Craigslist can tell you a lot about a city's people.
Vancouver's pre-Olympic Craigslist houses an odd array of offers and ideas.
Before a trip to this month's Winter Olympics, a brief scan of the Web site's
Vancouver listings
provides a glimpse of what objects and ideas, some odder than others,
western Canadians are trying to put out amidst the run-up to the
festivities.
Lots of Vancouverites have profited by renting their living spaces. Many are still trying.
More than 1,000
Olympic housing options have been listed since Feb. 1. They range from
$25,000 penthouse digs to a
$100-per-night stay with a host whose pets' names reflect their owner's interest in the Knights of the Round Table.
Some are looking to profit from the Games by appealing to entrepreneurs.
A
"mint condition" mini-bus is still on the Craigslist market, as is a
"damn near mint condition" hot dog cart.
The $28,000 bus is licensed to provide tours and limo service while the
$7,500 cart might be a welcome sight for hungry event-goers outside a
SkyTrain station.
Other locals are looking to profit by being entrepreneurs themselves.
A
recent piece
appeared on The Vancouver Sun's Web site describing the Olympic effect
on the city's adult industry. Needless to say in a country where
prostitution is technically legal and a city known for its strip clubs
and escort services, Craigslist advertises for plenty of
"adult gigs" during the Games.
Some business ventures, though, are more innocent.
One Whistler native is
trying to capitalize on the possible usable-snow shortage at Cypress
Mountain by selling his neighborhood's powder. Ten dollars is a steal
for leftover Zamboni snow transported in mom's car with the heat off.
Craigslist
is also used as a forum for Vancouverites to voice their opinion on the
Olympic presence. These folks may not be looking to profit, but they're
still definitely selling something.
Only days ago, one angry critic used Craigslist to publish an
extensive rant
complete with visions of violent security forces and broken government
promises. The vast number of similar posts, most short and
profanity-laden, shows the strong anti-Olympic sentiment in Vancouver.
From
Craigslist, it can be gathered that Vancouver's people want out of town
during the Games, will sell anything from their hot dog stands to their
snow to their bodies while preaching that the 2010 Olympics is the
perpetuation of Nazi tradition.
So maybe Craigslist can't tell you a lot about a city's people--hopefully just its weirdos.
Photo by Joe O'Donnell
2 Comments
Nathaniel said:
Hmm... It's not just "weirdos" who have serious questions about the impact of these games on our city and Province.
Over the last year our government has enacted numerous cutbacks to public services, the arts, culture and sports. These cuts have affected a broad cross-section of people, not just a few rabble-rousing bloggers.
The government screams "recession" but there always seems to be public money available to pay for anything VANOC desires. The Olympics may provide some temporary jobs but our long term prospects look pretty bleak.
Nathaniel
www.nathaniel.ca
Joe O'Donnell said:
As someone who lived in Chicago during the run-up to its failed bid last year, I understand the polarizing nature of the Olympics on a city's society. I'm really interested to see the anti-Olympic side of Vancouver. I've read that I should expect to be greeted by it upon arrival.
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