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I'm Kay, I live in London and I LOVE all things Korean - food, history, language, music and film.

신화, Drunken Tiger, Epik High, 이준기, 주지훈, Teddy Park, 성시경

Western music: Lisa Gerrard, Sarah McLachlan, Heather Nova and any other artist who sings with their heart on their sleeve

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  1. The sad truth behind London riot

    imnopicasso:

    annyongsivy:

    imnopicasso:

    As political and social protests grip the Middle East, are growing in Europe and a riot exploded in north London this weekend, here’s a sad truth, expressed by a Londoner when asked by a television reporter: Is rioting the correct way to express your discontent? “Yes,” said the young man. “You wouldn’t be talking to me now if we didn’t riot, would you?”

    The TV reporter from Britain’s ITV had no response. So the young man pressed his advantage. “Two months ago we marched to Scotland Yard, more than 2,000 of us, all blacks, and it was peaceful and calm and you know what? Not a word in the press. Last night a bit of rioting and looting and look around you.”

    One of the saddest parts of watching the coverage of the riots and reading the reports to me, other than the obvious sadness of struggling communities attacking their own people and property, has been listening to the politicians mouth off about how strongly and efficiently they’re handling the situation. I don’t pretend to know a lot about English politics, or even what started this, but if we take this out of the realm of England for the moment, and think about what causes any riot ever, I think it’s safe to say that a politician’s job and a police officer’s job are different — if the politicians had been doing their jobs, I highly doubt they would now be in the position of having to convince the English public that they are capable of doing a police officer’s job.

    To hear a local councillor, for example, refer to nine and ten year old children as “thugs and hooligans”, remark on how that’s shocking, but not question the concept of what might make a nine year old become a “thug” or “hooligan”.  Or what responsibility he may be failing to meet in the community that’s created a situation where there are nine and ten year olds setting cars on fire and smashing shop windows.

    It takes a lot to push people over that edge. I just hope that in the aftermath of this, more good than bad can eventually come of it. Maybe the politicians can learn to listen more closely while people are still saying “please”.

    Sadly it should be noted that a lot of people are looting just to take advantage of the chaos. They are burning down places that are homes or shops owned by good honest people, most of which wont be able to claim with their insurance. They have worked hard to make ends meat and now that has been burnt up by some foolish people wanting any old excuse to cause trouble. These riots started off after a peaceful protest for a man shot by police the other week. The “people” and I use this word with reserves, who are rioting are the ones who benefit the most out of tax payers money, they live in council houses and are given an allowance to live off, most of the time more than the basic breadline households income. Now how is that fair. They don’t work, yet we pay for their house, give them money in the hopes that they use it to good use for bills, and to be able to buy belongings for their homes and etc. Sadly their are SOME who just don’t deserve it. And the government certainly needs to step up into gear, and get these people off their butts and working.

    Sorry I have very strong views on this. My area was hit this week and my mother is a single parent that works hard in a department store. She pays taxes so other people can benefit whilst she struggles. To me its just not right. If they want a better life, they should get an education like I am. The UK gives loans to students so they can take on degrees and to not worry about living expenses, and they don’t have to worry about paying it back because a small amount like a pound is taken out of their wages every month when they have a job earning more than something like seventeen thousand a year. They are just using excuses for their laziness. 

    I have very strong views on what you just said. I was one of those people taking other people’s tax dollars, and I’m pretty sure you just called my mother lazy.

    Anyone who says everyone who wants a better life should “just” get an education maybe should’ve taken the time to educate themselves a little better about the subject before opening their mouth. The unbearable stupidity and naivete and willful ignorance of that statement goes to show that book learning only takes you so far.

    Judging by what one of my friends is dealing with in NYC, the welfare system in the US and the UK is very different. I’ve been on the dole in the UK when i was between short term contracts on many an occasion and have seen all sorts of people at the job centre from those who want to work to those who clearly do not.The problem with our system in the UK is that it doesn’t motivate or encourage or indeed work as a system. Let’s say you want to get some basic qualifications of English and math because your dyslexia was so bad and unidentified at school you left with out even a leavers certificate. The job centre tells you that you have to get these qualifications so that you will be employable and as one of my friends in that situation found out, that counted as being in full time education and you are unable to claim benefits in that situation. So with no job and no money she couldn’t go and get these basic qualifications because she didn’t have the money to pay for the course, the job centre wouldn’t subsidise it and if she did get the money together the job centre would cut all her benefits as she was in full time education… so yeah - just going to get educated is really easy :/

    Also, the first of the rioters and looters that’s been convicted is (or maybe now was) a primary school teaching mentor, another was a charity volunteer who worked with the homeless, another a lifeguard. We have something very wrong in our society in the UK and I’m not going to start pointing fingers and placing blame because I don’t live in those areas and I have never experienced life like they have. One thing I will say is that the UK has an increasingly media and celebrity-centric society that thinks it deserves a lavish lifestyle without having to work for it. This is cross-class, not just those with little. Those with lots want it too. Combine this with government cuts, closing of youth centres and the collapse of family units and you start to see why its coming apart at the seams.

    I am not going to jump on the bandwagon so many others have done and say that its feckless unemployed that do all this, its not, that’s an injustice against those who do want to work, who do try hard and want a better life for themselves and their families. The rioters however are  people who took a peaceful protest at the death of one man and perverted it into a greedy selfish form of destruction that does nothing to help any cause. They stole electrical luxury goods, trainers, jewellery and torched the businesses of hard-working individuals. The food they stole were crisps, fizzy drinks, alcohol and chocolate - not bread to feed their kids. The looters robbed a student that had just had his bike stolen under the guise of helping him to his feet. It doesn’t matter whether they were employed or not, on benefits or not. Its irrelevant. They knew the difference between right and wrong and they made their choice. It has nothing to do with education or lack of.

    (Source: crowdsourced)

    2. 6413 Notes
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    8. kenshiro28 reblogged this from barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark and added:
      Nobody even mentions the specifics of WHY the riots started. Also
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      I agree with the Londoner who was being interviewed here: In this day and age, peaceful protestations are far too easily...
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    Reblogged: imnopicasso