Mara's Musings

I have recently been quite aggressively accused of being a middle/upper class "sheeple"  for not supporting the riots - although this was by people who quote the same old lines/quote/dogma at every given situation without THINKING about how this situation may well be different from another (and they talk about mind control?) - I thought I would write a little on the subject of the recent riots.

Now I am not saying that being middle or upper class makes you an inherently bad person.  But none of the people who levelled these criticisms actually know me or my background.  Being the daughter of an immigrate who came here with £30 in his pocket, I was born in a council house and have had to work my arse off to get everything I have (which isn't really that grand!) I really don't think I can be called middle or upper class.  I have lived in some of the areas affected and I suffered from the sort of poverty my accusers can't even comprehend.  I take umbrage at those shouting critisim  from their little middle class ivory towers, all a safe distance from the rioting of course, especially when they have actually chosen to live outside the UK, just because I empathise with other working class people who have lost everything in the riots.  Surely this is human compassion?  This does not mean I am full of hate for the rioters, I just don't approve of what they are doing.

I agree with police accountablility.  Someone was shot, it should be investigated.  Anwers are needed for the family, for society and for the police themselves. The riot has happened on the back of this, it is not because they care about the dead man, or police accountability or whatever.  If it had happened after a massive whitewash, then maybe you could argue this sparked it but the investigation isnt over yet.

These riots are not politically based.  The only agenda here is not police accountability, an end to poverty. bringng down the government, or fighting student loans it is about getting what they want in terms of material possession. I don't think that living in poverty and feeling dissaffected is a good enough reason.  In reality how many of them have ever gone hungry? Or naked?   Very few.  Well I have (not the naked bit!) and I didn't go and smash up the local restaurant because I couldnt afford to eat in it and neither did all the other people that lived in E3 where I was living and who were suffering the same lack on money.

This isnt the Youth of London rising up to overthrow capitalism.  Even Ken Livingstone said it was a tiny minority and that most of London's youth would have been at home or down the pub. The youth of London were baying for blood when the police caught a looter. The same youth who were supporting the student protests.  Maybe they have suddenly turned into the middle class?  Or have suffered some from of mind control?  Or, more likely, they are pissed off with people wrecking their enviornment.

Condemning the current riots does not mean you are being one of the "sheeple", or suffering "media mind control" It is looking at each individual situation and deciding for yourself. However spouting the same old lines in response to different situations and chanting dogmatically the "party line" is not thinking for yourself, or being really switched on. And sorry, as much as you want it to happen, it will not be not giving you "working class" credentials. Many people's opinions change according to circumstance - many supported the students during their protests, these same people (myself included) are not supportive of these.  I may be a "sheeple" and be too stupid to know it, but then equally so are you, you just run with a different flock!