Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Image by demosthien on Flickr
This is our selection of the best writing on the riots to date. Keep checking this page for updates over the coming days
Infamous video. Behaviour shocking in its casualness
"I was very shocked. I feel sorry for them"
Was it grievance or greed? "I think it was the best protest that ever happened"
"I could hear shouting, people beating each other up"
Historian accused of racism over 'whites have become black' remarks
"The central human right in late-capitalist society is a right to remain at a safe distance from others"
"Prosperity doesn't trickle down, but greed does"
"Morality is inversely proportional to the number of observers"
Brief history of moral panic in Britain. One gem: "Morals of children are tenfold worse than formerly" amid a "preposterous epidemic of hybrid negro songs". No, not gangsta rap-inspired mayhem. Try a parliamentary debate in 1842
After the British riots. Youth worker, who runs "tough love" boxing academy, explains how it came to this. And how we can do better by our children. Read alongside piece by Camila Batmanghelidjh in our UK Riots special section
Historical perspective on British disturbances. Riots often start when people think risk of arrest has become low. One lesson: To stop a riot, more effective to apply light penalties widely than heavy penalties to a few
A social contract has been torn up in Britain. We should be rewarding creation of enduring, shared wealth. "Today's world of bailouts and golden parachutes — while middle incomes stagnate — seems to be exactly the reverse"
How Blackberries fuelled the London riots. Mainly down to the Blackberry Messaging system. Its broadcast function provides a free, fast and secure method of communication. Which is why one in three British teens has a Blackberry
"The so-called feral youth seem oblivious to decency and morality. But so are the venal rich and powerful – too many of our bankers, footballers, wealthy businessmen and politicians." Culture of greed, impunity stretches a long way
Context to UK riots isn't spending cuts or racist policing. "What we have are welfare-state mobs. They live in urban areas where the intrusion of the welfare state has pushed aside older ideals of self-reliance and community spirit"
"The prevailing memory of social media's role in the riots should not be of vandals torching businesses and pillaging high streets; it should be of communities using technology to unite and fight back against an unwanted enemy"
"We over define ourselves by what we buy. I have therefore I am. Many of those rioting were brought up on this debased philosophy, and are angry at the feeling that they have been locked out of the world of material possession"
A view from the right. "Rioters are victims of a perverted social ethos, which elevates personal freedom to an absolute, and denies the underclass the discipline — tough love — which alone might enable some of its members to escape"
On UK troubles. First up, why not riot? "The answer is simple, because it is wrong, but when you get past that, why should these people not go and do what they’ve been doing? What are the examples they have been set?"
Londoner remembers Brixton riots of 1981, how he felt as a 12-year-old black boy then, how others reacted to him afterwards. Describes what's changed since. Gives good eye-witness account of looting of shops today
For many people looting is opportunistic. And greed can be a factor. "Morality is inversely proportional to the number of observers. When you have a large group that's relatively anonymous, you can essentially do anything you like"
"Unlike Los Angeles or Paris, the riots are not happening in ghettos where nobody goes. They are happening amid the organic gastropubs and latte bars. The hardening of liberal opinion in London is palpable"
Inequality of income, opportunity and education is laid bare. Riots reveal "a section of young Britain – the stabbers, shooters, looters, chancers and their frightened acolytes – has fallen off the cliff-edge of a crumbling nation"
"Large groups of young adults have been creating their own parallel antisocial communities with different rules. The individual is responsible for their own survival because the established community is perceived to provide nothing"
"London is not a melting pot. It is a set of groups self-separated by race, language, religion, class, money, education and age group. It’s the ingredients for something, laid out side by side and not being mixed, not touching"
On rioting as rational choice. "When homo economicus assembles en masse in the city, with the new capacity of social media, the only form of co-operation that can emerge is riotous consumption, otherwise known as looting"
Timeline of events as riots and disorder spread across England, following the shooting of a man by London police in disputed circumstances
