Burstin' Bubbles

The twittersphere is ricocheting the story of a bus carrying journalists having its windows smashed in by either stones, or bullets, or angry birds, no is quite sure. The security guys say, "Yup, it's serious, deveria ter sido uns bandidos por aí" and aren't giving more details. The "can't find what you don't look for" stone throwers are wondering how they could have missed hitting their own glass penthouse. The angry birds are having an awkward laugh, hoping that Pokemon doesn't take away from their core business. 

Regardless of what broke the bus windows, it seems we (pundits, media, talking heads) are all waiting around for something really bad to happen to Rio's mega-visitors and are ready to slather it around expressing shock and horror at how the violence of the city has touched, deeply, the Olympic Family, but the Games must go on as an expression of human solidarity and the triumph of sport as a universal light (or, the noir version,  the Farol da Ilha Pura lit by the Olympic flame glows in the utopic distance as human flotsam wracks and wastes upon the Shitty Shores of the Shite Sea). 

And if it were to eventually be true that bullets shredded the windows, it wouldn't be surprising. Shall we twist and turn in the wind more or less if the bullets came from the police, or a security guard, a turf battle, or someone celebrating a gold medal in Deodoro? 

And even if it weren't to have eventually been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be bullets, is anyone going to say that these holes ripped through the front glass of the Super Via trains weren't made by Angry Birds? The beak marks are clearly identifiable and there were some red feathers on the track. 

As we're twittering away about the Games, the situation in the Complexo do Alemão remains tense and unresolved with police operations continuing through last week with several deaths. Inevitably, there are a number of ignorant, voyeuristic parachuters who come to events and think that because they didn't get mugged, killed, raped, or stabbed (in that order), then security in Rio is just fine. 

I have a glass of delicious spring water from the Lagoa da Tijuca that will slake your thirst for knowledge.