g20 summit

Alex Etienne                                              g20 Summit

                The g20 Summit is defined as, “A group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank.”  Considering that the countries involved in the summit provide over 80% of the world’s GDP, it is an extremely prestigious honor to be involved in the group.  After reading the essay(s) by Michael Benton (    http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/24673), various portions of the text struck me as particularly interesting.  First, when involving the way in which the town the meeting is being held in secures the perimeter, many obstacles seem to be overcome not only by the protestors but also by the everyday citizens of these streets.  The essay exclaims, “As we walked around the concrete barricades, razor wires and riot police into a street full of pubs and restaurants, we noticed a crowd forming and people laughing. A group of Japanese tourists with G20 Summit badges around their necks had approached two young riot police officers patrolling the business area. The tourists asked the riot police if some of their young women could pose with them. The women were attractive and the officers quickly accepted.”  This really stood out to me as a reader based on the idea that yes, the riot police are there to serve and protect.  But, it seems to be very contradictory.  When a protestor is marching through the streets or simply holding a sign/speaking their minds, there have been many instances when a police or group of police men have, in my opinion, crossed the line and gone overboard with the way they react, whether it be a tear gas canister or becoming physically violent.  But, since there are young, attractive females in the area and they ask for a picture, all of a sudden the police are all about fun and games?  They should not be able to pick and choose their relationships with specific people, they are there for business purposes and therefore should be required to act professionally with no matter who they are dealing with, young people or old, men or women, etc.  Also, another portion of the text that I found interesting was, “Even worse, I received numerous comments after the march suggesting that it is ridiculous to protest the G20. Every person that said this to me later admitted they had no understanding of what the G20 is, or what it does. They simply believed what they were told by the media and the state (including our president): it is ridiculous for citizens to protest these larger global regulatory groups.”  Is it important to know what the g20 is?  Of course, it is a room full of the most powerful leaders in the world having a meeting about money, what is more important than that?