It’s been quite a while since I blogged anything. Over two years actually. One of the last pieces I wrote (in March 2009), and by far the longest of any of them was this post talking about the possible effects of what I wish I could call the then-current, but really just current, economic crisis. If you can’t be bothered to read all of it, the crux of the conclusion I drew was that an increase in social unrest in countries hit by recession was a possibility. (As an aside, this seems the least out-of-place spot to mention that I am now on twitter, as @LunaticsBox)

Since my previous post, I’ve considered writing a follow-up on several occasions, but never quite gotten around to it; however it’s fairly reasonable to say that my conclusion was quite accurate. We’ve had massive student protests in London, general strikes and protests in France, more protests in Greece and large protests in Spain, to name a few. Even the Arab Spring seems to have had an economic undertone, with the high levels of unemployment among young people apparently being a driving force. Most of those protests and movements, with the exception of the Arab Spring, were not surprising in the least, and even that is easy to understand given the situation in those countries.

Now, however, we’re experiencing something quite different here in the UK (England, to be more specific). The series of riots which have swept the country (as I’m typing it is the fifth night, and there are no reported disturbances to my knowledge) have been something completely different to other protests, riots, strikes and movements and are difficult to understand at first glance.

First off, I’m going to insert a standard “I don’t agree with rioting, looting and random violence” disclaimer at this point and ask, kindly, that if you’re the sort of person who is incapable of distinguishing between explaining something (as I intend to try to do) and excusing it (which I have no intent of doing, as there really is no way to excuse it) then you stop reading now and return to your argument about whether it is better to string the looters up from lamp-posts or send them all to Afghanistan as cannon fodder. Secondly, I don’t intend to discuss the immediate causes of the protest, riot and looting on Saturday; namely the death of Mark Duggan. I know that I can’t contribute anything to that discussion, so I won’t try.

One of the most common descriptions of the current situation I’ve heard from politicians and various other talking heads is of “senseless violence”, which is so much a stock phrase that it may as well not be said at all. I think, though, that many people saying this are trying to express something which I think is better expressed by the phrase “causeless violence”; violence without any real underlying cause, moral or political. Particularly in all cases after the Saturday protests, it seems to simply be large numbers people taking the opportunity to smash, burn and steal just because they think they can get away with it. To my knowledge, this is something which has never really happened in the UK or indeed any other developed nation. It has been, in some respects, anarchy, as the government has lost control of the streets. It may be possible to draw a parallel to the LA Riots of 1992, yet (retrospectively at least – I’m neither old enough to remember them happening nor an expert), there seems to have been very apparent constant underlying causes to those.

This being the case, it is easy to see why people are so shocked by the violence. The idea that violence of this scale could break out for seemingly no reason feels to many, I suspect, like an attack on the very foundation of society. But I think that stopping with this conclusion is a hugely over simplistic view; hundreds of people do not simply think “I know, I’ll go smash shop windows, steal whatever I want and start fires.” all of a sudden. If they did, it would be a much more common occurrence. There is always an underlying cause. Simply put, people are not random. In this case, it seems to me that there are several interlinked problems which have led us along the path to this situation.

I touched on what I consider to be one of the causes in my 2009 post, which is to say the disaffection felt towards the ‘elite’ of society; towards the politicians and the rich, whom many people feel simply do not understand the country they have a large part in running. Personally, I am inclined to agree with this. For the most part it seems that politicians (of all parties) are so incredibly unaware of what life is like for the majority that they may as well be governing a foreign country. I’m not really one to ascribe malice to politicians on this account, as it seems more likely to be caused by a simple lack of experience of everyday life coupled with an arrogant belief that they know best (which is, after all, the only reason an individual would consider themselves suitable to govern) and in many cases a complete refusal to listen to anyone, even experts, in part through fear of appearing weak in the media. In 2009 I noted that this perception was getting worse, and it has now spiralled to even lower depths due to government cuts and the perception that the poor and vulnerable are being made to pay for the misdeeds of the rich and greedy.

