Rebels without a cause?

That news blackout didn't last long. (first of all my phone keeps sending me Le Monde updates about the stockmarkets, not once a day but 6 times a day! Every bloody time a market opens or closes, whether they are low, high or haven't changed, Le Monde considers this the only breaking news worthy of sending push notifications for) Grrrreat. Not that there is anything happening in other areas... or is there?

No matter how much I tried to block out news from London by not logging into news sites, not watching tv news, not listening to the radio or even (yes EVEN) having a facebook blackout, I couldn't help but notice that there are very frustrated youths rioting in London.

People seem to have been cought by surprise (although when going back, there were predictions of Riots on the news by young people when several youth houses were closed down around the 29th of july "there will be riots, there will be riots"). I doubt the only reason people are rioting and more disturbingly looting shops, is because they don't have a hangout anymore. In the last few days, analysts and media have been trying to analyse the reasons behind this anger and the civil unrest that followed. Although it seems to be calming down, as ordinary citizens have taken to the streets to defend their neighbourhoods in the last couple of days, people would like to understand the underlying causes.

What are the reasons? Do the looters have a cause? Or are these just opportunistic brats who take advantage of the situation to get free phones and a new pair of jeans? Could it be that the anger is caused by the feeling that there is no hope for a brighter future? And what is the role of the media in all this?

As mentioned by the excellent Jon snow on the snowblog, the hope doesnt seem to be delivered by the politicians to the those in need of it. In Britain, like in other western countries, the gap between the rich and the poor has just been getting bigger and expecations get more and more unrealistic. People are bombarded with images of "succesful" people, of celebrities with incredible wealth and the idea that money is the most important thing in your life, so when they are reminded everyday they do not have any money or any prospect of getting out of a difficult situation, the level of frustration might rise considerably. That is no reason to go and loot or get violent you might say. But add to that racial discrimination, poor job projects and cuts in public spending and you might get an explosive situation.

There are also other questions.
Is the quest for ever faster News and information on the go contributing to this environment? News news news. Updates and endless debates (if you can call 2:30 min section a debate)  and everybody has to make sure to say something else than half an hour ago when they last were on air.  Should the Media be more careful in covering the news? Because it could well be that the coverage of the first night of riots might have added fuel to the fire for subsequent days.  Perhaps breaking news for the sake of updating the page/the bulletin is not always the way to go forward.

Should all this focus be on money (eternal news on rising/crashing stocks, the worship of business and approbation of wealthy celebrities, no matter what they do)? Is it healthy, as most of us will never attend that ceiling and that many are struggling to even make end meets, to always expect or strive for something that you cannot have? (And let's not even touch on the issue of single parents, that I admire for their tenacity in this messed up world- it seems almost impossible to live without two incomes to support a family)

I heard a good explanation the other day of why the Danish are called the happiest people on earth in recent polls. It's not that everything is much better here than elsewhere, it is perhaps due to less expectations. Maybe the Danes are better than the rest to enjoy what they have and not focus on unattainable things. It does'nt mean all is rozy here. for one, I have to start looking for a new job as my contract is coming to an end, and the job prospects are not promising on the job market right now.

But no worries, it doesn't mean Im going to loot my favourite dress shop. I'll just wait for success like anybody else, being a good girl and do as I am told.