Rally for Economic Success
counter protesters, 500cm, zeiss 80/2.8, 100TMAX
The rally for economic success was held the other day in some blistering heat. I parked, having escaped from work right as it started and headed over. I grabbed the hasselblad and leica and some film and trundled towards the entrance to be informed by a marshall that I was not getting in with my bag. I drove away, and then saw some moratorium supporters, against the thrust of the larger rally inside the cajundome, commanding a corner with signs.
The protesters would hold their signs and sometimes yell at cars, sometimes being yelled at from cars. Strangely, and I suspect a vestige of racism, many cars shouted for them to get a job. Which is amazing considering the ten thousand people inside the cajundome were also in attendance at the same time. But black people, protesting during the day, probably don’t have jobs unlike those inside. A few more yelled terrorist and the like, and a few cars got into yelling matches mostly highlighting prefabricated phrases that both side sought to sell yell the loudest at each other.
hasselblad 500cm zeiss 80/2.8
A lady asked me who I worked for and I said Olive Garden, to a blank stare. My purpose was to see how democracy worked. That is, how do three hundred million find a consensus, exchange ideas, and govern themselves. This is important to me, because as I understand it, we govern ourselves, we are not governed. But I’m not sure if the futility of holding a sign on Congress Street is the intrinsic small voice allocated to one three-hundred-millionth of a body politic or if the idea truly doesn’t matter and there will be a “referendum” every two to four years voted on party lines, and the “good” of the people will be exercised as seen fit, not as deliberated.
leica m6, 50mm summicron hp5+ red filter
I left the rally wondering what would be the result, if any, of the day. The governor, Bobby Jindal, was there, but he came to declare his position, not receive it. One could argue the multi-thousand turnout would be confirmation of what he said, but I still can’t make up my mind. Something leaves me uneasy inside, as if we must deal with what we are handed down, regardless of support, either popular or unpopular.
leica m6, 50mm summicron hp5+ red filter
This unease comes from the distance this will have from us. Currently, court challenges and executive order are the vehicles for the current controversy. Regardless, congress is out of it. And they seem incapable to do anything. Its as if we are always too slow to do anything, and can only legislate after a disaster, not before it. For instance, financial reform comes after a financial meltdown, not before. Credit default swaps become regulated after a 770 billion dollar money infusion and trillions in guarantees, but not in foresight, only after. Its as if we are always behind, solving problems rather than anticipating them.
I’m unsure of whether we are capable of governing ourselves.
leica m6, 50mm summicron hp5+ red filter
hasselblad zeiss 80/2.8 100 TMAX
The thing is that you rarely hear of any major crisis that you may have prevented. These theoretical crises that may or may not have happened don’t impact the lives of people as much as the actual crises do. So yeah, it always does appear we solve problems with hindsight, because it’s hard as hell to tell if we’ve ever solved anything through prior planning.