Another aspect of this is a seeming refusal to listen to the masses; at the time of the student protests I had several discussions (some rather vigorous) about the violence at those demonstrations. My point then was that although I wouldn’t condone the violence, simply condemning them and moving on was completely unhelpful. Violence at protests, particularly on that scale, only happens when people feel they have no other legitimate way to be heard. Many people point out that it may actually damage the cause, but I suspect most people protesting knew they would be ignored, and those partaking in the violence simply wanted to make sure their voices were heard before they were brushed aside. This sort of problem entrenches a division between politicians and the people which simply should not exist. However, it alone does not even come close to explaining the current problems; many people may dislike politicians, but there is almost universal condemnation for the rioting.

One of the most commented upon aspects of these riots is the age of those taking part, with most under 20 and some as young as 10. This is a crucial factor in understanding why these people have acted as they have. If people in general are disaffected, young people must be at the extreme of that. For some context; I am 24, I have a degree and am lucky enough to have a graduate job (I left university in 2009, the height of the recession). Although I grew up in a working class family, I have never been anything like deprived. Almost everyone I know who is in my age group is from a similar background; most have been to university and have decent jobs. And yet, it is very hard to find an optimistic opinion about politicians, the country or their future among them. The most common expectation is that we will scrape by, but never really have the opportunities our parents did. Again, these are people with degrees and from backgrounds which don’t even approach deprived.

If that is how what you might call average (or even lucky) young people are feeling, it is hard to imagine how the future must look to those from deprived backgrounds. Taken with the general feeling that the recession and government cuts are hitting the poorest hardest, whether this is true or not, and perhaps particularly the raising of tuition fees and the cutting of the EMA, it can easily lead to a situation where poor young people feel like their futures are being sacrificed so richer, older people can continue to live in a comfort denied to them.

Many people have made the points I have already made, of course, but I felt it was best to discuss them to provide more context. I think, however, that even the recession, cuts and divide between the ‘elite’ and the ‘people’ don’t really come close to explaining why people would decide to destroy what ought to be their own communities. There’s more to it, and it has to do with the relationship of the people rioting to those communities.

For the past 10-15 years, young people have been increasingly demonised by some elements in the UK. The media (across all of the media, not just the tabloids even though they have been the worst for it) has discovered that stories about ‘animalistic’ young people intent on causing trouble are an excellent way to increase circulation, and so these stories have become widespread (The fact that they have in the past few days become true is bitterly ironic). Politicians, too, have talked up ‘anti-social behaviour’ so that they can be seen to come down hard on it. And this has created a situation where young people are objects of fear and mistrust to the rest of society.

This isn’t limited to those who genuinely cause trouble, either. I have always been somewhat of a geek, and never really physically intimidating, yet as a teenager, I would often walk down streets to looks of fearful mistrust from people who apparently thought I might cause trouble or even attack them. A huge wedge has been driven between younger people (particularly teenagers) and society at large, and it has happened at exactly the part of their lives where they ought to start feeling like they are part of that society. Instead, they end up ostracised and feared. The net effect of this in communities where there are genuine problems with deprivation is to drive young people out, and for them to form a society of their own, separate from the communities who fear and despise them so. That isn’t to say all gangs are caused by fear of young people, rather than the fear of young people by communities at large makes gangs seem a more welcoming prospect than even their families and neighbours.

Yet these separate societies of deprived young people are not entirely cut off; many of the same pressures which operate in ‘normal’ society are still present. There is still a drive for status, money and possessions. Consumerism still rules. And it is this drive to have, to acquire which leads to gangs of young people taking part in the drug economy, as it begins to appear the only way they will ‘make something of themselves’. The normality becomes operating on the edges of society, breaking rules and laws, to acquire things that it seems there is no legitimate way to acquire.

A huge number of people have now been told, by marketing and consumerism, that they can have, should have and want to have things which are beyond their reach. This is the way that capitalism works in a consumerist society; by creating desire and making it feel like need. Taken together with the huge divides now entrenched in society, between the elite and the masses, between the rich and poor, between communities and their young, this desire to have the same things others enjoy has created a situation where people seemingly feel no reason not to just take what they want. Society has pushed young people to its periphery, and some of the most hopeless have now abandoned the society they perceive as not wanting them. They see no reason to follow its rules, laws, norms and conventions. We aren’t seeing people destroying their own communities, we are seeing people destroying communities they never felt part of. And they’re doing it because they want the things we have all been told to want.