It's something people joke about all the time. You're writing a paper on some serial killer of days gone by and to understand what you're looknig at better you read into how people get away with murder. You could be trying to prove a point about deadly weapons and for references you read into detailed instructions on how to construct an atom bomb. And after filling your search history with megabytes worth of sketchy articles, you start to think to yourself, "I'm probably getting put on a government watchlist for this."
Well, I've had some thoughts like that as a result of the following chain of events that has happened at least a few times. First, acting without thinking, and second, only after I've done something stupid do I think it through. Example, a few years ago I wanted to know what it would take to blow up a scale model of a building for if I wanted to make some Godzilla-esc film. Not knowing where to find explosives, I downloaded The Anarchists Cookbook to see if it was something I could make myself. Whoops.
An accident like that happened just a couple days ago. I was in a town (Not saying where) with my mother and I saw this cool looking building, a great example of brutalist architecture. I had my camera with me so I thought, "Hey, I've got some black and white film loaded, it's an overcast day, I think I could get some cool photos of this building!" So I had my mom pull off into a stall and I got out to take some photos. Not even two minutes had gone by and a security officer walked out of the buiding to ask why I was taking pictures. I replied simply, "I like brutalist architecture." It is the truth, but not a good answer considering the general public despises brutalist architecture.
It was then I noticed another security guard about fifty feet back talking into his radio. I decided right there taking photos of this buidling was probably a mistake. Fourtantely the guard, however suspicious of my behaviour I seemed let me go my merry way, and I got back into my mom's car and drove off. Turns out, it was a federal building, and from the best of what I could tell, they must have thought I was working with terrorists or something. I would have thought it was unlikely and I was shooting with a Pentax K1000 with a Vivitar 283 flash, possibly the bulkiest and most eye catching camera rig there is short of medium format. Not to mention, I was wearing a cyan button-up office shirt with the Windows 95 logo patterned over it worn over a Pink Floyd shirt, I've got mid-80s Michael J. Fox hair in a time and place where everyone my age has Morrissey hair, and to top it all off, I practically look like I'm 15. Pretty easy to spot me in a crowd, I'd say.
So, just a small complaint about my mom, if you're in trouble with The Feds for acting suspicious, you don't act more suspicious. But alas, in her paniked frenzy she took off at the speed of sound, literally fleeing the scene. To make up for this I had her stop at a store just so I had a witness that I hadn't changed clothing and wasn't actually trying to run from The Feds. After that nothing more happened, so after some consideration I wrote this.
Moral of the story: Don't mess around with Feds OR their domain. Don't take pictures, don't loiter, don't look at it to hard, basically don't be there if you don't have to.
Argot
Page created: Saturday, Feburary 1st, 2020 (First arcticle of the new decade!)