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Image: Social Activism Sound Recording Project, Pacifica Radio/UC Berkeley :: :: ::

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats Too noble to neglect Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect Good and bad, I define these terms Quite clear, no doubt, somehow. Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. [Lyric © Bob Dylan (1964/1992 Special Rider Music)]

We turned on and tuned in to one of three available nightly newscasts looking for the visuals that would expand the printed stories of that morning's newspaper. Reporters by the thousands were 'deployed' all over the world delivering volumes of information reduced to carefully checked column inches. "What's going on in the world" in 500 words or less, two bits at the newstand. Between then and now editors and publishers' collective wisdom has been reduced from a vast open space into a tiny bubble that would fit with room to spare up a pissant's ass. Granted there are exceptions, but they are few and very far apart, having an unfortunate tendency to be showered with accolades one heartbeat before they walk out the door to 'retirement-land'. Funny how that circle turns around. On the other side of the bayonet line the 'angry protestors' have leased a suite of rooms in that pissant's ass, living in near-total harmony with their now-fellow travellers. Mos' likely because today's 'protests' occur mostly in electronic whitespace - twittering twits - eliminating the messy and expensive government practice of calling out the National Guard and/or Army to inflict stability. After all, it's the economy, stupid. There are the costs of fueling up the Volvo, making sure the signs are printed correctly and on time @ Kinko's, coordinating with the rest of the party crew in private listservs, and even calling the local gendarmes to make sure they know children will be there (just like last year). Patterned-perfect, the modern-day Birkenstock Irregulars send press releases to the local newspapers, who by the time of said protest will have received an embossed-cover binder of publicity stills, position papers, and an extensive list of 'Resources on the Web'. Editors will dispatch some new kid with a digital camera and laptop, who will write a lede graph taken directly from the 'About Us' section of the website, spend ten or fifteen minutes on the street interviewing a Volvo-mom, the homeless guy against a wall with glazed eyes, and a mounted cop, cut-and-paste the story from last year's 'protest', grab a beer and bail. I'm firmly concinced the going has got weird, but most of the pros have gone home.