08 August 2011

Okay, When Do We Riot?

A man is shot by police in Tottenham, a suburb in North London. Rioting ensues. And continues, probably for another day or more.

Although Fools and eyes-in-their-asses """experts""" are saying that "criminal elements and thugs" are rioting, any glimpse at closed-circuit TV cameras (of which England has thousands) and pictures of the riots show that a generous cross-section of the population is rioting. They make up an uncontrolled and uncontrollable mob, a ferociously angry beast spurred to violence because a man was shot by the police. And because enough is enough.

The police represent the domestic muscle of government. It is the police that have pushed for CCTV cameras to be placed all over England. When the guardian says he wants to watch you more closely, the vast majority of people, who are innocent and law-abiding, have only two reactions: why? and fuck you. Toss in the police acting more brutally (333 killed, zero convictions), enforcing their muscle to suppress the natural reactions of people under economic and social stress (look up kettling...go ahead; I'll wait...) and you reach a point where people simply decide that enough is enough. Rioting ensues.

The reasons vary across nations: Tunisia, Spain, Egypt, Libya. But it boils down to two basic factors: a population that feels dissatisfied with its government and a government trying to suppress the populace. Oppression can only be taken so far.

So where's Our rioting? Where's Our "Enough is enough!" moment? If you're stupid enough to say We had that last year,  let Me point out that the """""protest""""" ended up with many of the sheep making a detour to Plaza Las Americas Mall...to go window shopping. Now you may criticize Me for pushing the idea that maybe We should loot, pillage, burn and even harm innocent people and I'll state unequivocally that your criticism is valid.

But We should riot anyway. Short of property and personal harm, We have to riot.

How much are We going to tolerate before We either collapse into anarchy or literally take arms and wrench this fucking putrid system into a more positive direction?

-- We're on pace for over 1,050 murders this year, product of a drug war that floods Our streets with products largely meant to feed the bottomless addiction of Uncle Sam's nephews and nieces up north?

-- Our economy is subservient to Uncle Sam's, whose economy is being run into the ground by bankers and finance manipulators, fucking parasites that produce nothing but hardships for the rest of Us?

-- Our employment is dropping as jobs are not being created, they are being divided. The number of part-time workers has risen nearly 14% in the past 3 years, but overall employment has dropped. How? More 20-30 hour a week jobs paying little or no benefits. And yet, retail chains keep flocking to Our cities and towns because when it comes to buying, We are like Uncle Sam's drug-addicted nieces and nephews.

-- Our (non)government has increased Our debt, failed to reduce the size of the over-bloated tumor of an employee force, seeks to shove idiotic projects down Our throats and up Our asses, acts like it is a separate class from voters and We are still so MOTHERFUCKING stupid to keep electing these shitbags?

-- Our public education system is so bad, so pluperfect putrid, We'd be better served by eliminating the whole thing and spending 2-3 years engaging in "ad hoc schooling." How--how, damn it--can it be any worse than the turd-infested latrine collection We have now?

-- Lest We forget, Our police force is under congressional investigation for brutality, they have demanded--I repeat: demanded--the """""""right""""""" to record public gatherings for their own use and according to a 2010 poll are considered the least-trustworthy public servants We have.

Not enough? Not enough to stomp up to a public official and demand action. Not enough to scream into his/her weasel face: "You are through!"? Not enough yet? 

Okay, then when? Because your limit of tolerance is hurting Us all.



The Jenius Has Spoken.

[Update: 12 August 2011: From The Guardian, the context of these riots that cannot be ignored. In a nutshell:  an unequal society with abusive tendencies. From CNN, "shock" at who the rioters are. Now I wonder who noticed that in their Jenius post 3 days earlier? Check the Comments of this post for another link that will crystallize what's happening in England. Here's a hint: 333-0. And if you can't be bothered to read for more than 30 seconds, try this statement from a Minister of Parliament that nails the crisis on its head. Notice how it applies to My Island, up to a certain point. You'll clearly see what that point is.]

[Update: 25 August 2011: Man tasered by British police dies, third police-related fatality in one week.]

