Youth culture - Race etc etc - David Starkey debate!

[BIG H]

179 views and not single comment - some irony in that taking into context the subject.

[CFH]

I haven't watched the video, but I'll try to comment when I have.

I will say that most people are pretty hesitant to discuss issues like race in the current, overly PC climate. It seems to me that many people are afraid of being labeled as bigoted or something just for speaking their mind.

[greynotsoold]

I'm not from the UK, but I'm fairly familiar with racial conflict and rioting. The area I grew up, the West End of the Inland Empire, of Southern California, has seen riots and race related violence for 40 years. When I was young, 1970, thereabouts it was white vs mexican, then, a few years later, it was the 'cholo' mexicans against the 'white' mexicans. I was in 3rd grade the first time i got 'jumped', by 3 mexican kids.
In the late 70s my neighborhood changed and became, probably, 80% black and this was not the horizon expanding celebration of diversity that one might expect. It was no fun at all, but when you are 14, 15, 16 and like to fight...to quote Richie Giachetti, a good fight is a good fight. But I have friends that are still in prison over things that happened then. For many years I dealt with a lot of animosity, racially oriented, that grew out of that time and I can't and won't apologize for that: it was black guys and there actions that created that.
In Fontana, which was the next town east of where I lived, there was organized KKK activity, a march up Sierra Ave, as late as 1981. I'd guess that 3/4ths of the white guys I grew up with went to the penitentiary, and they came back Nazi Low Riders, with swastika tattoos. South Ontario is home to a very strong mexican gang, and Ralston st has been sending black guys to the pen since the 1950s, that I know of. I know a mexican guy with "Brown Pride" on his arms and a swastika on his chest.
The one thing everybody had in common was nothing: that was all most thought they had. That makes you angry, and I don't think it matters if you listen to rap, heavy metal or whatever, if nothing is all you think you have.
I find it interesting now, looking back, that there is race conflict among poor people on the streets and in the jails, and that we blame each other for our problems. And that the only time we can seem to get along and work together is in a rich man's army fighting some trumped up war.

[Youngblood]

where i live if you are black you are likely to get stared at a lot in public because most here are not used to seeing that particular darker shade of skin. you won't likely be called any names or treated badly because of the color of your skin, instead people will probably go out of their way to try and be friends with you before even getting to know your character. which might in a way speak a bit in itself. one thing for sure though, you'll be stared at.

now if you are a lighter shade of dark skin, but still more brown then white, and of native indian heritage, you will often be labelled lazy, dirty, a drain upon society and many other things by people from many age groups, and few will give you the benefit of any doubt about character, and will judge you on skin tone alone.

[generalbulldog]

Different groups of humans have different cultural mindsets in terms of education, values, hard work, etc. You don't need a sociologist to tell you this, just observe everyday life if you're living in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. Hell, just take a look at the various nations and their cultural values placed on this. Of course as someone said, uttering these in public can bring dire consequences and one will be labeled something they're not. But those peer reviewed academic journals I have read when doing reports when I was still in school have all confirmed this. While some political correctness is good, an over abundance of it stifles any reasonable solution or discussion to the problem for fear of being labeled a bigot for pointing out the obvious reasons. It is what it is.

[Ghost]

You have four people sitting around trying to make this a race issue. Not one of them fully understands the problem, nor where to find the answers.

[Memphis]

I havent watched the video yet but thought I'd just repost this as its pretty much on the money.

Fuck no... nobody in Manchester gives a fuck about a gang leader in London (or all the places a Northerner couldn't give a fuck about, London is number one.) and you don't go straight for the 48 inch HD TVs, Bluray players, PS3s, XBOXs, Designer Sportswear etc if you're angry at the establishment.

The shooting may have been the catalyst that set all of this off, but it quickly degraded in to monkey see monkey do and opportunism from a bunch of ignorant, egotistical charvers who have an over inflated sense of entitlement and the exact opposite in the IQ department.

If our society wasn't fucked and so full of idiotic cunts who all think they should live like a premiership footballer without lifting a finger for it and who think that they are something special thanks to the shit media feeds them (see 'Geordie shore' etc) then this wouldn't be going on... regardless of the police dropping the ball and shooting some scumbag.

Only in the UK would people use £400 smart phones whilst wearing £100 tracksuits to organise riots because they 'live in poverty'... and only in the UK would people smash up businesses and set the economy back months or years because they can't get a job.

Drop them in the middle east for 6 months and see what they think.

The economy is hanging on by a thread... lets destroy small businesses and homes! Fucking clowns.

They also think that they're getting at the police... what?! by giving them 1000s in overtime and by increasing their job security by showing that deep budget cuts to the police force would be a bad idea? Idiots... they can lie to themselves and try to justify what they're doing all they want... but they're fooling nobody... and that includes themselves.

Bottom line is that these riots aren't a sudden reaction to anything... just a symptom of the fucked up attitude and ignorance that has infected most of this shitty generation.