News of the riot has spread far and wide – an international embarrassment for Vancouver – and nearly everyone has an opinion on the matter ranging from, “Let’s not be hasty – let’s allow the law to deal with these hooligans properly.” to, “String them all up by their toenails and let the firing squad have them.”

I sit closer to the “let the law deal with them” side myself – though I’d like to see some creativity in the punishments (and not the sort that involves bamboo slivers or waterboarding – but I will get to that).

While the riots were (and are) shocking and awful, what I am amazed by now is the use of cellphones and social media to record and “out” the villains who partook in the rioting. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures of the riot, and nearly all of the pictures show other people taking pictures or video recordings at the same time. The rioters have been caught from every angle as have a brave few who tried (and sometimes succeeded) in stopping some of the mayhem and violence.

I know that cellphone cameras and other personal devices capable of recording are legion; everyone has one. Even my cheap little cellphone will take a picture or a video – and these devices are often used to upload status updates to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, blogs of every kind, wikis, YouTube, and dozens of others. The use of social media is so prevalent that it has become a part of everyday life for most people, and nearly all of the rioters allowed their faces to be photographed as they cheered on the destruction or participated in it. They didn’t just get caught running out of stores with loot – many of them stopped and posed as though it were a photo op on the red carpet, as though they were celebrities!

Some of that mindset can be chalked up to feeling anonymous in such a huge crowd – especially when fueled by liquor and the collective adrenaline rush of so many people running amok. Some of this, I think, can also be attributed to being very used to having the things you do recorded for posterity and posted on Facebook, Flickr and the like – being photographed while looting a store, or setting a police car on fire was probably just another photograph to many. A few misguided idiots used these social platforms to brag that they were helping to make history! They were excited, and even proud it seems, to be able to say, “Yeah, I was there – I got hurt; I smashed some stuff up.” It’s a good story to tell, a wild anecdote to share with friends and – I guess – admirers.

These same photos and videos are now being used to “name and shame” the rioters on the Internet in just about every way conceivable – with absolutely no thought other than hunting them down and making them pay. Worse, it’s not just the rioters themselves who are being vilified – their parents, friends, employers and schools are also being raked across the coals. Names and addresses have been published with no regard for the safety of the people who live or work at those addresses. Families have received death threats – it must be the parent’s fault. These young adults, these educated men and women with jobs and rent to pay and ties to the community, would never have done these things if their parents hadn’t been so slack in their duty! Employers have been soundly told off and assured that their business will no longer be frequented – after all, who would shop at a store where the employer was so foolish as to hire a person without first posing interview questions regarding their behaviour in a hypothetical riot?

I’m not saying these rioters aren’t guilty – they are. They are guilty as hell, no question. I firmly believe they should be punished for their stupidity. However, I don’t agree with all the racist comments and threats the rioters have received – even the ones I think have made rather insincere apologies. They will be punished under the law – but I have a feeling no punishment outside of a public whipping and deportation of some kind is going to satisfy the people calling for blood out there.

I don’t recall where I read this (and if anyone finds the source, please point me to it so I can credit them properly) but, one person pointed out that even when the courts have meted out punishment to the instigators and participants of this riot, even when the law says they have paid their debt to society (whatever form that may take), they will continue to be punished online. The photos, the videos, the hateful comments and threats will be there forever, cached somewhere for all time. They will always be “that dude who lit the truck on fire” or “that woman who stole purses from the Coach store” – easy to find by simply Googling their names. That’s a punishment that keeps on giving.

Future employers, friends, lovers etc. will be able to Google a name and see the terrible things these people did. The punishment will be ongoing, probably for the rest of their lives. In conjunction with whatever punishment the courts give out, is that not enough?

Over the last couple of days, I’ve read a few apology letters from the rioters themselves (rioters who turned themselves in to police), and while I am impressed that they owned up to their misdeeds and will be appropriately punished by the law, I found the apologies themselves a little lacking – particularly in the case of one young lady who started out with a very thorough apology to absolutely everyone, and then followed it up with a lengthy justification of her actions.

Here are few excerpts (original spelling, grammar and formatting has been left intact):

Why don’t I think I deserve all this treatment?

