If there’s an underlying theme in the Canucks’ This is our Home campaign, unveiled Wednesday, it’s faith.
To wit: the Canucks have plenty of faith in their ability to get back to the Stanley Cup Final; they have very little faith in the fans’ ability to make smart choices should the team once again fall short once there. Hence, the This is our Home campaign, like the season-long Heart of a Canuck campaign, is a thoroughly unsubtle attempt to remind fans that rioting is for jackasses.
(Subtext: if you riot, Canuck fans, Trevor Linden will be very disappointed in you. Do you really want to disappoint Trevor Linden?)
Now, I guess, considering the slogan isn’t actually Rioting is for Jackasses, maybe it is sort of subtle. It may be remarkably obvious and even a bit intelligence-insulting to those of us who are more righteous than riotous, but I imagine it seems downright delicate to the idiots at whom the campaign is aimed.
After all, were these people smart enough for nuance, they might have selected a more understated outlet for their playoff disappointment.
In short, I hate this campaign because it shouldn’t be necessary. Unfortunately it is. I mean, considering the label on the bottle of liquid soap under my sink reads, If soap gets into eyes, wash with warm water, there are undoubtedly morons among us. These individuals won’t think twice about rioting, and they will riot — twice — unless someone reminds them over and over not to. So the This is Our Home campaign says it without saying it.
On the bright side, I felt like the outtakes were a love letter to the intelligent. Even the actors in the 60-second spot seemed to realize how silly and cheesy the clip they were making was, which it why they wound up breaking during routine phrases like “Together” and “Like a family” and “Show some heart.”
Here’s what we need: if the Canucks are going to take the graceful route with their anti-riot campaign, we at PITB would like to take the more direct route. With this in mind, we request new campaign posters that hit the nail right on the head. Stuff like, Hey idiot, don’t set that car on fire, and Don’t burn down Vancouver, since you live in Vancouver, and if you burn down the city you live in, you’ll have to move.
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sarah
March 28, 2012And don’t burn down Vancouver if you live in Surrey, or Richmond, or Mission,, or North Vancouver, or Langley [or Surrey...I'm looking at you]….since that’s just unfair to the rest of us who live in those places.
RG
March 28, 2012Why you gotta hate on Surrey?
sarah
March 28, 2012It’s not hate on Surrey. It’s a matter of being from Surrey and realizing that a healthy proportion of rioters were also from there. There was nothing fun about having to apologize to my Vancouver based friends for the actions of people I don’t know but associate myself with nevertheless.
RG
March 28, 2012I’m not arguing the fact that something like 40% riot-related charges were laid on Surrey residents. What I’m pissed about is that you’re going to lump 468000 people (census 2011) in with a few problems.
I live in Ottawa now, and I constantly have to defend the city of Vancouver from ignorant Ontarians that believe the entire city is riddled with crime and drug addiction because there’s an area called the DTES (you may have heard of it, in your little Vancouverite bubble). Do you think it’s okay to lump 603000 people in with a few problems, as some of these folks out east do?
Say hello to your ignorance, sarah.
sarah
March 28, 2012By way of clarification. I never meant to say that all Surrey people are rioters. Merely that people from Surrey do represent Surrey [as anyone represents the place they are from].
As someone who is from and currently resides in Surrey, I naturally self-represent with others from my home town. So when I saw people from my hometown willingly trashing another place, it was embarrassing to see that behaviour from people who represent a place which I also represent.
I’m well aware that the vast majority of people from Surrey, residing in Surrey, or with any connection whatsoever to Surrey are not rioters. That does not mean that I am not disappointed about the damages done my the albeit small minority that decided to participate in the riots.
I hope that clarifies. I didn’t intend for my remark to come across as ignorant. They simply stem from a place of embarrassment that I’m sure many of us feel.
The gist of my comments is that rioting is bad.
