Ignorance rules
John Gyorki
April 06th, 2008.
Extraordinary fear of terrorism in the US seems to have paralyzed our law enforcers’ sense of responsibility and what is best for its citizens to the point of compromising many of their rights and freedoms. For example, I have three hobbies and a university degree, all of which recently have come under suspicion for being criminal. Let me explain.
I have been an amateur photographer since I was ten years old. My uncle and I used to do photo shoots on weekends of nature scenes, people, buildings, statues, fountains, and many other objects. Once, I photographed a night scene of a petroleum refinery; its unusual lights and flames made a fantastic, prize-winning gallery picture. Not anymore. Now, I am harassed by the “law” when I take a picture in a public park! Because I carry a tripod and camera with a large lens, I am judged to be either a terrorist or a professional photographer breaking some law. You know what “they” do to terrorists. But as a perceived professional photographer, I am not allowed to take pictures of certain “copy-righted” buildings! That means the owners suspect I will get rich printing and selling pictures of their building (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame comes to mind); they want the exclusive right to do so. How ignorant is that?
I also collect knives as a hobby. As a youngster, my father made sure I was always equipped with a sharp knife for hunting and fishing. I carried a pocket-knife until shortly after 9/11 when the airlines made a fuss over pocket-knives and fingernail clippers. So, I substituted my pocket knife for a small penknife on my keychain — until two years ago. I was called for jury duty and the penknife was taken from me before I could enter the courthouse!
How ignorant is that?
Thirdly, I was an amateur radio operator in the ‘50s. After a tornado struck our city, all communications were disabled; only the police and ham radio operators maintained communications. We helped rescue traffic and let people know their loved ones were safe. But what happened in New Orleans? The Feds would not let the ham radio operators help with emergency communications as they traditionally had for decades. Could it be that some of them were suspected of being terrorists or other kinds of criminals? Don’t they know that ham radio operators are among the pioneers who developed the radios and cell phones that we enjoy today?
How ignorant is that?
Now we come to the coup de grace. My degree is in engineering, and I just discovered that statistically, I could be a criminal because most terrorists have engineering degrees. The Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, UK, issued a report last year that says engineers are over-represented among violent Islamic radicals everywhere. Furthermore, they claim that among other factors, our “engineering mindset” of understanding complex problems and being able to solve them handily could contribute to making us criminals. The logic is as good as saying the sky is part of the ocean because both are blue!
Come on people, I am not responsible for your ignorance.
John Gyorki
Editorial Director
jgyorki@designworldonline.com
Authors:
- John Gyorki (14)
- Larry Boulden (3)
- Leslie Langnau (3)
- Mike Emich (1)
- Scott McCafferty (2)
