The UK Riots: Everyone Seems To Be Cashing In At Home & Abroad

Now, before I throw in my oar and paddle down the stream of voices from afar, I am aware of the irony of the title of this article. However, I think there is a slight difference between what I am about to say and what has been said in the mainstream press over the past few days and weeks.

 There have been so many articles in newspapers and network news features covering the riots, all of which have been, for want of a better phrase, subjective and ill-informed. Some, have been outright rubbish and some have gone to extremes and been borderline racist and discriminatory. Many front pages show us images of riot police lining the streets like Stormtroopers in what looks like a live remake of a Star Wars movie or surrounding buildings like Mr. Big's soldiers in Michael Jackson's Moonwalker

Stormtroopers from upcoming Star Wars movie (Copyright, Wikipedia 2011)

 

London Riot Police in Lewisham (Copyright, Idealimagehot.com)

 

Any of us with an interest, beit personal or passing, in what has been happening in the UK will probably have our own theories as to why these riots have broken out and grown to nearly incontrollable measure. There is indeed cause for belief in many of them as well, to a degree. However, what cannot go overlooked is the opportunism of some, would be considered socially responsibe, journalists in the mainstream media who have used this opportunity to voice messages of hatred and, if anything, inciteful remarks about various ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom.

For example, Kevin Myers, of The Irish Independent, in a rant exhibiting his pretense of knowledge, wrote that much of the rioting was due to lack of a paternal presence in over 60% of Afro-Caribbean families in the UK. He went so far as to draw examples from other countries with Afro-Caribbean communites where riots have broken out as a verification for hes assertion. He also lashed out at the single mothers of Afro-Caribbean families who he implies have no incentive to marry as the benefits accrued from social welfare make marriage and having a father firgure less attractive. Is he aware that this exercise is a psuedo-statistical way of saying that Afro-Caribbean, or black people, have some sort of genetic pre-disposition to rioting and anti-social behaviour. Is this what he is trying to get us to believe? I would love to provide a link to Myers' article, but even The Irish Independent thought it too ridiculous to allow on their website after thousands of complaints from readers who found Myers' "words of wisdom" to be hateful and downright disgusting. It is interesting that after seeing hours and hours of live rioting and looting as it happens, that a journalist could ignore the smothering numbers of white and asian rioters but only focussed on those with presumed Afro-Caribbean heritage. Such an irresponsible article is suited only to the backpages of the newsletters of the likes of the British National Party, or even KKK propaganda but certainly does not belong in such a paper as The Indo. Way to go Kevin...not!

However, while Myers cannot be excused for his ignorance, he is not the only one to blame. There seems to be a general finger pointing game occuring whereby people have forgotten that the initial sparks that ingited these riots began at a vigil being held in response to the shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29 year old whose fatal shooting by Metropolitan Police has caused large scale controversy and inquiry. A number of journalists and reporters jumped on the bandwagon and said they believe the riots to be a response to dissatisfaction with the former Labour government and current Tory-Liberal Democrat goverment. Some have said that they feel they are occuring because of the rather noticeable social cleavage between the shrinking British middle class and ever growing underclasses. Some believe it to simple be mindless hooliganism. All of these have a place at the table when it comes to rationalising and understanding these riots. But none have the outright spot at the head of that table.  There are indeed those who are protesting for more noble reasons than others. There are people who have seen these riots as an opportunity to spread a message, beit in support for laws that outlaw racial profiling; fairer opportunities for the less advantaged; a narrower set of social cleavages. And yes, there are those who see it all as a joke and an opportunity to simply loot and cause destruction.

(Copyright, AFP 2011)

But, one of the things to take away from these riots is that while they are indeed saddening and in some cases tragic and fatal, they are a sign that we should all make note of. They are an indication that the voice of the people in the UK demands to be heard, they are a sign that people will do what they have to do in the pursuit for equality and fairness. They are also a sign that if Government wishes to have a peaceful Britain, they must go back and review what it is they want Britain to be considered "Great" for. Unlike in Ireland, the United Kingdom does have a culture for protest, some peaceful, some not so peaceful. However, while in some cases, there have been tragic outcomes, for the most part these riots give a spark of hope to many. The people of the UK will not simply go down to the local pub and bitch and moan about something, stopping as soon as their next full pint is laid in front of them. They will take to the streets and voice their dissatisfaction. It is something we here in Ireland lack, which is certainly needed at times. Call it strength by numbers if you like, or call it a more informed society. But some of these "hoodies" are there for the right reasons and simply want to be heard, and some helped.

SteveB

It has been quite a while since I posted on here. Accept my apologies, but it's been a rather hectic few months. I'll try to post more often, shouldn't be too diffcult from now on! Thanks for staying faithful, we'd never have reached the near 1.5 million hits if it wasn't for you!