I liked at the end when you talked about being part of a "surging, raging energy of destruction", and how you found that strange. I don't find it strange at all, in fact it seems a perfectly natural reaction to have. Personally I would have probably been in the riots if I hadn't been in hospital this last month.
As ever though, I love how you read between the lines and find the nuance in the situation. I also don't think it's a one-off, it will keep happening more and more imo.
Aw it would do so much good if there were politicians who were people like you, but sadly, most normal, insightful, sensitive and compassionate people, know that being a politician would likely suck.
How are you so well spoken? Tips please? I read and read but perhaps this isnt the only thing that builds such a skill? Have you always been so good? I'm really self-conscious about my speech so hopefully you can help?
Sure this topic can be debated over and over but I think tthat for as long as we have our current economic status; problems like this will continue to arise
You know, as I saw your Harry Potter display case behind you as you spoke only one simple response came to mind, which is what Dumbledore told us all along, and that would be that we all need more love. I feel like it really could be as simple as that in the end really.
I don't actually think that last thing you said is that hard to comprehend, Rosie, because it's very similar to how we feel as Nerdfighters, except the exact opposite- building friendships and love(us) versus destruction(them). I think it's interesting how two very similar psychologies go in such different directions, although each group is about being part of something bigger than yourself.
did you see the bbc article about how sometime parents are noticing their kids on the riot videos and turning them in, which is nothing if not interesting, parents turning in their own kids.
I think that the riots are just plain stupid but I like how rioters don't seem to be gaining friends. It seems that the community are more going against the rioters which sometimes doesn't happen and instead are supporting the police and people protecting them in simple ways of giving them cups o tea :) also I too get annoyed with the prejudice from politicians and journalists about youths because they are always saying the UK needs to stop discrimination but it's just like, um, you're no givin
'Us and them'. You highlight the big problem, people want to separate themselves from the people causing the issues. One of the guys on the news said 'why did Cameron come back. He has no idea what it is like to not be able to afford a loaf of bread, the issues that we have to face everyday'. The more outspoken, public schoolboy politicians speak about the issues, the more angry people get.
In a lot of ways your police are really nice. The US would have used tear gas/water cannons by now and Libya would have used machine guns and strategic bombing. I guess brutality is relative to what is normal.
75% off services? which services i must investigate any help on this would be appreciated where did you get this number how frustrating is all the "send the rioters to the army" or "they should have their benefits cut" the daily mail is still very much the king of the newspaper :(
As a Brit currently abroad, I've been following the coverage of the riots mostly through the Telegraph live feed. It strikes me that 'thug' is the correct word to use for rooters but that it's meaning has been lost through past misuses.
This hasn't been a youth-only riot but the majority of ring leaders have been late teens/ twenties.
I also agree with Cameron's statement that we need to fix our broken society.
@RickySteveAndKarlFan Sorry to be quite "matter of fact" here but the IPCC found no evidence (currently) that Mark Duggan fired a gun. Now that doesn't excuse the fact that a firearm was found in his possession which means the police were somewhat justified in taking action. I'm of the belief that if you're willing to carry a gun then you're willing to accept any potential authoritative action even if it's excessive. The bullet in the radio was police regulation, something that's rather odd.
@RickySteveAndKarlFan how do you define official? As people have already said, the IPCC's statement found no evidence that Mark fired a weapon, the bullet found was a police bullet. I agree that if he had a weapon & didn't comply with police, the police had every right to open fire, but don't be so quick to believe what you read. After seeing the lies spread about the student protests I opened my eyes a bit, maybe you should too.
@RickySteveAndKarlFan Good to see that you've been taken in by the lies that the IPCC has been propagating. The bullet in his radio from his own gun, and was a ricochet from one of the two shots that he fired into Mark Duggan.
This is a brilliant video, I'm so glad some people are being a bit more balanced about the riots, I'm so tired of constantly seeing/hearing everyone I know saying that there's no reason other than violent thuggery around it. I don't agree with the riots but I also don't agree with them just being dismissed as 'mindless'
Not enough people are making a distinction on the events as a whole and people are, far too often, treating this as a black-and-white issue; sometimes literally.
@Saaduk92 the reason why I say multiculturalism has failed.
Each race in the UK has carved out their own particular areas. So you have the Whites, Blacks, Turkish, Sikhs, Hindus, Pakistanis etc.. so all these different ethnic groups have their own little towns and cities where they have taken up residence. They carry on with their cultures like arranged marriages and so on.
Basically what you have is a South African style open apartheid system. But no one wants to admit this.
I was very interested to hear your thoughts on all this, I'm glad you made a video about it.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've said and I'd like to add, let's say these are some kind of reaction to cuts and the government picking on the poorer man, then why on earth are these rioters and looters (two words I have not once heard a reporter use in reference to those involved, they are in fact all youths and condemning an entire generation is fiiiiiine) choosing to attack homes and sma
I compared these riots to the student protests while thinking over the matter, but more over their differences. The student protests were exactly that - protests, with a direct and clear cause. There were varying versions of protests, of course, but mostly they were peaceful/well intentioned - which is obviously in direct contrast with these riots, which seem almost pointless.
Tomorrow I'm going to go help clean up whatever places around London have been damaged tonight.
What people ignore is the 'normal' people who have been turned destructive and nihilistic by the emptiness of consumer culture, who have been desensitized to the consequences of their actions by flashy lights and spectacles. When people trashed areas of downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost, everyone refused to see how it was people who were 'privileged' who were engaging in it - people from the center of society.
The rioters are dumbasses, and it is sad that the actions of a relatively small percentage of the population is damaging the reputation of a majority.
I take hope in the actions of those supporting the clean up.
I think its time people wake up and realise that multiculutralism just does not work.
This is the end result.
The only way multiculturalism can work is through totalitarianism. The liberal approach to society is the reason why the UK has one of the highest crime rates in the western world.
@MrSirPopey look I am not against multiculturalism. I am just against the way the UK multicural society is run.
You need strong laws to keep law and order. Teenage criminals need to be delt with severely. Not some bloody community service bullshit.
If they brake the law they should be doing long harsh time in prison. Only than the youth will have respect. We need to wipe that smug smile of these criminals faces.
@Eugenics2020 Well with a username of "eugenics2020" one's a little defensive when it comes to viewpoints on multiculturalism. Strong laws are the foundation of any stable system of justice but we have to bear in mind that justice works both ways. People who feel disenfranchised owe it to the wider community not to carry out events like we've seen recently but at the same time society owes it to them to rectify their grievances as after all we are in this together.
@MrSirPopey the problem is our society has become over populated and this has created a situation where there just isnt enough jobs to go around. We have allowed mass immigration for the last 50 years, which is the reason for this over population.
What we need to be doing is to say to people, is stop breeding. We need to limit the birth rate to 1 kid per female and offer free abortions for the poor.
We need to lower the population in order to create a harmonious society.
@Eugenics2020 Population regulation is barbaric. Overpopulation needs discussing because of the practical implications, as there are pockets of society that are being overlooked. However, education is the single greatest tool we have to fight these problems. Proper education, catered to and inclusive of all sections of society, would allow people to make the correct choices so that riots and the like are a fleeting scenario of absurdity. After all, "teach a man to fish...".
@MrSirPopey ideally we like to believe education can solve all the problems, but it cant.
Have you ever tried telling a religious person who believes in Islam, Christianity etc.. that God doesnt exist. You will not be able to convince them.
If you ask a teacher who teaches kids in these inner city sink estate state schools. He or she will tell you, trying to teach these kids is like trying to get blood out of stone.
@MrSirPopey population regulation may seem barbaric but unfortunatley its neccessary. We often cull Foxes, Deer population, Badgers we put down dangerous dogs. We kill Chickens and Cows in slaughter factories. But do we ever consider thoses practises as barbaric.
We use the contraceptive pill, condoms in order to prevent unwanted babies from being born.
@Eugenics2020 Well with a username of "eugenics2020" one's a little defensive when it comes to viewpoints on multiculturalism. Strong laws are the foundation of any stable system of justice but we have to bear in mind that justice works both ways. People who feel disenfranchised owe it to the wider community not to carry out events like we've seen recently but at the same time society owes it to them to rectify their grievances as after all we are in this together.
I wonder if your head would explode when you eventually find out that Turkish people in Dalston and Sikh people in Southall were protecting their respective communities.
Bloody immigrants. Coming over here and protecting our boroughs!
@Saaduk92 yes I know the Sikhs and Turkish were protecting their own communities.
But my point is, its not civilians job to organise vigilante groups in order to protect themselves. Protecting communities is the job of the government..
The middle class liberal elite who are running our society with their human rights laws. Their softly softly approach to crime and punishment has created a country where criminals have the upper hand and ordinary people are helpless
The situation with crime is actually the opposite. Norway is much softer on criminals then we are, as they focus entirely on rehabilitation rather than punishment, yet their recidivism rate is less than half(20%) of what it is in Britain(50%). Incidentally, America focuses on even more punishment than Britain, and their recidivism rate is even higher(60%) than ours.
The myth that we're too soft on crime is emotional rubbish.
