Rioting in the UK
I don't know how much you have seen of the rioting in the UK. This is not legitamate protest. I was all for the marches and stuff earlier in the year in support of our public services, but this time it was mindless thugs just out to destroy stuff for the sake of it and grabbing what ever they can from shops.
Tonight it has started in my city. I am at work in the hospital and we can smell smoke form here. They have burnt down an old college building that was due for demolition anyway and have also looted at least one shop in town, and tried to set light to one of the big supermarkets, and to my mind worst of all they have attacked the library.
I have just phoned my partner as he has a silly habit of going to the supermarket at night, it is 2am here, to hunt for bargains. Luckily tonight he is not feeling 100% so he is safely tucked up in bed.
These are kids causing all this trouble, most of them not much older than mine. What I want to know is why are their parents not controlling them. Even if thier parents don't care about them causing trouble are they not worried that their children may be hurt themselves.
The whole world seems to have gone mad.
Keep safe out there folks.
25 Answers
In the 1960's in the U.S. we didn't understand why the blacks were burning their neighborhoods in our cities either. Only later did we learn about the crushing poverty, the despair, the systemic discrimination and disparity between blacks and whites.
While we talk about the Civil Rights marches and celebrate Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month in February, we almost never talk about the race riots in the U.S. It's too uncomfortable.
Although the news program I watched said that these London riots have nothing at all to do with the economic situation, I find that hard to believe. In healthy communities and economies, societies invest in their youth, in education and training, in free or subsidized arts and recreational opportunities and in social programs.
We bailed out the banks world-wide, but now that we have to pay for it, we are cutting all of the things that make for a just, fair and equitable society. It is very possible these young people have figured this out and they feel despair and hopelessness. This is the way that that hopelessness is expressed.
I listen to the BBC at night and last night was all about Night 3 of the riots. The most unbelievable thing was an interview with two teenaged girls who had been drinking a bottle of rosé, they were completely out of it, and were carrying armfuls of new clothing with the hangers still in that they had just stolen. They viewed the whole thing as a great lark and opportunity, not to be missed. They were obviously completely disenfranchised from the society at large, and consequently had absolutely no empathy for the society they were trashing, as though the "rich people" who were the victims deserved a come uppance and were not even human beings. They felt is was just their chance to be the windshield (you know, like in "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug...)
This rioting is deplorable, sick and and just mindless stupidity! I agree with Wilbur that it is not likely to be related to the preacful demonstration about cuts in public services nor even related to the protest about the man who was allegedly the victim of police brutality... reported on the national news.
The vast majority of good British people would condemn this insane behaviour and would want to distance themselves from it
Wilbur asks ''Why are the parents of these young people not controlling them?'' Probably because:
1 They dont know where their teenagers are
2 Tragically some parents don't care where their children are as long as they are out of the way.
3 Worse still many of them lost control of their kids many years ago. A breakdown in family communication and loss of mutual respect is often at the root of many of these problems combined with an increase in the influence of peer pressure.
One of the biggest problems today is that many parents do not have time for the children They do not spend any quality time building relationships with them when they are young and so have no basis upon which to discipline/correct them and so the children grow up thinking they are can do anything they want and in some families they can!!! When you combine this with children who grow up into teenagers never learning to control their emotions and impulses and then join gangs you have a real recipe for diasaster... infact a walking time bomb which could emotionally expolde into violence at any time!
I do not believe that this violent behaviour is typical of all young people today but sadly the good ones are tarnished with the same brush as the bad ones!
I was pleased to watch the programme about the lady Jo Frost ( I think it is called Jo Frost Extreme Roadshow who was traveelling the country advising parents and helping to teach parents much needed parenting skills
She does such a great job and so much of her understanding, empathy and common sense is translated into good practical advice. We need more people like her to train and guide parents and just maybe we can avert future problems for future generations of children! I speak as someone experienced and qualified in childcare and education who has worked professionally with children...as a nuserry nurse and teaching assistant.
Prevention is better and cheaper than crisis managment! It could prevent future generations of children from being influenced in very negative ways!
Recommnded reading: There is a book by Robert Shaw MD about the dangers of permissive parenting I have forgotten the title
In the 1960's in the U.S. we didn't understand why the blacks were burning their >neighborhoods in our cities either. Only later did we learn about the crushing poverty, the >despair, the systemic discrimination and disparity between blacks and whites.
Trust me I am not naive, I know about poverty, some of my best friends are living on benefits, they struggle but they are not suffering the extremes of poverty that were around in the 1960s, in the US, or here for that matter.
I am all for legitimate protest, in fact if it hadn't been for work i would have been marching in London myself earlier in the year.
