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Life As A Human - Author Spotlight
Kerry Slavens
People Who Are Making A Difference
Making A Difference: Chelsea Peters – Atin Afrika Foundation
A Life As A Human Interview: Chelsea and her partner Owiny Morris met a group of street children in Lira, Uganda in 2011 and felt compelled to help them. When they found that there was no government social network to help them they turned to each other and asked a simple question, “Why not us?”
Making A Difference: Kane Ryan – Dirty Wall Project Foundation
A Life As A Human Interview: Long time traveller turned photographer and philanthropist, Kane Ryan has lived in Mumbai, India for the past 4 years. Working primarily in the Saki Naka slum community building a school, women’s centre and providing healthcare for the community. Over the last 4 years his small non profit has helped Janvi trust and the community turn the Saki Naka slum into one of the cleanest in the city.
Making A Difference: Patricia Sims – CanazWest Pictures
A Life As A Human Interview: As filmmaker and writer, Patricia has a passion for large-brained megafauna – from dolphins, to primates, to elephants. Her quest to portray the interrelationships between humans and animals has led her around the globe in pursuit of the issues that threaten these relationships. She is currently working on an advocacy film to raise awareness about the plight of Asian elephants called “Elephants Never Forget.”
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Humorous Articles
Laptop Misery
About three months ago I was hurrying down the stairs from the second floor of our house. I had my laptop in my hand, it was open (so it wouldn't … Read More...
How To Kill A Husband
Mom quit killing off husbands the year I turned ten. It was the same time that lazy Mr. Humphries from across the street went missing, and the police … Read More...
Running Away
I’ve been in a long-term abusive relationship for many years. Things had been pretty good between the two of us for almost two years because my … Read More...
Meet the New Neighbour
My neighbor insists on no curtains on the windows. We sat in my kitchen drinking the only coffee I could find; most of my stuff was still packed into … Read More...
Mottos R Us
“I’ve never met a piece of chocolate I didn’t like,” is one of my top mottos. Well that is almost true, almost, so I should clarify that … Read More...
Meet The Authors!
Random Articles From The Archives!
Minute to Freedom #81: Hero Child
Today let’s talk about being a hero child. One of the roles of an alcoholic family is to be the … Read More...
If You Could Reboot Your Life…
Imagine that some wish-granting genie has stepped out of your dreams and into your living room, … Read More...
The Zen of Wild Turkeys and Snakes
Nathan spends a day in nature and encounters some strange sightings. It was a beautiful day here … Read More...
Repercussions of Gluttony – Part 1
Recently I was reminded of the excesses of my children’s childhood – a picture of a toy room … Read More...
The Right or Wrong Way to Resign?
Greg Smith, now a former Goldman Sachs executive director, made a very public resignation in the New … Read More...
After the Riot: Mob Psychology at Work in Vancouver
Deconstructing the mob behaviour of the riots following the Vancouver Canucks loss tells us a lot about who we are as humans — the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.
2011 Vancouver riot following Stanley Cup Finals
So it’s the day after the riot that shook Vancouver. They’re calling it the Vancouver riot or the Canucks riot. But most of Vancouver wasn’t rioting. They were tucked in at home watching their TV’s in shock and disgust. And the Canucks definitely weren’t rioting. I hate to think of those poor guys having to deal with the idea of marauders in hockey jerseys with their names on them torching cars and breaking windows.
Canadians aren’t like this, I keep telling people.
An acquaintance from the U.S. messaged me: “I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice.”
Yeah. I thought so too. And most of us are, most of the time.
What we saw go down in Vancouver after the Canucks lost wasn’t about being sore losers, or a violent society, or poor policing, or any single factor. It was mob mentality at work — and for mob mentality to have it’s way, the right (or “wrong”) conditions have to come together in a perfect storm. I wanted to write an article about the Vancouver riot and mob mentality at work, but then I found the article “Vancouver Riot: Psychology (Not Hooligans) Responsible for the Chaos” by Bobby Brooks on The Bleacher Report. Brooks says it better than I could. I hope you’ll read his fascinating article and tell us what you think?
“As I sat at home watching the Vancouver riots unfold in front of me, I was amazed at how ill-informed the newscasters and on-site reporters were about such an event.
The truth behind a riot is much more complicated than a mere “hooligan” explanation.
That is the easy and lazy explanation of things.
Underneath it all, there are more dynamic variables at play, interacting at a rapid pace.”
Read more from “Vancouver Riot: Psychology (Not Hooligans) Responsible for the Chaos” by Bobby Brooks.
Photo Credit
Burning a vehicle after the Canucks/Boston Stanley Cup finals in Vancouver.
A Vancouver Canucks fan holds a hockey stick after smashing the windows of a bank as he reacts to the Canucks losing Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup final hockey game to the Boston Bruins in Vancouver, British Columbia June 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Carlson
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