# Looking to interview Hitchhikers for a Magazine in NYC



## skmohr123

Hi! 

I am working on a photo essay on The Art of Hitchhiking around the United States. As a gallery featured photographer and writer, my angle and intent is to be able to share a space of curated stories that makes freedom seem tangible. Young and old, female, male, non-binary, etc... this essay encompasses all races, genders, and sexual orientations. This story is about reclaiming power through the form of hitchhiking, along with the juxtaposition of how hitchhiking has evolved over the years. Please message me if this is something that interests you and you are willing to share your story ASAP. Must be based in NYC. 

Thanks!

Selina


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## Deleted member 125

I sure hope yer paying well. To anyone thinking about participating in this please be aware the odds of you making an ass out of yerself are pretty high. You'd be letting a complete stranger paint whatever picture of you they want to.

Best of luck on yer photo essay.


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## HitchBiker

"hitchhikers"

"must be based in NYC"


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## Coywolf

No offense to the journalist, but man, StP sure does get alot of these posts. 

Remember what happened with that last one about hopping trains? I believe it was a disaster...and only the people who had no buisness representing that lifestyle responded, for fortune and fame...


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## Deleted member 24029

BikePunky said:


> "hitchhikers"
> 
> "must be based in NYC"


Hitching around Manhattan? Or to the outer boroughs, if one is daring?


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## pewpew

Yeah no thanks, most of us hate publicity. I think you're out of your realm.


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## Ringo

Coywolf said:


> No offense to the journalist, but man, StP sure does get alot of these posts.
> 
> Remember what happened with that last one about hopping trains? I believe it was a disaster...and only the people who had no buisness representing that lifestyle responded, for fortune and fame...


Of course STP gets a lot of these posts. It’s the prominent online community and intentionally provides information for alternative travel. 

I’m dissapointed, but not surprised by most of the responses here. It’s like you don’t even comprehend her words, — read this and tell me you honestly believe it sounds like a morally bad thing.

“my angle and intent is to be able to share a space of curated stories that makes freedom seem tangible. Young and old, female, male, non-binary, etc... this essay encompasses all races, genders, and sexual orientations. This story is about reclaiming power through the form of hitchhiking, along with the juxtaposition of how hitchhiking has evolved over the years. ”

She wants to tell stories of freedom to empower people, and this community wants to treat her likes she’s Rupert fucking Murdoch or something? Because shes doing it for work? Because she wants to publicize it? It’s completely juvenile to me. The responses here are silly, hypocratic and contrarian to the values this culture represents, in my eyes anyway. But that’s probably why I don’t participate in the community much.. Sorry you have to deal with it OP, youll find that most of this culture is jaded and immature. I don’t hitchhike much anymore and I don’t live in New York, but I would be fine to correspond with you through email or something.


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## Ringo

I hope somebody in NYC with their head on straight steps up to bat on this one. This is an opportunity to share your perspective, to have your thoughts and feelings and all the things you reject about society actually resonate within SOCIETY. Isn’t that where it counts? Sticking within the narrow viewpoints of the culture is holding yourself back. This is an opportunity. Dropping out and being jaded isn’t fighting capitalism, or much of anything. It makes me sad to see so many smart and humanitarian people in this culture, and to know they won’t actually do anything with it to have an impact on the things they hate about this world. **one long sigh**


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## Anagor

Ringo said:


> I hope somebody in NYC with their head on straight steps up to bat on this one. This is an opportunity to share your perspective, to have your thoughts and feelings and all the things you reject about society actually resonate within SOCIETY. Isn’t that where it counts?



Well, maybe yes.

But I would suggest before you talk to someone and allow an interview and photos to be published ... make a contract that you need to authorize that interview and the photos.

For example: some time ago a friend of mine was interviewed by people who claimed to "help the homeless" with an article.

My friend said "as a woman it's sometimes hard to be on the streets alone" .... "but I chose that livestyle deliberately and I like it". Only the first part was published.

And she said "I love my parents and I visit them sometimes" ... "but I can't go to my parents right now" Only the latter part was published.

Obviously the interviewers didn't want to publish "Yeah, it's hard sometimes *but I chose to do it*" and "*Okay relationship with parents* but can't go there actually right now" and instead "It's hard as a woman alone" and "can't go to my family". Totally different story.

Be careful when you talk to press or alike, just saying.


