This one's orange-colored.
I keep being reminded of one sparring class in particular that I took, which was a mandatory part of the program you had to take to earn a Black Belt. I didn't like sparring very much. MUCH preferred the forms part. But, fuck it. You had to take sparring too, so I did.
I had to grab one of the other adult classes one night because I couldn't make my usual morning class. I was paired up with a young fellow I'd never sparred with before, at about the same level I was. We started into it, and at one point fairly early on, he extended one arm way out to the side and wildly waved his hand, wiggling his fingers as though he was imitating some frantically flapping bird's wings. I didn't look at it. Peripheral vision was enough. HOWEVER, he WAS trying to use it as a diversion tactic. If I looked away to watch those furiously wiggling fingers, he could come at me with the other arm, with a really good jab or hook or upper cut that I wouldn't have seen or wouldn't have been watching for, since my gaze would have been distracted. I thought it'd be better to stay focused on the middle of his chest, because that way, I could see anything coming from either side and below (can't forget the opponent's leg action, either). I survived. We battled to a "draw." And I also noticed that, for the rest of our sparring session, he didn't try that trick again.
This is a flapping-fingers/look at the birdie thing. The media will fall for it every time. Since it's mostly televised, it's all about "what do we SEE?"
I also notice that the Hillary campaign, and also President Obama, aren't getting much attention for steering away from the most desperate areas because they don't want to GET in the way. I read a long time ago that one reason why a President or other big-time VIP choose NOT to go straight to the devastated areas to "help" - because of the resources that will be deflected away from the people who really need the help - to the security and traffic/crowd control that's required when somebody at that level shows up. A President or a Presidential nominee has an unavoidable entourage (Trump/Pence sure does, too) of Secret Service people, advance men/women, assistants and press representatives, and then there's the media that's drawn to it all like moths to a flame. A President also has that guy with the "football" and other really serious people tagging along with him every inch of whatever way it is.
That suffocates any efforts to focus on rescue/recovery ops there on the ground. They're IN THE WAY. And using it for a photo op really doesn't help, particularly when the need is so acute, at the height of the calamity. Makes far more sense as far as serving and assisting the people in need - to hold off for a few days before you and your circus come big-footing into town.
I believe the governor himself even noted they needed help, not a photo op.
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