@Saaduk92 Norway has a small population size so obviously their crime rate is not going to have the same percentage rate as the US or UK.
The crime rate in Norway has been steadily increasing in the last 5 years mainly because of immigration and the rise of the population. It was reported that the majority rapes in Norway in the last 2 years were done by migrants.
So you can see Norway in the near future will eventually end up just like the UK.
@Saaduk92 our media avoids talking about all the various ethnic tensions within this so called multicultural society. There are problems between Pakistani Muslims and Sikhs in some area. You have Turkish and blacks who have problems. You have tensions between Somalians and Afro caribeans. There was violence between blacks and Muslims in Birmingham a few years ago. There are a lot of ethnic conflict amongst young teenagers within the state school system. We need to open our eyes to this
Your argument assumes that because there's some tension somewhere between someone from minority X and someone from minority Y that there's some sort of bigger problem here between said minorities. It's simply not reflective of reality.
@Saaduk92 I would say our liberal politicians and our free liberal left wing media such as the BBC, Channel 4 etc.. are playing down the ethnic tensions between different ethnic groups. You see these liberal types constantly try and attack Newspapers like the Daily Mail, they would scream the Daily Mail is a bigoted newspaper and so on. I remember Jack straw made a speech saying to people not to take YOUTUBE seriously. So Liberal types are trying to discredit the newspapers and internet media
@Saaduk92 the point I was trying to make regarding liberal types is, they are kind of misleading the public. They are selling a particular kind of propoganda, they are trying to create this impression that multiculturalism is working beautifully in the UK. But people who live in these communities know that all is not well.
Each racial groups are seggregating themselves into their own particular towns and cities. You would find a lot of white folks moving out of ethnic areas to other white areas
Again, you're falling in to that us-and-them trap and, in doing so, you're assuming that every problem must somehow be representative at the macro level.
@Saaduk92 well we can very easily prove the "us and them" point.
You only have to look at where different races live. Yes there are pockets of towns where all the races mix as one. But you will find there are a lot more areas where 1 racial group outnumber other racial groups. Britain is like the old South Africa, but the only difference is there are no borders. So people are unaware. They are unaware mainly because our media is playing the happy muliticultural propoganda trick
You're assuming that because one racial group outnumbers in the other in most areas that there's some sort of problem which is directly caused by that..
@Saaduk92 let me give an example. The area I live in now had a huge white population 30 years ago. Majority of the shops and houses were owned by white folks.
But now all that has changed its now majority asian. I am a Indian dude by the way.
So the white folks have sold up and left that area and moved to essex, which is majority white.
So my point is, if multiculturalism was accepted by society you would not see such large scale migration from one area to another.
@Saaduk92 come on of course its racism. Its happening all the time, liberal people like yourself are simply in denial. Trying to make excuses.
My family we lived in this area which had a big black community, we moved out of that area and into an asian area, mainly because we did not feel safe living in the black area. I would not say I am a racist. But there is an element of racism within everyone. Humans have always been tribal creatures and territorial creatures. Its natural.
Again, you aren't able to prove that that was the reason. Your whole argumen relies on presumption. It's also interesting that you don't claim to be racist despite your only reasoning for leaving an area was due to there being a big black community.
As for "everyone is racist" - I've only ever heard that from racists themselves..
@Saaduk92 you have to look at the evidence. Its not like a 10 to 20 white families who have moved out of my area. Your talking thousands of white families selling up their homes and moving out. That is no coincidience.
50 years ago London was majority white. Today ethnic minorities outnumber white communities in London. There are more Mosques in London than churches all within a 50 year period.
We moved out of the black area mainly because of crime, mugging etc...
Correlation does not mean causation. You're pretty much ignoring every other possibility and presuming that this is the case on the basis that people moved out of your area.
You're also making a pretty bold statement by presuming that London has more ethnic minorities than white people.. which is also statistically false. As well as claiming that there are more mosques than churches.. which is also statistically false.
@Saaduk92 I would say maybe 40% of people in London are ethnic minority. You only have to drive around London and see for yourself. There is at least 6 Mosques down my area, within very short walking distance and only 3 churches. There are areas which are dominated by ethnic minorities. Like East London, Southall, Woolwich, Hackney, Brick Lane, Luton and many more areas.
Forget about statistics you may have seen in the Times or Guardian newspapers. See for yourself by driving around London
@chillipeanuts just pointing out the speed in which Muslims are colonising the UK. This will be bad news for the UK in the long run. This will create conflict and nothing good will come of it.
The only solution is to limit the birth rate 1 kid per female. This will stop the colonisation and stop any future conflict.
@chillipeanuts we have to question whether 2.2% is a accurate figure. If you look at the number of Mosques. If you look at schools in East London where the majority are from a Muslim background. There seems to be a lot of children being born in Muslim families.
You also have to look at the practice of HALAL meat for example. How is it possible HALAL meat is now being served throughout England by 2.2% of the population. How did Muslims manage to achieve that level of power
@Eugenics2020 2.2 is the official figure. swathes of the UK are horribly white. Lay of people man. Or take your youtube self outside and step to some muslims if you have issue with them.
@chillipeanuts we have to question official figures than. You write swathes of the UK are horribly white. Well the UK and Europe is the aboriginal land of white Europeans, so obviously white people will be the majority. I cant do anything to stop the Muslim colonisation, but the government can.We should all encourage birth control and teach Muslims to lower their birth rate to 1 kid per female.
This will help to bring harmony.Countries where Muslims are majority is bad news, look at Pakistan
@Eugenics2020 Actually most of them are not 'bad news'. 99.99999999% of muslims live in peace. Pakistan has a rough patch cos of NATO meddling in Afghanistan. Either way, you smack of racism.
The two things I've noticed most about the media coverage of the riots are the fact that they always refer to the rioters as "youths" (which I think is terrible, and inaccurate because a lot of the people out there are NOT youths) and the fact that they specify the race of every person mentioned. I was listening to the radio earlier and the reporter referred to the men killed in my city as "three Asian men" and that seems wrong to me, because their race has nothing to do with it.
I personally made a relation to the student protests, but only in that the people who are doing this just for fun or to loot are the same kind of people who ruined the student protests for us.
totally irrelevant... but is your book case just one of those cardboard ones from a bookstore?? because.... i want one. and i am scared i never will :(
Great video, Rosi. Sadly, the media and the politicians will find ways to point fingers at parents or the youth and do nothing about the issues in the UK.
Today, I watched a BBC interview with a young man(social worker i think) who thinks that parents should start hitting their kids again to teach them respect.
@firnantok it's not about hitting the kids. Its about discipline, kids do walk over their parents in the UK, more often or not its young mum's on their own struggling to hold down a job and bring up a child. The man has long gone... single parenting is a major problem that needs to be addressed.
This is a fantastic take on the riots and it's a honest depiction of what's going on here at the moment, a lot of us are just looking for someone to blame and then continuing to argue about it constantly and I don't think that should be our reaction and it is making that sense of alienation huger, as you so eloquently said. :')
- Also I love your Harry Potter Book shelf, it's fantastic. <3
At this point this is got nothing to do with primary issue, i don't think the language used by the media and politicians affects, or influences what this MOBS are doing, they are doing it out of passion pure passion!
This is one of the good things about YouTube - it lets you hear from the people who are actually where things are happening.
Things such as those riots always make me think of the intro of one of those disaster shows... "disasters don't just happen - they are a chain of critical events"
Riots don't explode out of nothing, or seemingly mundane incidents... there is always backstory and context which set out the real reason humanity's ugliness rears its head.
Even if they are in their twenties they're still have a youth mind. The "you" mind, you're told what to have, you're told how to live, you want what others have and you act like a copy cat.
Your thoughts really echo the sentiments of alot of.. for want of a better word, 'good youths', throughout Britain who recognise that whilst the looting is not justifable in any way the catalyst for these events stems from the sensationalism in the mainstream media and the inability of our politicians to empathise with the plight of people, amazing video
Watching the BBC this morning, they reported that it was mainly the work of organised criminal gangs who were already known to the police. However, they then went on to spend a disproportionate amount of time focussing on the more youthful looters and seemed to imply that the majority were simply out of hand teenagers rather than habitual criminals (as they had reported earlier). No one seemed to notice that this presented two conflicting narratives.
I get so annoyed every time they use the word "youth" because, as you said, it's not just "youths" (the ones involved are actually the minority of British teens, the ones not involved are the majority) & it bugs me when they blame social media for this - it makes it easier to kind of organise locations for riots but people are responsible for their own actions, the news seems to have ignored the positive aspect sites like twitter have had, with people arranging clean-ups and that sort of thing.
I feel it’s important to express your beliefs on politics and any other issue you feel passionate about. However I also feel violence is never the best way to have your point of view heard. It’s always a few that go to far to show their anger and I’ll bet the ones doing most of the damage; don’t really care about the message. They just want to destroy things.
So be careful and avoid the riots, as we all hope this finds a peaceful end very soon.
Even teens calling them Youths when they're youths themselves! I think everyone needs to take a massive step back and look at it from a different angle. Like you said, it's in our society. There is a HUGE gap between the rich and the poor. The poor are being carted off and they're pissed off about it . Nothing can justify it, of course. But we can try to understand why it happened and try to bridge the gap.
