The recent happenings in the UK are greatly unfortunate however, I’m a strong believer that “though this be madness, there is method in't.”
I’m by no means claiming to know anymore than the next person of the situation. I am an observer. I am one of the “youths” you’ve heard so much about in the past week. I am a 17 year old, working class citizen who attended a public school and comes from a single parent family. It would seem that I’d fit right in with the people burning buildings and smashing windows, would it not? According to Tory’s I am a menace.
It seems obvious that only the most closed minded, old fashioned of people would put forward such ridiculously unjustified generalizations.
The young people of our country have been described as “feral” due to a “lack of parental involvement and socialization”.
The unfortunate death of Mark Duggan may have “triggered” the recent mayhem in our major cities but the reason the bite was so hard is due to so many underlying problems and so much build up of anger.
There are in fact so many underlying problems the death of Mark Duggan is now a side issue. Caught up in the huge mess that is our government.
The society we find ourselves in is so filled with mistakes and false promises that there’s no room for progress. As of late it would seem that if you’re working class and aren’t one of those people who have everything handed to you on a plate, there’s just no hope.
There’s little hope of a job, very little hope of going to university. There are ridiculous cuts being made to very important aspects of society. No man is an island, whatever cause you’re fighting there’s no possibility of doing it alone. There’s a relationship between individuals and society as a whole. There’s a need for social solidarity. Why are the leaders of our country so blind to this?
It’s a harsh game of cause and effect but it seems unfair that people higher up the social scale aren’t feeling the pinch. It’s the working class who are stuck in a rut as a result of the government’s decisions. When will they realize? We need government funding and always will.
I, along with the majority of people my age am fully aware that violence wasn’t the right approach. In fact anyone who even slightly understands what’s going on knows that the extreme actions weren’t needed in order to air the frustrations of young people. Saying this, how can people be shocked at what’s happened? Since the coalition was formed it’s been an accident waiting to happen.
When the whispers of society are ignored surely the only answer is to shout?
We did shout. I am not in any way saying that the riots have been a positive. That’s not what I’m saying at all, but maybe we can take positives from it and really clean up this mess.
One view I feel compelled to put forward is that the E-Petition and what it stands for won’t do any good. Much like the thousands of people suggesting that we “bring in the army” failed to realize that it wouldn’t do any good. When has fighting fire with fire ever been successful? In regards to the E-Petition once again, rash judgments and generalizations have been made. It’s ridiculous to assume that everyone who played a part in the violence is on benefits. It’s ridiculous to assume that everyone is “stealing from the taxpayer” and quite frankly that assumption is hugely hypocritical. Strong case of pot and kettle there I think. I don’t mean to dig up the past but does anyone recall Mr. Cameron himself claiming £21,000 in a year to pay his mortgage?
Another thing that strikes a nerve with me, and I’m sure the majority of people is the discussion over social media. Like it or not we’re part of an online generation. Communication at such a fast pace is second nature to us. Attempting to slow it down would be a complete waste of time. For every negative there’s multiple positives concerning social media. How can the likes of Facebook and Blackberry Messenger be to blame for playing a part in the riots? There have been riots of this nature before without the use of Twitter and there will be again. The fact of the matter is, if you’re going to undermine a particular social class then expect consequences. How fast they happen and how they’re planned is irrelevant because it’s inevitable. What people have failed to realize is that without social media things would’ve been a lot worse. With constant updates and communication between the police and normal people willing to help. Updates online about the whereabouts of gang’s etc things could’ve been a hell of a lot slower.
The top and bottom is that the younger generations continuously receive right-wing beatings. How can people be expected to make something of themselves when the recourses needed are not available? We’re told that we’re no good and we’re told that there’s no hope for us. Why I ask you would anyone try? The government have a lot more to do than just restore buildings and businesses. Their task is a lot more complex than that. What they really need to focus on is gaining the trust of society. This can only come with change. Maybe the recent events will be a harsh wake up call?
Our only security is our ability to change.
