Can the US learn anything from the London riots?

[Ravi]

What I am and what I appear to be are two very different things. The difference is often missed or deliberately overlooked by the narrow-minded, such as yourself.

The rioters aren't rioting out of any misplaced notion that they're being oppressed by an expanding class divide. They're using any excuse they can to steal for their own material gain. I mean, it's not like they're helping themselves to essential goods like food and medicine, is it? No, they're stealing luxury and designer goods.

And we aren't "headed back to feudal times", either. You're just letting your imagination get the better of you. Get a grip.

Rioters aren't sensible. People get pushed too hard and they react. Apparently your youth AND your middle-aged EDL members feel they have been pushed too hard.

It's the economy, stupid.

I disagree that people are being pushed too hard and then they push back in the form of rioting and looting. We saw it in Greece and now in England. Once the government gives and gives, then findsd they have to pull back, there's trouble. The people weren't pushed too hard but given too much too freely.

W e are heading oin the same direction with too big of a government with too much given away in entitlements. We give everythinbg from welfare, medicaid, subsidies, free, lunches, free education., paying people not to work, paying people that are too ill to work, paying families of children who go to special classes...and more than I even know. We cannot give out more than we take in. It just doesn't work anymore and no one has the balls to do anything about it in Washington.

But people want the other guy to be cut. Don't make me pay more in my health co pay, don't take away my pell grant, don't take away my kid's computer in school, don't take away my kids, free lunch or free glasses, don't take away my subsidy on my successful farm... Do it to the other guy or I'll riot.

Don't mess with my union so I can get my holidays off and strike for better benefits and salary. Get the other guy.

How are we giving too much when in fact subsidies and entitlements have been cut and cut and cut again?

 

[Jackson]

Rioters aren't sensible. People get pushed too hard and they react. Apparently your youth AND your middle-aged EDL members feel they have been pushed too hard.

It's the economy, stupid.

I disagree that people are being pushed too hard and then they push back in the form of rioting and looting. We saw it in Greece and now in England. Once the government gives and gives, then findsd they have to pull back, there's trouble. The people weren't pushed too hard but given too much too freely.

W e are heading oin the same direction with too big of a government with too much given away in entitlements. We give everythinbg from welfare, medicaid, subsidies, free, lunches, free education., paying people not to work, paying people that are too ill to work, paying families of children who go to special classes...and more than I even know. We cannot give out more than we take in. It just doesn't work anymore and no one has the balls to do anything about it in Washington.

But people want the other guy to be cut. Don't make me pay more in my health co pay, don't take away my pell grant, don't take away my kid's computer in school, don't take away my kids, free lunch or free glasses, don't take away my subsidy on my successful farm... Do it to the other guy or I'll riot.

Don't mess with my union so I can get my holidays off and strike for better benefits and salary. Get the other guy.

How are we giving too much when in fact subsidies and entitlements have been cut and cut and cut again?

That just isn't true. They haven't been cut. Lobbyiests hane enjoyed great success at keeping all forms of entitlements in place, but they need to go. The governemnt workforce has to be cut by 1/3 and those remaining, their salaries have to cut 1/3.

We need a Cut the Crap and Balance the Budget Amendment.

On the other side, I see the hughes income earners (over $1.5 million should be taxed at the highest rate. 40% Tax welfare income.

 

[manifold]

 

[Swagger]

The Entitlement Monster will always demand more. That's just the nature of the Beast. Brits have no idea what real suffering & poverty is. Them rioting over "Poverty" is just plain laughable.

Of all the stock replies LibocalypseNow's notorious for, this is probably the only one I can actually agree with.

 

[manifold]

The Entitlement Monster will always demand more. That's just the nature of the Beast. Brits have no idea what real suffering & poverty is. Them rioting over "Poverty" is just plain laughable.

Of all the stock replies LibocalypseNow's notorious for, this is probably the only one I can actually agree with.