Because for one, I’ve admitted to my mistakes, two, I am ready to deal with the consequences in a judicial manner, and three, because (may I remind you that) I am responsible for theft – a fairly minor action compared to vandalism and arson. Please remember and understand that I am not responsible for the riot.

I did not vandalize any buildings.
I did not set fire on anything.
I did not break any glass.
I did not instigate the riot.
I did not physically harm anybody.
I did not jump on any cop cars.
I did not even plan on being in the riot.

On any regular day I would not condone looting.

However, at the time of the riot everything just seemed so right.

At the time, being a part of the riot was simply to fulfill the adrenaline rush I was looking and hoping for – an adrenaline rush that I previously got from post-winning games: hugging randoms, dancing on the streets, honking car horns non-stop, and high-fiving just about everybody.  In the same way that everybody enjoyed collectively showing pride in our team, it was enjoyable to express my disappointment in a collective manor.

I had no intentions of defiling the city.  I love Vancouver as much as you do – I’ve lived here since I was 7 months old.  But in my immature, intoxicated perspective all I saw was that the riot was happening, and would continue happening with or without me, so I might as well get my adrenaline fix.

She also says that stealing a pair of men’s size 42 dress pants from Black & Lee was “purely fun” and justifies that too:

…My train of thought at this point was that “the place is already broken into, most of the contents of the store have already been stolen, so what difference does it make if I take a couple things?”

She uses the riots as a very misguided way to show her “feminist” side and roundly castigates all those misogynists out there:

Here’s another thing that bothers me: why is everybody so surprised that a female partook in the riot?  What is with this attitude that females are incapable of doing what men can do?  Maybe it takes an event like this to show you misogynists that woman are fully capable of anything you can do.  And if my actions lead to that revelation in your obscure little heads, then maybe it’s a good thing that I partook in this event.

This part really got to me. I agree that her actions in the riot were equally stupid to the actions of the men taking part in the riot – but that hardly makes her a feminist. A public apology for participating in a riot is not the right time to call yourself a feminist for participating in said riot. It was most certainly not a good idea that she partook in that travesty – her involvement doesn’t send any kind of good message to anyone whatsoever.

On the bright side, she did try to rescue some trees:

I am majoring in Conservation Biology at [redacted].  I strongly belirve in ecological conservation and sustainability.  That night, I saw a few  people that were trying to knock trees down.  So what did I do?  I yelled at them, saying “Pleaaseee, not the treees!!!!”  And what did they do?  They stopped.  And I felt like a hero.

A hero who participated in a riot, looted a store and laughed about it on film. Brilliant.

Her attempts to explain her actions (I still think it reads like a justification) gives me little reason to believe in the sincerity of her apology – but she’s made it. So, now we wait for the courts to punish those caught red-handed and those who turned themselves in – and I hope that punishment is more than a mere slap on the wrist and a fine, but more creative than jail time. Here’s what I would like to see:

Community service

And not just picking up garbage downtown or serving food at a shelter either. I’d like to see these fools working with the businesses they destroyed. A couple of unpaid retail shifts a week to help pay for the damage and insurance deductibles, along with a direct apology to the store owners and staff. I would also like to see them clean up after other major events in Vancouver – the Festival of Lights, any parades,  and any other large gatherings of any kind where people litter copiously. It might give them some small idea of how awful it is to clean up other people’s messes.

Counseling

I know, there are psychologists who say that it wasn’t entirely the rioters fault – that there is such a thing as mob mentality, and it is possible to get caught up in it and do something really stupid. I’m not even necessarily disagreeing (I haven’t got a psych degree, what do I know?) but I still think the people who are charged should have to undergo a year of counseling by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist and learn to truly accept their actions (no excuses of any kind!) and learn proper empathy and compassion for other people and other people’s belongings. I also believe that they should have to refrain from drinking during this time. If alcohol was that much of a factor, then clearly, these people do not understand what “drink responsibly” actually means. Until they do, no alcohol. Period.

Making reparations

Financially, some of this can be covered with community service as I stated above, but I would also like for those caught and punished to spend some time visiting with those injured or affected by the riots. This includes in person apologies to law enforcement, medical staff and all the individuals negatively hurt by this incident. Perhaps looking into the eyes of the man who was beaten outside of the Bay, or at the four year old girl whose father was punched in the face trying to protect her and get her out of the riot area, or at the people in hospital with cuts, bruises, stab wounds, burns and broken limbs would help them understand the true extent of their participation. It wasn’t just a pair of pants you stole (or a purse, or a mannequin leg, or anything else) – you took away people’s sense of safety and community. You contributed to their injuries and fear. If your excuse is, “Everyone else was doing it.”, remember that someone saw you doing it too, and used you as their excuse.

