Word Riot – Vancouver 2011

So, I had the privilege (not sure if that’s the right word) to be downtown Vancouver the day following the Stanley Cup riot. I was able to see the boarded up store fronts, but I missed most of the evidence of mayhem from the previous night. City crews were already cleaning up from cleaning up so to speak.

What I did notice is people’s reactions. It was subtle. I’ve been down-town Van quite a few times, but this time was slightly different. Traffic was different. And although it was quite late in the day, it felt like it was a very early morning (picture 6:00 am).

The following night, my venturing out in the world brought be back down alongside those same boards. Those boards that were covering up the evidence of mayhem. Those boards which people people had begun to cling to, sign their names to, screaming “WE ARE CANUCKS”. It was like the people of the city were passionately attempting to tame the same passion that had been unleashed the night before. (but isn’t that what happens when we unleash something, we desperately chase after it trying to catch it.)

Here’s what I really noticed. The passion that was coming out of the city. It was expressed everywhere. It seemed like people had come out to try and prove a point: “WE ARE CANUCKS”. This phrase had become the anthem. Then it dawned on me. As I passed those boards veiling destruction a second time I realized, ‘this is a word riot.’

A word riot. That’s right, a WORD RIOT! Where two nights previous people had thrown bricks, now people were throwing their words. “F-YOU RIOTERS” “We’re sorry tourist”. But most of all were the pictures. The posters. The propaganda.

There were posters that said: “WE ARE CANUCKS – except this jerk” and featured a picture of a rioter. Then there was a poster that said: “WE ARE CANUCKS – especially this guy” and featured a picture of someone cleaning up the mess that had been left.

Then I saw the garbage. And that’s when it hit me. Two groups of people, with so much in common, and so much the same. One group rioted with aggressive acts, big, demonstrative, meaningless. One group aggressively rioted back with pungent words, big, demonstrative, meaningless. So close, so almost the same. Both riots in themselves. Both passionate acts.

Here’s the big idea. How is the person who riots with words any different than the person who riots with bricks. I watched as people took pictures of themselves in front of boarded up stores. They signed their names, wrote nice notes. But walked passed the garbage that was dropped or dumped on the street at their feet.

They said they loved their city. But they were willing to ignore the daily acts of injustice that happen all around them. Everything from the trash on the sidewalk to the homeless person lying in a filthy sleeping bag. If you really want to demonstrate what your city is made of don’t sign your name to a billboard. Start small. Pick up some trash. Find someone to help. Stop the word riot.