Why attack Pamela's? (house, prices, law)

[Renaldo5000]

From watching the footage of the protests it looked like the Pitt demonstrations were 10% hardcore anarchists/Lefties, 10% sympathetic but more moderate people, and 80% people who were standing around waiting for something to happen so they could get pictures of it.

I can't help but chuckle at the anarchist types. Naive young kids playing at rebellion and thinking they are going to change the world by throwing some rocks. I wonder what was more noxious - the tear gas or their body odor? However, they did look stylish in their tight black clothing (which was probably made by a corporation).

[groar]

well i'm a liberal (well, a leftist) so i see a difference. even practically, there's a difference - $1000 to fix a window is a much bigger blow for an independent business than for a huge corporation.

i don't condone smashing anyone's windows, but seeing it happen to small independent businesses makes me more angry than seeing it happen to boston market or whatever.

[Copanut]

That Boston Market, corporate or not, employs LOCAL people.

[groar]

yeah, and they stayed open (which is kind of nuts) and fixed the windows the next morning. the employees were affected how?

actually boston market is a bad example because they were open with people inside, making the window smashing potentially dangerous. luckily no one was hurt. but if it's between smashing the window of an closed independent business or a closed corporate chain, it's much worse in my eyes to smash the window of the independent business.

[john7104]

Originally Posted by groar

if it's between smashing the window of an closed independent business or a closed corporate chain, it's much worse in my eyes to smash the window of the independent business.

That's because you were taught to do so by your peers. Private property regardless of being cooperate or locally owned is just that . . . PRIVATE property. Sounds to me as though you suffer from the same "disease" as these other radicals . . . wealth and class envy.

[groar]

could you be much more patronizing? yeah, i guess everyone who disagrees with you is a stupid sheep who's just jealous of rich people.

i'm not going to go into why i support small independent businesses over giant corporate ones - this isn't the political board. and again, i think it's wrong to smash anyone's window. i just think that when the impact of the damage on the business is bigger, the act is worse. how class-warrior of me!

in any case, you could try asking your "peers" to give you some lessons in civility. most people in this thread and other g20 related threads so far have managed to disagree without making sweeping generalizations about "the left" or "the right" or attacking each other.

[Copanut]

I go out of my way to use local businesses and rarely go into a chain restaurant. But damaging property is not my cup of tea, no matter who owns it.

[groar]

have i defended damaging property? i just think that some property damage is worse.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by groar

have i defended damaging property? i just think that some property damage is worse.

No, I understand, just my two cents.

To me, what I'll remember was the protest the Greenpeace guys did, that was cool.

[groar]

yeah, as cool as it was that there was a gigantic and entirely peaceful march on friday, obviously mass marches just aren't enough to capture people's imagination anymore. i think the most effective forms of protest are ones that make a strong visual statement even if they don't involve many people, as sad as that sounds.