Life, people and cities are multivalent and complex. Vancouver has many challenges to confront and deal with. But Vancouver also has many qualities to be proud of. Watching the Opening Ceremony for three hours does not mean people are oblivious to the challenges in the Downtown Eastside. The Olympics are not the cause of, nor the solution to, nor a scapegoat for, all the problems of Vancouver, Canada and the world over. Furthermore, the people attending the ceremony are not the people who are going to solve (if solve it the right word) the challenges of the DTES. Nor will it be people such as yourself, if you continue to complain about misallocation of taxes on the basis of moral righteousness, rather than getting your hands dirty and actually trying to help those in need. No one wants to do anything themselves and until we start to take action individually, we (myself included) and our communities are all equally to blame for at least some of the problems in the DTES. Those who are so concerned about housing and the issues at hand really should stop complaining and start trying to make a difference.
Implicit in your statement are a number of issues which I must address. So, if people are being evicted from their lodgings in the DTES, it is because of the ethical and moral choices of specific individuals (those running the lodges). If more money should be spent on housing for the homeless, I don't see how it should be in conflict with Olympic funding. It could be blamed on numerous government spending initiatives, such as the Golden Ears Bridge, or the new Portman, or port expansion or anything. This is especially true if people are going to lump in the cost of the Canada Line, Convention Centre or Sea to Sky improvements into the $6 billion figure for hosting the games.
More to the point, however, is the lack of value you placed on the Opening Ceremonies and their "silly lights". The positive meanings, values and effects of such celebrations are profound. The values of inclusiveness, community and acceptance are powerful and needed. In fact, in a recent article in the Vancouver Sun, the president of Georgia said, in the face of death and national tragedy,
said, the "Olympics will go down in history as a great celebration of human solidarity, and of humanity, and perseverance, and in a very Canadian way." These feelings aren't as measurable as beds in a building, I grant you, but community building may just be what Vancouver needs.
The opportunity to assert "Canada" to the world is a powerful community and country building event that, for such an young and insecure nation, is difficult to accomplish in any other manner. Finally, it is the ability to create and take part these celebrations which make our cities, our nation such a desirable place to live. There is no forgetting the fact that the ceremony and games are an indulgence when compared to a world in which fully half of the population survive on less than $2.50 a day, and where half lack basic sanitation. But to devalue you the ceremony because of it is a short-sighted act.
And, just to state the obvious, this is much less a reply to the quoted statement at the beginning than a venting of growing frustration with many Olympic detractors. There are great points made by the detractors, and I agree with many of their concerns. Their protesting is a healthy affirmation of Canadian democracy and ensures we don't get swept up in the atmosphere of the Games. But many of the arguments are unbalanced, illogical and are focusing too much on the games and too little on the issues at hand. If the protesters really believe that more should be done about housing, why not protest everyday, everyday, not just during the Olympics. Do so in front of the Legislature, do so in front of the MLA's offices. Make change happen.
And on an unrelated note: I don't think the crowd was oblivious to the malfunction. I was there and noticed it. The fact that there was a big whole in the floor with nothing coming up where something did earlier, and the fact that there were four torch bearers standing around made it rather obvious. But what were we supposed to do? Let that minor mishap mangle the whole ceremony, or accept it and celebrate it for what it is?
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), it appeared to sit in the area between the "arm lights" and the road. If that's the case, then there is still plenty of truly vacant space between it and the water.
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