In Egypt, Tunisia and other parts of the Middle East, they riot for democracy. In Algeria, and other parts of Africa, they riot over food prices. In Greece, they riot over austerity measures. In China, they riot over a lot of things, but most recently for workers rights. In Canada, one of the wealthiest and most peaceful nations on Earth, they riot over… a hockey game. When the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, an (admittedly small) group of yahoos started a riot, looting and burning and giving their best impression of an oppressed underclass sticking it to The Man. They caused approximately $1 billion in damages. The cost to Vancouver’s reputation will be far higher. And this wasn’t the first time either. In 1994, there were riots in Vancouver when they lost in a game 7 as well.
I don’t mean to only condemn Canadians. After all, we have riots in L.A. when our teams win. Its just that the stereotype of our Northern neighbors is one of a reasonable, non-confrontational mensch. I would venture that one of the things that Canadians would say most defines them is that they are not Americans, meaning the crude, arrogant, ugly american, jingoistic and above all – entitled.
What a luxury it must be to be so enraged by an event which, by any measure, is picayune in the grand scheme of things. Look, I understand an intense love for sports. I understand that the word “fan” is derived from “fanatic”. But to squander that passion on something of such trifling consequence is a waste of a good mob.
It speaks to the sense of disenchantment of a large mass of the populace, a feeling of disenfranchisement and a resentment that we are not getting something that we have earned and deserve to have. Perhaps this is the closest we in the first world can come to identifying with the downtrodden masses of the rest of the world. If only we could feel the same way about social justice on a larger scale.
Filed under: Current Affairs, Popular culture, World Events Tagged: | Boston Bruins, Canada, Ice Hockey, Riot, Stanley Cup, Vancouver Canucks
In an exceedingly insightful, yet clearly stated post, you have managed to help me express my sentiments, exactly! Thank you seniledelinquent! Coming from the same country you originally hail from it is perhaps a bit easier to see the relation/ connection;but to be honest it should be clearly apparent to any reasonable person that this, as you so tellingly stated,was truly a waste of a good mob.