Side Note: I always taste tea when I watch your videos haha yay for being English :D
I find it incredibly annoying how commentators cant separate the issue at all. 'How do we stop them in the short term', 'How do we make sure they are all punished accordingly' and 'How do we stop this from happening again' are totally different questions. I was almost yelling at Newsnight "The truth resist simplicity, you idiot!"
At 01:30, "actively tries to distance themselves from the problem .." Got It In One.
As our Tom Lehrer, at piano, once said ... this is one of those situations that get liberals to feeling a bit "Like a member of the Christian Science Church with appendicitis ."
Posse Comitatus is an important tradition where the good men of your county are 'sworn in' to enforce the law when needed, presumably with some training.
Speaking as someone who lives about a ten minute walk from the riots in Enfield or a 2 minute drive. I can feel that I've personally been affected by these riots. I've volunteered for the Clean Up.
My age is 23 but look a lot younger, I'm in that category of people they'd call "Youths". I'm also in that category of unemployed, as well as being a bit angry at the cuts, but I'm trying to help sort out this mess not cause it under the guise of protest
Much as we love Rosianna and her charming liberal evasions..There's really no reason these thugs and foreigners should be in Britain.
Might this finally prompt a reassessment in Britain of the prudence/policy of having masses of people in your country who really should be relocated to Nigeria or Liberia or something ?
Are we doing enough to reacquaint them with their ancestral homeland (via tourism?).. because this clearly just isn't working out. Best wishes for their future endeavors elsewhere.
they've started copying the London riots in Nottingham where I live and everyone's being urged to stay indoors, but to be honest, I don't see why we should have to live in fear of people who have an IQ less than that of a *insert whatever sandwich filling you like* sandwich, I'd rather enjoy my school holiday and carry on with what I want to do rather that sit inside letter the rioters win :/ x
I think it's worth noting the very real anger that many people in this country have against the police. In this country, police kill on average one innocent person a fortnight, yet only one officer has ever been held accountable (Ian Tomlinson case). To many people, the police are violent, they are racist, they lie. This is something I, as a middle-class white girl never contemplated until it happened to me this year.
So I understand people fighting the police. But the Paramedics? That I cannot.
@soup0dragon Yeah, except that these riots really stopped being a protest against the police when things turned violent and destructive. Looting shops, burning buildings, attacking people who save lives (paramedics/fire brigade) - that's not hurting the police, it's not proving a point or protesting police brutality...it's regular people just like them that they're hurting. =/
I do agree with you about the "youths" language. This is not all of us or even most of us. I also think that there is a demonisation of the working class: people are treating the working class as though they have no morals and that because they disagree with government policy, they're going to riot, burn houses and steal TVs. Thats absolute nonsense. It's hard for middle class people to realise that they have the same moral framework - no matter what they think about policy. It's just a minority
I disagree that society tells people they need plasma TVs. The fact that you would even mention that in the same video says to me that while you're not 'justifying' you're definitely putting into a context in which moral culpability is removed. As for the cuts, this has nothing to do with them. This is not a "reaction" - you just stated that most youths are inside, these are a minority of thugs. Why is it just the minority and not the rest of us "youths"?
Very good vid. Good analysis of the situation and you made some very good points about the whole us/them dehumanising language that is used when reporting these events.
Everyone knows what has happened is wrong and unjust and hopefully many arrests will be made. But lets look at this going forward. The worst thing we could do is completely crucify this entire demographic for the actions of the few, a knee-jerk overreaction WILL just further increase the resentment and hostility towards law & order. OK sure, there is lots of bad apples out there, but instead of chopping down the apple trees, lets try using some different fertilizer for a change.
"youth being used as an accusation"- thank you for mentioning this. I've heard stories of people my age being treated differently due to these riots. I agree with pretty much everything you said, and while I completely condem the riots and want everything to be done to stop them, I know that it is a demostration of the dissatisfaction people have with our country at the moment. It's a dangerous example of what can happen if people's protests are constantly ignored.
There's no one single cause of all the mayhem going on, it's an amalgamation of several things wrong with our current society. Although, the most ridiculous excuse I've heard so far has been from MPs blaming these riots on tuition fees. I don't agree with increased tuition fees, but to blame the riots on this is cheap political point-scoring & is missing the point & the real issues underlying the situation. As if these morons were ever interested in furthering their education to university.
I'm finding is despite me not watching the news allot when I do watch the news I get near all the information on what ever it is. In Canada, I heard; Riot about someone who was shot, then, Riot from peacefull protestors gone bad. That has been the only info, it's like the news peaple want to distance themselves as well. :/
I would never condone a riot, especially after that Vancouver riot that made the rest of Canada and including the youths that wanted to go home that put us to shame. :/ <3
I agree with this so much. Already people are using an 'us vs. them' mentalitly. Suddenly everyone involved in this riot is a 'fundamentally shit human being' rather than perhaps somebody who is a victim of their socioenconomic background and so on. We know this from history, riots don't /just/ happens because people want to loot and get free things. They happen because of underlying discontentment and alienation. And those issues need to be addressed. (Not that I'm condoning the behvaiour)
Absolutely spot on, exactly how I feel about the riots. News casters keep saying it's the youth who are to blame but most people who are young can see how stupid and damaging this is. I would wager that it is mostly young people who have organised the clean ups, to show news organisations that not everyone who is young is going to riot because they are young, if they are going to riot it is going to be down to far more complex reasons.
I really agree with what you're saying! I'm from a suburb of Vancouver, and when a few months back the hockey riots happened here, i felt a lot of the same stuff as you are feeling now, especially the bit about all the rioters being incorrectly classified. As well, when you said that it felt unfamiliar - i felt that way too, it all seemed very surreal, like ''this sort of thing doesn't happen here!''
Exactly! When this kind of thing happens, of course everyone involved should be held personally responsible, but it's a symptom of larger problems. All the reports I've seen last night (I haven't watched anything since then) portrayed these people as some sort of partisans, completely separate from "normal society". And they're not. It's a large scale problem of society, that needs to be faced and solved, otherwise outbursts will keep happening.
Thank you so much for posting this! I've tried figuring out what's going on ever since I found out the riots were happening, but this, and the Hank Green supplements, were extremely informative (compared to other sources I've tried squeezing information from).
I've just read in your profile description that you live in London. I hope, you're still okay. How much of that riot do you see? Or do you live in a part of London where you don't have to see it at all?
I think the riots are meaningless now but I hope and I wish that something good could come out of this. Britain is pretty messed up right now. Everybody just sticks with the current government system but it doesn't work, and hasn't for a long time. When will Britain be a functioning place again?
Great to hear this from your perspective, Rosianna. As an American, I struggled to put my thoughts on the situation into words myself today (in a vlog as well). I was just so sick of hearing it all from the skewed voices of the media, that I took it upon myself to research the cold hard facts and genuine realities. Was very glad I did. More people could do with that dose of truth, really. :\
I have mixed feeling on this one. BEing northern, (and descended from border reiver families) there is a streak of me that likes a good uprising, against the authorities. However this is kinda counter productive in the long run, as its uncoordinated. If you want to set out to burn rich people, then do it properly. There seems to be alot of commoners who are getting hurt in this. Guess i have to force myself to realise this isnt really robin hood reincarnated.
thankyou for this video. In Australia it seems like the reports we receive on the TV is reporting this issue so warped. I always come online to read news from different sources but for the people that are not able to do this are being led to believe it is youths and yobbo's who are just acting the fool. It seems the reports being shown over here are just the same thing over and over again! It is really really confusing but your video has helped me to start to make sense of this. So thanks!
It's good to hear another side of this story. Everything I've seen on the news has basically been the same over and over again. And not very much about the actual causes and reasons for this... Just lots of "the horrible youth is destroing England!!" stories and interviews with people explaining how unfair it is...
Just thought you should know that the reports I've seen on the BBC just now have cited the full age ranges of those arrested at riots last night. I remember them saying the Merseyside police arrested persons between 14 and 52, and I don't remember the figures they noted from other areas, but I do remember all the ranges going at least past 40. So at least the media is starting to shift blame away from youth... Or so we hope :/
@cphayes2 Really? I haven't heard that at all, the statistics I've heard were more along the lines of "children as young as 8 were throwing petrol bombs last night etc etc"
@bansribb I'd just been watching the news livestream on the BBC's website, and they mentioned the age ranges a few times. I'm not sure about other channels.
The thing about riots is that they spread. Anyone who is nearby and sees people actually breaking windows etc is very likely to start doing it to. Monkey see monkey do, regardless of age or wealth. Perhaps it's better to say that the rumbling discontent among some of the youths sparked riots.
after seeing very little about all this yesterday on the net it somehow came up in conversation with a friend of mine. i attempted to explain how it all started and such, but you do a much better job. you are also much more connected than i am. i mean, while i am an american who is not a teen or a rioter, i do love and respect people as a whole and am sad when we act like this. its embarrassing. animals do not burn down the woods they live in. fish do not pollute their own water. etc. only us.
it's good to hear you're safe. i'm not saying the riots are justified, but hopefully politicians realize the real problem and change because that did not really happen after the rodney king riots.
