People have branded the recent UK riots and uprising as senseless violence. For me it has been a highlighted section of our normal life, just sped up and multiplied.
Violence, crimes and fear. Those are things that people in my community feel on a daily basis. I heard many people talking about the thugs, scum and many other rude words over these past few weeks. But when did people ever stop and think that an average ‘looter’ had come from a troubled back ground. Where they don’t feel supported in their schools, their homes and end up turning to the street for respect.
I’m not saying that young people are to blame for the riots. But these past events have highlighted a problem that our society face as a whole.
Watching the prime minister on the news has made me realise how separated our society is. Its a classic bourgeois and proletariat situation. Speaking from South London, I see first hand how society has a negative effect on our young people. The elite of society are quick to use these people as scapegoats but they don’t want to address the underlying problems us young people face.
For example in the space of under a year, I have had to deal with three murders of people I knew (one happened as I was writing this) . Now, when that happened I didn’t see David Cameron stand up and say ‘no more’ or even address the problem. Guns and violence are problems we have to deal with everyday. And we don’t feel the influence of the police protecting us or dealing justice to those who deserve it.
Now the government and the elite of society see working class people as lazy, un-educated etc. But there are so many young working class people who have ambitions and a drive to succeed, they just either don’t have the support to achieve these ambitions or the opportunities.
Seeing David Starky on Newsnight recently, showed how little understanding the rest of society have of working class young people. Until there is more understanding on their part then things will never get better.
In my opinion things will only get worse as the gap between rich and poor grows. I can only hope that the government can understand what our lives are like and take steps to making things better for everyone.
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