What do you think of Vancouver right now?

[OldAccount]

So it's safe to say last week wasn't a great week for the city of Vancouver.

I was down town during the riot and while I got the hell out of there before the looting and the tear gas I was witness the the first few car torchings and quite a bit nonsensical violence. I knew right away that what these few assholes did was going to be a black mark on my city. However, it wasn't until the next day when I went online and saw what people were saying that I realised the full extent of the damage done to our reputation. It's dawned on me that this is how the world is going to view my city for the time being.

So how have the events of this week changed your perception of the people in Vancouver? Does the world still see us as it saw us in winter 2010 or will it take us a while to live this down?

 

[TimeLord]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

EDIT: It would appear so. Sorry Vancouver but everyone who is rioting must have lost a good percentage of their brain during the game to think that going out and burning things was a good idea.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I think this will get brought up every time a Canadian criticises the US. And the rest of the Commonwealth has a good chance of snickering.

 

[Canid117]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

Yep Soccer I think. Crazy Canucks.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

Yep Soccer I think. Crazy Canucks.

Ice Hockey actually, they were considered a sinch to win the highhest hockey tournament in the world then they blew it in a 4-0 loss to a team that's not particularly well liked.

Honestly I've always know Vancouver fans were crazy and as a Canadian it does very little to affect my opinion of the city. Besides, this was peanuts compared to some huge sports riots that have happened in other cities in the past.

 

[Steppin Razor]

I think this will get brought up every time a Canadian criticises the US. And the rest of the Commonwealth has a good chance of snickering.

Yeah, but it's not like most of us in the Commonwealth have a good record going for us. Cronulla springs to mind. Although Cronulla was bigoted stupid, whilst the riots in Vancouver were just stupid stupid.

 

[Anarchemitis]

The loud minority once again bestows tarnish.

I seriously doubt a large portion of the Canuck fans there wanted to riot, or actually participated. I seriously think a large portion of the rioters were instigators who simply wanted to stir up a commotion within the realm of opportunity (eg. a big crowd to stir up) like Anarchists.

Thankfully the quieter majority is much more humble. Hundreds of volunteers showed up on Thursday and Friday cleaning up downtown, as well as apologising to officials and appreciating police.

(Plywood covering up smashed windows downtown, on Thursday morning)

 

[Canid117]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

Yep Soccer I think. Crazy Canucks.

Ice Hockey actually, they were considered a sinch to win the highhest hockey tournament in the world then they blew it in a 4-0 loss to a team that's not particularly well liked.

Honestly I've always know Vancouver fans were crazy and as a Canadian it does very little to affect my opinion of the city. Besides, this was peanuts compared to some huge sports riots that have happened in other cities in the past.

Oh that does explain the severity of the riots.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Most every city has it's assholes. Any time aside from hockey post season, I'd love to visit Vancouver. From what I've heard, cities up in Canada are beautiful, much more spread out. In the end, your reputation is damaged, but I'd never write off a city for uncharacteristic, occasional violence. Though don't hold it against me if I avoid Vancouver at the end of hockey season.


On the flipside. I was in the celebration parade in Boston, and I'm amazed by our restraint, 39 years is a long time for an original 6 team. Aside from some drunk assholes, which you can find any given night in Boston, we really had no problems. It could also have something to do with lower popularity of hockey in the states.

 

[Distazo]

I try to keep my perspective on what it is, a bunch of stupid people that overreacted to a sporting event. Now I like hockey, the Canucks should have won, but they didn't. What suprised me is the place. I knew Vancover took its hockey seriously, but to riot? I expect this for soccer games in some of the crazier places of Europe, or even some of the more fanatical cities in the U.S. like Oakland or Philadelphia, but I never got that impression the times I have been in Vancover.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

Yep Soccer I think. Crazy Canucks.

Ice Hockey actually, they were considered a sinch to win the highhest hockey tournament in the world then they blew it in a 4-0 loss to a team that's not particularly well liked.