I think that I speak for a number of people over here across the pond when I say Thank you. Thank you for giving us input from someone in the United Kingdom who isn't a giant squid of anger. It's good to hear the facts from someone who knows a bit more about the reasons behind the riots. I just thought you should know that you and are appreciated. *Nerdfighters*
@onequietnight Believe me when I say her interpretation of events is more skewed than any journalistic reporting. She does not embody some marginalised honest opinion, she's eating strawberry yoghurt while the nations capital is set on fire. Her modicum of knowledge is rooted less in the ability to think freely and more in a regurgitation of the Guardians cultural climate. There is no justification for any of this, it is simply a hang-over of Nu-Labours failed social engineering project.
@JimmyGB I didn't say it wasn't biased. I'm sure that if people wanted to, they could look up what she's saying to see if the facts check out. I'm sure that most of the ideas she puts forth aren't wholly her own. But so what? I just thought that the time she took out of her ice cream eating time was spent in a thoughtful manner that some people appreciate.
@JimmyGB "A hang-over "... THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS! People that the Tories don't care about. Money was taken from poor, bad schools and given to private privileged ones. Money was taken from youth centres. Yes, some of them are just opportunistic. But some are angry. They're angry and they haven't been educated enough to know the damage. They're angry at everyone. But why don't you actually ask what caused this? What causes criminal behaviour? Rather than just brushing it off.
Any one of these people who destroys property or harms people ought to be stopped with whatever force necessary, arrested, and charged. Unfortunately people give into these animalistic instincts and will only respond to fear of harm to themselves.
It's good to hear something like this. I'm from a little town in Ohio in the US but my heart broke to see the pictures of London being burned like that.
Those feelings of desperation and aggression are probably going to keep cropping up in news coverage as the year wanes, IMO.
Which is another point altogether--is the coverage on the TV really giving an accurate, well-rounded perspective? Most likely not... :\
Thanks for this video- I've been following coverage on twitter and online news, but even what seems like good coverage of current events has been short on context. I'm glad you spoke to some of the broader situation, because while you're right that nothing excuses/justifies this behavior, context helps us avoid being reductionist. I'm visiting London for the first time in a few weeks and am the kind of nerd who studies before I travel, so I'd like to learn more about the situation if I can.
I've been following this situation for a while now, even to the point of losing sleep. You bring up some great points in this video. I feel there are all sorts of factors at play behind the riots (SES, power/control, etc). Some are feeding off the negativity and using this as an excuse to be even more violent than others. Problems like this can not be rendered impersonal (as the tendency is). That's largely what started them. We have to deal with it together. We can't ignore that anymore.
And the cities burned then too. LA, Detroit, Chicago and many southern cities too. I can't imagine it but when I see these photos I get an idea. The interesting thing though is that those violent protests and riots occurred after an era of changed marked so dramatically by peaceful nonviolent marches and protests. And it's hard to say which era actual brought about the huge legislative (if not cultural) change over race and poverty issues. Anyway, I hope all is well with you.
These riots look nothing like the student protests. If anything they remind me (and my parents) of the Rodney King Riots in LA. As an eighteen year old American living in 2011 I sometimes feel like the American in which I grew up is completely different from the America of my parents' memories (as they responded to my shock with "you haven't lived in the 70s"). Even with three years of US history behind me, I still can't even imagine what a REVOLUTION it must have been......
Very well-done, Rosi! I definitely agree on the us vs. them binary mentality. But just look at the citizens who are volunteering their time by cleaning up and serving tea to police!
There's no way that this is an arbitrary riot, but I feel like the reason it's happened is different for each person smashing the windows in and blowing up buildings so there's no way of really way to pin what the real reason for the rioting is. I asked a couple people if they knew and they all gave me different answers.
I'm sorry but you're nothing but a useful idiot and a disgrace to liberals everywhere. If this was the EDL responding to police brutality and going ape you'd be in complete condemnation, but as its largely gangs within the black community you dream up abstract rhetoric about social causes and throw it in with the student riots.
You probably think you are really smart, but you embody the destructive intellect of the gutless middle class who have the luxury of passing judgement from ivory towers.
@MeOnStuff I agree with you. This has nothing to do with police brutality, the direction of this video implicitly suggested there may have been though. Its nothing but an excuse like you say, but is an excuse she gives lip service to in the video.
@JimmyGB How do I dream up "abstract rhetoric about social causes and throw it in with the student riots."? I call them idiots and I say that the association of this with the student riots is damaging and negative? I say that this isn't a protest with police brutality at the heart of it, this is a riot. So maybe you should listen before you start to be a dick to me.
I liked at the end when you talked about being part of a "surging, raging energy of destruction", and how you found that strange. I don't find it strange at all, in fact it seems a perfectly natural reaction to have. Personally I would have probably been in the riots if I hadn't been in hospital this last month.
As ever though, I love how you read between the lines and find the nuance in the situation. I also don't think it's a one-off, it will keep happening more and more imo.
kassad2056 6 months ago
'sadly my ice cream has melted, but it's okay; i have a biscuit.'
sadiepenguin 6 months ago
Aw it would do so much good if there were politicians who were people like you, but sadly, most normal, insightful, sensitive and compassionate people, know that being a politician would likely suck.
Elizaisgrand 6 months ago
How are you so well spoken? Tips please? I read and read but perhaps this isnt the only thing that builds such a skill? Have you always been so good? I'm really self-conscious about my speech so hopefully you can help?
Sure this topic can be debated over and over but I think tthat for as long as we have our current economic status; problems like this will continue to arise
narusku4 6 months ago
Bloody disgrace what went on, people's livelihoods either destroyed. or damaged, everything about it was horrifying...and the injured dogs awful.
marksplaceuk 6 months ago
I say shoot them!
chillipeanuts 6 months ago
Comment removed
Sloane17 6 months ago
You know, as I saw your Harry Potter display case behind you as you spoke only one simple response came to mind, which is what Dumbledore told us all along, and that would be that we all need more love. I feel like it really could be as simple as that in the end really.
Musiclover1494 6 months ago
Your bookshelf is AMAZING.
TheSupaplum 6 months ago
I don't actually think that last thing you said is that hard to comprehend, Rosie, because it's very similar to how we feel as Nerdfighters, except the exact opposite- building friendships and love(us) versus destruction(them). I think it's interesting how two very similar psychologies go in such different directions, although each group is about being part of something bigger than yourself.
PrincessJupiter117 6 months ago
did you see the bbc article about how sometime parents are noticing their kids on the riot videos and turning them in, which is nothing if not interesting, parents turning in their own kids.
frombritainwithL0VE 6 months ago
I think that the riots are just plain stupid but I like how rioters don't seem to be gaining friends. It seems that the community are more going against the rioters which sometimes doesn't happen and instead are supporting the police and people protecting them in simple ways of giving them cups o tea :) also I too get annoyed with the prejudice from politicians and journalists about youths because they are always saying the UK needs to stop discrimination but it's just like, um, you're no givin
DutchPachaSmurf 6 months ago
'Us and them'. You highlight the big problem, people want to separate themselves from the people causing the issues. One of the guys on the news said 'why did Cameron come back. He has no idea what it is like to not be able to afford a loaf of bread, the issues that we have to face everyday'. The more outspoken, public schoolboy politicians speak about the issues, the more angry people get.
SueRiotGraphics 6 months ago
In a lot of ways your police are really nice. The US would have used tear gas/water cannons by now and Libya would have used machine guns and strategic bombing. I guess brutality is relative to what is normal.
tedfreeway 6 months ago
Thanks for sharing your perspective.
OddmentTweak 6 months ago
75% off services? which services i must investigate any help on this would be appreciated where did you get this number how frustrating is all the "send the rioters to the army" or "they should have their benefits cut" the daily mail is still very much the king of the newspaper :(
stebbo1988 6 months ago
As a Brit currently abroad, I've been following the coverage of the riots mostly through the Telegraph live feed. It strikes me that 'thug' is the correct word to use for rooters but that it's meaning has been lost through past misuses.
This hasn't been a youth-only riot but the majority of ring leaders have been late teens/ twenties.
I also agree with Cameron's statement that we need to fix our broken society.
AnAbundanceOfKathryn 6 months ago
Of course, GTA got blamed by an "unamned policeman"
SixFootGinger 6 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Mark was carrying a replica gun? You are joking?
Mark carelessly SHOT as a policeman, the policeman barely survived as the bullet his radio.
RickySteveAndKarlFan 6 months ago
@RickySteveAndKarlFan Sorry to be quite "matter of fact" here but the IPCC found no evidence (currently) that Mark Duggan fired a gun. Now that doesn't excuse the fact that a firearm was found in his possession which means the police were somewhat justified in taking action. I'm of the belief that if you're willing to carry a gun then you're willing to accept any potential authoritative action even if it's excessive. The bullet in the radio was police regulation, something that's rather odd.
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@RickySteveAndKarlFan Some reports suggested the other day that he had a replica gun in his possession. I in no way relayed this as fact.
missxrojas 6 months ago 9
@missxrojas OK I see, well an official statement was release that he did infact fire at the police. He was also a convicted dealer.
