CANADA IS ILLEGAL!!!

I was unaware that "CANADA IS ILLEGAL", but hey I guess you learn something new every day from commercially produced protest signs. After listening to reports on the radio that once again "thousands of protestors" were blocking traffic in downtown in preparation for the Opening Ceremonies, I decided to go to the Art Gallery to check it out for myself. When I got off the bus, I saw thousands of people, the large majority of them dressed up in Canada gear laughing at maybe 200 clowns. The clowns were jammed up against the front steps of the Art Gallery, surrounded by sports fans and patriots who were cheering for Canada.

There was one chick screaming like a banshee into a megaphone, but despite getting maybe 15 yards away I could not make out a single word she was saying.  Most of the people around me were laughing at the idiocy of the slogans, like "END CORPORATE RULE!" or "BUILD ME A FREE HOUSE!" or "STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH BOTTLED WATER!" or "DON'T MAKE ME GET A JOB!"  At one point I thought I even saw a gathering of the International Union of Ninjas run by dressed all in black with their faces covered.  Some other goofs decided to dress up as trees and dance around on little stages with glazed over faces like they had dropped one too many hits of acid.  There were so few actual protestors that I decided to take a walk down to Victory Square where the Prorogie Day protests eventually ended up.  I had heard reports of more protestors at that location.

                                  

I walked up to BC Place, and while the anti-globalization protestors were few and far between, there were some Jesus Saves signs.  Again the overwhelming majority of the people downtown this evening were fans of Canada, fans of the Olympics, who were there to either attend the Opening Ceremonies or just to enjoy the ambiance.  When I got home, CBC was focusing largely on the protests, with reported numbers of protestors ranging from a few hundred to several thousand.  But again, everywhere you looked there were excited faces and Canadian shirts and jerseys.

                                   

                                   

At the end of the day what I learned is that the media is unable to distinguish between people who are actually protesting and normal pedestrians slowing down to stare at the car wreck. People watching the protestors with condescending laughter were confused for protestors. Streets that were planned to be blocked months in advance for the 40,000 or so planning to be in attendance at the Opening Ceremonies were confused with blockages for protestors. The reports in the media certainly did not match the reality on the ground, but I was hardly upset. Infact I couldn't stop laughing.