Riot Like an Egyptian...

I read a little about the protesting going on in Egypt today. Unfortunately, it only described the details of an aggressive stand-off between supporters of the current government and the outspoken advocates of the ousting of the current president. I would rather have gotten some insight as to why they are bloodying each other up, riding camels and waiving machetes. I'm sure they all have good reasons for what they are doing, things like ripping up the street so they can throw chunks of it at each other, pulling down fencing and peeling panels off of walls to use as noise makers and shields. Rioting is always so compelling. Whether it brings about the changes the rioters are seeking or not, it does make for some good news feed. A little shooting, a little looting, somebody gets a plasma bag at a makeshift clinic, somebody else gets a plasma TV from the local electronics depot. It's all drama, and don't we love that? You never see scenes from countries where absolutely nothing is going on featured on the news. Not that you could get people to tune in to that day after day, but every once in awhile it might be nice. Just a shot of somewhere innocuous like Winnipeg or Bern. Maybe focus on a flock of birds wandering through a downtown thoroughfare, track a family wandering about with their cameras. A dog walker comes through. There is playful confusion. No one in injured. Nothing is destroyed. It's peaceful. Show me that, CNN. Describe that in your featured article, Washington Post. That is news. The rest is soap opera drama. Tune in tomorrow to find out if Achmed survives triage. Honestly, I would rather play with my cats than to worry about the problems in a far away land. Perhaps that is selfish or myopic. Probably. But you should really see the way they go after their mouse rattle toys.