Dear journalists:

Dear "Journalists":

It's wonderful that you have strong opinions about the events taking place in the world around you.
Really.
But it's important to understand the facts, the causes, the effects, of political change as it's unfolding.

There is a place for "opinion" in most newspapers and magazines.
It's called the editorial page.
The rest of the newspaper is for news, i.e., facts.
Who, what, where, when, and why.
Those are the basic elements.
Ignoring those basic elements is insulting to your readers.

Take for instance the photo below.

It's a picture of  a young man holding a large rock which, it appears, he is about to throw.
Presumably at police.

The man in the photo is wearing a mask.
And a helmet.
And is holding a baton.

And you, Mr. Journalist-man, call him a protester.
I looked up protester.
Here's what I found:

pro·test  (pr-tst, pr-, prtst)
v. pro·test·ed, pro·test·ing, pro·tests
v.tr.
1. To object to, especially in a formal statement. See Synonyms at object.
2. To promise or affirm with earnest solemnity: "He continually protested his profound respect" (Frank Norris).
3. Law To declare (a bill) dishonored or refused.
4. Archaic To proclaim or make known: "unrough youths that even now/Protest their first of manhood" (Shakespeare).
v.intr.
1. To express strong objection.
2. To make an earnest avowal or affirmation.
n. (prtst)
1. A formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person, group, or organization.
2. An individual or collective gesture or display of disapproval.
3. Law
a. A formal statement drawn up by a notary for a creditor declaring that the debtor has refused to accept or honor a bill.
b. A formal declaration made by a taxpayer stating that the tax demanded is illegal or excessive and reserving the right to contest it.


You'll notice an absence of rock-throwing, baton-swinging, hooliganism in the definition above.


Sorry.

See.
That sentence was loaded with pejorative.
You can tell by the words that I chose what I think of the man holding the rock.
Because words have specific meanings.
And because words have power.
And when you call a rock throwing man, dressed in riot gear, a "protester", we can tell what you think as well.
Except, you're (presumably) a paid professional.

Why is it that a one-eyed goofball, who barely scraped thru community college, has to explain what it is you do for a living?

The answer, of course, is obvious.

You are a hack.
An incompetent know-it-all.
The worst kind of know-it-all, if you ask me.
It's one thing to be arrogant in regards to the things that you know and do well.
But to be this bad at your chosen field of professed expertise.....well, you should go into politics.
Which is clearly what you're really angling at here.
Because only a hack with a strong political bent could look at this picture and have the unmitigated gall to label this person a protester.
And that, I think, is my big issue here.
The failure to recognize and identify problems, even when those problems jump up and throw rocks at your head.

Beavers build dams.

That's an old saying.
It means that it's easy to identify what you're dealing with by looking at that particular "things" behaviour, esp. when that behaviour is repeated over time.
Given that this "protester" showed up to this "protest" with his riot gear, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is not his first rodeo.
He appears to have been around the "protest" block a time or two, and has part of the sidewalk to show for it, natch.

Photos of the Day, December 2012

Photos of the Day, 12.01.12

Eduardo Verdugo/Associated Press

A protestor holds a rock during clashes with police outside the steel security barriers around the National Congress, where the swearing in of new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is taking place in Mexico City, Saturday Dec. 1, 2012. Pena Nieto took power at midnight in a symbolic ceremony and will formally take the oath of office Saturday morning after campaigning as the face of a new PRI, a party that claims to be repentant and reconstructed after voted out of the presidency in 2000.