RG
March 28, 2012Truce.
http://sharksandhammers.bigcartel.com/product/surrey-hoods
Chinstrap Joe
March 28, 2012Lighten up, RG. Every place has it’s quirks. I lived in Surrey for four years back in the early 90′s – nice place and nice people but seriously, if the earth needed an enema, they would insert the tube somewhere around Whalley.
Brent
March 28, 2012My brother lives in Surrey, so I like to say he lives in Slurry. He gets annoyed at me. Mission accomplished!
Abby W.
March 28, 2012Much as I think the campaign IS a good thing (albeit cheesy) your last sentence made me laugh.
“With this in mind, we request new campaign posters that hit the nail right on the head. Stuff like, Hey idiot, don’t set that car on fire, and Don’t burn down Vancouver, since you live in Vancouver, and if you burn down the city you live in, you’ll have to move.”
^^ Yeah. Unfortunately, as was proven last year, some people will make idiot decisions regardless of the fact that they’ve been encouraged not to.
Hopefully if there are any problems, then the police will be able to be firm against rioters who have been warned of the consequences to their actions. Hopefully things like this campaign will keep last year in peoples’ minds so they don’t lose their intelligence.
RIOTING IS STUPID. WE PUNISH RIOTERS.
2+2= 4.
Peps
March 28, 2012Meeh.
Really chesy and like some already posted; the eventual rioters should not be media-cuddled, just told that the love from their *cough* huuge family ie the city of Vancouver, consists in the fact that the first bullet is rubber only.
The first.
peanutflower
March 28, 2012It’s marginally cheesy. It’s actually pretty good I thought, as these public service message type things go. Maybe it will make a difference. Hopefully.
tom selleck's moustache
March 28, 2012Yeah, I didn’t think it was all that bad. The first 5/6ths of it could well have been a campaign for any charitable cause, really.
Brent
March 28, 2012Being cynical, I am not sure the rioters will pay attention to this. Will they even see it? Combined with the fact that most of them were so drunk (drinking the smuggled hard liquor like it was beer) that intelligent thought was something as foreign as sushi in Victorian England, I am not sure it would have helped last year. I suspect the new plan, keeping people dispersed will likely reduce the likelihood of critical mass occurring.
Too bad, I think everyone in power thought it was going to be like the Olympics, a big group hug. I was downtown for game 5 and the atmosphere was very happy although there was lots of drunk people around. Police were handling it very well. Wasn’t downtown for game 6 or 7.
Nee
March 28, 2012I was downtown for all 7 games. Up to Game 6 it was good…families, old people, kids…all sorts in the viewing zone. Game 6 was getting seriously over-crowded and full of drunk people, so we left halfway through the 1st period to go to an apartment. Game 7…at 3:00 when I got off work, thousands of people were streaming down Georgia Street. The viewing zone was already full.
Nee
March 28, 2012PITB, you guys are hilarious/awesome. You perfectly encapsulate the average (sane) Canucks fans feelings about the rioters.
I’ve included your tweets here in case others missed them:
I’m glad ‘This is Our Home’ isn’t simply a print campaign, since the target audience probably doesn’t read all that well. #Canucks
I like the “This is our Home” campaign, but I wish the #Canucks went w/ the original tag, “FFS we shouldn’t have to ask you not to riot.”
bergberg
March 28, 2012I don’t tweet, so I missed this. But this is great.
tj
March 28, 2012You know, it seems especially unfair to the Canucks team, too, to have to have this on their minds while also aiming to win the Stanley Cup. Not that it’s on their minds while they play, I’m sure. But after a win or loss, there will be a few who’ll be wondering what it could mean to their city’s landscape, not just the fans.
Essentially, rioters are Canucks haters.
CJ
March 28, 2012Bieksa shouting “So show some heart!” and Manny saying “Don’t mess with Van City!” could simply be the entire campaign in itself.
hockeyispretty
March 28, 2012They’re enough to cow would-be rioters into good behaviour.
