An older fellow named Alan Keck attended Wednesday’s March for Life in Atlanta, equipped with a Confederate flag, a pro-secession sign, and some impressive facial hair. Judging by the Associated Press’s images from that event, this guy was a bigger deal than Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who spoke at the protest.
Heck seems to be a minor local personality–a self-proclaimed “Atlanta Rebel” so enthusiastic about the South’s heritage he occasionally goes jogging with the stars and bars in tow. At yesterday’s protest marking the 41st Roe v. Wade anniversary, he likely stood out within the crowd–carrying his beloved flag in his left hand and a sign reading “For the Sake of the 50 Million… SECEDE from this Abomination” in his right.
So, if you’re AP photojournalist David Goldman and you’re tasked with covering the event, sure, you’re gonna snap a few pics of this guy. Local flavor, right? He’ll fit in well with this dude dressed like Uncle Sam or this lady holding up a crucifix. You’re just doing your job and capturing some notable angles.
But wait; your editor picked out not one, not two, but three different snaps you took of this one guy. That’s thirty percent of the ten photos AP put out to the public covering the march–and more than the two shots selected from your pictures of the Governor. Crap! Now you look a little obsessed–like you want to paint all conservatives as racist whack jobs or something!
Cheer up, David Goldman. We understand! You probably took hundreds if not a thousand photos at that rally. You can’t help it if your bosses latch on to the one guy who matches their preconceptions of pro-lifers. If anyone ever gives you a hard time, you can always point them to your pictures of silly left-wing people holding flags, like this guy from Occupy Atlanta.
One tip, though: it’s “protester,” not “protestor.”