Being passionate about something, anything, is generally a good thing. You can be passionate regarding a partner or passionate about a hobby or sport and of course, passionate about your job like I am. (Do ya think that'll get me a raise?)
Some people get so passionate about certain topics, they take to the streets in protest and chant slogans and demand action. These demonstrations of passion generally have something to do with politics.
So while I may be passionate about this here job, I've never been so passionate that I've felt compelled to "take it to the streets" to voice objection or support for anything.
It probably comes with the territory of being in this job (that I love so much), which entails observing and recording the activities of others with objectivity and neutrality, or the best objectivity I can muster. In this job, one is not expected to be part of the mob or movement.
Even as a recovering sports reporter, it was about three years after leaving the role before I found myself actually cheering for the home team in hockey, baseball, football et al.
Others would be jumping, cheering, hollering, swearing at the officials while I maintained a calm demeanour, remarking only on the good plays I saw, from either team. And I definitely never got worked up enough about anything political to the point of picking up a sign to march and yell.
I've often wondered what they really do in protest marches.
Like where do they start and where do they go to and how do you end them? OK, burn a police cruiser, but then what?
Lose a hockey game in Vancouver, go burn a police car and smash windows. That'll show 'em. Show 'em what? The limited weight of your brain? I dunno.
Protest marches must just fade away when the people either get hungry, sober, cold, wet or jailed.
Then there are candles and vigils.
Again, I'm not good with candles. They take too long to light, especially in Saskatchewan where the wind blows constantly.
I don't know what to do at vigils either. They are sombre and done in public. I don't like public sombreness. I prefer to do my reflections alone without candles.
The other thing about protest marches are the bad chants. I mean, really, these protest leaders should hire a songwriter
Hey hey, ho, ho (somebody or something) has got to go!
Hey, hey, ho ho blah, blah, blah.
Or if it's a union thing, we get the same old Solidarity Forever thing sung to the tune of the American Battle Hymn of the Republic.
You would think someone could get Gordie Lightfoot to write up something Canadian. How about those guys with the bull horn?
"What do we want?" (rejoinder from the crowd is whatever the simple solution to the problem is at that moment)
"When do we want it?"
And the response is always "right now" yelled back by the passionate gathering.
Me? I'd be inclined to yell back something like "I want it the first Tuesday of next month."
Then we'd see what the guy with the bullhorn had to say next.
I think I'd be banned from the mob. Just not passionate enough.
