals and behaviors. Culture doesn't have to be defined by religion, race or geography. Vegetarians have a culture. Harley bikers have a culture. So do deaf people. In general, the deaf community's motto is, "We're not stupid. We can do everything that you do, except hear. We don't want your pity.''

2) A sophisticated tale about culture should both show and tell without hitting readers over the head. What makes a culture unique and interesting should be expressed with nuanced, telling details.

My first of two stories was about the squad of deaf high school cheerleaders who earned a spot at the big Disney competition. Realizing that I had an unusual news story on my hands, and searching for ways to make it special, I headed into the office of a wonderful and thoughtful editor, Elisabeth Rubinfien, (who is no longer at the Mercury News). I asked her, "So how do I write this without saying dumb things like, 'Deaf people can cheer too. Deaf people can do lots of things that other people can.'"

She gave me some excellent advice: Write a universally interesting story. In this case, the universal element was about competition, specifically cheerleading. She recommended that I weave throughout the story the things that make these deaf cheerleaders different, special and interesting.

To read my stories, click here:

"Spirited squad, teens from deaf school make history"

"Finding cheer, even in defeat"

I've pulled out a few passages that reflect my approach of building a universal theme and sprinkling in cultural details:

As the boom box blasts at a basketball game, 18-year-old Erin Ross, a senior at Fremont's California School for the Deaf, shakes her pompons, jumps, and lands in splits. No one in the stands can tell that she can't hear the music and is counting the beats to make sure she swings her hips in time to the song.

That is exactly what Ross wants. Cheerleading is her way of saying she is just like everyone else.

That set up the story. Then I wrote about cheerleading in general and how it differs for deaf cheerleaders. The story continues like this:

Ross and her squad are able to give the illusion that they are hearing the music because they are all counting the beats in their heads and watching the captain's non-verbal cues to jump, shake and clap. It reminds Ross, who was born deaf, of the jazz and tap classes she took with hearing children when she was young, before it became too frustrating to keep up. 

"It was OK when she was 4 years old,'' said her mother, Karen Ross, who has hearing and works as a nurse at Highland General Hospital in Oakland. "The kids and teacher did a lot of non-verbal things anyway. But as soon as they started talking, at maybe 8 or 9, Erin saw their mouths opening and closing and she felt left out, alienated. It was a very tough time for her.'' 

Because they're each counting to themselves, deaf cheerleaders are sometimes just a hair off the musical beat. Music vibrations don't help: The thumps are too weak and the cheerleaders are too busy dancing to pay attention. 

Watching deaf cheerleaders perform can be stunning for a hearing audience, especially when the squad spells out its team name. Soft grunts replace traditional battle cries and rebel yells. When they chant ""G-O E-A-G-L-E-S!'' the cheerleaders either spell out the words in American Sign Language or hold up orange and brown placards. The crowd, also silent, mimics back the chants.

Deaf cheerleaders proudly display exaggerated facial expressions -- a hallmark of the deaf community and an essential ingredient in showing spirit.

I followed up by going to Disneyland to watch them compete. Again, I wanted to tell a universal story complete with jitters and excitement about the competition, while indicating that something special was happening because this was its first deaf team. So, as I tried to capture the mood of the day, I added details about how the girls flirt with guys by using sign language and exchanging email, or how they read a crowd's body language to know they were getting a standing ovation. I also told how their coaches interpreted the results in sign language, breaking the news they hadn't come in first.

Many times when reporters jump into a new culture, they write a story that sounds as if it comes from an encyclopedia. They explain a group and its beliefs in a dry way. That's often turns boring material of interest only to that particular group.

But my editor's advice - hit a universal theme while infusing the story with cultural details - applies to any story about culture, whether the group is defined by country, faith or even disability.

Lisa Fernandez is a reporter at the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News. She covers everything from crime to community, and believes that a person's cultural background is often a key motivating factor, but is sadly overlooked by the mainstream media. She has a degree in anthropology from McGill University in Montreal and a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago. Please submit ideas or stories for Lisa to review.