A few months after we moved to Staten Island from Manhattan, I
was looking out my kitchen window and my eyes widened at the
sight of a peregrine falcon perched on a branch in my backyard
tree. I yelled to my son, "Quick - get the camera," but
he was only 3 at the time and wasn't even sure what a camera
looked like. I missed getting that picture, but I did get a
picture weeks later of two wayward parrots that had flown into my
overgrown backyard.
It was exhilarating for this city slicker to view the blue jays,
robins, and an occasional wild bird of unknown genus, up close
and personal. The idea, however, that I could ever join the
crowds in front of a Manhattan co-op to mourn the loss of a
hawk's nest is beyond ridiculous.
Reading the comments made by these bird lovers only cemented my
growing lament at how ludicrous some New Yorkers have become.
Most of those, I am sorry to say, live in Manhattan, which is
fast becoming La-La Land East.
I find it hard to understand why anyone would get so involved
with the nesting habits of a predatory bird, because that is
exactly what Pale Male and his mate are: predatory. These hawks
are also squatters on private property and have little concern on
where they leave their droppings or the remains of their prey.
It has been speculated that because the head of the co-op board
that removed the hawks' nest is married to CNN's Paula Zahn, this
nonstory has become fodder for the local tabloids. These birds
have been attracting attention, however, ever since a documentary
was made by a Belgian-born local filmmaker, Frederic Lilien, and
shown last May on PBS's "Nature" series. The
documentary humanized the hawk and made it an instant celebrity.
Before you knew it, bird lovers were setting up shop in Central
Park and training their telescopes on 927 Fifth Ave.
Now a man has been arrested for allegedly stalking Ms. Zahn and
her husband, Richard Cohen, and terrorizing their two children.
"Bring back the nest. Bring back the birds," the
suspect, Lincoln Karim, is said to have screamed at the family on
more than one occasion. That New Yorkers are protesting the
removal of a bird's nest is, to me, more proof of how very blue
this city has become.
New York was always the city of the rugged individualist. No
more. The concept of individual rights belongs much more in the
domain of conservative thought. Liberals, on the other hand, tend
to think more in terms of groups. They tend to view problems from
the perspective of members of various segments of society. Thus,
they have animal rights, women's rights, gay rights, minority
rights, union concerns - all trumping the rights of an
individual, especially if the individual is among "the
rich."
That "group think" probably began in the 1960s when the
Age of Aquarius clashed with the Vietnam War, and when only drugs
and rock 'n' roll made any sense to some young people. Together,
they reasoned, they could stop the war and fight the
establishment. But a true Aquarian marches to the beat of a
different drum and marches alone - never in a crowd.
The bead-wearing, tie-dyed pseudoiconoclasts of my generation
functioned only as a very large and noisy group, discovering
strength in numbers. It's obvious that many of them went on to
join the mainstream press and broadcasting networks, because
today's editorials seldom champion individual rights.
To be born in New York City used to carry a certain cachet,
sophistication, a je ne sais quoi elan. It meant a person who
remains unruffled and cool regardless of what was occurring. At
the same time, one could be as tough as steel when provoked. Even
Hollywood subscribed to that identity with films such as
"Die Hard" and Bruce Willis's portrayal of John
McClane, the tough NYPD cop.
What do we have now? This city is so politically correct that the
smoking ban went through with barely a whimper. A reader sent me
an e-mail complaining that The New York Sun's picture of that
weary and battle-scarred marine in Fallujah with a cigarette
dangling from his mouth was sending a bad message. The reader
conceded he was against the war and thus noticed only the
cigarette. I saw only the soldier's eyes. That sums up the
difference in our ideologies.
When I look up in the sky and see a hawk attacking the crows and
other birds, I recognize it as a bird behaving naturally, and
then I go on with my life. Those gawkers on Fifth Avenue need to
get one of their own.