Anyways nice vid' either way - P.S. winnie the pooh teddy spotted on your bed.
RickySteveAndKarlFan 6 months ago
@RickySteveAndKarlFan how do you define official? As people have already said, the IPCC's statement found no evidence that Mark fired a weapon, the bullet found was a police bullet. I agree that if he had a weapon & didn't comply with police, the police had every right to open fire, but don't be so quick to believe what you read. After seeing the lies spread about the student protests I opened my eyes a bit, maybe you should too.
JoRowlingRocks 6 months ago
@RickySteveAndKarlFan Good to see that you've been taken in by the lies that the IPCC has been propagating. The bullet in his radio from his own gun, and was a ricochet from one of the two shots that he fired into Mark Duggan.
TheNameThatWasntTook 6 months ago
This is a brilliant video, I'm so glad some people are being a bit more balanced about the riots, I'm so tired of constantly seeing/hearing everyone I know saying that there's no reason other than violent thuggery around it. I don't agree with the riots but I also don't agree with them just being dismissed as 'mindless'
StarsSuspended1 6 months ago
I love you, Rosi, I really hope you stay safe!
I want these riots to end soon, but it's hard when it's complicated figuring out what the actual goal is besides mindless destruction
Tatamina 6 months ago
Not enough people are making a distinction on the events as a whole and people are, far too often, treating this as a black-and-white issue; sometimes literally.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 the reason why I say multiculturalism has failed.
Each race in the UK has carved out their own particular areas. So you have the Whites, Blacks, Turkish, Sikhs, Hindus, Pakistanis etc.. so all these different ethnic groups have their own little towns and cities where they have taken up residence. They carry on with their cultures like arranged marriages and so on.
Basically what you have is a South African style open apartheid system. But no one wants to admit this.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
I was very interested to hear your thoughts on all this, I'm glad you made a video about it.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've said and I'd like to add, let's say these are some kind of reaction to cuts and the government picking on the poorer man, then why on earth are these rioters and looters (two words I have not once heard a reporter use in reference to those involved, they are in fact all youths and condemning an entire generation is fiiiiiine) choosing to attack homes and sma
HazzaPistheDocsBFF 6 months ago
I compared these riots to the student protests while thinking over the matter, but more over their differences. The student protests were exactly that - protests, with a direct and clear cause. There were varying versions of protests, of course, but mostly they were peaceful/well intentioned - which is obviously in direct contrast with these riots, which seem almost pointless.
Tomorrow I'm going to go help clean up whatever places around London have been damaged tonight.
MsPurpleMusic 6 months ago
The bbc also pointed out clearly that a number of university graduates and at least one youth worker have been arrested.
kittieconvoy 6 months ago
The language of riots, huh? You are a clever person!!
nicholas9999 6 months ago
A bit off topic--and I love this video to death, it's so informative and awesome--but your HARI omg it's gorgeous. Wantssss.
samwisegamgee09 6 months ago
some very well articulated views put across right there, good job lol ^_^
OneTrackMind101 6 months ago
What people ignore is the 'normal' people who have been turned destructive and nihilistic by the emptiness of consumer culture, who have been desensitized to the consequences of their actions by flashy lights and spectacles. When people trashed areas of downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost, everyone refused to see how it was people who were 'privileged' who were engaging in it - people from the center of society.
mikem1234 6 months ago
The rioters are dumbasses, and it is sad that the actions of a relatively small percentage of the population is damaging the reputation of a majority.
I take hope in the actions of those supporting the clean up.
TheAuraya 6 months ago
my ice cream has melted, but is ok. i have a biscuit.
loooooool :) xx
thefunkymonkey93 6 months ago
The failure of multiculturalism in the UK.
I think its time people wake up and realise that multiculutralism just does not work.
This is the end result.
The only way multiculturalism can work is through totalitarianism. The liberal approach to society is the reason why the UK has one of the highest crime rates in the western world.
These liberal people are living in fantasy land.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 Please go away with such pig headed unjustified views.
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@MrSirPopey look I am not against multiculturalism. I am just against the way the UK multicural society is run.
You need strong laws to keep law and order. Teenage criminals need to be delt with severely. Not some bloody community service bullshit.
If they brake the law they should be doing long harsh time in prison. Only than the youth will have respect. We need to wipe that smug smile of these criminals faces.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 Well with a username of "eugenics2020" one's a little defensive when it comes to viewpoints on multiculturalism. Strong laws are the foundation of any stable system of justice but we have to bear in mind that justice works both ways. People who feel disenfranchised owe it to the wider community not to carry out events like we've seen recently but at the same time society owes it to them to rectify their grievances as after all we are in this together.
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@MrSirPopey the problem is our society has become over populated and this has created a situation where there just isnt enough jobs to go around. We have allowed mass immigration for the last 50 years, which is the reason for this over population.
What we need to be doing is to say to people, is stop breeding. We need to limit the birth rate to 1 kid per female and offer free abortions for the poor.
We need to lower the population in order to create a harmonious society.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
Comment removed
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 Population regulation is barbaric. Overpopulation needs discussing because of the practical implications, as there are pockets of society that are being overlooked. However, education is the single greatest tool we have to fight these problems. Proper education, catered to and inclusive of all sections of society, would allow people to make the correct choices so that riots and the like are a fleeting scenario of absurdity. After all, "teach a man to fish...".
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@MrSirPopey ideally we like to believe education can solve all the problems, but it cant.
Have you ever tried telling a religious person who believes in Islam, Christianity etc.. that God doesnt exist. You will not be able to convince them.
If you ask a teacher who teaches kids in these inner city sink estate state schools. He or she will tell you, trying to teach these kids is like trying to get blood out of stone.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@MrSirPopey population regulation may seem barbaric but unfortunatley its neccessary. We often cull Foxes, Deer population, Badgers we put down dangerous dogs. We kill Chickens and Cows in slaughter factories. But do we ever consider thoses practises as barbaric.
We use the contraceptive pill, condoms in order to prevent unwanted babies from being born.
Do we consider that barbaric?
No of course not
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Eugenics2020 Well with a username of "eugenics2020" one's a little defensive when it comes to viewpoints on multiculturalism. Strong laws are the foundation of any stable system of justice but we have to bear in mind that justice works both ways. People who feel disenfranchised owe it to the wider community not to carry out events like we've seen recently but at the same time society owes it to them to rectify their grievances as after all we are in this together.
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
I wonder if your head would explode when you eventually find out that Turkish people in Dalston and Sikh people in Southall were protecting their respective communities.
Bloody immigrants. Coming over here and protecting our boroughs!
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 yes I know the Sikhs and Turkish were protecting their own communities.
But my point is, its not civilians job to organise vigilante groups in order to protect themselves. Protecting communities is the job of the government..
The middle class liberal elite who are running our society with their human rights laws. Their softly softly approach to crime and punishment has created a country where criminals have the upper hand and ordinary people are helpless
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
The situation with crime is actually the opposite. Norway is much softer on criminals then we are, as they focus entirely on rehabilitation rather than punishment, yet their recidivism rate is less than half(20%) of what it is in Britain(50%). Incidentally, America focuses on even more punishment than Britain, and their recidivism rate is even higher(60%) than ours.
The myth that we're too soft on crime is emotional rubbish.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 Norway has a small population size so obviously their crime rate is not going to have the same percentage rate as the US or UK.
The crime rate in Norway has been steadily increasing in the last 5 years mainly because of immigration and the rise of the population. It was reported that the majority rapes in Norway in the last 2 years were done by migrants.
So you can see Norway in the near future will eventually end up just like the UK.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 our media avoids talking about all the various ethnic tensions within this so called multicultural society. There are problems between Pakistani Muslims and Sikhs in some area. You have Turkish and blacks who have problems. You have tensions between Somalians and Afro caribeans. There was violence between blacks and Muslims in Birmingham a few years ago. There are a lot of ethnic conflict amongst young teenagers within the state school system. We need to open our eyes to this
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
Your argument assumes that because there's some tension somewhere between someone from minority X and someone from minority Y that there's some sort of bigger problem here between said minorities. It's simply not reflective of reality.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 I would say our liberal politicians and our free liberal left wing media such as the BBC, Channel 4 etc.. are playing down the ethnic tensions between different ethnic groups. You see these liberal types constantly try and attack Newspapers like the Daily Mail, they would scream the Daily Mail is a bigoted newspaper and so on. I remember Jack straw made a speech saying to people not to take YOUTUBE seriously. So Liberal types are trying to discredit the newspapers and internet media
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
"It's the Liberals!" isn't a valid argument for anything, let alone this.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 the point I was trying to make regarding liberal types is, they are kind of misleading the public. They are selling a particular kind of propoganda, they are trying to create this impression that multiculturalism is working beautifully in the UK. But people who live in these communities know that all is not well.
Each racial groups are seggregating themselves into their own particular towns and cities. You would find a lot of white folks moving out of ethnic areas to other white areas
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
Again, you're falling in to that us-and-them trap and, in doing so, you're assuming that every problem must somehow be representative at the macro level.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 well we can very easily prove the "us and them" point.
