G20 chaos from street level in Toronto

I took some time today after the wonderful Ghana vs. USA match to walk out to the chaotic street scene in downtown Toronto just south of here, where the G20 summit is taking place. You'd think it's against conventional wisdom to venture out when reports on tv say that riots have broke out and protesters have gone nuts. But I figured I'm not going to be this close to an event like this for another ten, twenty years. Plus I thought the media was a little incompetent in broadcasting this whole issue and wanted to see first hand what was really going on. So why not?

I first went down to City Hall at just past 5pm. Amazingly, it was extremely calm at Nathan Phillips Square. A bunch of backpackers taking pictures around the Winston Churchill statue, where a pigeon stood on his head, banners of Toronto's Jazz Festival still in full swing, the only black smoke coming out of a nearby hot dog stand, where people who look like newcomers to Canada stand around going about what looks like daily gossip. Nothing unusual. 

Photo-op with The Broken Starbucks Window.

I proceed south to Queen and Bay. There was a large group gathered at the Old City Hall on-looking action to the south - some protesters wearing bandannas were taking a break from a day of yelling with their signs to their sides. I walk across a Queen Street almost completely devoid of traffic, onto the corner Starbucks and TD, which has one of its window smashed to pieces - the same one that just appeared on CBC, who have their news vans parked next door. People were curious to take a picture with this new landmark. 

Down Bay St. was where all the action is. As I walk south, people are increasing in numbers. Most with cameras handy snapping at the crowds in front of them (even saw an iPhone 4), some recording footage of the event which will, I'm sure, gradually make its way onto YouTube. The famous Bay St. of Toronto, normally bustling with daily traffic and businesspeople, was now filled with a hot, tense air and thousands of mobile bodies gradually merging into a large crowd; you can't tell who is there to protest and who is there to just to check out what's happening. 

At Bay and Adelaide, near where I work, I witnessed the first big crowd of the day, and the first police barricade of my life. As I sneak up to the frontlines, I manage to catch a glimpse of a middle-aged white guy yelling at the motionless Police in front of him. "How long do you think we're gonna take this shit??" He yelled hysterically while trancing around like a voodoo artist, "A new fuckin' world order is here! Wake up people, a new fuckin' world order!" The crowd remains largely silent, but are duly entertained. Some egg him on.

The police wall stretches across the width of Bay St both north and south of Adelaide, blocking off access to the intersection. A large police security truck is in the middle - maybe that's what they were trying to protect. The officers were clad in heavy gear from head to toe, including the usual riot gear consisting of baton, shield, and large masks which make seeing the faces of individual officers impossible. On this day, they have no identity. 

Suddenly, the police pull up their batons in unison. The crowd reacted. Some people begin dashing away from the intersection, thinking that they were about to make a move against the protesters. Others openly speculate on the reason for this latest manoever. Miraculously, the police wall begins pulling back in unison along with the security truck. Protesters chant as if this is some kind of victory. 

The mobile barricade now crawled slowly towards Bay and King, near Commerce Court. This stretch of Bay St, the pulsating heart of Canada's financial industry, suffered the most damage from the hooligans of the day; smashed windows are visible on both sides of the street. Some people are making calls over their cellphones, others continue to snap pictures. While I tweet my updates I unknowingly walk into freshly broken glass as the chants in front of me begin to simmer. 

"...What does democracy look like?"
"This is what democracy looks like!"
"...What does democracy feel like?"
"This is what democracy feels like!"

Protesters shout while motioning towards the police barricade. I thought this particular slogan was kind of lame. Not gonna lie, it sort of reminded me of frosh week. 

Flags were flying at the intersection - mostly those of First Nations, Palestine, and what looked like Communism. I smell marijuana, but can't seem to locate the source. More chants ensue. 

"One-two-three-four, we won't take this shit no more! Five-six-seven-eight, organize and retaliate!" Several protest leaders shout the first part into their megaphone, and the crowd gives the follow-up. Four of five repetitions later, the contagion spreads... even some of the more 'innocent'-looking bystanders chime in on it. At the Trump Tower, currently under construction, young men leap up onto barrels to get a better glimpse of the situation. A couple of dejected Palestinian protesters sit on the side of the street to take a drink and talk about what to do next. The slogans then slowly descend into inaudible noise, before another round begins. 

Police barricade on Saturday at Bay and King.

BMO seems to have suffered the most damage. Windows that were shattered earlier in the day were already encased in wooden boards to block protesters from entering the building. Anarchist slogans were painted on walls. At the corner of Bay and King, police finally take a breather as the some protesters begin to disperse. Behind the barricade, a makeshift refreshment station was set up for officers to take off their masks, feel a bit of fresh air, and take a drink. A hysterical middle-aged guy, probably a protester, poses in front of the cops while giving the middle finger. Next to him, a young Asian girl smiles on this up-close-and-personal photo-op with police while her boyfriend snaps the moment. Several other backpackers follow suit. Guess they weren't here to protest after all.

As I walked back to my temporary residence a couple of blocks north, I reflected on the day's events. I set out to get a real look at the events of today, but also wanted to find out what people were actually protesting about. This question still begged answers. There does not seem to be any kind of cohesion or unity amongst each of the protest groups. Some protest for maternal rights, others for a free Palestine, others hold up union signs, and others still just want to wreak havoc wherever they could while they have the media's attention.

