The Martlet

I am tired of our government telling us that there is no money for healthcare and education while shelling out for a spectacle such as the Olympic torch relay.

As a young woman who is completing her Masters of Arts, I felt compelled to join the protests Friday, Oct. 30. I don’t normally join public protests, but the Vancouver Olympic Games are something my generation is going to be paying off for a long time. And not only in monetary costs, but in social costs as well.

I enjoy watching sports and, as an athlete myself, I can appreciate that this part of the Games is important for future athletes and for the athletes competing now. After all, everyone wants to achieve their dreams.

However, the problem is that the athletics aspect of the Games has been superseded by corporate gains.

This has produced an extremely strong Olympic industry with the ability to act politically. Most supporters of the Games do not see this aspect.

For example, in the Olympic Charter, Rule 51.3 reads: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

While I understand the intention of this is to prevent hate crimes, this is too broad and can be used to stifle free speech. A host city has to agree to the Charter, even if the city’s or country’s citizens don’t.

I do wish to offer a sincere apology to the people who did not get to see the torch, as they had hoped to, due to the protest.

I also wish to express that protesters are not a homogeneous group; many of us were just as unhappy with the f-word being tossed around as were those out for the event.

However, it seemed a disgraceful waste of money to have so many police officers assigned to a peaceful event. I did not see anyone except the police trying to instigate trouble (my partner was harassed several times for putting his bandanna up in the rain — he was cold).

They did do a good job of crowd control, but how much money was wasted on them all being on duty and paid overtime?

I take issue with the fact that it is only when these mega-events occur that the government puts money into infrastructure that should be invested in regardless (transportation infrastructure or athletic/sport buildings and support).

I have a problem with the fact that I had no say as to whether or not the Olympics came to B.C., but I will be paying for it.

Finally, I feel as if the short-term benefits of the Olympics (the world’s attention on B.C., the short economic boost, the infrastructure) do not outweigh the long-term costs (displacement of the lower classes, the environmental impact, a further mockery of First Nations’ culture and claims to land and the potential of further security apparatuses being implemented in our cities — to name a few).

And lest we forget, the torch relay itself is a product of Hitler’s Nazi regime as a way to spark nationalist pride in the Third Reich. All the previous Olympics simply had a torch lighting ceremony.

Sort of puts it in perspective, doesn’t it.