11 comments:

The Insider said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha

Kofla Olivieri said...

Why riot when our beloved government is giving us Palma Idol? lol
http://bit.ly/o0DlT2

I thought the same thing after I read this post this morning, http://undodigital.blogspot.com/2011/08/la-disidencia-segun-rick.html


We probably are closet masochists to accept so much abuse and continue begging for more.

GCSchmidt said...

Insider, I read your link and see the point. Much merit to it. Now read Mine and see that what's going on in London has much that is similar to My Island: http://nathanieltapley.com/2011/08/10/an-open-letter-to-david-camerons-parents/

And Kofia, I think "Palma Idol" would be almost bearable if the losers had to clean the GasoDildo...from the inside. With The Larva's face and The Mad Dog's bristle 'stache.

Ms. Conciencia said...

Damn! Such an accurate interpretation...again! But it is like that old Metallica song, Sad But True. This Island has more idiots per inch square than I imagine... Sadly. I hate it! Too much people doing nothing to improve, and leaving EVERYTHING in the hand of the PIG SQUAD (I mean the politicians in general). Shit doesn't happen in this Island...Shit IS part of the Island.

GCSchmidt said...

Ms. Conciencia, glad to have you back! I like "PIG SQUAD"; wish I'f though of it Myself. Maybe I did... I empathize with your anger, which I try to channel into doing something or, failing that, into a post. But there seems to be a surfeit of anger and a lack of either results or posts.

Ms. Conciencia said...

I'm, like you, trying to post my anger in my blog. But sometimes I have no time...or my mind forget the correct words and I fail to speak my mind at the instant... It happens to me most of the time...

GCSchmidt said...

The thing about anger is that, when it controls you, your words come out dangerous and harmful. When you control it, your words can come out targeted and helpful. Or dangerous and harmful. Atleast when you control your anger, you have a choice.

Prometeo said...

I wrote a two part series on my blog about why this island is so submissive. It's titled "Puerto Rico, país pato". We have been taught to be submissive and to fear this government. I see other countries where people gather into groups and protest their government and don't go back until they get what they want. Until people learn and realize where this country is headed if we continue on the same course we will not have a riot nor a revolution.

The series of posts:
Part I http://poder5.blogspot.com/2009/11/puerto-rico-pais-pato.html

Part II
http://poder5.blogspot.com/2009/11/puerto-rico-pais-pato-ii.html

GCSchmidt said...

Prometeo, although some may object at your use of the word "pato" (faggot or gay), you're on target. I called Us cowards, but sometimes slang gets the job done better.

Alfredo Rafael Habersham-Pabón said...

So WHEN do we riot? Don't dismiss the fact that economical oppression is way worst and hard to deal with than physical oppression: Throw me a punch and I will punch back. If you shoot me from an helicopter I can at least throw a rock on ya'. But when it comes to fight something as abstract as our well concealed colonial status... when it comes to overcome the belief (so rooted in our psyche) that we are not capable, nor good enough to have a self govern country... when it comes to decisions that seems to jeopardize our "food in the table", the tolerance level of any country would soar up to this ridicule levels...

Lets say we have our so deserved riot: Then what? As long as the Puertorican people be as uninformed as we are, feeling as incapable as we feel, and politically divided as the country is, there's no use for a big riots (yet).

We need to have educated (real educated) EMPOWERED (not fearful) people to have such a thing. Then and only then our riot will succeed. Anytime before than that, is suicidal.

GCSchmidt said...

Alfredo, I'm with you part of the way. Economic oppression IS harder to deal with than military (physical) oppression. Money is energy and We lack the money to truly energize Our efforts. As for Our beliefs (or lack thereof), I agree: We're weakened by a lack of identity, which is what you're aiming at. As for educating, agreed. But it isn't the only solution, for you can educate people and they can (will) make bad decisions. You say "empower," but I look at "galvanizing," i.e., getting people to act. I disagree that a riot now would be suicide, for if history has shown Us anything, it's that when fearful, disenfranchised people erupt, the results are more along the lines of mass murder, rather than suicide. I'm advocating We riot before We totally lose any chance to react with anything but sheer savagery.