The Vancouver Hockey Riots, Ben Johnson and my 2nd favorite city in the world..

[MyUncle]

Vancouver is my 2nd favorite city in the world, San Diego is my first.

I was in Seoul for the Olympics in 1988. While there I ran in to a Canadian journalist 3 times. Each conversation was a revelation for me, maybe for him.

The first time was early in the trip. Our conversation revolved around his contention that Americans were overly jingoistic. Americans were crazy emphatic about their country. They waved flags, wore their colors, were loud and overly proud. The underlying message was that Americans were scary, simplistic and embarrassingly patriotic. He thought that they were basically simple, stupid, mind numbed robots.

My explanation to him has (in my mind) proved to be incredibly prescient. I said, the Americans were not overly crazed about their country or athletes. As a matter of fact, in most instances we cared for our athletes and their performance much less than other countries. Brazil, Jamaica, Japan being just a few examples.

My point was American fans in Korea wanted to get on TV. Period.

American fans knew that if they wore their colors, went crazy, showed a sign that displayed NBC's letters or logo in some creative way, their friends and family would see them on TV from Korea. I said the American fan's ardor and passion were not signs of war mongering loyalty, they just were more media savvy and knew how to get noticed to get on television.

The Canadian journalist's reaction was perplexed. I think he thought I was smart and even tempered. I think he had a bit of a revelation and thought maybe this guy is right for SOME of the crazy Yankees. We toasted and parted.

The next time I saw him, (there were only so many bars to go to in Itaewon), Ben Johnson had won the 100 meter dash earlier in the day. He was about as pumped as the StayPuft dude in the last scene of Ghostbusters. A CANADIAN had won the 100 (IMO, a black, expat Jamaican, but whatever). He was buying drinks, woo hooing and having a great time. A sports fanatic knows what it's like when YOUR team wins. He was feeling it BIG TIME, +patriotism, + Canadian pride, +++ alchohol, +++ fellow Canadians. He was having a big, big night and I had a great time with the whole gang.

I think it was a day or two later, but I saw him the night they stripped Ben Johnson of his gold medal for testing positive for steroids. There are events that "legitimately" crush your spirit. They usually involve a real tragedy. You lose a love, a relative dies, your dog of 14 years passes, you get fired after 22 years, divorce, etc.

My Canadian journalist was inconsolable. He was crushed by something that many reasonable people would say he was crazy for even caring about in the first place. Examples include Red Sox fans before 2004, Ohioans after "The Decision", Cub fans and Skynard fans when they don't play "Freebird".

My Canadian journalist crashed, burned and flamed. For those two days HE was the crazy American he had contempt for. His joy in Ben Johnson was justified, righteous and superior because an underdog Canadian had WON. The highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

The Vancouver hockey riots reminded me of that Canadian journalist. The collective embarrassment of the Canadian media and citizens is like the crash of a 4 year old after an unlimited spree of Skittles and Red Vines. Canadians just are not like Americans. With stuff like this they are, well, just better than that.

The Vancouver citizens rioted because they were drunk, experienced in riots from the Olympics & that Global Capitalist meeting a few years ago, were sports heart broken, pride wounded, pissed off, without adult (police) supervision and it seemed like fun & good idea at the time.

Basically they rioted for the same reasons we celebrate/riot here in the USA - our teams win/lose or we kill Osama Bin Laden.

Our Canadian brothers and sisters are not better, worse or different than we are.

I love them even more for it.

[NewEngland4Obama]

1. To riot because you lose a hockey championship is silly

Vancouver showed their true colors... they are MUCH worse...HTH

[Electric Monk]

2. I don't think the riots instigators in Vancouver cared at all who won. They came prepared.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. ....

Ben Johnson was and is a Canadian citizen; he may have been born in Jamaica, but he's lived in Canada since he was 15 years old. He's a Canadian, not an "expat Jamaican". Same as someone who came to America as a child and got American citizenship and has now been here for 30 years is an American.

[MyUncle]

4. Yes I agree. The main point was the transition from

criticizing jingoism, to embracing and reveling in it to being crushed by it. I AM guilty of stereotyping and being racist in this story with regards to whiteness of the journalist (you just had to be there) and the absolute frenzy over the black, Jamaican adopted son. I know I'm on a indefensible path here, but I was a lot younger and at the time, it was relevant in my perception of the situation.

[oldlib]

5. There are four beautiful cities on the West coast.

They are from, South to North, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. They all are unique in attractions.

[Romulox]

6. There was a riot (in the US!) when Bin Laden was killed?

ummmmm.... :wtf:

[MyUncle]

8. You're right, I did not mean violent riot, but basically spontaneous

taking to the streets. In the Bin Laden example, mainly young Americans cellebrated much in the same way they do when their school or teams win. I'm not sure if it is WVU or Virginia Tech, but there they burn furniture - they did that night Bin Laden died. That is what I was envisioning when I wrote that line. NO offense meant.

[FLPanhandle]

7. I love this set of pictures.