Why Some People Think Vandalism is Fun

The title of this blog is misleading because it may suggest that I know the answer to why some people think that vandalizing other people's property is fun. I actually have no idea, and was hoping you would know.

I just read an online article on how vandals/thieves stole an industrial-sized dump truck this weekend and caused $30,000 worth of damage to a baseball diamond in Red Deer. After smashing chain-link fences, crushing dug-outs, and damaging a playground, the vandals were finally forced to stop when a hydraulic oil line on the truck burst.

I have trouble imagining how someone could do that to another person without feeling guilty. Maybe for any number of reasons they were not in the best state of mind at the time, but I wonder why their conscience didn't seem to kick in, even a little bit. I wonder if the damage would have continued if the hydraulic oil line hadn't burst. I also wonder how the owner of the ball diamond feels right now. If the vandals aren't caught, I hope the property owners have insurance to pay for the damage.

I remember one night, about a year and a half ago, some people smashed the driver's side mirror of my car. I remember how upsetting it felt because I had nothing to do with it and had no control over the situation. It also seemed very unnecessary to me, and I didn't have the money to pay for repairs at the time (not enough damage to go through insurance). I think that if people want to make bad decisions, they shouldn't drag innocent people into it. People who choose not to cause trouble do so because they don't want to hurt themselves or others. The ones who make poor choices should leave the other people out of it.

My Weekend

On an unrelated note, on Friday I accidentally told some classmates that I like work. This didn't go over well with them. Compared to relaxing and having fun, I don't actually like work in general - what I meant to say was that I really enjoy the current job that I have. I'm a camera operator at sports events and I love it. I love filming, and I love sports, and I love the excitement. And I really like my boss and the people I work with. This weekend went especially well because the audio person, the RTI person and I worked really well together. It's interesting how certain combinations of people will just click. It was also fun because there was a huge crowd and it was a really close game. I'm already looking forward to going back to work next weekend. Just don't tell my classmates!