In an article posted Friday, regular Maclean’s columnist Andrew Potter states that riots happen because riots are fun. According to the article, we are ALL potential rioters. Whether it’s Vancouver after the Stanley Cup, or Britain’s recent riots, it’s just fun.

Thank you for clearing that up for everyone Mr. Potter. Here the rest of the world was thinking there might be some problems that needed to be addressed. Silly us! Now that we know it’s such a good time, we can all relax and stop “over-analyzing” things. While the rest of the world was looking at cultural or societal issues, The Amazing Mr. Potter realized THE TRUTH.

To paraphrase the classic line: “We have met the rioters, and they are us.” Apparently, all of us desperately want to chuck a waste-bin through a window and take what we want. Smashing, trashing, looting, mugging and burning; these are the things we want. Not comfort, security, peace. According to Mr. Potter, we all want to riot. Just because.

Aside from being a rampant apologist and incredibly naive, I do have a couple of other issues with this. How exactly did he conclude that all of us would riot if we could? Did he develop this awesome ability to read all of our minds at once? Or, is he just making it up to support his premise. I’m going to go with option two

Contrary to Mr. Potter’s claims, when I look around at the people I know, I don’t see hordes of potential rioters. A couple of them might, but not a majority, and absolutely not all. Maybe his people have a different set of values than mine. Maybe they get together every couple of weeks, have some beers and lament that there aren’t any nearby riots to join. Just for giggles and shits. I don’t claim to know for certain, but his article makes it seem likely.

The bigger problem is that his argument avoids the real reason for riots. It’s called personal responsibility. Maybe he’s right and we all want to join this big party, but most of us choose not to. Not every fan in Vancouver chose to participate in that riot. Nor did everyone in London, or Manchester, Toronto. People don’t riot just for fun. They don’t riot to protest social injustice or corporate greed. I’m dead certain they don’t riot over a hockey game or a football match. They riot because they choose to.

When you make everyone a villain, then there are no more villains. Anyone who smashes shops, burns businesses, cars and homes, they are villains. The person who assaults, loots, rapes or murders under cover of a riot, is a villain. People who choose not to join them, are not, it’s that simple. To claim rioters just do it for “fun” trivializes not only their actions, but also their victims. In case Mr. Potter is too delusional to notice, the people who are killed, injured, or have their property destroyed probably aren’t having any fun at all.

Not all of us are rioters. Not everyone thinks chaos is fun. Even among those who might think that, most people have one thing that separates them from the rioters, and apparently from Mr. Potter. Most people know that hurting people for your own enjoyment is wrong. It’s not the mob, it’s the individuals who make it up.

Each person makes a choice. Some choose to riot. Some choose not to. Some choose to make excuses. I choose to not to.

Cheers, Winston