Interlineations appear below, Ferd. Thanks for asking the right questions. Jan
On 11/18/06, Ferd Eggan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jay, thanks for zeroing in on this and posting the video. I think it > raises some important questions. The following are some examples: [snip] > 4. Is this an attack on the freedom of all? Are middle > eastern-looking persons part of "all?" Evidently, when at war, enemies and anyone related to the enemy group are separated from humanity. That's wartime strategy. How do we fight the impulse to profile folks? 5. What responsibility do I or you or anyone have to people who are "other?" Is the Christian story of the good samaritan relevant? What if the "other" is objectionable somehow, like homeless and smelly, or loud and obnoxious, or speaking another language? That is the challenge, isn't it? To kiss and break bread with the smelly among us. Why, oh why haven't we put more resources into alternative energy R & D? Oops. Digression. 6. If the person who videoed the whole tazing episode was a journalist, would that have changed the situation? Would being an "objective" journalist be an ethical position in this case? I don't think the situation would have changed were the videographer a journalist, but perhaps the news aftermath might have been different. Of course objectivity among the press corps is ethical. Journalism has become confused with opinion and entertainment of late so perhaps you're missing those elements in this case. It would be refreshing to have objective reportage in the television news. I think the video of the incident was totally objective. Do you not see it that way? 7. Besides showing or viewing the video, what other responses could we make? Blog/vlog it. Get it out there. Google it. Link to sites that report the news and ongoing discussion and what happens. Lots of communities are discussing this taser phenom. Perhaps your own community debates the wisdom of its use. Find out and vlog it. 8. Would technical skills have helped either the student who was tazed or the student who shot the video? This comment is what caught my eye and imagination. Yes! Yes! Shooting with a cell phone is its own motion picture animal. Had the videographer more experience, the footage would have been much better. Everybody would benefit from learning the in's and out's of shooting cell phone video. The student knowing his rights and how to deal effectively with police would have helped him a lot, no doubt. Saw a video on YouTube from a group that follows police officers with video cameras. There was a segment on how to intersect effectively with police when filming. We need a freevlog-type series on how faux journalists and dissenters can best use a police encounter to advantage rather than disadvantage. Will try to find a link to that video again and post it under this thread. 9. Is the mission of helping everyone get access to video communication enough to prevent police attacks? If not, what is enough? I think local police departments have civilian review committees, at least they do in New York. Get involved. Make sure your local police understand that a police state is un-American, etc. Jay, as you know from our interview, I ask these questions all the time. I do not mean to imply anything about you or Gena or others who respond. I just think the questions are useful for people like us who do videoblogging. What do you--anyone--think? Ferd Eggan http://www.ferdeggan.net and Cranky agrees with me http://crankypwa.blogspot.com
