Vancouver Erupts In A Riot

Riots erupt in Vancouver after Canucks loss - British Columbia - CBC News

Meant to post about this earlier but I was distracted by Senseless Banter. =P

On the up-side, I totally called it and got $5 from a bet (my herpaderp of a friend didn't think there'd be another hockey-related riot in the city, lulz what an asshat amirite?) but on the other hand, a few people I know were beat, bludgeoned, robbed, etc.

Anyone else think it funny when people take a game this seriously? The Canucks made it to game 7 of the finals; that's the first time that's happened since 1994 yet people are acting like it's the end of the world. This is one of, if not the best selection we've had in years and people are already writing the players off, screaming for an overhaul of the entire team.

Not sure if lulz.

Hockey team loses match => break into and steal stuff from electronics store.

Good good.

There were also several fires set throughout the city but there were too many to (efficiently) handle so they only put out the ones that were an immediate danger to the public. A couple cars were set ablaze, two of them being squad cars, and a couple more were trashed.

I live in Surrey, right next to Vancouver and even we had a bit of a ruckus to deal with. Not nearly as bad as Vancouver mind you, but I'm sure there was some trouble in other neighboring cities as well.

Everything is quiet here :P

Though the parade on Saturday should be nuts.

I would expect as much from a bunch of stupid, hairy monkeys.

This is one of the most fucking idiotic things I've heard about today. Really. People have to get a life and stop putting all their livelihood (and sanity) into a team, specifically one that lost the game FAIR AND SQUARE.

Yeah, if the other team participated in foul play then obviously the riots would have been justified.

If only we could organize and destroy things for reasons other than sports.

Think that's bad? Montreal riots when it WINS the Stanley Cup...

Anyways, I'm sure that the core majority of rioters were just idiot hooligans that took advantage of the loss to let loose some mayhem downtown. Probably the same morons who rioted at the Olympics and G20...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Puffin

This is one of the most fucking idiotic things I've heard about today. Really. People have to get a life and stop putting all their livelihood (and sanity) into a team, specifically one that lost the game FAIR AND SQUARE.

---

Exactly how I feel about football over here. Some people are extremely loyal to their team and devote their lives to supporting the team and the sport. Fair enough. If that's how they want to live, that's their choice. But seriously, starting fights, riots and all other kinds of shit because of a fucking game? It's just completely insane. I've never really been interested in any kind of sport, but even if I was, I wouldn't be so stupid as to do this kind of stuff just because my team lost.

I hope everyone realizes that this isn't just about hockey. Sports are used by many as an escape from the realities of the world and their day to day existence. The world is spinning out of control, and for many, the bread and circus bullshit they are fed through their televisions is the only way they can escape and feel normal. When that world does not go the way they want it to, they can't turn around, forget about it, and focus their attention on the real world around them, because that is even worse. This causes a severe mental breakdown that can only end with a massive release of the pent up negative energy, which is what causes this kind of rioting.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

I hope everyone realizes that this isn't just about hockey. Sports are used by many as an escape from the realities of the world and their day to day existence. The world is spinning out of control, and for many, the bread and circus bullshit they are fed through their televisions is the only way they can escape and feel normal. When that world does not go the way they want it to, they can't turn around, forget about it, and focus their attention on the real world around them, because that is even worse. This causes a severe mental breakdown that can only end with a massive release of the pent up negative energy, which is what causes this kind of rioting.

---

There are a lot of towns that have rioted over winning a championship as well. Two cities with two different outcomes for their team shouldn't have the same violent outcome if it was based on escapism and being disappointed.

If it makes any difference, it's been noted that there were talks of people planning to 1up the '94 riot before the game even started.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Auron

There are a lot of towns that have rioted over winning a championship as well. Two cities with two different outcomes for their team shouldn't have the same violent outcome if it was based on escapism and being disappointed.

---

That is a good point, but I would say that release of emotional tension is an unpredictable thing.

An awesome picture from the riots:

k fuck this, it's not showing up, but everyone's probably seen it already anyways

Go bruins

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BLUELINE976

Everything is quiet here :P

Though the parade on Saturday should be nuts.

---

I was in Boston when the Bruins won the Stanley cup. There was .. a hell of a lot of rioting and getting drunk. A motorcade of (this is not an exaggerated number) 200 police motorcycles zoomed off in pairs of 2 an hour or two before the ending of the game. I'm guessing they were going down to the Quincy Market area because I heard everything started closing down there because things were getting so rowdy. They also showed footage of crowds of people rocking buses and cars back and forth. We made sure to leave before the parade.

I didn't know you were in Surrey! I'm in Richmond.

I used to live in the Ohio State U. neighborhood of Columbus, where for a long time every OSU/Michigan game was a guaranteed riot, win or lose. It had less to do with underlying pressures, I think, than the students just thinking they could get away with it. Who knows what tipped off the first riot, but once it was on the books, it was part of the culture.

And you don't think that a ubiquitous desire to riot under any pretenses doesn't have deeper sociological implications?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

And you don't think that a ubiquitous desire to riot under any pretenses doesn't have deeper sociological implications?

---

Teenagers are idiots?

Teenagers? These sorts of riots are typically perpetrated by college students and grown working class men.

Ima guess at... people are idiots?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

And you don't think that a ubiquitous desire to riot under any pretenses doesn't have deeper sociological implications?

---

It may be a sign that societies are still, at some level, composed of humans.

Meh.. having lived in Vancouver and surrounding areas for many years, gotta say that I'm not surprised. The hockey sheeple there subscribe to the mania and mob mentality way too easily. If aliens ever wanted to create an army of mindless drones to do there bidding, the Lower Mainland would be their first stop :cheeky: