London (Not) In Flames

Great excitement with the riots, which came within a couple of hundred yards of my front door two nights ago. Several shop windows were smashed and a few shops got looted - not too seriously, as the police were out in force, but deeply disturbing for the owners.

It doesn't surprise me that jobless youths with no education and prospects let off steam like this. In fact it's more surprising that it happens so seldom. Stand by for a year or two of handwringing (where did we go wrong?), government commissions led by earnest elderly judges, recommendations for social changes that will never get enacted - and then the whole thing will be forgotten until the next time.

Social media has obviously played a big part, with Blackberry's encrypted messaging apparently being used to invite gang members to particular areas across London - which is why my otherwise quite peaceful locality got hit. So it's not as though it's all completely spontaneous.

It does bother me that the international reaction has been so hysterical. From some of the coverage you'd think the whole country is going up in flames. The Germans are particularly bad - the Spiegel correspondent compared London to Mogadishu and talked of Londeners fleeing to the continent. Such cobblers, considering what an infintesimally small fraction of the population has been affected.

Comments

[Michael D]

I think you are wrong in one thing: there will be handwringing, but the solution will be more, meaner policing, not social programs. Everyone who insists on discussing these events as "letting off steam" unintentionally feeds the meme that the problem is animals on the streets and the cure is more policing.

As you note, and then tacitly support, nothing will happen to solve the social problem, because people (you, too) insist on looking at the problem as unfocused rage, not poverty and lack of education and opportunity.

[David]

Tell me about it, Robert. There seems to be an ugly undercurrent of schadenfreude in some of the reporting. The French have been particularly gleeful at times - see some of the commentary in Le Monde and Liberation.

There are kernels of truth - the phenomenon of an under educated, disaffected underclass does seem to be a peculiarly British disease, for example. But disaffected youth are widespread throughout Europe, especially France; and as always, the law-abiding majority are just getting on with their lives.

Glad things are calming down in your neck of the woods.

[Robert McLuhan]

Michael D - No, I don't insist on that at all. As to what comes out of it, the right will press for more police and the left for social programmes. Let's hope that the left prevails, although I understand your cynicism.

[RabbitDawg]

"From some of the coverage you'd think the whole country is going up in flames."

Robert, the impression given by the media here in the States left me wondering if there would be any businesses in London left to patronize at all.
Odd how it hasn't spread to Ireland, with it's more severe austerity measures.

This was already happening over here for the past few months, but on a much smaller scale. Except in the most extreme cases (Philadelphia was the latest), the social class/racial aspect of it are outright ignored by the mainstream press.
I imagine as the Tea Party folks start to get their way, we'll see more of it, and the facts will be impossible to ignore.

It's good to hear that you're relatively unscathed! I hope it gets under control for now, and the underlying causes are addressed for the future.

[Robert Perry]

A couple hundreds yards? That's practically a front-row seat. I'm glad you and your family weren't more directly affected.

While watching the news I find myself going back and forth. I don't pretend to really understand the causes. However, I can't help but feel that the erosion of support, opportunity, and hope for the youth and those at the bottom has to be a huge factor. Then I think: But these are wantonly criminal acts against their fellow citizens, which need to be stopped and prosecuted. Then I think: But why don't we treat the same way the criminal acts that take from the poor to give to the rich? Acts that lead to immeasurably greater consequences? And that's where I usually end up, that there should be parity. Crimes at the top should be treated the same as crimes at the bottom.

[RabbitDawg]

Good point Robert (Perry). Many of the people responsible for the 2008/2009 financial collapse still have their jobs, with bonuses. Any Special Prosecutor or District Attorney could easily get convictions, but the mentality in Washington and the financial sector is that we need these people in place, or the financial sky will fall. Virtually every citizen in the Country knows this, but feels helpless to do anything about it.

And Robert (McLuhan), Here's a link to a JPEG reproduction of a pamphlet distributed in 1940 during the early days of WWII. It's getting kicked around the internet here, and from this end it has a slightly dark humorous edge when seen in the light of current events. I can't tell how it would go over on your side of the world, so if you find it to be absolutely tasteless, please, do me a favor and delete it. Otherwise, relish the Schadenfreude:
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sendagun.jpg

[Paul]

Rabbit - I don't think it has anything to do with austerity measures. Plain criminality. (Manchester).

