Gang violence is expected to rise, as a division of the gang the “Bloods” have branched off from New York and have made there way to Downtown Vancouver. We can expect the Gang the “Crips” to be arriving shortly in the Greater Vancouver region. This remix was inspired by a photo taken on December 2nd, 2009 in the Globe & mail.
Inspired by an article from the Vancouver Sun, reporting on the ridiculous law that was passed, allowing police to imprison the Vancouver homeless if the weather is dangerous. Clearly, there is an ulterior motive and the law acts as a representation of the government’s view of these people. The cartoon highlights this dehumanization.
by A. G. Cook
Once upon a time there was a little sphere of rock and water in a little galaxy in a big universe. One community especially flourished on the planet. It was tucked neatly at the edge of the land called Canada, between the ocean, the mountains, and the United States border. It was called Vancouver. This community lived in relative peace and happiness, with trains and boats and carriages to boot.
One day the motor vehicle was invented. The good old times were lost. The People lived rushed, hectic lives, driving on paved streets where everybody but them was an idiot. Terms never before heard such as “road rage” and “traffic jam” and “car accident” became a part of daily news. Pollution started to asphyxiate the earth, and gas prices rose at a log scale pace.
The People decided that they had big hearts, and came together in an effort to save the planet. They planted trees, wore hemp clothes, and recycled. Their efforts were not enough. The sea-level patch of land would need more help if it was to survive.
Unfortunately, what the city got more of was not help, but rather more congestion and density with the announcement of the 2010 Olympic games.
Then, out of the despair, a savior emerged. VANOC in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation came up with The Plan. A labyrinth of walking paths, cycle ways, and public transit routes that cuts traffic by 30%. The Plan would bring The People back to their nostalgic dream of strolling along with friends, reading a book on the commute to work, and averting the cheap oil crisis: exactly what they wanted. Many birds could be killed with this stone. Oh, happy day!
But, wait…
The People didn’t like being told what to do. They would love to save their piece of earth for future generations, but not enough to change their lifestyles. The People were denied their self-assigned right to luxurious and easy travel. Various blogs ranted, raved, and used hefty doses of caps lock. The Plan was described as “far from adequate,” “mega-transport nightmare ahead,” “stressful and unfair,” and was even compared to Marie Antoinette and the starving peasants.
The People had spoken.
Unfortunately for The People, they would have to suck it and deal, for someone far more experienced in the art of architecture, design, and engineering had made The (brilliant) Plan, and until they could make a better one themselves, that’s the way it would be.
Those who learned to accept and appreciate The Plan lived happily ever after. The End.
Cindy Cely-Cardenas
The city of Vancouver is currently experiencing an all time high of gang related violence; it is escalating great concern to its citizens. On the March 4, 2009 edition of the North Shore News there was an article titled “Drug Legalization Lobby Lacks Business Plan” which discusses the options the government is considering in order to reduce the violence. The following are some illustrations that I have created interpreting the options offered: either continue with our current illegal drug policies or legalize drugs in order to have control of the drug trade.
Jessica Brodeur
Last Tuesday I was hanging out with a few friends when the topic of the recent gang violence in Vancouver came up in the conversation. Two friends from separate areas of Vancouver both brought up the fact that there had been shootings within a five minute walk from their houses. Instead of looking horrified, however, they high-fived.
You know how people say that issues never seem real until they hit close to home? I’m starting to doubt that a little. I don’t think that gangs have necessarily been glamorized or idealized in any way. I do, however, think that people aren’t getting the sense of fear and worry that the press is madly trying to display.
In the article “Time to Stop Buck Passing” on the North Shore News website, the word “gang” is mentioned 6 times. Words describing “gang” or anything gang related are:
-”free ranging”
-”rampant”
-”murderous”
-”horrific”
-”dirty business”
-”brazen”
-”beyond the pale of human decency”
Yet, when I Google image searched terms used in the article, I get very different results than “murderous” or “horrific.” Below are the top 10 results I got in Google Image searches for the following terms:
“Gangland”
“Gangster”
“Gang”
“Shooting”
In conclusion, these are very different results as I’m sure the media surrounding the recent gang stories would like to see. Over time and space, the feeling of threat in relation to gangs has lost it’s potency, and has been replaced with a bit of mockery and high fives. As far as I can assume, as long as gangs exist, so will the impersonations of them in both video game and other forms.
