Greed

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

There will no doubt have been people in the 50s saying the same things though.

"We were happier when our children had to go down the mines aged seven, taught them some discipline. Nowadays they all have radios and listen to rock 'n' roll."

You are probably right.

However, people were (generally) happy with their lot. The difference was City centres were safe at night, policed by a couple of bobbies on a pushbike....

People didn't trash the place to get their hands on the latest transister radio, Marks and Spencer's cardigan or Tommy Docherty football boots....

 

[bringer678]

Are you trying to make an excuse for these cunts?

 

[M18CTID]

Are you trying to make an excuse for these cunts?

That's the way it came across to me.

The top and bottom of it is that there is no excuse whatsoever for the blatant law-breaking we've seen over the past few days. I accept that most of us have probably broken the law at some point or other in our lives but I bet most of us never looked to blame anybody else for our indiscretions. In short, everyone is accountable for their own actions.

While the OP makes some good points about a greed culture in today's society there's a world of difference between wanting the latest gadget and actually going out mob-handed to steal it.

Much of what we've seen over the past few days isn't the fault of politicians fiddling their expenses or banks selling us down the river - those are entirely different issues that can be discussed and addressed in their own right. No, this IMO is primarily down to falling parenting standards and a lack of discipline being instilled into these scrotes from an early age, coupled with soft sentencing when they do get caught breaking the law. I said primarily because there are some people of course that have a good upbringing yet still turn out to be a wrong 'un, not to mention some that have a shit upbringing but turn out to be decent people, but my over-riding feeling is that many of the people involved have never been on the end of a bollocking from their parents. This in turn has given these twats the impression that they can literally do what the fuck they want without fear of reprisal.

 

[Anonymous]

Whilst I agree they are not the main cause, you cannot dismiss the others out of hand as they are factors in what is essentially a fairly complex set of socio-economic factors.

We can blame (rightly) call out the patenting, but then you have to ask why the parenting is poor. Then you start getting into a combination of factors such as lack of opportunity, education through to drug misuse and, hell, downright laziness. Then you have to ask why that's the case and so we go on.

What we need our leaders to do is address these factors along with administering the appropriate punishment for those caught as well and that's where we will see, imho, the usual inertia and lack of action.

So as I say, whilst not the main cause, they are certainly factors that cannot be dismissed.

 

[shackattack]

what the so called " underclass " of society do not lack in is confidence. sadly its misdirected and is not tempered with a smattering of respect. they resent the fact that people have better possessions than them but are not willing to put in the graft to attain them. there are jobs, they may not pay well, but are a step to restoring self respect and a sense of achievement. for some they just sit still and receive all the benefits they can and use recent events as an opportunity to go out and steal what they want !!

 

[M18CTID]

Whilst I agree they are not the main cause, you cannot dismiss the others out of hand as they are factors in what is essentially a fairly complex set of socio-economic factors.

We can blame (rightly) call out the patenting, but then you have to ask why the parenting is poor. Then you start getting into a combination of factors such as lack of opportunity, education through to drug misuse and, hell, downright laziness. Then you have to ask why that's the case and so we go on.

What we need our leaders to do is address these factors along with administering the appropriate punishment for those caught as well and that's where we will see, imho, the usual inertia and lack of action.

So as I say, whilst not the main cause, they are certainly factors that cannot be dismissed.

I agree that there are plenty of issues that need addressing in general, but can we say there is a direct correlation though? Seriously, I just don't get it and that's why I think this is primarily a discipline issue - something you appear to agree with me on to an extent.

The issues we have today are not particularly different to the 1980's - we had serious problems back then too, and the haves and have-nots existed back then as well. In fact, I'd say the outlook for your average youth growing up in the early 80's was markedly bleaker than it is today, but we didn't see them going out en masse and indulging in the kind of mindless criminality that we've seen over the past few days.

 

[Anonymous]

There were serious disturbances in that period - Broadwater Farm, Brixton and Toxteth to name but three flash points. What we are seeing now is almost a mirror of that in some respects.

 

[M18CTID]

There were serious disturbances in that period - Broadwater Farm, Brixton and Toxteth to name but three flash points. What we are seeing now is almost a mirror of that in some respects.

Yes, you're right. But the universal opinion appears to be that, as unsavoury as those riots were, there was an underlying problem that lead to them happening whereas pretty much everyone, regardless of their political persuasion, seems to agree that there is no discernible reason or "cause" that can be attached to what's happened over the past few days.

 

[BimboBob]

There have been riots in every country in every century since the yeah dot. Was not Rome sacked by the Vandals? Did not the Goths continue the Vandals good work?

Quite why a shooting of a man who was carrying a loaded pistol has led to all this is beyond me.

Sure blame the parents. Why was that 12 year old out looting when he should have been at home? Blame the lack of discipline in schools and at home. When i was a kid if the Police came to your door you were bricking it. Not because it was the Police but the fact that your old man would go nuts.

Oh...and the other thing. Rap music. Preaching to the weak and thick. Guns and Ho's.

Grey tracksuit bottom manufacturers. They disgust me.

 

[VOOMER]

I agree.

In fact i think it descends down to something as basic as food, people have grown used to having everything available to them, foods that were traditional luxuries becoming cheap and every day items.

For example meat should be expensive, it's getting back to that way now, but everyone still wants to eat it for practically every meal, every day, then complain at the price of their shopping. Well stop buying expensive items so often...

They say the food of a country reflects it's people, in my experience it's very true. Food for a large section of this country is based around greed and laziness.

Bollocks. Food and living conditions have and will continue to be used as a class hammer to keep people in poor health and a weak social position. Other nations, view a decent diet and quality foods as a god given right, we seem to still view it as a preserve of the rich and entitled, which is a digusting and repulsive way in which to view what we eat, or how we live. Although most of what has been sprouted as to the reason for the disturbance is tosh, the fact remains, the cost for basic items have spirraled while the actual cost of producing those items and goods, in a lot of cases have plummeted.