You only have to look at where different races live. Yes there are pockets of towns where all the races mix as one. But you will find there are a lot more areas where 1 racial group outnumber other racial groups. Britain is like the old South Africa, but the only difference is there are no borders. So people are unaware. They are unaware mainly because our media is playing the happy muliticultural propoganda trick
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
You're assuming that because one racial group outnumbers in the other in most areas that there's some sort of problem which is directly caused by that..
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 let me give an example. The area I live in now had a huge white population 30 years ago. Majority of the shops and houses were owned by white folks.
But now all that has changed its now majority asian. I am a Indian dude by the way.
So the white folks have sold up and left that area and moved to essex, which is majority white.
So my point is, if multiculturalism was accepted by society you would not see such large scale migration from one area to another.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
A demographic shift in one area is a very bad example of racial tension. Migration has always been around cross-country as well as cross-county.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 my point is why would people of one race want to move just because people from another race has moved in.
There is a underlying issue about not wanting to live with another group going on.
Racism now a days is very discrete, its done behind closed when no ones watching. There are double standards and deception going on.
Thats why I am saying that we dont have a truly geniune multicultural society.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
You can't prove that racism was the reason for people leaving.
Racism as a whole most definitely exists but the symptoms it creates are not this.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 come on of course its racism. Its happening all the time, liberal people like yourself are simply in denial. Trying to make excuses.
My family we lived in this area which had a big black community, we moved out of that area and into an asian area, mainly because we did not feel safe living in the black area. I would not say I am a racist. But there is an element of racism within everyone. Humans have always been tribal creatures and territorial creatures. Its natural.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
Again, you aren't able to prove that that was the reason. Your whole argumen relies on presumption. It's also interesting that you don't claim to be racist despite your only reasoning for leaving an area was due to there being a big black community.
As for "everyone is racist" - I've only ever heard that from racists themselves..
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 you have to look at the evidence. Its not like a 10 to 20 white families who have moved out of my area. Your talking thousands of white families selling up their homes and moving out. That is no coincidience.
50 years ago London was majority white. Today ethnic minorities outnumber white communities in London. There are more Mosques in London than churches all within a 50 year period.
We moved out of the black area mainly because of crime, mugging etc...
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020
Correlation does not mean causation. You're pretty much ignoring every other possibility and presuming that this is the case on the basis that people moved out of your area.
You're also making a pretty bold statement by presuming that London has more ethnic minorities than white people.. which is also statistically false. As well as claiming that there are more mosques than churches.. which is also statistically false.
Saaduk92 6 months ago
@Saaduk92 I would say maybe 40% of people in London are ethnic minority. You only have to drive around London and see for yourself. There is at least 6 Mosques down my area, within very short walking distance and only 3 churches. There are areas which are dominated by ethnic minorities. Like East London, Southall, Woolwich, Hackney, Brick Lane, Luton and many more areas.
Forget about statistics you may have seen in the Times or Guardian newspapers. See for yourself by driving around London
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 So?
chillipeanuts 6 months ago
@chillipeanuts just pointing out the speed in which Muslims are colonising the UK. This will be bad news for the UK in the long run. This will create conflict and nothing good will come of it.
The only solution is to limit the birth rate 1 kid per female. This will stop the colonisation and stop any future conflict.
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 Muslims are 2.2% of the UK population. That's not colonization is it.
chillipeanuts 6 months ago
@chillipeanuts we have to question whether 2.2% is a accurate figure. If you look at the number of Mosques. If you look at schools in East London where the majority are from a Muslim background. There seems to be a lot of children being born in Muslim families.
You also have to look at the practice of HALAL meat for example. How is it possible HALAL meat is now being served throughout England by 2.2% of the population. How did Muslims manage to achieve that level of power
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 2.2 is the official figure. swathes of the UK are horribly white. Lay of people man. Or take your youtube self outside and step to some muslims if you have issue with them.
chillipeanuts 6 months ago
@chillipeanuts we have to question official figures than. You write swathes of the UK are horribly white. Well the UK and Europe is the aboriginal land of white Europeans, so obviously white people will be the majority. I cant do anything to stop the Muslim colonisation, but the government can.We should all encourage birth control and teach Muslims to lower their birth rate to 1 kid per female.
This will help to bring harmony.Countries where Muslims are majority is bad news, look at Pakistan
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
@Eugenics2020 Actually most of them are not 'bad news'. 99.99999999% of muslims live in peace. Pakistan has a rough patch cos of NATO meddling in Afghanistan. Either way, you smack of racism.
chillipeanuts 6 months ago
@chillipeanuts I hear this a lot from Muslims, blaming western society.
We need to get real here. Pakistan and other Muslim countries were problematic way before 9/11. Even going back 100 years ago.
If it was any good, no Pakistanis would ever be migrating to Europe or America.
The problem with Muslim countries is, its controlled and dominated by men. You will not see many women walking down the street.
The only way Muslim countries will improve is if they start practising population control
Eugenics2020 6 months ago
The two things I've noticed most about the media coverage of the riots are the fact that they always refer to the rioters as "youths" (which I think is terrible, and inaccurate because a lot of the people out there are NOT youths) and the fact that they specify the race of every person mentioned. I was listening to the radio earlier and the reporter referred to the men killed in my city as "three Asian men" and that seems wrong to me, because their race has nothing to do with it.
anameinafairytale 6 months ago
@anameinafairytale You could argue the same about the "men" aspect of the description, why is their sex relevant?
MrSirPopey 6 months ago
I personally made a relation to the student protests, but only in that the people who are doing this just for fun or to loot are the same kind of people who ruined the student protests for us.
Rlh1994 6 months ago
totally irrelevant... but is your book case just one of those cardboard ones from a bookstore?? because.... i want one. and i am scared i never will :(
TheEllenMellon 6 months ago
Great video, Rosi. Sadly, the media and the politicians will find ways to point fingers at parents or the youth and do nothing about the issues in the UK.
Today, I watched a BBC interview with a young man(social worker i think) who thinks that parents should start hitting their kids again to teach them respect.
firnantok 6 months ago
@firnantok it's not about hitting the kids. Its about discipline, kids do walk over their parents in the UK, more often or not its young mum's on their own struggling to hold down a job and bring up a child. The man has long gone... single parenting is a major problem that needs to be addressed.
Omnislash2000 6 months ago
This is a fantastic take on the riots and it's a honest depiction of what's going on here at the moment, a lot of us are just looking for someone to blame and then continuing to argue about it constantly and I don't think that should be our reaction and it is making that sense of alienation huger, as you so eloquently said. :')
- Also I love your Harry Potter Book shelf, it's fantastic. <3
SubtleExposure 6 months ago
At this point this is got nothing to do with primary issue, i don't think the language used by the media and politicians affects, or influences what this MOBS are doing, they are doing it out of passion pure passion!
CANVECVIDEO 6 months ago
The ice cream has melted, but it's okay: I have a biscuit. I wish you were prime minister...
geographyissowierd 6 months ago
this is why you're my favourite YouTuber.
holliebadollie 6 months ago
Thanks for talking about this.
This is one of the good things about YouTube - it lets you hear from the people who are actually where things are happening.
Things such as those riots always make me think of the intro of one of those disaster shows... "disasters don't just happen - they are a chain of critical events"
Riots don't explode out of nothing, or seemingly mundane incidents... there is always backstory and context which set out the real reason humanity's ugliness rears its head.
elfuzzo 6 months ago
It's kinda silly everyone is saying "youths" where I think I saw something that said the mayority of the rioters are people in their 20's.
Either way, it's made me feel a bit guilty about living in London, luckily, the riots only skimmed my area.
Also, am I the only person in the world who hasn't watched a vlog brothers video?
Dyp100 6 months ago
Really, really well said.
moronicnotions 6 months ago
Even if they are in their twenties they're still have a youth mind. The "you" mind, you're told what to have, you're told how to live, you want what others have and you act like a copy cat.
doford 6 months ago
lol you well live in a nice little world lol wish i lived in a world like your instead of the real one
FukinMikeAlright 6 months ago
Ps: Your Puff levels were rising whilst you were getting more animated. It was awesome!
englishcait 6 months ago 21
Your thoughts really echo the sentiments of alot of.. for want of a better word, 'good youths', throughout Britain who recognise that whilst the looting is not justifable in any way the catalyst for these events stems from the sensationalism in the mainstream media and the inability of our politicians to empathise with the plight of people, amazing video
englishcait 6 months ago 14
Police are people too, they're doing their job very well, even during the student riots. I think people think they're worse than they actually are.
Destro7000 6 months ago
Watching the BBC this morning, they reported that it was mainly the work of organised criminal gangs who were already known to the police. However, they then went on to spend a disproportionate amount of time focussing on the more youthful looters and seemed to imply that the majority were simply out of hand teenagers rather than habitual criminals (as they had reported earlier). No one seemed to notice that this presented two conflicting narratives.
