London Riots

Hello. I found an interesting blog on the London riots at rebelgriot entitled “Why are we leaving it to our children to bring accountability to the police and redistribute wealth?” The author makes some interesting points and certainly busted through my daily quota for a conspiracy theory. He claims that the youth of London are simply following the example set by the rest of society and “compared to their role models, the vast majority of the rioters have behaved impeccably.” I don't think I would describe the rioters behaviour as impeccable but I do agree that our role models are far from perfect. Our culture is consumed by consumerism, (Zygmunt Bauman makes this point rather well in this article) and accountability has gone out of fashion – or is it that as individuals we are only accountable to ourselves?

Here in New Zealand, things aren't always as rosy as they seem, yet as apathy reigns supreme it will be a cold day in hell before rioting breaks out in the streets. In 2009 we had a nationwide referendum on the merits of the recently introduced anti-smacking legislation. Despite an overwhelming 87% of voters opposed to the bill, our current government has done nothing. The voice-of-the-people becomes diluted and ineffective through the very system that claims to encourage it. What then should we do to fight injustice? This question is not easy or straight forward to answer.

Mark Duggan's death seemed to have served as a catalyst for a volatile generation who have everything but a cause. Through a lack of insight and creativity, protest turned to rioting. I can't agree with rebelgriot in saying that the looting was 'wealth redistribution'. The looters were mostly stealing electronic goods and novelty items—not essentials.

I hope this incident serves as a wakeup call. The issues at stake are varied, complex, and valid. Tony Blair is hardly going to go on TV and say, “Well, now that you've burnt down half of London we'll treat you with respect and fairness, put an end to poverty, racism, corruption, and discrimination.” Instead, the authorities are taking a hard line and handing out tough sentences to the perpetrators. Lets hope they deal with the cause, not just the consequences. I don't condone the actions of the rioters and I don't think they can rightly claim victory for their cause. Many were merely opportunists who took advantage of the situation for personal gain because they thought they could get away with it. Is that really so different from the way we all act?