I don't agree with wanton destruction of other people’s livelihood or property. London riots my view.
I find it interesting that western cultures idealise and worship greed and money. Those brokers and gamblers bankrolling millions of pounds every day before the credit crunch were seen as being at the top of their game. They weren't seen as reckless gamblers. Equally the banks that sold 100%+ mortgages to people who couldn't afford them because they were so sure of continued house price rises. Footballers and glamour models who are earn hundreds of thousands of pounds daily while nurses and teaching assistants are paid a pittance. Then there is the chairman who pays himself massive bonuses whilst his staff are made redundant and the MP's who take expenses and expect the highest standard where ever they go.
Is it really any wonder with these role models that people are looting television sets from Curry's or Dixon's.
Is a television or a mobile phone what rioters really want? Or is it more that these commodities are cultural symbols? Symbols of freedom? To some people they are.
Criminals are said to have every luxury in prison, some even the common working man does not have, for example Sky TV or a Playstation games console. Yet constantly when I ask people what they don't like about prisons they say "prisoners get everything, they can even watch Sky TV" as if Sky is a symbol of freedom. Whatever happened to the threat of loss of liberty? How have we become a society that values a television set or a games console as objects of freedom!?
A whole generation has grown up thinking greed is good, believing that they have as much right to be a millionaire as any celebrity.
We need a new society that isn't based on wealth or greed and No! I don't mean Communism. I don't have any solutions as to what kind of society we need, but I feel the kids on the streets need something more than Jordon's vacuity, Ryan Giggs promiscuity and David Cameron ingenuity of selling arms but talking peace! When the rioters talk of wanting respect, maybe that's exactly what they want.
Smashed windows can be fixed over night, smashed hope will take generations to put right.
--Update, I must be trend-setting because I've just noticed a similar article in the Guardian. It was posted at 8pm on Wednesday. This blog was posted at 3.54pm. You heard it here first folks! ;)
I find it interesting that western cultures idealise and worship greed and money. Those brokers and gamblers bankrolling millions of pounds every day before the credit crunch were seen as being at the top of their game. They weren't seen as reckless gamblers. Equally the banks that sold 100%+ mortgages to people who couldn't afford them because they were so sure of continued house price rises. Footballers and glamour models who are earn hundreds of thousands of pounds daily while nurses and teaching assistants are paid a pittance. Then there is the chairman who pays himself massive bonuses whilst his staff are made redundant and the MP's who take expenses and expect the highest standard where ever they go.
Is it really any wonder with these role models that people are looting television sets from Curry's or Dixon's.
Is a television or a mobile phone what rioters really want? Or is it more that these commodities are cultural symbols? Symbols of freedom? To some people they are.
Criminals are said to have every luxury in prison, some even the common working man does not have, for example Sky TV or a Playstation games console. Yet constantly when I ask people what they don't like about prisons they say "prisoners get everything, they can even watch Sky TV" as if Sky is a symbol of freedom. Whatever happened to the threat of loss of liberty? How have we become a society that values a television set or a games console as objects of freedom!?
A whole generation has grown up thinking greed is good, believing that they have as much right to be a millionaire as any celebrity.
We need a new society that isn't based on wealth or greed and No! I don't mean Communism. I don't have any solutions as to what kind of society we need, but I feel the kids on the streets need something more than Jordon's vacuity, Ryan Giggs promiscuity and David Cameron ingenuity of selling arms but talking peace! When the rioters talk of wanting respect, maybe that's exactly what they want.
Smashed windows can be fixed over night, smashed hope will take generations to put right.
--Update, I must be trend-setting because I've just noticed a similar article in the Guardian. It was posted at 8pm on Wednesday. This blog was posted at 3.54pm. You heard it here first folks! ;)
Great article about the riots. I was reading it last night at 1AM but couldn't work out how to put a comment on from a phone.
ReplyDeleteVery well said Baz and no doubt the discussions will go on and on. Like they have for years. Sadly (to me) the same things seem to be said now as back in 1981 after the Wood Green/Tottenham riots (where I lived at the time). Interesting enough there was a Tory government in then too!
ReplyDeleteHi Dicky, Glad you found it interesting
ReplyDelete@ Dolly, I was too young to remember those Tottenham riots in 1981. I don't know what sparked them. Was it a similar situation to today? I find it all really frustrating. I read an article yesterday that Warren Buffett had called for Millionaires/Billionaires to be taxed more heavily, because they could survive a tax rise more than lower paid workers. He also made a claim that he was paying less tax than his secretary. I think when you have situations like that (all be it in american culture - it wouldn't surprise me if Alan Sugar or Richard Branson was in the same situation) it shows what an unfair society we live in. Tories love money.