Indeed, those who are subjected to true suffering and poverty rarely possess the wherewithal to do anything about it, let alone riot. But suggesting they should wait around until it get's so bad they can't do anything about it isn't exactly a logical condemnation of the rioters either.

 

[midcan5]

The piece below from a Brit now living in LA is interesting, it touches on the complexity and paradox of modern times, regardless of geography. Friedman's OP at bottom is worth a read too. Brand's piece is long and linked below excerpted quotes.

'Dismissing rioters as mindless is futile rhetoric. However unacceptable the UK riots, we need to ask why they are happening'

"Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers." Russell Brand


"I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up." Russell Brand UK riots: Big Brother isn't watching you | UK news | The Guardian


A Theory of Everything (Sort of) By Thomas L. Friedman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/o...ry-of-everyting-sort-of.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

 

[California Girl]

The Entitlement Monster will always demand more. That's just the nature of the Beast. Brits have no idea what real suffering & poverty is. Them rioting over "Poverty" is just plain laughable.

Most Americans couldn't find 'Britain' on a fucking map. And you have not fucking idea what Brits do or do not know, you fucking moron. Do you even have a passport?

 

[California Girl]

The piece below from a Brit now living in LA is interesting, it touches on the complexity and paradox of modern times, regardless of geography. Friedman's OP at bottom is worth a read too. Brand's piece is long and linked below excerpted quotes.

'Dismissing rioters as mindless is futile rhetoric. However unacceptable the UK riots, we need to ask why they are happening'

"Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers." Russell Brand


"I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up." Russell Brand UK riots: Big Brother isn't watching you | UK news | The Guardian


A Theory of Everything (Sort of) By Thomas L. Friedman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/o...ry-of-everyting-sort-of.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

How fascinating that, yet again, you regurgitate the opinions of others instead of forming your own. This particular American (me) lives in England. I'm quietly confident I don't need some Brit telling me about what I've seen with my own eyes.

It's so much easier to 'blame' than face facts - because the facts are not going to make the "liberal" agenda look good at all. Nope. It really isn't.

 

[Swagger]

The Entitlement Monster will always demand more. That's just the nature of the Beast. Brits have no idea what real suffering & poverty is. Them rioting over "Poverty" is just plain laughable.

Of all the stock replies LibocalypseNow's notorious for, this is probably the only one I can actually agree with.

Indeed, those who are subjected to true suffering and poverty rarely possess the wherewithal to do anything about it, let alone riot. But suggesting they should wait around until it get's so bad they can't do anything about it isn't exactly a logical condemnation of the rioters either.

I can understand people in dire need of essentials like food, water and medicine taking matters into their own hands to source them, but even the poorest British citizens have many safety nets in place/at their disposal to prevent them from starving or from not getting medical attention. The rioters in London went straight for the booze and luxury/designer goods. They were the ones who exposed their real motives i.e - greed.

 

[yidnar]

If so, what?

yes that if we are going to get this country back on track we need to prepare for rioting animals roaming the streets!!

 

[midcan5]

The piece below from a Brit now living in LA is interesting, it touches on the complexity and paradox of modern times, regardless of geography. Friedman's OP at bottom is worth a read too. Brand's piece is long and linked below excerpted quotes.

'Dismissing rioters as mindless is futile rhetoric. However unacceptable the UK riots, we need to ask why they are happening'

"Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers." Russell Brand


"I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up." Russell Brand UK riots: Big Brother isn't watching you | UK news | The Guardian


A Theory of Everything (Sort of) By Thomas L. Friedman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/o...ry-of-everyting-sort-of.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

How fascinating that, yet again, you regurgitate the opinions of others instead of forming your own. This particular American (me) lives in England. I'm quietly confident I don't need some Brit telling me about what I've seen with my own eyes.

It's so much easier to 'blame' than face facts - because the facts are not going to make the "liberal" agenda look good at all. Nope. It really isn't.

You know I luv you but please we gotta change positions! This is your constant rejoinder and boring boring boring. What are these facts, give an argument and a position and I'll be able to take you seriously - so far nada.

