RIOTS
So, as R mentioned I have been paying attention to the riots, and the discussion surrounding them. One blog I would point you to if you're interested is this: Penny Red http://j.mp/nwsP62 and she mentions quite a few points that echo my own thoughts directly. As a fan of Terry Pratchett, I find his take on human nature to be comforting, because he has a way of showing the really bad parts, and still affirming all that's grand about us. Of course it doesn't hurt that he makes me laugh my ass off while doing it. The comment below from Twitter made me think that ex policeman might be a fan as well...
DaintyBallerina
RT by GreatDismal
Strangest description of the riots so far from ex policeman on BBC: 'What we're looking at is an aggressive form of late-night shopping.'
Sir Pratchett essentially casts the human tendency to suddenly erupt into the sort of crap we are witnessing here as a character, The Mob or more recently The Shove. “The IQ of a mob is the IQ of its most stupid member divided by the number of mobsters.” The thing is, I think there are REASONS why these things happen, even when the visible match that lights the tinder is something as trivial as a game.
These are not easy times. If I, with my life of relative privilege, can feel the kind of nihilistic anger and despair that I have at times in my life, then I feel like I can understand a little of what fuels these eruptions on a deeper level. There are fairly obvious reasons like the widening gap between rich and poor, disappearing middle class, dysfunctional family culture, media fear-mongering etc. But I would also add that the unbridled advertising everyone lives with fuels a desperate longing for a lifestyle that isn't remotely achievable for most people. There are so few examples shown of how to make a more modest life an enjoyable and meaningful one.
I find there are many things in life that can lead to shit behaviour, but that to endorse the idea that it's just laziness - a total lack of desire to work for what you want, is to ignore the realities of class structure, things like racism and other 'isms and 'ias and to be seriously blind to the reality of the job market. Increasingly, there is a big empty and whistling hole where jobs for people who aren't wicked smart, talented or blessed with physical beauty should be. And then jobs, once you've won the lottery and got one, don't provide what they need to anymore either - jobs require ever more time and energy for ever less security, money or benefit.
To be very clear I am not trying to justify the actions of these rioters in any way. I felt incredible sadness as the reports of destruction rolled in. Family run shops that had been passed along for 5 generations, a warehouse with all the stock for a zillion little indie music labels from all over UK and europe, even PUBS for fucks sake.
The point I suppose is that sometimes people snap. sometimes they do it individually and go shoot up their highschool, and sometimes they do it together in a near mindless mob, like a collective form of self mutilation. Sometimes people snap for an obvious good reason and sometimes the reasons are totally obscured, but there are reasons... and there's quite alot of snapping going on these days.
We are truly living in "interesting times".
DaintyBallerina
RT by GreatDismal
Strangest description of the riots so far from ex policeman on BBC: 'What we're looking at is an aggressive form of late-night shopping.'
Sir Pratchett essentially casts the human tendency to suddenly erupt into the sort of crap we are witnessing here as a character, The Mob or more recently The Shove. “The IQ of a mob is the IQ of its most stupid member divided by the number of mobsters.” The thing is, I think there are REASONS why these things happen, even when the visible match that lights the tinder is something as trivial as a game.
These are not easy times. If I, with my life of relative privilege, can feel the kind of nihilistic anger and despair that I have at times in my life, then I feel like I can understand a little of what fuels these eruptions on a deeper level. There are fairly obvious reasons like the widening gap between rich and poor, disappearing middle class, dysfunctional family culture, media fear-mongering etc. But I would also add that the unbridled advertising everyone lives with fuels a desperate longing for a lifestyle that isn't remotely achievable for most people. There are so few examples shown of how to make a more modest life an enjoyable and meaningful one.
I find there are many things in life that can lead to shit behaviour, but that to endorse the idea that it's just laziness - a total lack of desire to work for what you want, is to ignore the realities of class structure, things like racism and other 'isms and 'ias and to be seriously blind to the reality of the job market. Increasingly, there is a big empty and whistling hole where jobs for people who aren't wicked smart, talented or blessed with physical beauty should be. And then jobs, once you've won the lottery and got one, don't provide what they need to anymore either - jobs require ever more time and energy for ever less security, money or benefit.
To be very clear I am not trying to justify the actions of these rioters in any way. I felt incredible sadness as the reports of destruction rolled in. Family run shops that had been passed along for 5 generations, a warehouse with all the stock for a zillion little indie music labels from all over UK and europe, even PUBS for fucks sake.
The point I suppose is that sometimes people snap. sometimes they do it individually and go shoot up their highschool, and sometimes they do it together in a near mindless mob, like a collective form of self mutilation. Sometimes people snap for an obvious good reason and sometimes the reasons are totally obscured, but there are reasons... and there's quite alot of snapping going on these days.
We are truly living in "interesting times".