When good times go bad...














Friday afternoon saw the annual Belsen Beer Run, which is more commonly known as the trolley races these days, descend into madness. The course takes 4 male pushers and one female driver from the back of UCT's Kopano Residence to the hockey astro and back, during which time they have to drink close to a case of beer. This year would have been my 5th consecutive participation but unfortunately due to injury, I couldn't take part. This is terribly unfortunate because last years combination of fitness, speed, experience and a 42kg trolley driver from Fishoek ensured that we overlapped other competitors and finished with easily the quickest time. Members of the Canoe club will proudly inform you that this is not the point and that the goal of running the race is to make vomit patterns at "chunda corner." Well, I'm fucking competitive and I want to win so it is the point.















Clearly my absence from the event also meant that there was no calming influence or reponsibility because soon after the end of proceedings, a riot broke out which included: people throwing beer cans at and vomiting on a car full of girls before climbing onto the roof and completely covering the vehicle from sight; a trolley bonfire which billowed a column of dark smoke high into the air; a vagrant (the supposed arsonist) taking his shirt off and tossing it into the flames before nearly being knocked by a trolley into said fire; and other general debauchery.
You've got to love mob mentality. The collective mind is a scary scary thing. Can you imagine if one guy did all that and everyone else just looked at him as if he was mentally unstable. But it doesn't work like that. Everyone thinks its a good idea and before you know it, students have erected a fortess at the top of an embankment and are lobbing cans and bottles at shotgun-toting police officers. This is what your mother meant when she said, "Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye," except that getting shot in the head sucks a little more than being poked in the eye with a stick.

My research led me to a site for the Centre for the Prevention of Shopping Cart Abuse. Some people have far too much time on their hands. Join the cause at www.shoppingcartabuse.com