Day 4 of the riots now.
The backlash is starting to filter into people's minds from Internet rumours, newspapers and general office chit chat. Everything from purpose scare mongering sent from the government so that the police get more funding to David Icke-esque Zionist plans to cause a civil war that will let a 1984 type Big Brother government come to power through cause and effect conflicts and lizard shape shifters taking over.
I think the main issue is the fast food culture that we've been born into which means that if a rumour is posted on Twitter or facebook that our town is about to be raided it's treated as gospel and there is the let down and depression after we've all banded together to make sure that our friends and family are safe that then nothing happens, you almost feel a little cheated and partly ashamed that each of us hasn't shown that kind of consideration 24/7 for each other.
I've heard a few times in my life from people much much older than me that 'what this generation needs is a war' and although that sounds crass and insane to an extent I can see what they mean. The fact everyone pulled together and watched out for each other. Everyone hiding underground in air raid shelters and at the London Underground bunkers for sometimes hours and hours helped you realise that you were all in the same boat and that pettiness such as religion and race didn't matter when you were all faced with the same falling bomb. Friendships were forged and communities were made stronger through the troubles. I've lived in 4 flats in the last 5 years and I don't think I've ever said more than 3 words to any of my neighbours the whole time, not because I'm rude or introverted (well...) but it just isn't really done these days, the idea of a neighbour leaving you a spare set of keys in case they get locked out is an ideal that has almost gone out with flared trousers and Osmond records. They called the 1970s the ME generation and I don't think we've moved on since.
The looters who attacked the shops and local businesses have been photographed and filmed and some of them are clearly recognisable to those who know them. They are the ones who the hangover of the riots is starting to ache as they know that even though they have 22 pairs of new trainers and a 52" plasma hanging in their flat that they only have a minimal time to enjoy their booty as the police will be knocking sooner rather than later and unlike the previous government The Conservatives aren't afraid to lock people away and take away stolen possessions without wringing their hands and mumbling about 'human rights'.
"It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that cliche is untrue."
— Stephen Fry
This is the case when people say 'I blame the parents' and this is really a valid point. If you are a parent living in Tottenham, Enfield or even Croydon and at 10pm on the night of the much publicised and news worthy Riots in your local area and you don't know where your 14 year old son/daughter is...then guess what? Your a fucked parent because they aren't at bible class, they are looting JD sports and it's your fault. Children grow up far too quickly in this generation and are treated as adults when they are still getting free child bus passes, parents need to grab their children by the scruff of the neck and drag them home. It's shocking that at an age where I was watching WWF wrestling there are children the same age now than can field strip a rifle like a Vietnam vet.
The spark that everyone jumped on to ignite the fuse of these riots is the shooting of Mark Duggan, someone who if you ask the police was a hardened member of a gang in Tottenham and was a known drug dealer and was involved in the deaths of at least 3 rival gang members murders in the last year. He was also armed when the police confronted him.
On the other hand if you speak to his family, he was a saint. Family man (he had 4 kids) and devoted husband, his wife is denying he carried a gun but when pushed back tracked to "if he did have a gun - which I don't know, he would run rather than fire" so the fact that he may have carried a gun is fine and as low rent as picking a grape and eating it when walking around Sainsbury's it would seem, normal behaviour?
Areas haven't always been 'bad areas', they were just normal areas that were made bad by people like Duggan and his friends. Whether it is some sort of mimicking of 'the hood' in LA and trying to live up to gangster stereotypes and feel to impress other areas they need to purposely mess up their streets and neighbourhoods to somehow boost their image "oh..you come from THERE" as if an area defines a person. I know if you tell someone they come from a nice area or a 'posh' area they tend to add a swagger to their walk and come out with lines like "nah, I live at the other end, the estate bit" trying to convince me that an area like Ruislip is one step away from Brooklyn or something when in fact anywhere with a Golf Club, Duck Pond, Bowls lawn and Lido could ever be anything other than charming and retirement potential for the locals. There are idiots and scummers everywhere but that's individuals, when people who are academic and have potential to do well in life purposely put the brakes on themselves so they can fit into a pathetic image of "real" and "street" then they are the builders of their own prisons and by the time they wake up to themselves will either be behind real bars or the victim of crime themselves by the next lost generation.
Usually here I would add a top 5 or something but personally, whats the point? I'm not attaching music to these riots as it would only diminish their existence and downgrade art to the level of robbing some shitty Nike Air Jordan's..
'Take care of yourselves..and each other' - Jerry Springer.
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