We have had riots before but they have been about something. The poll tax riots in the 1980s etc etc. Even the riot which triggered this off had some sort of point, a protest about a 'gansta' who was shot by police which got out of hand and developed into a riot. The riots since have been pure and simple greed and destructiveness. As Jeremias says kids grabbing designer clothes so they can show off to their mates, and to 'áve a laff'. 77
Our local trouble has been low key compared to many areas, about 60 people vandalising property. 10 arrested so far, all local and between the ages of 16 and 40, and targeting their own area of town. An area which has had money thrown at it it in recent years and has improved greatly with loads of new small shops and businesses. Lets hope the police and local press are right and it will stop with those few people.
On the plus side according to the local press there are people out clearing up already.
What is going on in my home town (London) and in other cities is unbelievable.
The pictures of burned out buildings remind me of WW2
I do sincerely feel that some balance of thought is needed in trying to understand what's going on here. Condemnation is a gut response. An intelligent response is to be analytic. Do read JoyceM's, post there is useful analysis there.
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Let me repeat for contemplation the remark attributed to Martin Luther King "A riot is the voice of the unheard". It's too simple to just condemn, the question is to analyse and thus respond effectively.
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History is replete with examples of how the dis-enfranchised respond when they feel all hope and faith is lost. Let us remember and fear the French revolution which took place for similar reasons.
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Why should poor, unemployed people in the UK feel they owe anything to the politicians after seeing the expenses ripoff scandal, Tony Blair's war criminal WMD deception, the banks scamming, etc etc. To me, in historical terms this is the chicken coming home to roost, I refer to the Thatcher era, to "Atilla the Hen" when greed was good. This looks very much like the heritage of her epoch. This activity is very much the predictable response from "Thatcher's children"
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Society only preserves civilisation by example. That is the essence of how we learn and pass on knowledge. Morality and values have to be adhered to and seen to be adhered to and truly valued if they are to have any significance.
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The last decade has done nothing to encourage respect for the status quo. What is there to inspire an impoverished young person in the UK to feel proud of the country and have a sense of duty and respect? We have a pretty shameful record since the Thatcher period. To speak of "honour" "duty" or "responsibility" in the UK since that period is to put oneself open to ridicule. It is indeed, a "post-modern" society we contemplate in flames.
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Phew..... 
better out than in 
I've just heard that Colonel Gadaffi recognizes the rebels as Britain's only legitimate government
I just heard about an hour ago on an American station down here about the horrible things that are going on in London. This is so sad!!
Even if thier parents don't care about them causing trouble are they not worried that their children may be hurt themselves.
I agree! I'm not sure how old these kids are, but where are the parents?
The whole world seems to have gone mad.
Sometimes it does seem as if the world has gone completely mad. It can be frustrating and scary, but hopefully, law and order will take control of your beautiful city before any more damage is done. I especially hope and pray that historical sites are not damaged. And of course, most importantly, that on one else is seriously injured or worse!!!
I just rec'd this email from a friend in England.
The riots are just criminal acts.
The good thing though is that it brought communities together.
Instances of Greek and Asian groups protecting their streets, the latter group of 400 chasing off 150 rioters/looters.
There was also an electronic call for clean-up volunteers and most areas were inundated with people turning up with brooms.
Listened to the BBC radio too - one interview was from Southall the Indians (Sikhs and Hindus) and Pakistanis (Muslims) were protecting each other's properties.
"We are British - we must protect our "castles" one of them said.
We have a saying "Our home is our castle"
We also saw the news on BBC and our own local TV-news. And something similar happened in Paris some 5 or 6 years ago. That's to say, the rioting part of it. It could happen in any big city with a lot of unemployed young people. In Brussels too. But what's really frightening about what's going on in Britain is that ordinary criminals are taking over something that started as an anarchist revolt of frustrated youngsters and making use of the anarchy for their own ends. It's not just teenagers. Three men died in Birmingham . Trying to protect their carwash they were run over on purpose by a hit and run driver at high speed. Which is really sickening.
What is happening to London is tragic ,these kids are ,and I am being polite here , Crapping in their own nest ..don't they realise they are most probably destroying the livlihoods of their own families.
"La codicia es buena" el legado de Thatcher
I agree! I'm not sure how old these kids are, but where are the parents
Most of them are teenagers, many about the same age as my son, who is 13 and safely tucked up in bed. The youngest seen in some areas have been as young as 7, they shouldn't be out without their parents at that age, in my opinion, or am I old fashioned?
And of course, most importantly, that on one else is seriously injured or worse
Our night managers have just been on the ward and they say the emergency department is quiet so far but they are on standby. Hopefully it will saty quiet down there.
Just adding my best wishes for sanity and safety to return.
It's just impossible for me to imagine the fear and wondering what happened to my beloved country.
My thoughts are with you as you struggle through this "trial by fire!"
Oh, Wilbur. I am so sorry. Please be careful. I hope this is over very soon. Sometimes I don't know what this world is coming to.....