All the while when windows were smashed, people were injured, and police cars were burned, the real decision makers of this world, without batting an eyelid, are either going about hashing out the world's economic direction just a couple of blocks down, or sipping their cocktails at a resort in the Bahamas while planning when to next cash in on the stock options; while the average person watches the event unfold on the news ticker, dismissing it as a bunch of rowdy, hot-blooded hippies who are up to no good, go right back to watching today's World Cup highlights; while the immigrant downtown store-owner laments the damages to his all too new enterprise, wondering where to go next; and the female police officer will go home tonight, put her kids to sleep, and try to reassure her family that she will be okay, even though she knows there will be more stress ahead on the next shift in her ironclad gear beneath the boiling sun.

At the end of the day, what's the point?

World Cup 2010 Predictions

World Cup fever is here again. It's hard to imagine that it's already been four years since that fateful Zidane headbutt that shocked the world in Germany 2006.

I haven't followed pro soccer (or football, rather, for the real fans) much in the last few years, much to my regret. My name recognition for the 32 squads is painfully disappointing. But all the more excitement for making the predictions for this, the greatest and most watched tournament on Earth. 

So here we go:

Group rounds, in order of group ranking

Group A

1. Mexico

2. France

3. Uruguay

4. South Africa

Group B

1. Argentina

2. Nigeria

3. Greece

4. Korea Republic

Group C

1. England

2. United States

3. Slovenia

4. Algeria

Group D

1. Germany

2. Ghana

3. Serbia

4. Australia

Group E

1. Netherlands

2. Cameroon

3. Denmark

4. Japan

Group F

1. Italy

2. Paraguay

3. Slovakia

4. New Zealand

Group G

1. Brazil

2. Portugal

3. Cote d'Ivoire

4. Korea DPR

Group H

1. Spain

2. Chile

3. Honduras

4. Switzerland

Final Four (in order of finish):

1. Brazil

2. Spain

3. Italy

4. Argentina

You will notice these rankings were relatively conservative; for example, I predict that all the first-seeds in every group will have a first-place finish. I'm actually hoping that this won't be the case this time around. In 2006, this happened for 6 out of 8 groups - a result which indicates that even though these are supposed to be the 32 best teams on earth, traditional powers have become increasingly resilient at holding their place at the world stage. It will be exciting to see which one of the "non-traditional" powers, particularly an African team or Australia, make it far. 

South Africa 2010, here we come. 

Racism in Canadian Schools

Recently I've come across the following stories on The National Post:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2740807

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2732314

Read it before listening to my rant.

Canadian Universities are welcoming institutions. Having recently travelled three continents I can tell you that the cultural environment here is much, much better than many other places in this world.

A brown guy at Trent complained that he was the "only brown person in class" and therefore he felt excluded. As if we have a duty to accommodate by artificially modifying the racial make-up of classes to make certain groups feel more welcomed. At Queen's people complain about 'white privilege', going as far as to say permeated the "walls, books classrooms and everything that makes Queen's what it is." Oh, what bullshit. It seems whoever said this is confusing suburban upper class snobbery with white racial supremacy.

The solution to racism is this: First, we need to talk about it more openly. Second, we need to be less politically correct about everything we say. Beating around the bush makes everyone feel more uncomfortable - white people and minorities. Interracial dialogue about racism is crucial. Racism happens most frequently in intra-racial circles.

Third, educate people. People are prejudiced because they lack inter-cultural understanding, lack global perspective, lack real experiences with other cultural groups, not because there is inherent bigotry inside every living soul.

Fourth, and most importantly, we need to make a big distinction between incompatible cultural attitudes and racism. Separate them, separate them, separate them. Racism is when you hate a black person because they are black, which is wrong. Cultural incompatibility is the rationalized reasoning that certain practices and social behavior between one cultural group and another simply do not mix, and that you are uncomfortable with this cultural difference. This is perfectly understandable and there is nothing wrong with it. It simply happens because we are used to certain norms and practices by the way we have been brought up.

I, for example, am very uncomfortable that a number of cultures (and religions) continue to preach against interracial (or intercultural) dating and marriage, because this brings about racial clustering in big urban centres and a lack of integration. I will say this because I believe there is a detriment to society as a whole because of de facto racially segregating practices from certain groups, and believe that these practices contravene very basic Canadian values of inclusivity and multiculturalism. After all, to be inclusive doesn't just mean white people have to be more tolerant of minority groups. It means that everyone has to be more tolerant towards everyone. Groups that immigrate to Canada, in my view, should let go of their cultural baggage and settle here with a reasonably liberal and open mindset about other cultures. Most importantly, they should not force values that outright conflict with the majority of Canadian society, such as deliberate in-group preaching of intra-racial marriage, to their Canadian offspring. This hurts our country and hurts the children of minority groups, who grow up struggling to define their identity.

Canadian universities are some of the most inclusive institutions in the world. Universities are not racist; people are racist. And the less open we are about racism, the more racist society becomes. Let's talk about it openly first before coming up with these wildly hyperbolic statements, or banning sumo suits at Queen's.