What's up with London? (riots, merged)

[jumpy]

Look, I know you're agitated about this and I'm not trying to piss on your parade by making a direct attack on you as a person, but you seriously need to relax a little - the world is not coming to an end and the hordes are not about to bust your door in and pillage your family and rape your stuff.

Go eat something and find something else to focus on until tomorrow, eh?

Try this to add a little humour to events, and maybe a little perspective too
http://photoshoplooter.tumblr.com/

@ papa_smurf - are you on ocuk, by any chance... that was on there earlier

[Egan]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Oh no,reports coming in from Manchaster now with some confrontations with police in the city centre.Thats only over the pennines! dear god I hope the police stop this soon
We really need to have our soldiers helping the police and protecting people here,there just seems to be no stopping them!

Dude, you really need to lay off the coffee, your beginning to sound like the Daily Mail and nobody wants that.

Go and eat something and watch the Simpsons. Anything but the news. You're beginning to seem a bit manic. Just go and chill for an hour or so and them come back if you feel the need too. This isn't good for you. If we don't hear from you by 9pm we'll just assume you've been looted by feral youths or something.

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by Betonov

A bit on-topic

The general feel in my country in regards to the riots is a condemnation of the violence and vandalism, but a un-nearving feeling that the same might erupt here as well soon. The goverment is bumbling down the recesion by raising prices on everything, the elite is stealing anything they can touch despite everyone knowing it and the young feel that the future is not something to look forward to.

that's what I was saying. I feel the same way. No offense to you older guys, But I feel you were handed the keys to the family mansion, and you threw a huge party and made a whole bunch of money selling cups...and after your wild time was over...you left us to clean up the mess you made. For the first time, were projected to have a lower standard of living than our parents. That really scares me, especially since my family has never been really well of, which give me visions of a cardboard box under a bridge. All this time, when the middle class is shrinking, everyone else's future is looking bleak, we are all being asked to pay more taxes and make "sacrifices" because the economy is down, the rich are getting oodles richer and getting to keep their tax breaks. Coming from the mind of a 20 year old, this seems really dismal, It conjures up visions of the serfs working in the medieval fields for their lord who "is their for protection" but only sits in his castle 99% of the time.

[Paul Riley]

Manchester is not that far from me.I wonder how the Londoners tonight feel that lost their homes?,I bet they said it would "never happen".
I hope you guys are right because i'm ready for bugging out if reports start coming in from the Steel City.
Also,Wolverhampton appears to be having problems,anyone live near there tonight?

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by jumpy

Look, I know you're agitated about this and I'm not trying to piss on your parade by making a direct attack on you as a person, but you seriously need to relax a little - the world is not coming to an end and the hordes are not about to bust your door in and pillage your family and rape your stuff.

Go eat something and find something else to focus on until tomorrow, eh?

Try this to add a little humour to events, and maybe a little perspective too
http://photoshoplooter.tumblr.com/

@ papa_smurf - are you on ocuk, by any chance... that was on there earlier

How can you be so sure though that some of the above wont happen?,the scenes on TV are certainly not doing much to strengthen that point.I mean,are any of you concerned at all?

[Betonov]

Gimpy117

Just like you said. Especially for former Yugoslav republics. My parents had it good under communism. Houses were built cheap and of the record (no tax), everyone had a job that had decent wage (even when production lagged behind, the goverment supported failed busineses to keep employement, wasting money on projects that would never yield profit), everyone stole and bamboozled everything not guarded by the army (that was stolen by the army) and now it falls on us to settle the bills

[Sailor Steve]

WOW! Eight pages since I went to bed last night!

Okay, I think it's time to explain some things.

1) Arguing with people won't get you banned, or even brigged, no matter how heated the debate gets. To get brigged you need to actually attack people directly, or call them names. Even then, you'll be warned first, unless the attack is extreme. So, Paul, you can stop saying you won't say something that might get you in trouble, which you've done several times in this thread. Just say what you think.

2) You won't get banned or brigged for racist comments, unless they are extreme, as you should have already discovered.

3) You say people are ganging up on you. The problem is that everyone is free to say what they think. If most of the people disagree and think you are wrong, and they say so, it's a bunch of individuals expressing their opinions. There is no organized, or disorganized, group here. I don't like Tribesman's tactics normally, and I've said so many times, but in this case I agree with his summation if not his methods. Does that mean we've formed a gang? No. But just because I agree with what he says should I not say so myself.

4) The Ignore Function. It only works if you actually use it. Threatening to do so and then continuing to argue with that person only brings you in for more derision.

5) 1984. It was about a repressive government, not a bunch of people expressing opinions. If anything, it sounds more like what you desire than what's going on here.

6) Racism. Be honest. Do you really, truly believe that this is happening because people of one color or another are bad? As I've said, I've lived long enough to have known good people and bad people of every description you can imagine. Most of 'them' are people just like you. Do you really think that if you could get rid of 'them' your problems would go away? People are individuals. Some of them are worth knowing, and some of them are worth avoiding, and some of them are not worth much of anything. Unfortunately it's part of human nature to be easily influenced, and when individuals get together in large groups they tend to forget to think, and become a mob, which is a dangerous thing. But it also has nothing to do with religion, color or race. We all do it.

