<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mulevery" data-cid="203718" data-time="1372532542">
Yeah, I think of it every day because I actually live in Vancouver.
Look, Vancouver got through an entire Olympics with little incident (the brief melee was caused by professional rioters and rabble rousers) and after Team Canada won gold the whole city was full of people being super fun and lovely, parading in our downtown core and cheering. The atmosphere was amazing and I felt nothing but safe. For the entire two weeks of the Olympics everything was fun and people from around the world were welcomed. There was an awful lot of hugging. The drinking may be to blame, but still, it was wonderful.
The Stanley Cup riot was more of a foregone conclusion, something somewhat planned by idiots who wanted to crush everything. The clean up efforts were amazing and should be applauded. People came together. It was touching and a great outreach of the community of Vancouverites.
Though not all, it's clear that many of those people did not live within the city limits. The suburbs aren't always to blame, but so many of the people charged and caught were not people who call Vancouver home, but people who came from outside to use the actual city as their garbage can and punching bag. They came from outside the urban area they don't want to live in, ran off to the outskirts so they can own their giant homes and ten cars and whatever other status symbols they feel will enrich their lives in a way community and sharing and living in a more densified area will not.
I may dislike many things about my city, but it's not a classless piece of shit. At least not all the citizens are, just like anywhere.
Thanks for thinking we're garbage! It's extremely generous. Happy Canada Day weekend to us!!!!!
Just don't.</p></blockquote>
Having been to Vancouver many times, I have to agree with mule. Have had little issues with anyone there, even to watch the Hawks play the Nucks there. Sure there are assholes there, but they are everywhere and far from the norm.