In the Neighborhood
At 18:55 on 3 October I traveled across an overpass on one of the most heavily-trafficked boulevards of our city. Perhaps a dozen adult Muslim males and females were waving large Palestinian flags and waving at the drivers.
Being the journalist, I would have loved to stop and speak with the group. A heavy traffic pattern would not allow for it. I was a bit startled, because it seemed a bit out of sync for the ebb and flow of my city. We seem entirely too lazy to protest about much of anything. Albeit, the members of this group were all smiles. The rest of us were just the average urban meerkats trying to make it home.
The usual journalism questions would have applied: Who, what, when, where, why, and why now?
Who? Were there any Palestinians in the group? What was their platform or was it spontaneous? When had this group previously met and under what circumstances? Where was their next flag display going to be? Why? But more importantly, "Why now?" That answer was probably in a headline of the day.
A cursory search produced a couple of organizations which might be involved in the aforementioned activity. And the activity is merely one of freedom of expression.
Let it be noted, I would have asked the same questions if it had been gun-toting patriots waving American flags on the same overpass, or Hare Krishna dancing about in their orange robes.
This is how the mind of a journalist works. 24/7. Because there are times that even when in restful sleeping state, my brain is archiving and answering the questions of the day. And I awaken to new questions in the morning. Because when curiosity dies, we also cease to be.
Smiling,
Tammy
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