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I was a little sickened when I heard the news as I so often am. Forgive them, Lord they know not what they do. ...Screw it. Nail them to the wall because they don't have a clue what they are doing.
I'll be honest. I'm not well informed about all this G-8 and G-20 stuff, either. I know it's a bunch of the world's political bigwigs hamming it up for the camera's and pretending they have a clue about how to fix the world. I know they talk money and whether they should give it or spend it or keep it or charge it. I know they discuss the threat of terrorism and wars and poverty. Horseshoes and hand grenades. While I may not agree with the conclusions they come to, I also realize they won't come to many conclusions. Nor will they hold to them. Nor is a conspiracy for a new world order to crush us all like the ants we are. (Democracy is just tyranny where more people have less power).
For the billion plus dollars spent to host this international shindig, we could have done a lot to solve all those aforementioned problems (even more with the money wasted on the Olympics). One reported commented that for something like $4000 we could have got everyone involved a smart phone and and a data plan and they could have video conferenced from home.
I can't say I was surprised when I heard there was rioting. I more or less expected it. But I was pretty disgusted with the smashed windows and police cars set on fire. It's not because I don't believe in free speech or in protesting. It's because I don't believe these so called protesters were saying anything. I think this was simply an excuse to perpetrate violence and get away with it claiming mob mentality. "One protester said she was marching for no cause in particular." (1) Protesting for the sake of uniformed protesting. The sixties are rolling in their grave.
Really, when you advocate "Black Bloc" tactics like this, you essentially make yourself a non-entity in the protesting world. (Yes people came prepared for rioting in vinegar soaked black clothing and masks, carrying weapons and so don't give me any mob mentality bullshit). Even if you had message, it's buried by your own actions and no one will take you seriously. This is the age after Gandhi, after all. Sit-ins and hunger strikes and patiently beating a drum and just generally being a Buddhist monk go a lot further than baggies of urine and empty beer bottles.
For those that call this anarchy... this isn't anarchy. Anarchy is the belief in peaceful self government, the idea that people can speak, act and think for themselves with a bureaucracy (the Man) running the show. Idealistic as it may be, evidently that movement has a long way to go before we can consider it since I don't see a whole lot of self control on the streets of Toronto right now. I'm not exactly what you would call a patriot. But I thought as Canadians we were better than this.
(1) Toronto Sun, June 27th, 2010. Pg 4.
