Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada; date: June 15, 2011; the event: the Vancouver Canucks losing to the Boston Bruins. “So what?” You say. Well, downtown Vancouver had over 100,000 spectators congregating to watch the game via huge screens—a glorious celebration. However, once the Canucks lost, the unruly, violent crowd took to the streets destroying everything they could get their hands on. They burnt cars, looted stores, and smashed window shops.
As looters and rioters destroyed, others were egging them on cheering and applauding; and while all this was taking place, some were milling around taking photographs and waving to the camara from behind the news reporters working on the story. The bottom line is that our beautiful and peaceful city was being destroyed, and no one seemed to care.
But some did care, for by morning ten thousand volunteers were ready to clean the city, helping with sweeping, mopping, and restoring order. The graffiti on the wooden planks that protected the smashed windows was apologetic; “We apologize to our city,” or words to that effect.
That such an incident would occur as a result of a hockey match is mind boggling. Why would anyone want to destroy Vancouver—in a frenzy of despicable behavior? Think about it. The Canucks had stayed the course, won every set they played, brought millions and millions in revenue to the city and their club, and then lost during the final game. The city had come together in celebration with a sea of white and blue jerseys, and then hooligans turned around and spoilt it all.
As usual, my memory immediately took me back to Egypt during the revolution. The scene of downtown Vancouver was quite reminiscent of the scene in El Mohandseen four or five days into the revolution.
While the revolutionists were in Tahrir Square demanding dignity and justice, and working hard to keep it “peaceful,” others around the city were looting stores, breaking into police stations and prisons, smashing ATM machines, and demoting the city to a disaster zone. Havoc dominated.
By the same token, after this shattering behavior on the part of one group, another group worked hard to clean, paint, and beautify the city, while many others stood their ground and protected their apartment buildings all night against thugs. One protestor held a sign that said: “I’m sorry, Egypt.” As you can, the similarity between the two incidents is stark.
Why do people, be Vancouverites or Cairenes, resort to smashing, looting, and ransacking when they are displeased, disappointed, or angry? Why do they suddenly become not only juvenile but also vicious willing to go to great lengths to damage their cities?
What are those people thinking of when they smash a store window to grab a t-shirt? Or when they burn a police car? Or overturn a car and smash it into pieces? Why do brains suddenly turn into mush leaving people blind and senseless?
While in Egypt, my disappointment was severe and deep—that some would resort to destroying a country yearning for respect and dignity, and trying hard to emerge from sixty years of pain, was astonishing. By the same token, I was ashamed and disheartened by those who rioted in Vancouver on Wednesday evening.
However, this last incident in Vancouver told me that human nature is pretty much the same around the world. Even in cities where education is at its best and the systems are in place to protect and restrict. It was indeed an eye opener.
So, how can we stop hoodlums from being hoodlums? Some said poverty was the cause in Egypt’s riots, but that wasn’t true of Vancouver’s. How about the alcohol factor? That’s mute in Egypt. Education? That shouldn’t be a reason in Vancouver even if it did play a role in Egypt.
It’s pure and simple. People are enticed and lured to evil doing by the moment, others, and collective force. When others are doing harm, it is very common to join and do the same—the sheer force of the mob.
Now I realize that mob-like mentality is like a tidal wave. Once it hits an area, it sweeps it clean of intelligence and clear thinking. Though I’m saddened and disappointed by the Vancouver riots, I’m actually relieved to realize that Egyptians are not unique in the dumbness but actually share the instincts with others around the world.
I would have hoped that this realization doesn’t come at the expense of a beautiful city such as Vancouver.
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