Honestly I've always know Vancouver fans were crazy and as a Canadian it does very little to affect my opinion of the city. Besides, this was peanuts compared to some huge sports riots that have happened in other cities in the past.

Oh that does explain the severity of the riots.

Yeah, imagine if Brazil lost to England in a massive upset in the final round of the World Cup.

 

[zehydra]

No, this doesn't change my opinion of Vancouver.

It only solidifies my opinion about angry, drunk, sports fans.

If they were doing it in the name of something religious or political, they'd be called terrorists.

 

[Chamale]

I'm not up to date on this but am I right in thinking it's all because of a sports game?

Ice Hockey actually, they were considered a sinch to win the highhest hockey tournament in the world then they blew it in a 4-0 loss to a team that's not particularly well liked.

I seriously doubt a large portion of the Canuck fans there wanted to riot, or actually participated. I seriously think a large portion of the rioters were instigators who simply wanted to stir up a commotion within the realm of opportunity (eg. a big crowd to stir up) like Anarchists.

This had little to do with hockey. There were people who simply wanted to riot and loot, and they seized the opportunity. Remember 2010's Oakland riots, or the 2010 Black Bloc riots in Toronto? This is the same thing - anarchist morons going on a rampage because they have a thin excuse to go outside and smash property.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I think this will get brought up every time a Canadian criticises the US. And the rest of the Commonwealth has a good chance of snickering.

Yeah, but it's not like most of us in the Commonwealth have a good record going for us. Cronulla springs to mind. Although Cronulla was bigoted stupid, whilst the riots in Vancouver were just stupid stupid.

True, though I'm not sure many people outside Australia knew or cared about that.

[small]And then, of course, Cronulla was engineered by talk back radio hosts. Free speech FTW![/small]

 

[lacktheknack]

Most of the rioters weren't even at the game.

For instance, the London Drugs and Staples Office Supplies nearby noticed a MASSIVE increase in young adults just looking around. London Drugs was confused, Staples panicked and called the police.

The next day, mid-riot, London Drugs was looted clean while a whole whack of people were put under arrest at Staples because police were waiting on the second level where all the good stuff was.

Add to that the smiling people in hundreds of taken photos of the riot. Those aren't people mad about their team losing, they're people smiling while giving the finger to The Man.

Not to mention that a couple people I know predicted that it would happen, then commented on how they wanted to be there. The list goes on. The hockey game was an excuse, a riot would have broken out now matter who won.

That being said, I now think less of Canadians in general, as I imagine it would have happened anywhere. This is particularly distressing, as I am Canadian.

 

[Camaranth]

Hasn't changed my opinion of the city at all.

Sporting riots are nothing new, I can think of 4 other similar situations off the top of my head but have a hard time telling you when or where exactly they occurred.

Also thanks to the BBC I shall, from now, on be calling all residents of Vancouver canooks.

 

[Mr Thin]

I didn't have an opinion on it until now (I'm Australian).

One of the things that bothered me most was how not angry they looked in the photos.

They're smashing windows, trashing the cars of random people, and the smug pricks look like they think it's all in good fun, they're entitled to a bit of rioting, everyone get out your camera phones, no big deal.

I just wanna slap every one of them in the face.

I'm not silly enough to think of everyone in Vancouver as a rioter, but it's definitely not a good look for the city.

 

[Kolby Jack]

I know it was started by a few dickheads for no apparent reason, and the louts who participated are not everybody in Vancouver, but still... It doesn't look good for your city, buddy.

Also, go Bruins!

 

[OldAccount]

I didn't have an opinion on it until now (I'm Australian).

One of the things that bothered me most was how not angry they looked in the photos.

They're smashing windows, trashing the cars of random people, and the smug pricks look like they think it's all in good fun, they're entitled to a bit of rioting, everyone get out your camera phones, no big deal.

I just wanna slap every one of them in the face.

I'm not silly enough to think of everyone in Vancouver as a rioter, but it's definitely not a good look for the city.

That's because most of the rioters didn't give a shit about the game and just came to riot. You don't spontaneously find a Molotov cocktail in your beg in the heat of the moment.