The Riots We Deserve?

[poliphilo]

I was expecting disturbances this summer- what with the cuts and the bankers and all that shit- but I was expecting them to be more overtly political. I was expecting marches, with banners and slogans- and some anarchistic carryings-on at the fringes- as we had earlier this year. I wasn't expecting the kind of Mardi Gras of looting and arson we've just experienced.

Nobody was. I don't think there's ever been anything quite like it before. I guess we have modern social media to blame/thank for the way it spread like a rash from city to city.

The politicians- Theresa May going "criminals, criminal, criminality", Boris Johnson hefting his unused broom on the streets of Camden  like a majorette, Ed Milliband wonking on about bad parenting in Salford- seemed more than usually impotent and out of touch. None of them has been anywhere near a mean street in their lives- except to chat up the voters, of course. They haven't a clue. 

David Cameron told us some parts of our society were "sick"- to which one wanted to reply, "Yeah, the city, the banks, the police, the politicians, the red tops", but that would have been cheap- though no cheaper than the point it was answering.

A society gets the riots it deserves. A society that cares about abstract notions like Justice and Liberty gets political riots, it gets people making political demands (maybe while parading heads on pikes.) A society that cares for nothing but wealth and celebrity gets masked looters and the torching of Miss Selfridges.

Comments

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

When did it become "cheap" to speak truth to power? The elements of British society that you name are indeed sick, as is Cameron himself.

Sadly, I doubt it matters whether the politicians have a clue. What they understand is how to portray an uprising as mere criminal activity by a few undesirables and then use the unrest to drive a wedge between the middle class and the poor. That is what they're doing and I suspect in this case that is all that they need to do, politically.

One thing the British excel at is the brutal suppression of subject populations. They've been practicing for centuries and I expect your ruling class will have this in hand soon enough.

[heatherp8.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for what's going on in your country.
My heart goes out to those who have suffered loss and damage at the hands of the rioters and looters. I hope cooler heads prevail soon!

[silveredmane.livejournal.com]

"A society gets the riots it deserves. A society that cares about abstract notions like Justice and Liberty gets political riots, it gets people making political demands (maybe while parading heads on pikes.) A society that cares for nothing but wealth and celebrity gets masked looters and the torching of Miss Selfridges."

May I add that into a discussion I'm having on Facebook? If so, would you like your name on it?

[michael john grist (from livejournal.com)]

"The politicians- Theresa May going "criminals, criminal, criminality", Boris Johnson hefting his unused broom on the streets of Camden like a majorette, Ed Milliband wonking on about bad parenting in Salford- seemed more than usually impotent and out of touch. None of them has been anywhere near a mean street in their lives- except to chat up the voters, of course. They haven't a clue."

So do you think they're wrong in their assessments? By saying you think they're out of touch it seems so. But out of touch with what? They're the authority figures here, representing the country, and it falls to them to make these kids fall into line. Should they instead be 'getting down with the kids' and trying to be their pals? I can't see that working. But I'm not sure what else there is to be in touch with.

Or is it more about being in touch with the root causes of these roots? If so, well, sure, but is the middle of a riot season the right time to be getting sensitive about something like that? It seems no to me. Get law and order established, set the boundaries again, then work on the problems. You don't negotiate with terrorists, or children throwing a hissy fit.

About the abstract notions of the Arab Spring- I don't know if we can call them abstract. I don't think the majority of people were in Tahrir Square were there for abstract notions. They were there for very concrete ones- they wanted more opportunities, better income, safer lives. In a very real sense- they wanted wealth. And possibly celebrity also.