At least the cricket's going well.
unrestcure 6 months ago
I get so annoyed every time they use the word "youth" because, as you said, it's not just "youths" (the ones involved are actually the minority of British teens, the ones not involved are the majority) & it bugs me when they blame social media for this - it makes it easier to kind of organise locations for riots but people are responsible for their own actions, the news seems to have ignored the positive aspect sites like twitter have had, with people arranging clean-ups and that sort of thing.
lannapeanut 6 months ago
I feel it’s important to express your beliefs on politics and any other issue you feel passionate about. However I also feel violence is never the best way to have your point of view heard. It’s always a few that go to far to show their anger and I’ll bet the ones doing most of the damage; don’t really care about the message. They just want to destroy things.
So be careful and avoid the riots, as we all hope this finds a peaceful end very soon.
Jpeterson48371 6 months ago
Even teens calling them Youths when they're youths themselves! I think everyone needs to take a massive step back and look at it from a different angle. Like you said, it's in our society. There is a HUGE gap between the rich and the poor. The poor are being carted off and they're pissed off about it . Nothing can justify it, of course. But we can try to understand why it happened and try to bridge the gap.
Side Note: I always taste tea when I watch your videos haha yay for being English :D
downbytheharbour 6 months ago
I find it incredibly annoying how commentators cant separate the issue at all. 'How do we stop them in the short term', 'How do we make sure they are all punished accordingly' and 'How do we stop this from happening again' are totally different questions. I was almost yelling at Newsnight "The truth resist simplicity, you idiot!"
JessopBlues 6 months ago
At 01:30, "actively tries to distance themselves from the problem .." Got It In One.
As our Tom Lehrer, at piano, once said ... this is one of those situations that get liberals to feeling a bit "Like a member of the Christian Science Church with appendicitis ."
Posse Comitatus is an important tradition where the good men of your county are 'sworn in' to enforce the law when needed, presumably with some training.
NewEnglandCivitas 6 months ago
Speaking as someone who lives about a ten minute walk from the riots in Enfield or a 2 minute drive. I can feel that I've personally been affected by these riots. I've volunteered for the Clean Up.
My age is 23 but look a lot younger, I'm in that category of people they'd call "Youths". I'm also in that category of unemployed, as well as being a bit angry at the cuts, but I'm trying to help sort out this mess not cause it under the guise of protest
I liked this video a lot Rosianna, great job!
PetrosofSparta 6 months ago
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PetrosofSparta 6 months ago
Much as we love Rosianna and her charming liberal evasions..There's really no reason these thugs and foreigners should be in Britain.
Might this finally prompt a reassessment in Britain of the prudence/policy of having masses of people in your country who really should be relocated to Nigeria or Liberia or something ?
Are we doing enough to reacquaint them with their ancestral homeland (via tourism?).. because this clearly just isn't working out. Best wishes for their future endeavors elsewhere.
NewEnglandCivitas 6 months ago
they've started copying the London riots in Nottingham where I live and everyone's being urged to stay indoors, but to be honest, I don't see why we should have to live in fear of people who have an IQ less than that of a *insert whatever sandwich filling you like* sandwich, I'd rather enjoy my school holiday and carry on with what I want to do rather that sit inside letter the rioters win :/ x
therockette1995 6 months ago
I think it's worth noting the very real anger that many people in this country have against the police. In this country, police kill on average one innocent person a fortnight, yet only one officer has ever been held accountable (Ian Tomlinson case). To many people, the police are violent, they are racist, they lie. This is something I, as a middle-class white girl never contemplated until it happened to me this year.
So I understand people fighting the police. But the Paramedics? That I cannot.
soup0dragon 6 months ago
@soup0dragon Yeah, except that these riots really stopped being a protest against the police when things turned violent and destructive. Looting shops, burning buildings, attacking people who save lives (paramedics/fire brigade) - that's not hurting the police, it's not proving a point or protesting police brutality...it's regular people just like them that they're hurting. =/
lannapeanut 6 months ago
I do agree with you about the "youths" language. This is not all of us or even most of us. I also think that there is a demonisation of the working class: people are treating the working class as though they have no morals and that because they disagree with government policy, they're going to riot, burn houses and steal TVs. Thats absolute nonsense. It's hard for middle class people to realise that they have the same moral framework - no matter what they think about policy. It's just a minority
Folderol1992 6 months ago
I disagree that society tells people they need plasma TVs. The fact that you would even mention that in the same video says to me that while you're not 'justifying' you're definitely putting into a context in which moral culpability is removed. As for the cuts, this has nothing to do with them. This is not a "reaction" - you just stated that most youths are inside, these are a minority of thugs. Why is it just the minority and not the rest of us "youths"?
Folderol1992 6 months ago
اقؤل ؤالله يا انتي مؤؤؤؤؤت بعد لحمه
اللهم اني صايم بس
njjjjjm495 6 months ago
Well said.
robinreads 6 months ago
Very good vid. Good analysis of the situation and you made some very good points about the whole us/them dehumanising language that is used when reporting these events.
npwafireball 6 months ago 3
Everyone knows what has happened is wrong and unjust and hopefully many arrests will be made. But lets look at this going forward. The worst thing we could do is completely crucify this entire demographic for the actions of the few, a knee-jerk overreaction WILL just further increase the resentment and hostility towards law & order. OK sure, there is lots of bad apples out there, but instead of chopping down the apple trees, lets try using some different fertilizer for a change.
slasherzedd 6 months ago
"youth being used as an accusation"- thank you for mentioning this. I've heard stories of people my age being treated differently due to these riots. I agree with pretty much everything you said, and while I completely condem the riots and want everything to be done to stop them, I know that it is a demostration of the dissatisfaction people have with our country at the moment. It's a dangerous example of what can happen if people's protests are constantly ignored.
bridifer 6 months ago
There's no one single cause of all the mayhem going on, it's an amalgamation of several things wrong with our current society. Although, the most ridiculous excuse I've heard so far has been from MPs blaming these riots on tuition fees. I don't agree with increased tuition fees, but to blame the riots on this is cheap political point-scoring & is missing the point & the real issues underlying the situation. As if these morons were ever interested in furthering their education to university.
rossexton 6 months ago
I'm finding is despite me not watching the news allot when I do watch the news I get near all the information on what ever it is. In Canada, I heard; Riot about someone who was shot, then, Riot from peacefull protestors gone bad. That has been the only info, it's like the news peaple want to distance themselves as well. :/
I would never condone a riot, especially after that Vancouver riot that made the rest of Canada and including the youths that wanted to go home that put us to shame. :/ <3
Doctorwithnoname222 6 months ago
I agree with this so much. Already people are using an 'us vs. them' mentalitly. Suddenly everyone involved in this riot is a 'fundamentally shit human being' rather than perhaps somebody who is a victim of their socioenconomic background and so on. We know this from history, riots don't /just/ happens because people want to loot and get free things. They happen because of underlying discontentment and alienation. And those issues need to be addressed. (Not that I'm condoning the behvaiour)
ellyskellington 6 months ago
Absolutely spot on, exactly how I feel about the riots. News casters keep saying it's the youth who are to blame but most people who are young can see how stupid and damaging this is. I would wager that it is mostly young people who have organised the clean ups, to show news organisations that not everyone who is young is going to riot because they are young, if they are going to riot it is going to be down to far more complex reasons.
adamsimpkin 6 months ago
As soon as you said Us and them all I could think of was the Pink Floyd song :/
amevilee 6 months ago
I really agree with what you're saying! I'm from a suburb of Vancouver, and when a few months back the hockey riots happened here, i felt a lot of the same stuff as you are feeling now, especially the bit about all the rioters being incorrectly classified. As well, when you said that it felt unfamiliar - i felt that way too, it all seemed very surreal, like ''this sort of thing doesn't happen here!''
livesnearamill 6 months ago
Exactly! When this kind of thing happens, of course everyone involved should be held personally responsible, but it's a symptom of larger problems. All the reports I've seen last night (I haven't watched anything since then) portrayed these people as some sort of partisans, completely separate from "normal society". And they're not. It's a large scale problem of society, that needs to be faced and solved, otherwise outbursts will keep happening.
ThatBookGirl 6 months ago
Thank you so much for posting this! I've tried figuring out what's going on ever since I found out the riots were happening, but this, and the Hank Green supplements, were extremely informative (compared to other sources I've tried squeezing information from).
EllietheSwellie 6 months ago
I've just read in your profile description that you live in London. I hope, you're still okay. How much of that riot do you see? Or do you live in a part of London where you don't have to see it at all?
Has it already ended, or is it still going on?
Anyway, take care of yourself.
tannewton 6 months ago
I think the riots are meaningless now but I hope and I wish that something good could come out of this. Britain is pretty messed up right now. Everybody just sticks with the current government system but it doesn't work, and hasn't for a long time. When will Britain be a functioning place again?
denton908 6 months ago
You clearly feel very passionate about this. I Can't say that I've ever cared enough about anything as much as you do. I envy you.
christblood2 6 months ago
Great to hear this from your perspective, Rosianna. As an American, I struggled to put my thoughts on the situation into words myself today (in a vlog as well). I was just so sick of hearing it all from the skewed voices of the media, that I took it upon myself to research the cold hard facts and genuine realities. Was very glad I did. More people could do with that dose of truth, really. :\
Nsnick88 6 months ago
I have mixed feeling on this one. BEing northern, (and descended from border reiver families) there is a streak of me that likes a good uprising, against the authorities. However this is kinda counter productive in the long run, as its uncoordinated. If you want to set out to burn rich people, then do it properly. There seems to be alot of commoners who are getting hurt in this. Guess i have to force myself to realise this isnt really robin hood reincarnated.
