London rioters: A generation who have no reason to respect their parents or police

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      On an unprecedented scale, our elders have spent entire nations’ savings with shocking irresponsibly. They lie and send the poor’s youth to wars with no reasons and no ends. They have all but destroyed an entire planet’s environment—one that they forget they have only borrowed from their children.

      London is burning. But it is not alone.

      Remember Paris in 2005? Those were kids with no jobs, no prospects, and nothing to lose.

      Athens in 2008 and then again in 2011? For decades, the old men running Greece have bankrupt the nation ensuring people their age will always enjoy pensions beyond any nation’s realistic financial means. The children finally noticed.

      Looking to Asia, in 2010 alone, Chinese authorities officially registered an almost-incomprehensible 180,000 “mass incidents” (at an internal security cost of US$83.5 billion).

      Or consider the Arab Spring, which so far has seen youth-driven protests topple governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. Those are countries where the median age is very low, and unemployment rates are very high.

      How about Barcelona, earlier this year? Rome, a few months before? Santiago, Chile, just last week? Or Tel Aviv? Again, all riots battled by people who were young and angry about the futures their parents are leaving them.

      Then there was Toronto, back in June 2010. Tens of thousands of youths took to the streets after international leaders for years failed to even take serious issues of peak oil or climate change. Protesters gathered in the wake of an economic crisis that saw government’s primarily response be to borrow trillions and give it to the disaster’s creators, no strings attached.

      On such issues, the people shouted to be heard. And then more than 1,100 of them were taken into custody in the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. (One year later, just 24 were convicted of any crime.) One must conclude that nobody wanted to listen.

      As I write this, Britain is bracing for its fifth straight night of fire and violence. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister David Cameron described societal groups taking part in the riots as “not just broken, but sick”.

      There was no mention of ever-growing economic disparities or what Globe and Mail correspondent Doug Saunders aptly labelled, the “futureless youth“.

      But those issues are at the core of a discontent that is growing around the world.

      Yesterday (August 9), a column in the Guardian attempted to shine some actual light on such matters. Its editor applied the headline, “London rioters: A generation who don’t respect their parents or police“.

      It should have read, “A generation who have no reason to respect their parents or police”.

      Follow Travis Lupick on Twitter at twitter.com/tlupick.

      Comments

      24 Comments

      seth

      Aug 10, 2011 at 1:09pm

      Would have been nice if the morons actually decided to vote instead of rioting.

      It was these idiots whose absence on voting day, gave Our Dear Fascist Supreme Leader for Life a majority government and his somewhat less religious counterpart in England his prime minister posting.

      With their stupidity, Canada's fascist government now has 5 years to cut taxes for the rich and corporations, build lotsa prisons to house the wayward Ute, and create lotsa police, prison guards and army jobs to get the rest goosestepping in God's army. Those will be the only jobs available when the fascist's finish cutting the size of government to the bone and the attorney run private sector continues its pattern of stuffing the pockets of the rich and associated Sw3iss bank accounts instead of investing in industry.

      Too many videos, no reading skills I assume. Truly, shit fer brains.
      seth

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      Advocate

      Aug 10, 2011 at 2:09pm

      I am not an anarchist so I disagree with the Lupick rant and the anti-religious bigotry of "Seth".

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      Daniel

      Aug 10, 2011 at 2:28pm

      It goes farther then just the police and parents, too. We/they have no reason to respect the government, either, since all they seem to do is shit all over us and ignore everyone but the ones that don't need their help, I.E Oil and Gas corporations. It's a huge problem, and it really needs to be fixed, since if not, I fear this may not be the end of the riots.

      And, I'm not defending the rioters, since they are destroying their own lives and unless they cripple the entire nation, they won't hurt who they want to hurt. Just themselves.

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      Go to hell baby boomers

      Aug 10, 2011 at 3:01pm

      I have no respect for you. You're selfish, and greedy. The only thing you did was the sexual revolution. But the pill as birth control wasn't invented by one of you. Your parents did.

      You got high when you were younger and brought the world to its knee when you were in charge. You were thursty for your freedom and you now bring fascism back.

      You do not deserve my respect and I don't want to help you in anyway shape or form. I hope you go away as soon as possible.

