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Marini -> RE: Riots continue to spread in UK/ is this a means of protest? (8/9/2011 7:41:48 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Aneirin
I don't know where you are in the strata of society, but from my level their is an air of anger, hopeless anger, an air which has been becoming tighter and tighter over the years and seems to be falling on the present government and undoubtedly their austerity and money grabbing policies have accelerated that feeling culminating in, perhaps what we are seeing on the tv these last few days.
Thank you for addressing "the air of anger".
I think we can address the "air of anger" involved, without condoning the rioting and looting.
There is a definite feeling of there's them, and then there's us, and this feeling permeates all levels of society, we are definately not an United Kingdom, perhaps in reality, never were.
Now many of those at my level of society are not benefit scounging scumbags, but work for a living, some even have struggling small businesses, people who just get on with life lawfully in the best way they can, but they are struggling, swimming against a tide of decreasing funds and with that increasing government inspired demands, the austerity measures and lack of service that appear to be hitting the lower stratas of society the worst. The small businesses, well as you know the banks are jacking them, and the politicians though they may mouth words, seem toothless in the face of the great god that is the banking system, but when what is described as life's little pleasures after a hard day's work, the pub is hit hard, then one tends to feel the action more, as the pub, is a British institution.
I admire you Aneirin, there are many ways to measure a man, beyond the amount of wealth he has accumulated.
You are one of the few on here, that could probably survive, under almost any circumstance.
Now one of the biggest complaints I hear, and I do agree, is about that necessity to life, the use of the private motor vehicle, as believe it, what passes for public transport in this area, part city and part rural, is an expensive unreliable joke, in fact from my position as unemployed, employers are now asking does one have their own transport to get to work, as no one wants an employee who fails to start on time through public transport issues, and I do understand the employers completely in this respect, and don't blame them. I blame the forces that have taken the necessary use of the private motor vehicle into the realms of a luxury commodity as increasingly, employed persons are finding it very difficult to pay the increased sums demanded for their lawful pleasure of living in the UK, as to remember, everything we need to live by, is governed by the fuel cost to the customer and undoubtedly unchecked greed. But many of those whom I know may rant and grind their teeth, but they perhaps exist at a higher flash point than the young and that due to maturity. As to whether maturity means one with age gets wiser, or one with age becomes eroded at what they see and experience with age is a good question. But do the mature flash like the young, perhaps through hopelessness they have learned not to, for there is a hell of a lot of middle aged depressive issues around at the moment.
But, what is affecting the young, well undoubtedly their parents struggles do not go unnoticed, but they have their own problems to contend with, and one of the biggest with the kids of the aforementioned adults I know, is unemployment. Many have degrees and other qualifications up the yinyang, but can they find a job, well, a few are lucky if their parents are in a position to employ or influence employment. But even with the young employment is not an easier existence, for the employed young fall into the same crap the mature have to deal with and because of their youth and stated inexperience, they do not receive good wages thus making their living perhaps harder than that of the elders, for one has to take into account their transportational issues and housing problems, many young people cannot afford car insurance, and of course you know about the housing problem. Many whom I have known to be in employment, have opted for the social benefit existence, because in many cases one can be better off in receipt of benefits, but the benefits lifestyle is no life at all, it destroys the mind, erodes hope and belief paving the way for anarchistic and revolutionary beliefs to take root and ferment, the benefits lifestyle is a thought realignment exercise.
But of these riots, my understanding is the mob who we see smashing, burning and looting is a willing and ready tool, a tool to be used and perhaps discarded, but behind the tool is a tool user, for this does strike me as in many ways organised and not the result of interweb hue and cry, there is political agenda at work here, but what agenda and who is the question. What was that someone said about the fighting nation that is the British, the only time they can stand together as one is in violence.
One thing is apparent from the reports of the riots though, is what is being attacked by the rioters, the locations and the businesses, was this a central intelligence requirement, or was it the feeling in the minds of those at the forefront, if the latter, then this reveals more about the source of the action, a probable palpable class divide. Then there is the police, you know those who enforce government policy, and that, the latter is becoming more apparent as the years go by, for they no longer appear to be interested in protecting the public, all the public, not just those with influence, for as has been reported with these riots, the police have neglected their duty to protect. But why attack the police, well, could that be because the police as governmental policy enforcers are seen as the face of the government on the street ?
Or is it The UK is run like a British War ship of old, Marines protect the officers from the crew ?
Now the government, any government, for they are all the same no matter what party is in power, many whom I know feel disconnected from government to the point where government is seen as a parasite, bleeding the people dry, as one thing is often forgotten, the money they keep telling us about, is the people's money, not the governments, yet that money has been seen to be given to the wealthy whilst the poorer are told to pull in their belts. They say they listen, but in reality they have no idea, and that because what the government is, many of them, political affiliation irrelevant sat in the same classrooms in the same public schools in their youth, therefore they cannot understand what conditions face many stratas in this society, with them I perceive a Mary Antoinette syndrome, aka haven't got a fucking clue beyond what their inexperienced thinking gives them.
I feel what is increasingly at work in the problems of this time is that age old British chestnut ; class divide.
The class divide, may be an age old British chestnut.
But I don't think the youth and many of the disenfranchised, are going to go quietly into the night, as they might have done in days of yore.
I feel sorry for the victims of the rioting, looting and marauding.
I would prefer to see well-organized, ON-GOING, continuous, non-violent protesting,
**Emphasis on well-organized, ON-GOING, and as non-violent as possible.
I was hoping and waiting for you to post.
Thank you for the superb commentary that came from your heart!
Bravo!!
[sm=applause.gif]
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