TheWomblemaster 6 months ago
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TheWomblemaster 6 months ago
thankyou for this video. In Australia it seems like the reports we receive on the TV is reporting this issue so warped. I always come online to read news from different sources but for the people that are not able to do this are being led to believe it is youths and yobbo's who are just acting the fool. It seems the reports being shown over here are just the same thing over and over again! It is really really confusing but your video has helped me to start to make sense of this. So thanks!
leesha666 6 months ago
It's good to hear another side of this story. Everything I've seen on the news has basically been the same over and over again. And not very much about the actual causes and reasons for this... Just lots of "the horrible youth is destroing England!!" stories and interviews with people explaining how unfair it is...
nicciweasley 6 months ago
Ah thank you for this video. It was good to hear it from a young person's perspective, the news articles I read really hadn't been that clear.
I still don't ENTIRELY understand what these riots are about, but I guess that's the point.
Great video, again.
kira902k 6 months ago
Just thought you should know that the reports I've seen on the BBC just now have cited the full age ranges of those arrested at riots last night. I remember them saying the Merseyside police arrested persons between 14 and 52, and I don't remember the figures they noted from other areas, but I do remember all the ranges going at least past 40. So at least the media is starting to shift blame away from youth... Or so we hope :/
cphayes2 6 months ago 11
@cphayes2 Oh that's good. Thanks for the info.
missxrojas 6 months ago 2
@cphayes2 Really? I haven't heard that at all, the statistics I've heard were more along the lines of "children as young as 8 were throwing petrol bombs last night etc etc"
bansribb 6 months ago
@bansribb I'd just been watching the news livestream on the BBC's website, and they mentioned the age ranges a few times. I'm not sure about other channels.
cphayes2 6 months ago
The thing about riots is that they spread. Anyone who is nearby and sees people actually breaking windows etc is very likely to start doing it to. Monkey see monkey do, regardless of age or wealth. Perhaps it's better to say that the rumbling discontent among some of the youths sparked riots.
Felicityhelix 6 months ago
Someone tweeted at Kaya Scoladario insinuating that her portrayal of "youth" on Skins had something to do with the rioting.
seedoubleewe 6 months ago
@seedoubleewe What!? Oh god.
missxrojas 6 months ago
@seedoubleewe That's pretty ridiculous to blame a TV show, especially one that had very little violence in it.
mikem1234 6 months ago
Over confident people who see a flaw and exploit it for all its worth, all for some free trainers, an ego boost and a TV
0uterHaven 6 months ago
after seeing very little about all this yesterday on the net it somehow came up in conversation with a friend of mine. i attempted to explain how it all started and such, but you do a much better job. you are also much more connected than i am. i mean, while i am an american who is not a teen or a rioter, i do love and respect people as a whole and am sad when we act like this. its embarrassing. animals do not burn down the woods they live in. fish do not pollute their own water. etc. only us.
SixBubbles 6 months ago
I think that people seen to just be very angry and have misdirected their anger.
15hcw01 6 months ago
it's good to hear you're safe. i'm not saying the riots are justified, but hopefully politicians realize the real problem and change because that did not really happen after the rodney king riots.
rosepetalears 6 months ago
I think that I speak for a number of people over here across the pond when I say Thank you. Thank you for giving us input from someone in the United Kingdom who isn't a giant squid of anger. It's good to hear the facts from someone who knows a bit more about the reasons behind the riots. I just thought you should know that you and are appreciated. *Nerdfighters*
onequietnight 6 months ago 25
@onequietnight Believe me when I say her interpretation of events is more skewed than any journalistic reporting. She does not embody some marginalised honest opinion, she's eating strawberry yoghurt while the nations capital is set on fire. Her modicum of knowledge is rooted less in the ability to think freely and more in a regurgitation of the Guardians cultural climate. There is no justification for any of this, it is simply a hang-over of Nu-Labours failed social engineering project.
JimmyGB 6 months ago
@JimmyGB I didn't say it wasn't biased. I'm sure that if people wanted to, they could look up what she's saying to see if the facts check out. I'm sure that most of the ideas she puts forth aren't wholly her own. But so what? I just thought that the time she took out of her ice cream eating time was spent in a thoughtful manner that some people appreciate.
onequietnight 6 months ago
@JimmyGB god, how dare I eat after a long day at work in the one half hour shot I have to film this
missxrojas 6 months ago 2
@JimmyGB "A hang-over "... THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS! People that the Tories don't care about. Money was taken from poor, bad schools and given to private privileged ones. Money was taken from youth centres. Yes, some of them are just opportunistic. But some are angry. They're angry and they haven't been educated enough to know the damage. They're angry at everyone. But why don't you actually ask what caused this? What causes criminal behaviour? Rather than just brushing it off.
downbytheharbour 6 months ago
@onequietnight Hey thank you :)
missxrojas 6 months ago
@missxrojas stop eating when you talk, coz that makes some ppl feel hungry then go out for looting food
MultiAlpha111 6 months ago
Any one of these people who destroys property or harms people ought to be stopped with whatever force necessary, arrested, and charged. Unfortunately people give into these animalistic instincts and will only respond to fear of harm to themselves.
tedfreeway 6 months ago
It's good to hear something like this. I'm from a little town in Ohio in the US but my heart broke to see the pictures of London being burned like that.
Those feelings of desperation and aggression are probably going to keep cropping up in news coverage as the year wanes, IMO.
Which is another point altogether--is the coverage on the TV really giving an accurate, well-rounded perspective? Most likely not... :\
VLicious8704 6 months ago
<3
lcochran3 6 months ago
Thanks for this video- I've been following coverage on twitter and online news, but even what seems like good coverage of current events has been short on context. I'm glad you spoke to some of the broader situation, because while you're right that nothing excuses/justifies this behavior, context helps us avoid being reductionist. I'm visiting London for the first time in a few weeks and am the kind of nerd who studies before I travel, so I'd like to learn more about the situation if I can.
morelightthanheat 6 months ago
I've been following this situation for a while now, even to the point of losing sleep. You bring up some great points in this video. I feel there are all sorts of factors at play behind the riots (SES, power/control, etc). Some are feeding off the negativity and using this as an excuse to be even more violent than others. Problems like this can not be rendered impersonal (as the tendency is). That's largely what started them. We have to deal with it together. We can't ignore that anymore.
Pato100000 6 months ago
And the cities burned then too. LA, Detroit, Chicago and many southern cities too. I can't imagine it but when I see these photos I get an idea. The interesting thing though is that those violent protests and riots occurred after an era of changed marked so dramatically by peaceful nonviolent marches and protests. And it's hard to say which era actual brought about the huge legislative (if not cultural) change over race and poverty issues. Anyway, I hope all is well with you.
-Meaghan
melancholymelodies 6 months ago
These riots look nothing like the student protests. If anything they remind me (and my parents) of the Rodney King Riots in LA. As an eighteen year old American living in 2011 I sometimes feel like the American in which I grew up is completely different from the America of my parents' memories (as they responded to my shock with "you haven't lived in the 70s"). Even with three years of US history behind me, I still can't even imagine what a REVOLUTION it must have been......
melancholymelodies 6 months ago
Very well-done, Rosi! I definitely agree on the us vs. them binary mentality. But just look at the citizens who are volunteering their time by cleaning up and serving tea to police!
- Jason
crimsong19 6 months ago
There's no way that this is an arbitrary riot, but I feel like the reason it's happened is different for each person smashing the windows in and blowing up buildings so there's no way of really way to pin what the real reason for the rioting is. I asked a couple people if they knew and they all gave me different answers.
flowerfades 6 months ago
I'm sorry but you're nothing but a useful idiot and a disgrace to liberals everywhere. If this was the EDL responding to police brutality and going ape you'd be in complete condemnation, but as its largely gangs within the black community you dream up abstract rhetoric about social causes and throw it in with the student riots.
You probably think you are really smart, but you embody the destructive intellect of the gutless middle class who have the luxury of passing judgement from ivory towers.
JimmyGB 6 months ago
@JimmyGB The looters aren't reacting to the Mark Duggan shooting. They are using it as an excuse for anarchy.
How exactly does stealing a PS3 constitute a response to police brutality?
MeOnStuff 6 months ago
@MeOnStuff I agree with you. This has nothing to do with police brutality, the direction of this video implicitly suggested there may have been though. Its nothing but an excuse like you say, but is an excuse she gives lip service to in the video.
JimmyGB 6 months ago
@JimmyGB How do I dream up "abstract rhetoric about social causes and throw it in with the student riots."? I call them idiots and I say that the association of this with the student riots is damaging and negative? I say that this isn't a protest with police brutality at the heart of it, this is a riot. So maybe you should listen before you start to be a dick to me.
missxrojas 6 months ago 2