Some Days I Simply Must Take Exception Wtih Mr. Raimondo's View

While commentators are busy conjuring some political or economic “cause” behind the British riots – one which, not surprisingly, validates some preexisting ideological agenda, whether it be “left” or “right” – what seems clear is that nothing about the motives of the rioters is at all clear. The ostensible reason for the initial outbreak of violence and looting appears to have been the police shooting of Mark Duggan, a minor criminal: police claimed Duggan shot first, but a subsequent investigation has produced no evidence of that. The widespread looting of stores, and the random violence, is apparently unrelated to this incident, and Duggan’s family has appealed to the mobs to disperse.

They haven’t. It is now four days since the first rioters raised their ugly heads, and there has been no let up in the violence: big plasma television sets and Nike sneakers, rather than “social justice,” seem to be the rioters’ main concern. One group of girl looters, confronted by a newsman with the question “Are you proud of what you’re doing?”, asserted “We’re just getting our taxes back!”

  Justin Raimondo

And if they have been at all incensed by the Murdoch scandal with the PM and the police involved, there’s even more for them to be riled about – taxes and crooks at the helm. I think we have the makings of a riot or two here as well.

This isn’t a political protest – it’s techno-nihilism. They’re doing it because they can.

Because, my dear, that’s what people do. It just looks different depending upon where those people live and work.

Contacting their fellow looters and criminals via a covert messaging system on their BlackBerrys – of course, all these “disadvantaged” youth have BlackBerrys – these techno-thugs are able to outwit and outmaneuver the police, who are badly outnumbered in any event.

And, gasp!, the youth of today do not respect the police!

Empowered by technology, the worst elements in society have been unleashed – and they are winning.

Come on, the worst elements in society? I’m not sure we can agree on that. Thugs are thugs are thugs. These are just the lower-class thugs.

The phenomenon will leap the Atlantic because the economic and cultural factors that bred these thugs are nearly universal: the only societies immune to the madness are either inherently resistant to the nihilist virus – such as Japan, with its group solidarity ethos – or else ruled over by totalitarian regimes, e.g. North Korea, where any such behavior is nipped in the bud long before it infects en masse.

Is there no place left on earth where there is a peaceful egalitarian society? Only hives and dictators? Oh, well, then, I give up.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.