Mark's Hallmark store downtown had few customers but a steady stream of pleas for film, batteries and disposable cameras. The people intent on capturing the moment seemed to outnumber those actually living in the moment. This went far beyond those whose job is to capture the moment, like the press or legal advocates. It included many who might seem otherwise preoccupied - like a Metro driver in a bus blockade, recording the scene with a camcorder jutting out his window. Mere experience seemed insufficient.
Realness now requires the accumulation of proof.
I deliberately left my camera at home all week, a painful decision I regretted every 15 minutes. Job responsibilities aside, I wanted proof of my existence. Downtown is a fantasyland for the rich, he said, serviced by the non-rich like himself, swept clean for the WTO of the homeless and poor. There are myriad ways to see the many lenses capturing WTO protests. It is heartening to see that people are no longer passive recipients of information and images - they control and create it, too.