Protesting the Olympics at This Point is Just an Embarrassment

It really gets to me when I see things like anti-Olympics groups saying they are going to do everything within their power to 'disrupt' the Games all the way up to and during 2010.

Paintballing the Olympic clock, or holding demonstrations on the Art Gallery steps wearing ski masks and fatigues is not going to change the fact that we are hosting the world in under two years.

Protesting is fine, if not completely ineffective, as we all found out during the run up and aftermath of the Iraq War, but attempting to disrupt something like the Olympics, when Vancouver, and Canada could benefit so much from the influx of tourism during and after the Games are finished is just ridiculous.

The objections revolve around social housing and Healthcare funding before the Olympics from social activist groups and claims that the Games are being held on land that is still disputed under treaty negotiations by Native bands.

Healthcare and social housing funding is a separate issue from the Olympics. There hasn't been adequate funding for either for a long time, and now there is an outlet as to why. I don't know how we don't care care of our homeless just from a moral standpoint alone, but that is a different problem altogether.

The same goes for the land claims. I can fully understand anger over land claims, but this is not the arena. I know it is the biggest stage in a long time around here, but blocking roads and taking a radical stance now or during the Games is only going to make public opinion turn on the cause, meaning there will be even less of a push than there is now to correct the mistakes of our forefathers.

Some immature stunt while the Games are here does nothing to help either issue, and will likely damage public sympathy towards whatever group pulls it off. My message here, as with my previous entry on the Olympics, is that they are an investment in the city, and everyone needs to invest themselves in its success............everyone.