On Dealing With A Mob

Do you know how to stop a mob of emus running straight at you?

It’s one of the useful skills I picked up in my four decades as a journalist. I pick up a lot from interviewing people and letting them tell their stories. I tell a few of my own through writing, acting and photography. You'll find some examples on these pages.

As for dealing with a mob of emus -- and that is the proper appellation for a grouping of the big birds -- I found the answer as I stood in a muddy corral in West Tennessee a few years ago. A young, cocky bird, tall as I was, started running straight at me with a score of his girlfriends right behind. The emu rancher hollered, “Raise your hand!”

Taking no chances, I raised both arms, high as I could. And that, the farmer explained, made me the tallest bird in the bunch, and therefore the leader. The male emu screeched to a stop and wandered off. The females looked at me with interest. I left before things got complicated, but did learn this: Let the people you’re with know you’ve got things under control. It'll help for a while.