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## pewpew

Ringo said:


> I hope somebody in NYC with their head on straight steps up to bat on this one. This is an opportunity to share your perspective, to have your thoughts and feelings and all the things you reject about society actually resonate within SOCIETY. Isn’t that where it counts? Sticking within the narrow viewpoints of the culture is holding yourself back. This is an opportunity. Dropping out and being jaded isn’t fighting capitalism, or much of anything. It makes me sad to see so many smart and humanitarian people in this culture, and to know they won’t actually do anything with it to have an impact on the things they hate about this world. **one long sigh**


 I actually approve of capitalist, I'm not an anarchist...but that's not the point of why people don't won't to give certain information about this lifestyle...we don't want to be published and out there for more people to copy this type of living. We don't need credibility or recognizing of how or why we do this type of thing.


Everyone has their own opinions but I don't care for others to know what this is or about...what I always bsay to people when they ask is "you either get it or you don't'


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## Ringo

You both have valid points, I jumped the gun and made some assumptions here. I have 100% been a proponent to keeping it all hush hush, until recently. It’s all so blown out now, there’s no hiding the thing anymore and my attention has shifted to sharing the positive virtues of the lifestyle with other people rather than hiding it. It’s a fine balance and I definitely understand where you guys are coming from. Different strokes for different folks. Carry on..


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## Ringo

I feel strongly that this culture and people in it have important things to share with the world, for the greater good. Some people won’t understand, be we can’t have an impact staying the shadows. Okay, I’m done now.


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## Matt Derrick

pewpew said:


> I actually approve of capitalist, I'm not an anarchist...but that's not the point of why people don't won't to give certain information about this lifestyle...we don't want to be published and out there for more people to copy this type of living. We don't need credibility or recognizing of how or why we do this type of thing.



that might be your reasoning, but it's not everyone's. StP exists to expand and educate the community in a positive way as an alternative to consumerist culture.

but that's just why i do it, i know not everyone is here for the same thing.



Ringo said:


> I hope somebody in NYC with their head on straight steps up to bat on this one. This is an opportunity to share your perspective, to have your thoughts and feelings and all the things you reject about society actually resonate within SOCIETY. Isn’t that where it counts? Sticking within the narrow viewpoints of the culture is holding yourself back. This is an opportunity. Dropping out and being jaded isn’t fighting capitalism, or much of anything. It makes me sad to see so many smart and humanitarian people in this culture, and to know they won’t actually do anything with it to have an impact on the things they hate about this world. **one long sigh**



i agree that it's disappointing to see the reactions in this thread, but at the same time im not at all surprised, considering how much corporate media abuses any subculture it can get it's hands on for profit.

that said, my initial impression of the OP is that they're fairly independent, although looking back over it now they don't mention who they're working for or if it's an school related thing. sorry, i missed the title, it says it's for a magazine, so take that as you will.


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## Ringo

Very good points Matt. Thanks for chiming in.


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## Koala

I did journalism at college and covered stories on a few different squats in the city in Australia I was living in. I was new to the scene and had a genuine interest in the stories, and found relevant folks to talk to. And gave my tired professors different stories to read rather than the same 5 articles students end up writing. 

I did my best to tell the stories un-biased, which is the goal of journalism, however writing for a magazine with an editor or series of editors can spin your story however they please. 

An example is this Albany NY squat story 
(https://squattheplanet.com/threads/...-share-downtown-squat-anarchist-ideals.36407/) 
published in a newspaper, which twisted the words of the womyn who lived there saying they were living there because of their boyfriends, when in fact they had chosen the lifestyle themselves. 

However, I can also attest that not all of the misinterpreting of stories is intentional. It's extremely difficult to portray something that you've never experienced first hand.

In theory, the best thing OP could write would be a story from their first time hitchhiking!

Tl;dr...From perspective of a journalism background, OP probably doesn't have malicious intent, it's possible the story could get spun via editor looking to add drama to the story, or the story could be misrepresented because it's seriously hard to portray a story and feeling and experience that you haven't experienced first hand.


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## Ringo

However, I can also attest that not all of the misinterpreting of stories is intentional. It's extremely difficult to portray something that you've never experienced first hand. 



This ^ especially the last sentence. I’d venture the guess that people who omit segments of a quote, or other things that change a persons story are simply saying what THEY think and see about your situation, which may be incorrect and not cool for you but in a sense is part of their creative expression in writing? After all, people lie. Maybe they think a person is down playing their situation for pride or to make themselves seem less homeless? That’s something that ideally would be clarified, but that doesn’t mean it was done as an intentional lie or misrepresentation. I think it’s very fair to be skeptical of the press, but I also think it’s paranoid and incorrect to inherently assume they are looking to manipulate you for $$ or a good story.


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