6) Language. You are free to express any opinion you like. That said, when you blame this on groups of one color or another, and someone disagrees, calling them "anti-white" is not only completely mistaken, but it's also an attack. While it may not get you brigged or even warned, you really can't complain if it gets you mocked. Just because one of my closest friends is black and one of my bandmates is brown doesn't mean I don't have white friends as well, nor do I prefer one over the other. I also don't hate myself because I'm white. To quote a famous white man, "I am what I am, and that's all what I am!" I do sometimes dislike myself, but that is for completely different reasons, and they are based on individual traits, not group characteristics.

When I told Snestorm "If you want to see the real enemy, look in the mirror", I was only partly suggesting that his attitudes and beliefs are the cause of the problem. The other part is again individual, and refers to him, you, Tribesman, and everyone else, including myself. As Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Or, as Thomas Carlyle put it, ""Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world."

[ABBAFAN]

It's kicking off in Liverpool and Manchester now. They are looting Boots and Asda about a mile from me.

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

WOW! Eight pages since I went to bed last night!

Okay, I think it's time to explain some things.

1) Arguing with people won't get you banned, or even brigged, no matter how heated the debate gets. To get brigged you need to actually attack people directly, or call them names. Even then, you'll be warned first, unless the attack is extreme. So, Paul, you can stop saying you won't say something that might get you in trouble, which you've done several times in this thread. Just say what you think.

2) You won't get banned or brigged for racist comments, unless they are extreme, as you should have already discovered.

3) You say people are ganging up on you. The problem is that everyone is free to say what they think. If most of the people disagree and think you are wrong, and they say so, it's a bunch of individuals expressing their opinions. There is no organized, or disorganized, group here. I don't like Tribesman's tactics normally, and I've said so many times, but in this case I agree with his summation if not his methods. Does that mean we've formed a gang? No. But just because I agree with what he says should I not say so myself.

4) The Ignore Function. It only works if you actually use it. Threatening to do so and then continuing to argue with that person only brings you in for more derision.

5) 1984. It was about a repressive government, not a bunch of people expressing opinions. If anything, it sounds more like what you desire than what's going on here.

6) Racism. Be honest. Do you really, truly believe that this is happening because people of one color or another are bad? As I've said, I've lived long enough to have known good people and bad people of every description you can imagine. Most of 'them' are people just like you. Do you really think that if you could get rid of 'them' your problems would go away? People are individuals. Some of them are worth knowing, and some of them are worth avoiding, and some of them are not worth much of anything. Unfortunately it's part of human nature to be easily influenced, and when individuals get together in large groups they tend to forget to think, and become a mob, which is a dangerous thing. But it also has nothing to do with religion, color or race. We all do it.

6) Language. You are free to express any opinion you like. That said, when you blame this on groups of one color or another, and someone disagrees, calling them "anti-white" is not only completely mistaken, but it's also an attack. While it may not get you brigged or even warned, you really can't complain if it gets you mocked. Just because one of my closest friends is black and one of my bandmates is brown doesn't mean I don't have white friends as well, nor do I prefer one over the other. I also don't hate myself because I'm white. To quote a famous white man, "I am what I am, and that's all what I am!" I do sometimes dislike myself, but that is for completely different reasons, and they are based on individual traits, not group characteristics.

When I told Snestorm "If you want to see the real enemy, look in the mirror", I was only partly suggesting that his attitudes and beliefs are the cause of the problem. The other part is again individual, and refers to him, you, Tribesman, and everyone else, including myself. As Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Or, as Thomas Carlyle put it, ""Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world."

I have to say Steve that was brilliantly executed.I have no effective response to that.
Now THAT is how you correct people's mistakes in a friendly and intelligent manner,and not how some of us have been conducting ourselves in here recently.Do I detect change in the air already?

I must therefore you.

[BossMark]

Nice post and very well said Steve

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Nice post and very well said Steve

Yep,that was a death move and half!.Steve should be included as a character in all future beat em up video games,like Mortal Kombat.

FINISH HIM!

[gimpy117]

hunker down and stay safe. It's madness, and there isn't an excuse for it...but Britain has to take a step back and wonder what they did to make their young so angry.

[BossMark]

Stay indoors and watch Leeds United v Bradford City

[Paul Riley]

I have always liked that Ghandi quote (which Steve included) about change in the world,and he had brown skin,surely I cant be THAT racist can I? I actually admire the little fellow for his guts and standing up for himself in the face of overwhelming hostility.
So,from Ghandi's lesson,in order for these criminals to change that are causing all this mess in Britain we need to see a mass if not TOTAL transformation in the consciousness of youths today,and how the hell do we go about achieving that? when they are so indoctrinated with feeling 'left out' by the government,and listening to some rap music doesnt help them either,not to mention the drugs and alcohol they are pumping into their bodies from a young age.
I think building more (not knocking them down!) youth centres (like I had as a kid) where they can blow all this excess steam off could help,initially at least.However this probably needs to be done from a VERY young age to get them on the right track,some of these older ones today are lost in oblivion.
It truly is the 'system' to blame,and we are all paying for that right now.

[max-peck]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Thats only over the pennines! dear god I hope the police stop this soon

Originally Posted by jumpy

Look, I know you're agitated about this and I'm not trying to piss on your parade by making a direct attack on you as a person, but you seriously need to relax a little - the world is not coming to an end and the hordes are not about to bust your door in and pillage your family and rape your stuff.

Seconded.

I live about one mile from Woolwich, a fair part of which got wrecked and burnt last night whilst I was watching it on the TV.
All very exciting.
But I am managing to keep a level head about it.

That's not to say I don't want all this scheisse stopped.

But please, stop panicking.
It's probably not helping your state of mind.

I don't mean this as a dig Paul.
It's a genuine piece of friendly advice.