You have got to be Mad

Embarrassing tidbit: On Wednesday, my friend returned from the bank and found me crying in his car. I was in a surprising stream of tears because it was a couple hours until game time and I was missing Vancouver and the people I had left behind.

Skip forward to the end of the night and I was crying because of how disgraceful some people had made my city out to be. That night was one of the most emotional and distressing nights that I have experienced in a long time. As ashamed as I was of Vancouver, I realize that this should not be a reflection of the hundreds of thousands of good-hearted Vancouverites who are just as mortified as I am. But unfortunately, it only takes a small percentage of individuals to taint and ruin a city's image. I went to bed mourning over the game of hockey, my destroyed city, and people's inhumane attacks against one another. I'm a huge believer of the good of humanity, and so my faith was restored when I read and saw pictures of volunteer workers who made it their mission to clean up the streets of Vancouver.

However, I admit that I am still angry and heartbroken every time I view pictures, stories, and read people's distasteful comments about the event. I am going to continue to be angry and upset because if I didn't have these feelings then it means that I'm desensitized to this type of violence. I don't want to live in a society where we use a hockey game as an excuse to lose humanity and act like savages with no social consciousness. I believe the way people acted is bigger than hockey, and is part of a larger problem. We need to not only understand the problems but we need to have a new understanding of ourselves and the psychotic mindsets of our fellow individuals that live in a society devoid of mores and lined with social ills.

With this new view of Vancouver, we also need to see ourselves as change agents in creating a better place. I want people to be upset but in a way that makes them act without brutal force. I want this to resonate so deep within you that YOU use it as a catalyst for positive change. I want you to be mad as hell. "You have got to get mad. You've got to say 'I'm a human being. Goddamnit. My life has value"

If I did not believe that human beings were better than this, I would have turned off the news and gone soundly to sleep. Instead I went to bed at 4am and walked into work with bloodshot eyes. I hope the sadness of this event is not lost on anyone.

Yours,

P.xo.