A proper thank you

I would also like to see all those punished for being part of the riot work together to help plan, and put on, a proper and public thank you for those who deserve it: law enforcement, medical staff, city workers, firefighters, the volunteer clean up crew, the brave few who stood up and said, “You can’t do this – not in my city.” to the looters and rioters, the TransLink drivers who did their best to ferry people out of danger, the security staff from various buildings downtown who helped the injured and protected property, the lovely people who helped others get out and helped attend to injuries when paramedics couldn’t get through the crowds, the people who jumped in to defend those being beaten, and even for the police dogs who braved streets of broken glass to help their handlers get things under control.

I think a big, alcohol free, thank you to all these people is in order – put on by those who made it necessary for the aforementioned to put themselves in harm’s way. And, of course, these party planners would also be responsible for the clean up afterwards.

That is what I would like to see – a meaningful punishment that puts them smack in the middle of the community they so recklessly ruined. Let’s not clog up prison cells with these people, or debate for months and maybe even years, over this. Let’s not spend taxpayer money on endless and dreary court hearings – let’s put things back together, hold those responsible personally accountable and ensure that this sort of disgraceful display of juvenile idiocy never happens again.

The devastation is unbelievable.

In the aftermath of an earthquake that: measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, moved Japan’s coastline 8 feet and shifted the earth’s axis by four inches, a wall of water, 30 feet high in spots and reaching as much as six miles inland, destroyed whatever the quake hadn’t and caused a massive whirlpool to form.

And as if it weren’t bad enough to have to deal with the destruction from the quake and the resulting tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suffered an explosion – not of the nuclear reactor itself – but the building housing it was severely damaged. In addition to that, the generators that help regulate the temperature of the reactor are no longer working – so  the employees of the plant are having to cool it with sea water to stop what would be a catastrophic explosion if the core temperature reached critical limits.

So, consider all that destruction for a moment. Try and conceive of your whole world being literally torn away from under your feet. Imagine being part of the worst hit communities in Miyagi Prefecture – homes, land, businesses all swept away by a vicious and unstoppable wall of water. Imagine yourself as a survivor of that, wondering if your family, friends and co-workers made it to safety. Not being sure of how to find them, or get in contact with anyone to let them know that you were one of the lucky ones. Try and feel some part of the grief that comes with losing everything you know and love.

Have you got all that misery, fear, pain and confusion before your eyes?

Good.

Now imagine someone telling you that you deserved it – all of it – for something that happened 70 years ago.

Feel angry? Disgusted? Sickened by the thought that a fellow human being could wish that on you? That anyone might take pleasure in your loss and misery?

There are many people posting on Facebook and Twitter who believe that the earthquake and tsunami and all the damage and deaths that resulted from it are karmic payback for the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

I wish I were kidding, but no, there are people out there who think that God had a hand in doling out punishment for the events at Pearl Harbor.

So, let me provide some facts about Pearl Harbor and the “punishment” for the deaths that occurred there:

• The Pearl Harbor bombing took place on December 7, 1941, killing 2,402 and wounding 1,282.
• The United States got their “revenge” by unloading atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9 1945, respectively.
• Those bombings killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki – and about half of those deaths were on the day of the bombings, the rest took place from radiation sickness and flash burns in the following months. The majority of the dead were innocent civilians.

At the very least, 150,000 people died as result of the United States bombing both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and 2,400 military personnel died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. If you want to talk straight revenge, eye for an eye sort of revenge, technically, the US “owes” Japan about 147,600 US deaths to “even the score”.

It hadn’t occurred to me that there could be anyone so callous, so lacking in human sympathy and empathy that they would feel gleeful or vindicated by watching another country get gutted by a natural disaster – that even one person could feel that way makes me ill – but hundreds? Maybe even thousands? And all of them spewing their ignorance and hate out in a public forum – where your name and face are visible?

It’s enough to make me ashamed of being the same species.

