Statism in the U.K.
Over the past several days I’ve been drawn into the ongoing coverage of the riots in London. What started off as an apparent shootout between one man and the police turned into an apparent shooting by the police of an apparently armed man (although the bullet that was fired into a police radio was police-issued, and my grasp these details are still vague) which escalated into a protest and finally into a riot. Now, on August 9th, that riot is continuing. The main question that is being asked in light of this riot–indeed, in light of most riots–is “why”? Is it a political event or simply lawlessness run amok? Why would a population resort to destroying areas of its own neighborhood? Why does there seem to be racially divisive acts of violence? How long will it last, and what will come after? I would like to focus on what I feel is a central aspect within this complex issue: the lack of unified local leadership in a Balkanized community structure. I feel that a discussion of this nature is central to understanding how to resolve social dilemmas without resorting to the type violence and destruction we are now witnessing in London. The fact is, without the usual lofty systems of social structure in place to direct human activity (in the form of “laws” that seem, to the common man, to be passed down from the heavens), people will invariably seek a more local form of power structure. However, the working class is generally not equipped with the knowledge or experience required to design a functional society–and certainly not at a moment’s notice. So they resort to the closest semblance of a functional society they have in their experience. In low-income areas this often means a gang structure. To add weight to my analysis, I draw attention to the reports coming out of the UK that some bands of rioting youth are seen to be directed by local gang leadership who are, reportedly, advising youth as to which stores to loot and which items are of interest for theft. Thus far this is the highest level of local community organization; it is prehistorically minimal, woefully incompetent and extremely dangerous. It has been stated, and in my opinion over-stated, that the riots are composed solely of “lawless youth who are not interested in making a political statement”. In large part, I agree with that analysis. I do not believe that many of the rioting youth know precisely why they feel so unfulfilled in their lives that they would lash out in random acts violence. Among those who do have a grasp on the fact that their future has been sold out from under them and that they already live in a police state, I doubt that many have an intellectual’s grasp on how that system operates and therefore they have little chance of making an effective impact, even if they wanted to. However, despite their philosophic failures, it is still quite obvious to even a dull youth that there isn’t much of a future left for him to aspire to given the current social inertia. And so, understanding the futility of his action, he acts nonetheless out of biological necessity, for he is aware instinctively that to do nothing has become inevitably fatal. It’s no wonder, then, that the rioters are by-and-large very young. It is they who have the most to lose and yet the least ability to effect positive change. For them, rioting is not an answer, it is an act of desperation. Don’t let their apparent brashness or their cheeky smiles fool you–the youth of London are whistling through the cold graveyard of their own lost future. If what I have said is true, then I think it becomes obvious where the deficiency lies. The failure is largely on the shoulders of those of us who, having survived our teenage years and, some of us, even our twenties–those of us who do have an intellectual’s grasp on social design and the history of social control which has maneuvered us into this predicament–we are the ones not meeting our duties. Where are the voices of experience, guiding radical youth away from violence when it’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue? Where are the designers, organizers and dreamers whose job it was, and is, to design a creative and constructive outlet for youthful anger and frustration? Where are the strong-hearted leaders who have the courage to maintain local order throughout the chaos, using sound reasoning and unwavering commitment to principle without the threat of police violence or state-induced planning? The state cannot be blamed for its use of violence insofar as violence is the only tool the state has to use. The youth cannot be blamed for their excessive vigor and essential ignorance, as these are the natural products of youth. Instead, the blame must be placed much closer to home. The great generational failure that the London riots are highlighting is to be found among the elder eschelons of those of us who boldly claim youth and historical vision–not the younger. It was, and is, in our hands to speak reason to the youth which are not so far removed from us in age, and to guide them and discover with them as elder brothers and sisters, not rulers. And, although this may be a heavy burden of responsibility to accept for some, it is only through this effort that we can escape, however narrowly, a grim, totalitarian and dystopic future. |
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