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      Xtina

      Aug 10, 2011 at 3:15pm

      You're either part of the problem or part of the solution. Travel to the Middle East or Barcelona and you see the youth are just as ravenously consumeristic as their parents.
      Stop the negativity, channel it into progressive change. And like Philip Larkin said:"And don't have kids yourself"!

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      John H

      Aug 10, 2011 at 3:17pm

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but did this article just say it's okay for people to riot in London right now? No matter what the government does wrong, no matter what your parents or police did to you, you have no right to steal private possessions or destroy private property and harm other people.

      I am a youth who is working hard pursuing a career and paying for my own tuition while doing so. My parents grew up in farms, my grandparents escaped from communists... no way can you say I am bourgeoisie. I have very little sympathy for these youth who are projecting their first world issues through protests and complaining about the "economy" and "oil prices" without understanding as much as basic economics or business. Let us not start becoming heros here and compare ourselves to Egypt and Libya.

      If you want a job, study something useful and work for it. If you want to change the government, gain influence in society with your status and people will listen to you. The only obstacle to doing these things is self righteousness and thinking one deserves everything handed to them. I don't want to know what will happen when this so-called "generation who have no reason to respect their parents and police" grows up and have children of their own. Perhaps these are the people who don't deserve the respect.

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      DavidH

      Aug 10, 2011 at 4:41pm

      Travis Lupick appears to be one of the narcissistic, self-entitled whiners who would rather loot and destroy than get on the with job of building a better world. No surprise. Vancouver is full of them, and they make me sick.

      The "poor" involved in the London riots are wearing $500 worth of shoes and track suits. They're using Blackberries to communicate. They haven't been sent to war. And they couldn't give a crap about the environment, the future, their fellow humans, or anything else.

      Generally speaking, they are spoiled brats who need to be smacked upside the head repeatedly, until they learn that the world isn't all about them.

      Mr. Lupick obviously needs similar "treatment".

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      buzz

      Aug 10, 2011 at 6:02pm

      Can't wait until you are older and don't get any respect either Travis. You've already set yourself as "entitled". Guess what, you aren't entitled to sh*t. Try being just slightly grateful for once in your life. What's so bad? Don't have the latest electronic thingy for your ipod? Had to walk on the other side of the street because someone is in your way. What a loser you are. Millions of people around the world don't have food or water and you want to b*tch because of "economic disparities"??? You should shuffle back to your little cave and let the real youth of today (like John H -see above) grow up and rule the world. Angry youth are nothing new, it's just that now they feel entitled to be jerks. And Travis is leading the pack.

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      Meh

      Aug 10, 2011 at 6:34pm

      sigh, every generation has riots and disorder at least once.
      how quickly people forget history then armchair quarterback their shock and outrage when it happens all over again.

      this only went on for so long in the UK because they keep all their riot equipment in N. Ireland to oppress the masses there. cops also don't care, if you cut 40k of their jobs like Cameron did they aren't going to jump to respond to looting

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      Standing Water BA LLD MBA

      Aug 10, 2011 at 9:14pm

      "If you want a job, study something useful and work for it."

      What a fucking moron. Some hogs, those working hogs, more equal than the other hogs, right, and if you're not a working hog, just don't get to why at the point, because it's well accepted not everyone is, you're just not worth it. "Can't study? Fuck you." There, I summarized your whole blithering idiot post.

      "I don't want to know what will happen when this so-called "generation who have no reason to respect their parents and police" grows up and have children of their own."

      Luckily many more than ever before in history are too intelligent to breed in what is, environmentally, a polluted sewer, and, institutionally, a prison. Want to leave Canada? Better take your parole-card (passport) with you, otherwise you'll get picked up when you try to move on in to another prison-state.

      And the sad thing is, these rioting kids have been deprived of the rather simple education that enables them to articulate it is all a farce. If it has a mouth, eyes, flesh, it is called a "natural person", and it exists in fact _and_ in law. No eyes, no mouth, no flesh, it's called a "lie." Anyone braying about the "destruction" of the "property of others" (e.g. corporate property in cities), go find out how many _dwelling houses_ have been attacked. I bet very few.

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