Vancouver 2010 Olympic official countdown unveiling turns nasty - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Scrambler · 02-12-2007, 02:20 PM

Holy crap, I left the office today to go down to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the unveiling of the three year countdown to Vancouver 2010. Hundreds of protesters armed with eggs, water balloons, heckling voices made quite attempt to ruin the presentation. The primary chant being "Homes not Games".

Disgusting display by these people who obviously don't any sympathy to their cause. It's people like this that keep Vancouver's Downtown Eastside the hell-hole it is.

FLAMESBURNOIL · 02-12-2007, 02:23 PM

Just imagine what going to happen during the games

cant wait for that traffic over the lions gate to quadriple...

there is alot of hardcore socialist on the west coast, there is always a good protest during every event held here....

browna · 02-12-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrambler

Holy crap, I left the office today to go down to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the unveiling of the three year countdown to Vancouver 2010. Hundreds of protesters armed with eggs, water balloons, heckling voices made quite attempt to ruin the presentation. The primary chant being "Homes not Games".

Disgusting display by these people who obviously don't any sympathy to their cause. It's people like this that keep Vancouver's Downtown Eastside the hell-hole it is.

Vancouverites throwing things to disrupt things? Say it aint so?
Any other garbage thrown, previously seen on GM Place Ice?

What about green sweaters? Any of those thrown today?

bluejays · 02-12-2007, 02:51 PM

Now that's a protest. Honestly, at school there are some ridiculous protests where the people involved just come across looking like screeching emo idiots. If you're gonna protest, do it right.

It never turned violent, so it's all good...the eggs must have made it a ball.

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 02:55 PM

Yep, I just left downtown... pretty disappointing.

I have a moral conflict here. I LOVE, LOVE the Olympics. It's my excuse for not showering/going outside for two weeks every two years. I went to the Art Gallery all pumped and left crying. Seriously, I couldn't believe the opposition!

This is harsh. Protesters getting arrested, angry environmentalists, native peoples upset that it's taking place on stolen land, people not wanting corporate coruption and infiltration... this was all too much for me because I tend to agree. Why are we spending millions of dollars when there is a serious case of homelessness here?

Bah! I hate being a socialist!

P.S. Thanks Scrambler for starting this thread... this really bothered me.

Scrambler · 02-12-2007, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLAMESBURNOIL

Just imagine what going to happen during the games

cant wait for that traffic over the lions gate to quadriple...

there is alot of hardcore socialist on the west coast, there is always a good protest during every event held here....

Socialists? Yeah, I guess it's a branch of Socialism. It just seems strange to me that if these people think that causing a ruckus is going to make people want to buy houses for them they've got another thing coming.

The most appropriate place for these people is perhaps China - probably the closest to Socialist Utopia it gets.

IMO, you'd think these people would love the Olympics, hundreds of thousands more people to bum change from!

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 03:02 PM

Hey, come on! "These people" who bum change are people too. Or are you one of those people who drive past them in your Beamer and smile?

The point is, they've got a point. These games are costing a lot of money, imagine, for a second, that they put that money towards housing for these people. Viola! East Van is the Shan-gri-la!

And China isn't Socialist, China is Totalitarian.

SpitFire40 · 02-12-2007, 03:03 PM

That's what you get for putting the games in hippie-ville

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 03:05 PM

Yes, why don't we have the Olympics in Awesomeville instead?

Jackass.

ken0042 · 02-12-2007, 03:07 PM

I guess my thought is by hosting the olympics, they are creating a whack of jobs. Construction now, various event jobs, and then the residual after the Olympics pack up. 19 years after the Olympics left Calgary there are still jobs here as a result; both from tourism and the people running places like the Oval and COP.

How much busier will Whistler be in 2011 with the new highway in place?

Looger · 02-12-2007, 03:08 PM

these words - socialist, fascist, totalitarian, et al are all context, i cannot believe people even try to debate them as absolute concepts.

SpitFire40 · 02-12-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flames Fan in West Van

Yes, why don't we have the Olympics in Awesomeville instead?

Jackass.

Hey, I love Vancouver... More than Calgary to be honest with you. But there's no denying that it's hippie central.

Anyways, Ken makes a good point. The jobs that'll be created from these games will be copious.

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Looger

these words - socialist, fascist, totalitarian, et al are all context, i cannot believe people even try to debate them as absolute concepts.

Nobody said anything about absolute concepts, but the categorizing of states and ideologies is nothing new, nor appropriate in this thread?

AHHHHHHH! I'm not getting involved. I'm outta here!

SpitFire40 · 02-12-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flames Fan in West Van

Nobody said anything about absolute concepts, but the categorizing of states and ideologies is nothing new, nor appropriate in this thread?

AHHHHHHH! I'm not getting involved. I'm outta here!

*Throws eggs, and water balloons*

Looger · 02-12-2007, 03:12 PM

well, you could call any state 'socialist' - i mean it's pretty meaningless - whatever!

Scrambler · 02-12-2007, 03:13 PM

I'm not happy when I see people on the street or that look hungry. I hate to say it, but using the money spent on the Olympics to build housing in the Downtown Eastside will do what exactly?

I thought people only get free homes when they win some sort of lottery.

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpitFire40

Hey, I love Vancouver... More than Calgary to be honest with you. But there's no denying that it's hippie central.

Anyways, Ken makes a good point. The jobs that'll be created from these games will be copious.

But Vancouver doesn't need jobs... I think. It's not like Calgary in 88 when everybody needed a job. There's plenty of construction going on unrelated to the Olympics and the Olympics is just causing the price to rise of these other projects.

Plus, what's wrong with hippie central? You got a problem with weed cafes and nude beaches dude?

Scrambler · 02-12-2007, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

I guess my thought is by hosting the olympics, they are creating a whack of jobs. Construction now, various event jobs, and then the residual after the Olympics pack up. 19 years after the Olympics left Calgary there are still jobs here as a result; both from tourism and the people running places like the Oval and COP.

How much busier will Whistler be in 2011 with the new highway in place?

That's exactly it, Vancouver having the Olympics will do far more good than bad.

GirlySports · 02-12-2007, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flames Fan in West Van

Hey, come on! "These people" who bum change are people too. Or are you one of those people who drive past them in your Beamer and smile?

The point is, they've got a point. These games are costing a lot of money, imagine, for a second, that they put that money towards housing for these people. Viola! East Van is the Shan-gri-la!

And China isn't Socialist, China is Totalitarian.

Have to admit that there's no trouble in China!
Their Olympics are done, they could actually host it this summer instead of next. Do you think there are any protests in downtown Beijing?

Flames Fan in West Van · 02-12-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrambler

I'm not happy when I see people on the street or that look hungry. I hate to say it, but using the money spent on the Olympics to build housing in the Downtown Eastside will do what exactly?

I thought people only get free homes when they win some sort of lottery.

True, I concur. Giving people free houses isn't going to solve anything. But, you have to admit, the cost of living in Vancouver is ridiculous! I mean, I thought it was bad in Calgary... Something should be done for affordable housing, not free housing, at least.

But, maybe, investing that money into WHY these people are homeless, which a lot of the time is because of drug problems, would be beneficial too. What is leading these people to drugs? Prevention programs and rehabilitation programs so these people get off the streets. That sounds like a good place to start.

P.S. Woooooo! I love living in hippie central! I am an "us" instead of a "them"... yay!