I was at the BC legislature Friday night to watch my wife and daughter participate as dancers at Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch welcoming ceremony. They had rehearsed and prepared for this show for weeks in advance along with 150 other dancers organized through Stages Performance Arts School. This was a truly inspiring spectacle to watch and it made them proud to be a part of this historic event. The show was a huge success despite the efforts of a group of anti-Olympic protesters there to disrupt it. After these malcontents blocked the progress of the torch relay, upsetting many by illegally blocking a major Victoria intersection, they made their way down to the Legislature and proceeded to try and disrupt the show. They crowded one side of the stage and threw glow-sticks at police and shook their fists and shouted at those on stage. They succeeded in frightening some of the younger members of the dance troop but little else. These neer-do-well protestors and their supporters wouldn't understand the kind of pride of participation these performers were experiencing. Their goal is to oppose everything that doesn't fit into their narrow definition of what is a worthwhile public expenditure. These misguided people complain that the Olympics are a waste of tax dollars and that the money should be spent elsewhere. Yet the funding actually comes from a combination of corporate and public funding and everyone in the community will share the legacy of these games by way of new infrastructure and increased tourism. It is disappointing that certain media corporations give these protesters top billing, focusing on their disruptive antics and completely ignoring the positive contributions of volunteers that contribute to our community.
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