So, this is my first blog post... and I thought I'd muse a little about the recent London riots. It's now a week gone past and it's still hard to comprehend just what happened here. How did these just spontaneously occur out of, apparently, thin air? What prompted them to happen, but more importantly, what can be done to solve these underlying issues?

It's hard to not to look at the riots and just dismiss them as mindless acts of crime and violence. For the most part they were exactly that, and some of the looters exhibited subhuman behaviour - such as those guys that pretended to be good samaritans, helping an injured man up off the ground, and then turning around and robbing him of everything he had in his backpack. Sickening.

Behaviour like that isn't explainable and is not forgivable. But the general sentiment of disenfranchisement and helplessness that underpinned the riots is something that still irks me. For the most part the kids that looted were in it for a good time and to make a profit. They weren't protesting against the government directly, they weren't trying to make a statement like the initial protesters were. All they wanted was a laugh and a new pair of sneakers. Yet you have to wonder about what kind of values have been instilled in them (or, perhaps more to the point, *weren't* instilled in them) for them to think it's fine to break into their neighbour's shops and steal their goods.

So this shows a picture of a decaying society which does not educate or care for its youth. I think it also tells more about the breakdown of families and of social structure. These kids don't have positive role models and authority figures to respect in their lives - so they don't respect anybody. It's a shame that their families can't control these kids or at least instil in them hope and a sense of care for those around them.

Yet interestingly enough, we condemn the kids for looting the stores...

So, this is my first blog post... and I thought I'd muse a little about the recent London riots. It's now a week gone past and it's still hard to comprehend just what happened here. How did these just spontaneously occur out of, apparently, thin air? What prompted them to happen, but more importantly, what can be done to solve these underlying issues?

It's hard to not to look at the riots and just dismiss them as mindless acts of crime and violence. For the most part they were exactly that, and some of the looters exhibited subhuman behaviour - such as those guys that pretended to be good samaritans, helping an injured man up off the ground, and then turning around and robbing him of everything he had in his backpack. Sickening.

Behaviour like that isn't explainable and is not forgivable. But the general sentiment of disenfranchisement and helplessness that underpinned the riots is something that still irks me. For the most part the kids that looted were in it for a good time and to make a profit. They weren't protesting against the government directly, they weren't trying to make a statement like the initial protesters were. All they wanted was a laugh and a new pair of sneakers. Yet you have to wonder about what kind of values have been instilled in them (or, perhaps more to the point, *weren't* instilled in them) for them to think it's fine to break into their neighbour's shops and steal their goods.

So this shows a picture of a decaying society which does not educate or care for its youth. I think it also tells more about the breakdown of families and of social structure. These kids don't have positive role models and authority figures to respect in their lives - so they don't respect anybody. It's a shame that their families can't control these kids or at least instil in them hope and a sense of care for those around them.

Yet interestingly enough, we condemn the kids for looting the stores but those in authority, the politicians and officers in power sometimes exhibit behaviour just as corrupt and disrespectful as they do. The recent parliamentary expenses scandals show just how much those in power feel they can rip off the rest of us - but in a different and slightly more 'legal' way. They inflated their bills, gave ridiculous expenses and hoped they would get away with it. Theft on an entirely different scale, yet just as bad as the looters. The question is what kind of punishment will they get? I'm afraid it's probably going to be minimal.

So, with one hand we blame the kids and on the other we ignore the politicians? Who's the bigger criminals here? Sure, the actions of both are inexcusable, but it's hard to see how these criminal examples of those who are in power don't make those with the least and worst position in society feel like they can do the same - but in a different way.

Seems like the riots have just brought to light the systemic injustice in society, on both sides of the fence. But what's the solution to this? Who knows...

/rant