CJ
March 28, 2012Bieksa shouting “So show some heart!” and Manny saying “Don’t mess with Van City!” could simply be the entire campaign by itself.
Mark in Steveston
March 28, 2012I liked the use of Trev & Stan — but to be really effective, Harold should have stood in front of the camera, scowled, and threatened anyone who even THINKS of doing any rioting after a game.
cathylu
March 28, 2012That makes me feel all warm inside…I wish I lived in Vancouver! (Maybe someday when we win the lottery). And I PROMISE not to riot.
Mike S.
March 28, 2012I notice they didn’t have Burrows or Lapierre in there. Why not? Did they think we wouldn’t be able to understand “tru da tick French hack cent”?
Or was it because Burrows and Lapierre are from Montreal and would support a good riot?
Chris the Curmudgeon
March 28, 2012Wow 2 racist stereotypes in 2 sentences. That’s efficient.
Mike S.
March 28, 2012How is that racist? Quebeckers aren’t a race. If they were, I’d have been able to claim discrimination at my last job interview.
All I’m saying is that the casting for the ad was limited. Oh, but I don’t have a blog so I’m not allowed to be facetious.
Harrison Mooney
March 28, 2012Not sure “race” is the right word, but they’re definitely their own people group, and I strongly advocate using the term racist for prejudice against people groups — gets people’s attention. That said, it seemed pretty obvious that you were kidding and there was no ill will intended.
Chris the Curmudgeon
March 28, 2012Dictionary.com (first google hit) defines race as:
1. a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
French-Canadians match that definition as well as any visible minority. No ill-will intended perhaps, but I just don’t find discrimination (or riot jokes) funny.
Kate
March 29, 2012I think the players chosen for the campaign were all alternate captains or the captain. I don’t think it went much further than that…
Gill
March 30, 2012They used the captain and Alt captains…no other reason
zach
March 28, 2012here’s a simple solution. PROSECUTE AND SENTENCE THE RIOTERS. It sends the message to the drunken idiot who thinks its a good idea to flip the car over and light it on fire. If he faces a actual real amount of time in prison for it, maybe he will think twice. Enough of this “community service” for this guy, 2 months for this guy, 6 months for this guy. Give them a real 5 years and watch what happens in downtown Vancouver this summer…. NOTHING.
aptar
March 28, 2012What are you basing the fact that this campaign is necessary? What evidence is there that ‘reminding these people over and over’ will have any impact on whether they riot or not? These aren’t well reasoned decisions.
Harrison Mooney
March 28, 2012Well, it’s not exactly unnecessary, is it? I didn’t say it would work. I just said I could see why they were doing it.
Chicky
March 28, 2012So what you’re saying is that it would be wrong to light a rioter on fire, right?
Not even a little flame, say backside on them? No?
zach
March 28, 2012actually, I retract my previous post and totally agree that the best way to deal with rioters is light them on fire
Chicky
March 28, 2012I hate posting twice… apparently the web is hating on me right now.
I think it would be less costly for a flame or two to help shoo them home. Just an idea.
CHANGES
March 28, 2012I am finding it hard now a days calling Vancouver home when I and an entire generation is being priced out of Vancouver. Is anyone ever going to address this serious situation ?
Rituro
March 28, 2012Weeeeeell, we could encourage people to stop rioting, thereby saving homes, apartments and condos from being vandalized/destroyed and keeping the limited stock of housing units from going down (which, of course, basic laws of supply and demand, drives the price up).
…wait, this is a hockey blog. Er. Uh… Crosby sucks?
Zach Morris
March 28, 2012Linden playing a harmonica?
They paint in broad strokes.
Harrison Mooney
March 28, 2012I think he’s actually doing the Mr. Burns “excellent”.
Garth
March 28, 2012The Dead Kennedys fans in the house will remember this line from Riot: “Tomorrow you’re homeless, but tonight it’s a blast”
the real bob
March 28, 2012Wait…so we can burn down somebody else’s city?
