Protest notes and dischords ...

Ever since the riot on Georgia Street on the first Saturday morning of the Olympics, the media have been playing up signs of a "rift" within the protest movement that's been around ever since Vancouver started preparing its bid all those years ago. Certainly, it was a master-stroke of messaging by Vancouver Police, to declare that the trouble was caused by a criminal element, burying itself within the ranks of legitimate, peaceful protesters. But then there came criticism from within the movement itself, breaking a sort of omerta, according to the media reports.


If one of the Olympic "legacies" is for the "social justice" advocates to re-examine not just their tactics but the raison d’être of these protests, this may have been somewhat worthwhile. Driving past the tent city on Hastings Street this morning, I was struck by the multiplicity of causes: homelessness, the war in Afghanistan, poverty in general, native rights, violence against women; there was even a poster saying, "HARPER + (Olympic rings) = (swastika)".


So the questions go like this:

• What do you really want?
• How are the Olympics responsible for these problems?
• What does "success" look like?
• Why do you think this will accomplish that?
• After all these years, maybe it's time to change tactics?
• Where are you when the Olympics are not an issue?
• What are you, yourselves, doing to alleviate the situation? (and don't say, "I'm protesting" or "I'm staging a sit-in to draw attention to ...")

See, the causes these people claim to espouse are generally worthy ones (with the possible exception of the Harper/swastika poster -- what if the PM's kids saw that?*), but as such, the solutions require discussion and dialogue, not slogans that polarize factions.

My daughter, who turns 18 in a couple of weeks, gave what's become the stock position: "all this money being spent should be going to the homeless".

But would it? As Vancouver Councillor Geoff Meggs pointed out in an interview just before the Olympics, millions of dollars are already being spent on the Downtown East Side, much of it on social housing. I personally know of three people who've benefited from that. But there are still problems. The fact is, the money being spent would not have gone towards housing: it would have gone towards something else where people think they can make a buck. And look at all the people who have been given jobs and been able to feed their families because of the Olympics. And look at the infrastructure projects -- many of which are transportation-related and will help reduce dependency on private automobiles (need I point out that you will likely find many of these same protesters taking part in the "Critical Mass" bike rides?).

The biggest problem I see with the protesters here is the lack of cohesiveness. The image they're projecting is that of a bunch of people with a mad-on against the world in general. They may see social injustice and want something to be done about it, but when the rubber meets the road, it's always up to somebody else to fix it.

True activism is to roll up your sleeves and do something yourself -- and I don't mean march in demonstrations. Encourage people who are struggling with life. Comfort people who are grieving. Re-examine your approach. Look for open dialogue with decision-makers to decide on solutions and with people who can contribute resources to make the solution happen. Here's another way of putting it: "... visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keep [yourself] unspotted from the world." Translation: you have a responsibility to do something constructive to help others -- and don't fall into the world's way of doing things, which can often be to rely on money, power and everybody else to do the right thing.

And where does that wisdom come from? The Epistle of James, part of the Bible ... which has never been more relevant than it is today. And do it quietly, without drawing attention to yourself, because your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly (Matt. 6:4), with the satisfaction of success. That is what you want, isn't it?

I, by the way, happen to be enjoying the Olympics immensely. We went to the victory ceremonies this past Sunday, when the entertainment was provided by Trooper and Loverboy. Who among us does not know Trooper's signature song, "Raise A Little Hell", which, aside from being a great way to rev up the crowd at a basketball game, is also encouragement for social activism.

But I got to thinking about that: since, as Paul writes, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12), do we want to raise a little hell; or is it more effective to call down a lot of Heaven?

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*Actually, the statements of some of the lead protesters in the group have led me to believe that that question is a non-starter. They've already shown they have no conscience about the impact of their words and deeds on innocent people.