Stanley Cup Embarrasment

As a resident of the city of Vancouver, a proud Canadian, and a hockey fan, i was appalled, ashamed, and embarrassed at how we rioted following the loss to the Boston Bruins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. However I must admit I was not surprised at how people reacted. In fact, i have a feeling that even if we had of won the game a similar reaction would have ensued. If you look back to the 94 riots in Vancouver some say this situation could have been avoided. But how so really? You have a large mass of people in one location that have been drinking for several hours. Despite whether the team wins or loses the emotions have been building up for awhile before the damage starts. It only takes a handful of people to start something and the wave continues to grow and build momentum. In Vancouver a 17 year old Maple Ridge boy has come forward after being identified and is genuinely sorry. This boy is the son of a doctor and from a well off family. He is a model student and a championship water polo player..yet he was caught on camera trying to ignite a police car on fire using a cloth doused in gasoline. He has admitted that the was completely swept up in the moment and the emotions of the situation and lost control. Does this really happen? You bet it does! Now our city seems to have a reputation for rioting , like the 94 cup loss and the cancelled Guns and Roses concert a number of years back. But there are several other cities that have lost their minds temporarily while being swept up in the moment. Montreal is notorious for its passion and behavior. The Los Angeles Lakers fans seem to riot every time they win the championship. Over in the Uk they seem to go crazy every weekend following a footy match of some sorts. IN fact even the fans in Boston started to riot when their beloved Red Sox finally won the World Series.
I personally think that here in Vancouver we have a bit of a problem with certain anarchist groups and professional demonstrators who know how to ignite a crowd. It almost all happened the first day of the 2010 Olympics but was quickly stomped out before it escalated.
What should be noted is the way the city rallied in the wake of the damage caused that night. Groups were organized on facebook and through other social media sites to help cleanup. By 8am the next morning apart from some boarded up windows it was as if nothing had happened. Now if only that was true....because now we will suffer from large scale events happening in the city. The events of June 16th 2011 will go down in history as one of the worst sporting riots to date.
Take a look at the following video to see just how the mob mentality works. How it escalates to levels beyond control The video is long but worth watching.