The Destruction of Flash Mobs

So I've noticed a pattern in the things that annoy me -- It's the destruction and vandalism of our shared public places and resources. Whether it's the urban eyesores created by the onslaught of billboards and supergraphics; the destruction of our civic murals; or the global crisis of overfishing pushing marine creatures to the brink of extinction, it seems these types of things are the ones that get the swiftest gut reaction from me.

Well here's another one: San Francisco Flash Mobs.
Look, I'm all for random ninjas; or even a good dance in a train station (even if it's for an advertisement),. But when these events end up making just one big public mess, costing the city money that the organizers/participants should really foot the bill for, then it crosses the line.

For example, the recent SF Pie Fight.












But here's what happened after all the cool kids left...












And the pillow fight one was even worse, clogging drains leading to flooded restaurants, clogging the fountain, and just getting feathers all over the place.

Now it's probably get-off-my-lawn-you-rotten-kids ironic this is coming from me, a skateboarder. And even more so since the downtown SF/Embarcadero is one of the epicenters of skateboarding, an activity inherently destructive to property.

But still, feathers? pie filling? ?how about finding something less messy and less costly to gather large groups of people to do something that's just plain stupid fun. Maybe even something constructive, like flash mob trash clean up; or flash mob blood drive.