An absolutely disgusting display by those that likely have no absolutely no depth behind why they hate the Olympics and want to break things
I am overjoyed at the golden performance of Alexandre Bilodeau, who not only carries on a long of tradition of Quebecers excelling in the mind-blowing-to-watch sport of moguls, but who has also taken the weight of the shoulders off a host nation that up until that point had never won a gold medal on home soil.
It was poetry in motion, and a perfect and exciting way to start our gold rush.
But today I am not going to pontificate on the medal count today. I am going to rant on the idiocy and lack of class shown on Saturday by the assholes that call themselves “Olympic anarchists.”
Purposeful protests are something that I support, respect, and depending on the issue, something I might consider participating in.
This Reuters story details the kind of purpose I am referring to. Articulate, informed, armed with alternative ideas, and most importantly, peaceful in nature. These thousands honouring the memory of Canada’s missing women are another perfect example of what I am talking about.
Take 15 minutes to watch the two videos up at the above-posted link, however, and you will see that the word “purposeful” has absolutely nothing to do with the punks that tried to put on a show downtown over the weekend.
These anti-establishment tangos with the police were about “sticking it to the man” and causing anarchy…for the sake of self-centred attention, destruction of private property, and generally for what they consider a good time.
As pointed out by one of the observers witnessing the cowardly (cover up your faces, and attempt to blend in with those who are uninvolved in the violence) acts, there were no slogans, no agendas, no points to get across.
This was about stirring shit up in front of the world. Period.
I hate to single out those on the left, because I am a political centrist with a left-leaning bent. That being said, many of those marching the streets and breaking things are the same kinds of people I used to encounter in my globalization classes in university who blamed the ills of the world and/or their personal situations on the government (which level was always irrelevant because “they’re all the same”), corporations and the consolidated media.
What I am saying is that if someone wants to advance an argument that the Olympics are destructive, or that the government is responsible for apathy in the electorate, or that corporations have surpressed individual thought, or even that the media are agents of mass mind control, then great – I would be excited to hear their arguments as to why they feel that way.
But don’t come to me armed with vague generalities – “the Olympics are bad because there are homeless people on the street” – and expect me to respect you for your will to go against the grain.
Furthermore, don’t go and participate in violence and destruction without any meaning and expect to garner respect for your “cause.”
Those marching behind their black clothes and masks might have thought that they were proving a point for the global media to report widely. All they did, however, was prove themselves to be fools without the courage, knowledge, and know-how to make a real impact that induces thought or debate.
I comment those officers that are able to keep their cool and do their jobs in the face of taunting and disrespect such as being spit on.
To call these anarchists a mile wide and an inch deep would be grossly overestimating their profile.
They are a bunch of know-nothing bums that are not only vacuous and empty on their own, but leave a similarly tinged impression that is merely a blip on the radar.
If it is legacy that these low-lifes were going for, then they sorely missed their mark.
