Toronto. Almost a synonym for peace. Having grown up here all my life, I do love every bit of it. But au contraire to what people would imagine, I have never felt my self develop the sense of patriotism some seem to have.
The past weekend of the G20 summit though, my heart went out to the city. I had never imagined Toronto being a hub for such a degree of violence and destruction. A little disgusting to watch the endless hours of newscasts featuring shattered windows and broken mannequins. I just failed to compehend the connection between destroying small businesses and getting your word of "protest" heard.
Protest is healthy. Necessary even. A right in a democracy. But my question is, if one does not have a reason to protest about, just an excess amount of supressed energy ready to be expressed, why not hit the gym and punch a few boxing bags?
So..."hungry for violence" folks overtook the well intended protests of real protesters. Police trained to protect the city became the villains. An enormous amount of money was spent on a "lake" (like seriously!). To top it off, a whole lot of wealthy polticians had a great weekend and departed, leaving the city with one of the most violent events in decades.
Very much uninterested in politics, just wanted to say...G20 weekend did not make me swoosh!
xo,
-M
I loved you post! I myself feel that there are other ways to get your word heard...protest should, under all circumstances by the last resort. One of my profs pointed out that the money spent on G20 will be circulated around by the people in Ontario itself. Why so much noise!
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