Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre
Don't recall seeing bankers smashing up London?
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It's possible they were. Unlikely, but possible.
---------- Post added at 21:38 ---------- Previous post was at 21:37 ----------
I don't profess to know exactly what is wrong with society, but I suspect that there are several things going wrong.
First, we have cost cutting. This is leading to a lack of proper education in schools with schools seeming to be be more interested in attaining good grades in exams rather than educating their pupils. Cost cutting also means that unemployment is rising. It also generates a certain amount of resentment when the man (and even in these apparently enlightened times, it is nearly always a man) who is ultimately responsible for the cost cutting gets a "performance" bonus running in to millions of pounds for apparently doing very little.
Second, we have advertising. We have an entire industry devoted to telling us we are not complete if we don't own the latest trainers, clothes, smartphones etc.
Third, the 'sleb culture and general media. We have a media telling people that spends a lot of time telling people that it's easy to make lots of money by kicking a ball around, shagging someone famous, or , if you are female and possibly attractive (or at least willing to have a breast enlargement, bleach your hair and paint your face orange), you can **** (or marry, if you are lucky) a footballer to make money.
Now, I actually don't have a problem with people shagging celebrities, or some bleached, surgically enhanced slapper stumbling out of a "trendy" nightclub with a footballer at 3am. I have a problem with the message it gives. It gives the message that you don't have to work to earn money, as long as you can find someone famous to ****.
Fourth. The bankers. I doubt the rioters did, but certain members of the working classes will have seen the bankers apparently being rewarded for losing billions of pounds. Rewards that probably number in the tens of thousands a pounds a quarter, each.
We also have the slight problem that there is a perception (whether it is true or not) that the government is willing to let the rich and big businesses get away with massive amounts of immoral (if not illegal) actions while heavily penalising small businesses and anyone who isn't rich. This isn't going to help with any unrest.
Now, none of this is a justification for the actions taken by the rioters. But, I come from a family where we are taught to work hard for what we get, and I wouldn't dream of nicking.
I am, however, trying to offer an explanation of why some people may be driven to take extreme action.
While I can actually see the sense behind David Cameron's argument, I don't actually think his solution is going to do anything but increase any sense of persecution felt by these people, and ultimately, that isn't good.