I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of cynicism. The dogs of brutality have been loosed and the hopelessly feral are on the rampage. Like Bob once said, “the words leave my head and they fall to the floor.” Every police cell in London is full. I’ve seen it in LA, I’ve seen it in Brixton, I’ve seen it in Detroit, I’ve suffered the clubs and smelled the teargas in the morning, and here we go again. And it’s worse here than in LA in 1992 because in LA no one lived above the shop. The nonsense pouring for my TV is the same as it ever was. “Thugs”, “criminals”, “rats”, “scum”, “mindless” “consequences”, “punishment,” “justice will be done.” COBRA? Gimme a break. As I write, a BBC reporter tells me “this is what happens when fear of the police evaporates.” Why should citizens fear the police, goddamn it? Another reporter repeats the same line. It's part of the script. The idiot mayor of London waxes bellicose for cameras how this is nothing to do with social justice. The new euphemism for escalated police violence is “robust response.” Some fools think the street mayhem is all being directed via “social networks” and this red herring this will probably trigger a clamor for clampdown on the internet. Other fools can’t wait to see the army on the streets or the use of riot control weapons previously reserved for the Irish. The mega-rich have tanked the global economy with vast pyramid scheme, and them walked away unscathed. Did anyone think there would be no repercussions when the entire burden of loss was dumped on workers and the underclass? When public sector workers stage a mass one day strike they’re ignored. Charlie Gilmore acts up and is tossed in jail. Now the dialogue is with the wholly inarticulate, with fire and broken glass. What the fuck did anyone expect? Like I said I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of cynicism.
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ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for peaceful protest, but what exactly are these protesters expecting when they smash windows, loot privately-owned shops, burn privately-owned stores and cause general mayhem?
ReplyDeleteLet's say I own a shop and the 'protesters' smash my windows to gain entry, steal everything of value and set my shp ablaze? Are you saying these stupid gits SHOULD NOT go to jail?!
Any society that claims to be halfway civilized dedicates itself to ensuring that matters never ever degenerate to such a hideous low point.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Anonymous, the gits who are responsible for the Ponzi scheme economy didn't go to jail.
ReplyDeleteIf justice was triumphant, we could all see those Bankers rotting inside a rat infested jail cell & take the edge off the simmering anger on the streets.
I could only wath about 5 minutes of US news on London. All I saw were reports about how this could affect the Olympics and interviews with scared white people.
ReplyDeleteAs Isaac Asamov pointe out in his Foundation books. "Violence is the alst refuge of the incompetent."
And Mick one comment of yours sums it up so very well--"Why should the people be AFRAID of the police?" But they have been afraid of them for years. Not respect or trust but fear. And fear breeeds violence. Hopelessness breds rage and apathy.
A must watch. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteIgnorant, vicious BBC bitch vs someone in the street with dignity... something the BBC knows nothing about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoFak7MRBJw&feature=player_embedded
Civilization is based on top down violence. Power from the barrel of a gun! That's 'normal'. We don't notice it. But let bottom up violence rise up and it's fox in the hen house time. Lotsa squawking goin on. Check out "Endgame" by Derrick Jensen for extended analysis.
ReplyDeleteAll I've been seeing are the catagorizing of property damage. The reporting is only about money.
ReplyDeleteOnly on sentence in an article about the man who was shot not having fired on the police. Yet the early reporting emphasied a justification for the policy shooting, all of which was pure speculation.
So Mick perhaps a Pink Floyd link to explan what this is all about.
"Us & Them" and "Money"
An American Journalist Harry Shearer contends media management decide what part of a story to cover early in development. So this one is good white people, Bad black people, and PROPERTY DAMAGE!
"Any society that claims to be halfway civilized dedicates itself to ensuring that matters never ever degenerate to such a hideous low point."
ReplyDeleteThey should but the powers that be as we know have never let this 'ensuring' occur if it gets in the way of a big buck. Yeah, its a cause and effect thing, but the kids doing this have no real cause and they don't care about the effect. The rioting in Manchester is motivated not by any political disenchanment but by (I say this worrying knowing I sound like my grandad) kids thinking the world owes them a living, no doubt fuelled by the culture of celebrity and the fact that the behind the scenes work to maintain the celebrity facade isn't seen by those young people aspiring to the lifestyles and material goods of footballers and x factor contestants.Greed and want is what it's about. The big stores in Manchester have heavy doors! In Manchester tonight there's looting of small independent shops, people trying to do their own thing, and they don't deserve this..
JB Manc.
The big stores would have made the government bring in the army. They won't go into such areas in the USA. And you are right: they don't deserve it. But they are the haves that are within reach.
ReplyDeleteSteal a TV and you'll get five years. Steal a billion and you'll never be touched. So stealing isn't wrong, you've only got to think bigger.
By cynicism is showing.
BUT there were Riots in LA and the shops of the Barrio were not looted. When asked about this a kid said: "Why would I loot my grandfathers store." So I'll guess the shopkeeper are still seen as outsiders.
This is not justification, it it trying to understand what's happening.
And if the police are found to have shot an unarmed man--what will happen. I know nothing would happen in the USA.
Can you say Harvey Milk and the Twinkie defense.
Why would they even bother with a twinkie defense. If there is no video an inquiry board will find the shooting entirely justified. The riots will be used to criminalize working class youth and incarceration rates will clime to U.S. levels. To pay for the increased police presence and larger prisons the welfare state will have to be further demolished of course.
ReplyDeleteChrist - who'd be 17 again? Can't Cameron and his wankers see that this smacks of "nothing left to lose"? I remember feeling this way in the 80s when everything seemed bleak, stealing kegs from behind breweries to get trollied and, on one memorable occasion, drinking vintage wine we could never afford to drink in a million years (ripped off from a warehouse). This was in between when the police were putting people away for a roach end and charging 4 people with the same piece of dope. I suppose my nihilism has diluted a little with age - but this doesn't half stir up some memories. Time for a cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteJust to say that this is not the same Anonymous who the other day was censured by Diamond Jim, to whom I replied. To avert confusion, that Anonymous will be anonymous no more - from now on it will be, with due deference to Bob, Mr Jones.
ReplyDelete@Aleleeinn: actually, many neighborhood shops in various poor parts of the city were looted and burned during the l.a. riots in '92.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mick for posting this but can I ask you,as one of the last sane people on the planet, WTF do we do now? (I've already finished the stash!)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you asked me that. What we need to do is...(makes a terminal gurgling sound and dies.)
ReplyDelete@some girl said. What I had read (at the time) was that the barrio suffered less damage, That the residents knew the shop owners and that there was a connection between the shop owners and the residents (families who live there owned many of the shops).
ReplyDeleteNow once the mob rules the moment all bets are off. Private vendettas and simple chaos rule, but my point has been that in many of these neighbors there is no connection to the shop owners. They too are outsiders who come to make money off the area.
Far or unfair that is much of the perception. I hear the complaint that the storekeepers come and overcharge for everything.
BUT if you are considered an outsider (ONE OF THEM) you will be a target.Right or wrong that's how it works.
But of course the media has paid NO ATTENTION to such issues. Do the shops actually create jobs? How are they viewed in the area? Are they new or long term? No such info comment.