[Gstar]

It came around so fast but at the same time it happened nearly four years ago. What I still don't know is what caused the riots? There was so much coverage on the damage it was causing to England but nobody really discussed the cause and purpose.

I know a lot of people think that it was just thoughtless and stupid individuals (which is correct to a certain extent) but why would so many people do this for no apparent reason?

My theory: I just left 6th form and had my first job aged 17, from what I can remember there was an enormous uproar on David Cameron winning the election and screwing all the young people over. I don't know much about politics but at that particular time I felt that it didn't matter because literally everyone was mad. It started off with peaceful protests which gradually got worse and that's when the riots started to happen. I can't think of any other big event that happened during summer 2011 but there is a possibility that it stemmed from the education cuts protests. Let's not forget that most of the people involved in the riots were 16-25

What is your theory? Did you partake in any protests prior to the riots? Were you affected by the riots? (I was)

Youtube video

[Drew.]

It pretty much began after the shooting of Mark Duggan didn't it? Then the whole thing got completely over the top with people using it as an excuse to steal etc.

[Jack_]

Consumerism, opportunism, disengagement.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Drew.

It pretty much began after the shooting of Mark Duggan didn't it? Then the whole thing got completely over the top with people using it as an excuse to steal etc.

Yes great point
and since nothing like that has gone down
no reason to Rob stores

[Gstar]

Originally Posted by Drew.

It pretty much began after the shooting of Mark Duggan didn't it? Then the whole thing got completely over the top with people using it as an excuse to steal etc.

It was definitely happening before that iirc, more cities were being affected but Birmingham and London (obviously) seemed to have had it the worst

[Crimson Dynamo]

It actually was a pretty small scale event. opportunism.

[Gstar]

Parts of it just seemed very "anti young people", the protests were seen as us being immature and looked upon as attention seeking, the riots were just like "young people out of control" I just feel that the youth of today get looked down on so much in our society and we are all put together in one category

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Jack_

Consumerism, opportunism, disengagement.

That pretty much sums it up. People are quick to dismiss it as "just opportunism" but the question is, WHY were these kids so quick to snap up the opportunity? Why the violence and destruction along with the looting?

We live in a country where consumerism is hammered home, where the "goal" in life is to "make money and have stuff". That's "winning at life". That's everything that's fed to us through our teleboxes, celebrity culture, rampant capitalism and consumerism. BUY BUY BUY! Get expensive stuff! Show it off!

But then you have hoards of disaffected youths who have been failed by their families, by their schools, by the entire system, and have little to no hope of ever achieving those shallow "money based" goals legitimately.

The results are 100% unsurprising.

[Gstar]

preach, even it was opportunism there is still a reason/cause behind it

[Kizzy]

My view? Misdirection... they attacked the police and small business. How that was meant to affect anything I don't know.

[JoshBB]

Originally Posted by arista

Yes great point
and since nothing like that has gone down
no reason to Rob stores

Agree actually. (whats with this.. i've agreed with LT earlier this week now you)

Robbing stores is in no way part of a protest - simply yobs using the riots as an excuse to commit crimes.

[Northern Monkey]

Legitimate protests originally and then social media blowing out of control and all the fecking idiots jumping on the bandwagon for a laugh and free stuff.Imo.

[Nedusa]

It was the death of Mark Duggan that first gave the reason for demonstrating but then as the numbers swelled and the initial police response was inadaquate. This resulted in an increase of unrest and this gave rise to mild looting and disorder.

Because the police delayed in deploying riot police the looting intensified and when the looters found they could take what they wanted the Social Media sites went into meltdown resulting in widespread rioting and looting in other parts of London and other cities in england.

A genuine grievance had been hijacked by lawlessness and anarchy and the pitiful police response allowed hundreds of shops to be looted.

A most shameful episode and one that I'm sure the police are prepared for in future with the introduction of water cannons and other anti-rioting measures.

[Jamesy]

Attention? I was in Spain when the full outburst of the riots happened so I was pretty much watching Sky news every hour. The kind of official line is that it stems from the shooting of Mark Duggan, where protests in Tottenham began, then that spread to violence with police, then riots in Tottenham, then other parts of London followed, then the next minute other parts of the UK followed.

I don't bother looking at it in any deep manner. I don't think there is any deep meaning at all as to why the riots spread like wildfire. Attention seemed to be the main thing. Across my Facebook I was invited to groups to start a riot in my city centre (which never happened) and a lot of statuses by people asking others to join them in 'getting on the news'.

For me it's just one of those bizarre things that there is no real reason for. It was meaningless violence and criminality, and aside from Tottenham, there was no reason for it.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Jamesy

Attention? I was in Spain when the full outburst of the riots happened so I was pretty much watching Sky news every hour. The kind of official line is that it stems from the shooting of Mark Duggan, where protests in Tottenham began, then that spread to violence with police, then riots in Tottenham, then other parts of London followed, then the next minute other parts of the UK followed.

I don't bother looking at it in any deep manner. I don't think there is any deep meaning at all as to why the riots spread like wildfire. Attention seemed to be the main thing. Across my Facebook I was invited to groups to start a riot in my city centre (which never happened) and a lot of statuses by people asking others to join them in 'getting on the news'.

For me it's just one of those bizarre things that there is no real reason for. It was meaningless violence and criminality, and aside from Tottenham, there was no reason for it.

But again, "Getting on the news" says it all. The message is hammered home to young people, that the things they should want in life are "fame" (even infamy) and "stuff". Then we're surprised when kids (some just stupid and easily led by a crowd, some simply plagued by apathy and hopelessness) think getting on the news, and stealing things that they can't afford, are achievements.

We live in a morally ****ed society where the major cornerstone of existence is "money money MONEY MONEY MONEY and money". Work yourself into the ground and don't even think about anything else in life because think of the money! Bolstered by the worship of "famous people", who have lots of lovely money. This is pushed by absolutely everyone. The advertisers, the media, the government themselves, all to bolster an economy that is 100% reliant on vapid, shallow consumerism. Then we whine when our kids inevitably become vapid, shallow consumers? And then we wail and wring our hands when the kids from poorer backgrounds, who would also like a slice of that pointless consumer pie, and are bored, and unengaged, and lost, decide to use a spark of civil unrest to try and take it.

These are the issues, most politicians know fine well that these are the issues, the amount of frantic "sweeping under the carpet" that went on immediately after the riots are evidence enough of that.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

But again, "Getting on the news" says it all. The message is hammered home to young people, that the things they should want in life are "fame" (even infamy) and "stuff". Then we're surprised when kids (some just stupid and easily led by a crowd, some simply plagued by apathy and hopelessness) think getting on the news, and stealing things that they can't afford, are achievements.

We live in a morally ****ed society where the major cornerstone of existence is "money money MONEY MONEY MONEY and money". Work yourself into the ground and don't even think about anything else in life because think of the money! Bolstered by the worship of "famous people", who have lots of lovely money. This is pushed by absolutely everyone. The advertisers, the media, the government themselves, all to bolster an economy that is 100% reliant on vapid, shallow consumerism. Then we whine when our kids inevitably become vapid, shallow consumers? And then we wail and wring our hands when the kids from poorer backgrounds, who would also like a slice of that pointless consumer pie, and are bored, and unengaged, and lost, decide to use a spark of civil unrest to try and take it.

These are the issues, most politicians know fine well that these are the issues, the amount of frantic "sweeping under the carpet" that went on immediately after the riots are evidence enough of that.

A good post T.S. with a lot of valid points. Especially the media-induced expectation of false ideals.