The difficulty with that is just what I pointed out. The picture of action you see includes a huge number of criminals who have no interest in the original events or causes, and are just in it for the violence and looting. This tends to cover up the sequence of events that produced the original incident.
I'm thinking of the race riots in the US back in 1967 and following years, or the demonstrations that turn to violence in middle eastern nations now. You can't judge the whole situation merely by the appearances that are there when the news finally arrives at the scene.
What I see (and of course I'm at some remove as well) is an incendiary situation that already existed, caused by economic policies and the recession that have increased unemployment terrifically among lower income populations. Then it only takes some callous behavior by authorities or police to produce an outburst. The outburst quickly snowballs into a full scale riot scene, where most of the participants either have no idea what's actually going on or are in fact professional criminals who quickly arrive to take advantage. Historically, this seems to be the course of events more often than not.
In the overreaction that follows, the original cause is overlooked or downplayed, which does nothing to prevent reoccurrence, and that in turn follows inevitably.
The UK, like the US, has fallen into the economic trap that is suddenly concentrating wealth and power into the hands of a very tiny minority. Those who were once at least somewhat comfortable with their place are being forced into severe discomfort. The consequences, just as in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, or Syria, are inevitable. We're just beginning to see it. Expect more and more until things are readjusted. If the adjustments don't take place, we may see a reign of terror to rival what happened in France after 1789.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 05:13 pm (UTC)I'm thinking of the race riots in the US back in 1967 and following years, or the demonstrations that turn to violence in middle eastern nations now. You can't judge the whole situation merely by the appearances that are there when the news finally arrives at the scene.
What I see (and of course I'm at some remove as well) is an incendiary situation that already existed, caused by economic policies and the recession that have increased unemployment terrifically among lower income populations. Then it only takes some callous behavior by authorities or police to produce an outburst. The outburst quickly snowballs into a full scale riot scene, where most of the participants either have no idea what's actually going on or are in fact professional criminals who quickly arrive to take advantage. Historically, this seems to be the course of events more often than not.
In the overreaction that follows, the original cause is overlooked or downplayed, which does nothing to prevent reoccurrence, and that in turn follows inevitably.
The UK, like the US, has fallen into the economic trap that is suddenly concentrating wealth and power into the hands of a very tiny minority. Those who were once at least somewhat comfortable with their place are being forced into severe discomfort. The consequences, just as in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, or Syria, are inevitable. We're just beginning to see it. Expect more and more until things are readjusted. If the adjustments don't take place, we may see a reign of terror to rival what happened in France after 1789.