 

[California Girl]

The piece below from a Brit now living in LA is interesting, it touches on the complexity and paradox of modern times, regardless of geography. Friedman's OP at bottom is worth a read too. Brand's piece is long and linked below excerpted quotes.

'Dismissing rioters as mindless is futile rhetoric. However unacceptable the UK riots, we need to ask why they are happening'

"Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers." Russell Brand


"I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up." Russell Brand UK riots: Big Brother isn't watching you | UK news | The Guardian


A Theory of Everything (Sort of) By Thomas L. Friedman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/o...ry-of-everyting-sort-of.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

How fascinating that, yet again, you regurgitate the opinions of others instead of forming your own. This particular American (me) lives in England. I'm quietly confident I don't need some Brit telling me about what I've seen with my own eyes.

It's so much easier to 'blame' than face facts - because the facts are not going to make the "liberal" agenda look good at all. Nope. It really isn't.

You know I luv you but please we gotta change positions! This is your constant rejoinder and boring boring boring. What are these facts, give an argument and a position and I'll be able to take you seriously - so far nada.

I already have provided an argument, I don't waste time spoon feeding people and, frankly, I would struggle to care any less about you taking me seriously.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

Brits are fat & lazy lot for the most part. They don't know what real poverty is. This rioting & looting was incited by the usual suspect Left Wing nutters over there. We see the same type of Left Wing incitement over here in the States as well. And now the Brits are "Cracking down on Social Media?" Yea,WTG Great Britain,you're now no different than brutal Dictatorship tyrannies all around the World. Nanny States do not work. How much Freedom & Liberty are you willing to trade away for some possible Government Freebies? Citizens are going to have to start asking themselves that very important question more often.

 

[California Girl]

Brits are fat & lazy lot for the most part. They don't know what real poverty is. This rioting & looting was incited by the usual suspect Left Wing nutters over there. We see the same type of Left Wing incitement over here in the States as well. And now the Brits are "Cracking down on Social Media?" Yea,WTG Great Britain,you're now no different than brutal Dictatorship tyrannies all around the World. Nanny States do not work. How much Freedom & Liberty are you willing to trade away for some possible Government Freebies? Citizens are going to have to start asking themselves that very important question more often.

When was the last time you were in Britain? Do you even know what 'Britain' means? Or are you talking about England? Do you know the difference?

You're an idiot.

 

[boedicca]

If so, what?

The London Riots are the result of the same failed philosophy applied in the Great Society programs in the U.S...the difference being that in the UK, the programs applied to the entire country instead of being directed at mostly poor urban blacks.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

And most British Men are either gay or just very wimpy. Cameron represents British Men very well. What a Wimp.

 

[Jackson]

I believe there is an unrest in this country that is ready to explode and the next election just may be the lighting of the wick. How many liberals will call the defeat of Obama as a racist or class warfare? I pray I am wrong.

 

[Sallow]

If so, what?

Actually it's them that have to learn from us.

New York is sending over Bratton to school the limeys.

London riots: UK police round on David Cameron's US 'supercop' Bill Bratton | Mail Online

 

[manifold]

I believe there is an unrest in this country that is ready to explode and the next election just may be the lighting of the wick. How many liberals will call the defeat of Obama as a racist or class warfare? I pray I am wrong.

Rest assured, you are.

The worst that can happen is a few pockets of poor, urban blacks riot, and burn down mostly their own neighborhood. I think we'd get past it pretty quickly, like we always do. It wouldn't be anything like London.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

I believe there is an unrest in this country that is ready to explode and the next election just may be the lighting of the wick. How many liberals will call the defeat of Obama as a racist or class warfare? I pray I am wrong.

You are correct in your analysis. The Left has incited the London Riots and the Left will incite Riots here as well if their Hopey Changey One loses. It's "Community Organizing" at its worst. But we will get past it like another poster said. But i do expect some rioting when their guy loses.