[RabbitDawg]

"Rabbit - I don't think it has anything to do with austerity measures. Plain criminality. (Manchester)."
Of course. Opportunistic theft and meanness.
This flash-mob phenomenon is happening all over the world for various different reasons, sometimes with different motives within the same crowd.
In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria it political revolution. In the U.S., I believe a lot of the underlying angst is over the perception that Barack Obama is losing his grip on power, and a new conservative wind is blowing. It's a storm brewing over two strong political weather fronts that are starting to collide. I imagine that a similar thing with different dynamics is happening in England.

But there's something else going on, too. As I pointed out, England is in turmoil, but nothing like this is happening in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, etc.. At least, not right now.
There seems to be a massive slipping away of respect for authority in parts of the world. Government authority is a privilege granted by its citizens, and when a government loses enough respect, you can't create enough policemen to keep the peace.For an extreme example (which I'm sympathetic with), just look at Syria right now.

[Paul]

I could be missing it but I don't think England is in turmoil. This seems to me mostly like a bunch of morons stirring up trouble and using it as a cover to steal property and rob people.

I would say in Manchester, at least, the vast majority of mancunians are disgusted and incensed by what has happened.

[RabbitDawg]

Well. Paul, as Robert pointed out in his post, to read the international press, one would get the impression that all hell is breaking loose all over England. Thanks to his post, I take that to be a very distorted view.
And I want to point out that I am not excusing any hooligan-type behavior. Also, I don't think that the bedrock of Western society is crumbling apart. Obviously, what's happening in the Middle East and North Africa is not the same thing that's happening over here or in England. Not even close.
The only similarity is the use of Blackberry's, Facebook, Twitter and I-Phone apps (by mostly young people) to create flash mobs. Welcome to the Brave New World.

My fear/concern is that we are only seeing the beginning of this. What's the answer? New government programs to pay off the kids? No. Orwellian control of society? Of course not. I don't have an answer.
All I do know is that if Barack Obama loses the 2012 Election, all Hell may break out over here.

[Paul]

I think you make a very interesting point Rabbit. The changes that technology can bring may be positive and negative. I guess there are few advances in technology that haven't been adapted from crime, no matter how positive the intent.

I have long believed the press/medi can always be trusted not to let the truth get in the way of a good story :)

[cd3wqayusjxhn]

off topic, but i think there is a typeo in your rss forwarding to feedburner. Somewhere there is a space (%20) getting inserted. When I click on the rss link I get this url

http://feeds.feedburner.com/%20typepad/paranormalia

It doesn't work but if i delete th %20 it works correctly.

[Robert McLuhan]

Thanks for letting me know, I'll check it out

[Rabbitawg]

Well, its not all the international press's fault. From the London-based Financial Times:
Britain Burns the Colour of ‘A Clockwork Orange’
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c42acba-c40f-11e0-b302-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1UuhTLhdm

Hmmm. So now it's not only London and a few suburbs, but taken at face value, this headline claims all of Britain. The article implies as much.

[Paul]

Manchester and Birmingham ain't suburbs rabbit lol :)

[RabbitDawg]

How the heck am I supposed to know? Here, if a community ain't downtown, it seems to want to call itself a suburb :)

[Paul]

It would be like calling Los Angeles downtown because it's not washington dc :)

[Paul]

Sorry meant. 'a suburb' not downtown. We don't really used the downtown idea much over here.

[RabitDawg]

Well Paul, to quote Mark Twain: "God created war so that Americans would learn geography."

'course, Bush is gone, and I don't think it's up to that level yet. Watch your back though, Obama is starting to slip in the polls :)

[Paul]

Lmao

[Robert Perry]

Just saw this commentary on the riots:

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/08/10/opinion/100000000992337/timescast--better-being-a-beta.html?nl=opinion&emc=tyb1