I’m not a praying sort of person, but my thoughts are with Japan, my donation to help out with disaster relief is on the way. I only wish I could do more.

Of course, this sensible attitude goes right out the window when it comes to books, or art/office supplies.

So, the other day as I am walking around North Vancouver, I see a big group of smokers standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Normally this irritates me – I despise having to walk through clouds of smoke coming out of people’s mouths. I always want to yell at them, “Thanks for making my hair smell like the inside of your mouth, you cretin!”

But, this time, they were standing a few feet away from the entrance of an art store. So I thought, “I’ll just pop in here and have a look and when I leave, they will have left.” I was just escaping the cigarette smoke you understand. I couldn’t possibly be expected to just go around them, right? Right?

So anyhow, weak excuse in hand, I walk in.  Art stores are the perfect place to make your credit card company love you. All those pens, pencils, fancy paper, water colour paints, paint brushes and ink. I know right then and there that I am not leaving until I have purchased something. It doesn’t have to be much – a gum eraser, a mechanical pencil with neon pink leads, a small notebook – I’m not fussy, but I will be bringing something home with me.

I say hello to the woman sitting behind the counter and I hope to have the following exchange:

Me: Hello.
Her: Hi there. How are you?
Me: Good, thanks. You?
Her: Oh, can’t complain. If you need any help, let me know.
Me: OK, thanks.

This is my ideal shopping experience. Say hello, maybe tell me what’s on sale, and then leave me alone. I’ll ask for assistance if I need it – I’m good like that.

Sadly, this was not the experience I had. That part where she was supposed to say, “Oh, can’t complain. etc.”? It went more like this:

Her: Oh just feeling kind of crappy – one of those days, you know? My boyfriend’s daughter is thirteen and I’ve known her for, like, …well, she was born in…I can’t remember now, but I’ve known her, like, forever. Anyway, he wants her to play soccer, but she doesn’t want to and he can’t really afford it anyway, but he keeps pushing, you know? And I told him if you keep pushing her, you’re going to lose her. I mean, she’s really tiny, like not even five feet and her Dad is huge – like, nearly six feet tall and at least 225 pounds, so he can be really intimidating and she just talks back and says no, but he keeps bullying her anyway. So, I told him off, I was rude to him actually and I’m never like that, and he told me he didn’t want to hear my opinion, so I made him get out of my car…”

Even worse than listening to her personal life and that of her 225 pound boyfriend and his short-but-feisty 13 year old daughter, was how oblivious she was to my discomfort at hearing all this. I wandered away, not looking at her – she followed. I made totally non-committal noises in response to anything that sounded even vaguely like a question – she kept talking.  Finally another customer asked for her help, and I fled with a “seeyoulaterbyebyenow” and I hadn’t purchased a thing.

If this was a chain store, I could just go to a different location, or complain to a manager, or even just  hope that one day she’d be let go for scaring customers off, but this is an independent store – the sort of place I generally feel strongly about supporting – and the chances of her being fired are pretty much nil; she’s the owner’s daughter and, I believe, part-owner herself.

I wish I could say this time was the first time I’d had an uncomfortable experience shopping there, but it wasn’t. I’ve listened to rants on many things there: people who shop at the big art chain store, how much they despise the chain store and the most of the suppliers and all the jerks with art supply warehouses on the Internet who undercut their prices. I’ve also weathered unasked for opinions on politics, weather, local news and religion.

I’ve also been given what I call the “jammy-handed child” treatment: “Please don’t touch that paper. It’s expensive. We don’t want your finger prints on it.” Really? Sorry, but I buy paper based on how smooth it is – textured paper and pencil crayon look bloody awful together – if I’m going to ensure I’m making the right purchase, then I need to touch the paper. Period. You’d think I came in cradling a bucket of KFC under one arm while licking my fingers and making a beeline for the expensive paper so I could use it to wipe my mouth on.

At any rate, this latest display of un-professionalism has cemented my decision to not go back. I probably should have said something like, “I’m really not comfortable hearing this much about your personal life, but I hope it all works out for everyone involved.” But, even that seemed rude somehow and I couldn’t bring myself to do more than wait for a good opportunity to run.

Bottom line? I’m willing to pay more elsewhere – even a chain store – to have the sort of shopping experience I want.