February 11, 2004

That small dark bump against the horizon is the Statue of Liberty, seen at sunset from the promenade near the ferry docks. All that skycolor is a bit enhanced by the mysterious workings of my PDA/cellphone/camera/artificial leg. It wasn't nearly as interesting in person, but a change in the white balance setting made it pink and moody.

The sky's real colors were interesting enough to attract the attention of two gentlemen with a camera and a video recorder, walking along the promenade ahead of me. They were either Indian or Pakistani, and--times being what they are, and downtown Manhattan being what it is (i.e., a target)--I observed them. One stood against the railing with the Statue in the background while the other videotaped. Then they wandered for a bit, took some more photographs and video of each other. As we all sauntered along towards the ferry dock, I asked myself some questions. Are they tourists? Or something else? Are they taking pictures of themselves, or of what's behind them? I noticed one taking video of the other, with the ferry dock in the background.

I ride the ferry every day; it's like a waterborne bus: small and packed with people. I remembered that I had a camera, too, and that it was tiny and discreet. So I stopped walking, flipped the little camera attachment around, and pretended to consult my PDA while watching them in minature in the digital preview window. I took a few shots of them as they took shots of each other, then let them pass me. More shots. Then I passed them, and took even more shots. Very spylike.

Eventually, I boarded the ferry, and watched them watch me as we pulled away: either they were looking at the ferry, or had noticed me fiddling with some sort of small silver plastic device that was pointed in their general direction.

It was probably nothing. They were probably innocent tourist-types who now think that Americans are suspicious of all dark-skinned foreign men with mustaches.

Which isn't true of me, although obviously I can't speak for everyone. But if you're a dark-skinned possibly Pakistani man with a mustache and a video camera taking footage that includes the approach to the Statue of Liberty and the ferry docks I use every day, I will notice you. I will observe. And because I now have a bitty camera on me at all times, I might take your picture.

I suppose one word for that is "vigilance," and I'm sure there are other, less flattering words for it. In my mind's ear I hear still more words, in a threatening Movietone voice: Is your washroom breeding Bolsheviks? I have become a Citizen, alert and suspicious, ever-watchful for the threat of International Terrorism.

I'm OK with that. I've seen first-hand what happens when people don't notice what other people are doing, such as taking flying lessons without seeming too concerned about takeoffs and landing: buildings fall. People die. If I run the risk of offending a tourist from Bangladesh because I'm a provincial American who can't tell the difference between a Muslim and a Hindu, then so be it. But if, next week, somebody blows up a Hoboken ferry...I've got pictures of two guys who were taking footage of the docks.