TheWellwoods
March 28, 2012Hopefully the Crown will time the prosecution of last year’s rioters to provide a nice little warning for this year’s batch of lowlifes.
Time to put my copywriter brain to work and write some very “direct” anti-riot headlines
Timmy Wong
March 28, 2012How about a PSA that reads “if you riot, we’ll dress you up in Boston sweaters and parade you around Montreal”
Peps
March 28, 2012Two at a time on each others shoulders wearing Chara-jerseys.
the real bob
March 29, 2012if they don’t want to pay for airfare, around cowtown in oilers jerseys after a 12 hour bus ride there
JC
March 28, 2012They had ALL 3 good looking Vancouver women on the commercial. And yes, I do want to bang them. Go Sharks!
Nee
March 28, 2012The feeling is not mutual : )
superreggie
March 28, 2012Rioting isn’t just a few dumb idiots that are from out in some hinterland dumb-guy club far removed. Rioting does require a few individuals to light the spark, but it’s really about crowd dynamics. I’m sure there’s lots of people reading this blog right now who were themselves caught up in the post-final wave of craziness. It can happen to anyone.
I think this campaign can help, and allow individuals to make different decisions when caught up in the heat of the moment, being mentally prepared to understand what’s happening before they’re caught up in a mutually affirming spiral of nincompoopery.
Anonymous
March 28, 2012Subtext: if you riot, Canuck fans, Trevor Linden will be very disappointed in you. Do you really want to disappoint Trevor Linden?
I laughed because I was TOTALLY thinking this when he first appeared. ‘Great Trevor Linden is involved in this, way to make me feel super guilty Canucks promo team!’
NGL I kinda hate this. Love the message, think it’s a great ad, our guys look awesome and it’s very professional but for me personally it’s kind of embarassing that production companies were called and lots of money actually had to be spent on this because of that fateful night. IDK, it’s like bringing up something I wish would go away and that’s probably 100% why I don’t like it. I wish (like I’m sure we all do) this didn’t have to be made and I feel like even if this was made last year it wouldn’t have stopped the rioters. The shame I felt experiencing the riot and seeing the damage (not just physical) it did was enough for me and plenty of others to never ever want it to happen again and that’s pretty much the biggest deterrent, I think.
Also it’s pretty funny that the main thing the ad underlines is that it’s ‘our home’ and that’s why you shouldn’t riot considering the majority of the rioters weren’t from Van City. I can assure you the people who actually live downtown were not the ones breaking windows. That old saying about not s#!+ing where you eat, it’s much easier for people to go to another place and trash it knowing they can come home and there’d be no consequences (every teen movie parents-are-away house party ever, am I right?)
Still, good post and it’s a good ad.
Snepsts
March 28, 2012This doesn’t address the VPD’s role, or lack thereof, in the riot last year. Why isn’t the captain of the police force in this video, or any cop? Why didn’t any cop show up with a fire extinguisher when the first car got torched? Why did they shut down egress from the city as the riot progressed, instead of letting people leave? This “riot” (not really a riot, as no one died, no buildings burned, and a tiny amount of people involved) was the result of passive policing, probably to test out new tactics as a result of the ’94 debacle and the lack of any Olympic large-scale unrest. The general lack of arrests and follow-up are a testament to this, and the general sense of ambivalence the VPD has towards the city. Don’t blame Surrey or the suburbs, even if they were the majority of those involved. Blame the city for inviting them, and our police force for sitting back and letting it happen, and embarrassing the citizens of this beautiful city and the true fans of this awesome team – and not themselves – as a result,
nelson95
March 29, 2012Its more a home to the homeless beggers outside after the games than 90% of those attending. What an arrogent piece of hogwash
CanucksRock88
March 29, 2012I hope this isn’t all the Canucks have planned. The mayor trusted this town to be grown ups, but should have backed that up with a police presence. I was embarrassed