...on it's route around the country on it's way back to Vancouver for the winter games?

Anyone ever go to see a torch before while it was in your country? if so when and where? anyone protest or against it in anyway?

I can see it in two places in Ontario but i'm not sure if i'm going to.
I was a few months old during the 1988 winter games in Calgary. the family went down to spend time with family(I had two aunts living there) I was obvously too young to remember that now, i'm pretty sure my dad stayed behind with my twin brothr and I anyway (way too cold for babes to be outside).

ok your turn.

I think it was here this weekend. I didn't bother looking into it more.

I saw it in '96 when it came through our town. I don't remember anyone protesting. I do remember these fancy pants BMW police cars I'd never seen before and never saw again.

Hope it passes through my city

I wonder how big that carbon footprint is.

I live in Vancouver.


Fuck the Olympics, and fuck everyone who wanted them here. Words cannot express how much I want to have every single member of VANOC, the IOC, and any corporate slugs sponsoring this event beaten to within inches of their lives.




-Money diverted by the provincial and federal governments away from crucial health care, social services, and education funds to free up finances for these Games? Check. $117 million was spent by our government just on technology to improve athletic performance (source: Jan/Feb 2010 issue of The Walrus) in February. I wonder how many hungry kids that could have fed? BC has the highest child poverty rate in the country, with over 30% of people under 18 literally without enough to eat. We can't feed, clothe, and educate our children but we can pay for new developments in clap-style ice skate technology?

-Strong-armed policing tactics to clean up the Downtown Eastside of homeless people, addicts, and street-level prostitution so the world can't see how fucking poorly we take care of our own? Check. A new law allows police officers to force homeless people into shelters. The Chief claims it will not be used, but why draw up a new law if there's no intention of enforcement?

-Exoticification and tokenism in First Nations' representation? Check. The 2010 Olympic mascots are ostensibly based on coastal Nations' spirituality, but they look like Pokemon. The support of the four host First Nations is being paraded as a shining beacon of racial harmony, with a careful neglect of the loud rumbles of dissent from Nations all over the Province.

-A very real possibility of free speech being curtailed? Check. Protestors will be herded into tiny, unobtrusive (read: away from the media) "protest zones" and the RCMP and city police will be out in full force, most likely decked out in riot gear. Though it's unprovable in that officials will deny it, there's reason to believe certain high-profile people in activist movements have been and will continue to be monitored.


So, no. I'm not going to see the Torch. I'd throw it in the ocean if I could.

^ That's why I'm so glad chicago didn't get them.

I sure as hell didn't want to be slinging drinks to a bunch of out of town homos.

ugh.

lazycrockett said:

You're lucky the Rings passed you by this time around.

I work in the airport. God.

Here's a for you

luv4u said:

For me?

meow85 said:

can't say I blame ya for feeling this way, that's sad. I saw a show about the 2012 summer games in London on the issues with it there. I don't follow sports but I happen to like the olympics, real disheartening when I hear this stuff.

meow85 said:

Yes

matthewgrant said:

I'm not a big sports person by any means, but if the Olympics even came close to the ideals of national unity and friendly competition they're supposed to represent I would fully support them. But there's too much morally and ethically wrong IMO with how they've been run in recent years for me to be at all comfortable supporting the Games in any way.