HNH

Too old, Too young.

Opinion: “The Fallability of ‘Cause and Effect’”

      In all facets of life, experts like to apply a ‘cause and effect’ framework to all events. In attempting to seek out the strand of logic that dictates all of the actions and reactions in the world, we can all subsequently sleep more comfortable at night knowing that we can explain what had been the unexplainable. A caused B because of C: pens down, hats off, work done.

    With the recent events in London, people are anxious to share their wisdom and tell others the results of their messianic insights into human behaviour. An intellectual battle is currently taking place with experts, whether academically appointed or self-appointed, fighting it out in the public arena to design an explanation for the violence which trumps all others. Here is a brief summary of the battling explanations:

1) Cuts in spending on Youth Centres, partial scrapping of EMA, Tuition Fees Rising and high youth unemployment.

 The youth are inflammed by the Government’s austerity package that has made them pay for the irresponsible actions of the financial sector. In a society that is already mired with inequality, the Government’s actions will widen gaping differences in the opportunities that are available for children of a poor background against those of a wealthier background. The Youth will influence the future success of the economy and thus the government’s actions are short-termed in nature and self-destructive. The youth are angry and this manifested itself in the actions that had taken place last week.

2) A broken/immoral/sick/(any other variation accepted) society.

 It’s all about the youth culture. Teenagers today do not recognise, or certainly do not acknowledge, authority that tends to be embodied in parents, teachers and Police. There is a savage, animalistic streak running wild in our youth there is no longer a fear of consequences. In the same way they have no respect for other members of society, they also have no fear for private property as was illustrated in the looting. Ever since your grandparents were children, there’s seemingly been a steady erosion of values and morals.

3) New Labour

Labour’s extension of the benefit state created a dependency culture in which the poorest in society had all of their needs catered for without having to do an hour of work. Rather than fostering ambition, the Blair years did the opposite and let ambition fester. With the Tory cavalry having now stormed into office and slashing away at the welfare state, those individuals who had been paid to do nothing by the Government have awoken and aren’t happy. This is what caused the riots.

4) Mark Duggan

Dude got shot, people were angry about Police brutality and in the meanwhile stole some things. Simple.

5) Opportunistic

The opportunity came and people grabbed it. In the same way that when one is asked “Is this your £20?” and their knee-jerk reaction is to stutter a “Yes” along with a sorry  explanation for why they had lost their money and how thankful they are for it being returned, the violence on the streets offered an open goal for people to take everything they ever wanted. This would explain the bags of merchandise from JD Sports.

6) Black People.

Starkey.

       The common strand running through these explanations is the single-mindedness of those “experts” appearing at the vanguard of each of these. The debate on the causes is non-existant and is instead a back-and-forth of eachother’s opinions lacking in any evidence. These views are those from a vision that is distorted by vested interests and idealogies. Rather than addressing the fundamental problems in society that have made the youth angry, left them disillusioned with politics and not tempering to authority, we are all busily trying to pin-point the scenes witnessed in London to one event. Not only is this approach futile, it is also ultimately fruitless. These issues are complex and must be looked at and dealt with carefully.

      If one really wants to solve this mess, it’s important not to seek out one ingredient in the mixing bowl and hold onto it as if it were the Holy Grail but instead analyse all of the ingredients that culminated in the truly dreadful scenes that were paraded in the news. A simple ‘Cause and Effect’ approach may provide comfort to ourselves but acting upon this will only make matters worse.

Yours Sincerely,

N
 
     

Outside InThe merging of boundaries and the deception enacted by the brain on the eye. A ghostly figure is encaptured in the bushes with the face submerged by darkness, consumed by the shadows, whilst his shirt appears to be the product of the foliage. The background and the foreground are alternating if not symbiotic.What the figure is facing is impossible to ascertain: Whose business is it anyway? Certainly not ours. We just look on: the world becomes dimensionless, the known becomes the opposite and ultimately we are left questioning the structures by which we interpret everything around us.Remember when everything was so simple? Or at least you thought it was.

Outside In

The merging of boundaries and the deception enacted by the brain on the eye. A ghostly figure is encaptured in the bushes with the face submerged by darkness, consumed by the shadows, whilst his shirt appears to be the product of the foliage. The background and the foreground are alternating if not symbiotic.

What the figure is facing is impossible to ascertain: Whose business is it anyway? Certainly not ours. We just look on: the world becomes dimensionless, the known becomes the opposite and ultimately we are left questioning the structures by which we interpret everything around us.

Remember when everything was so simple? Or at least you thought it was.

The EveningsThe monotony of the modern life and the comfort of the mundane; it’s as if everything is planned. We walk along the pavements; we drive our cars along the roads; we make our daily round from A to B only to return back to A. We forget to marvel at the extraordinary wonders that inhabit our universe and instead we go about our routine in a steadfast manner.When was the last time you looked up? To look up is to not know where you go but to see where you could be. When did you last watch the sunset? 9-5, our lives are confined to the period between the most sublime moments which tend to serve as the background to our existence. I decided to veer off the pavement and walk into a field. It is here that I waited with camera in hand and captured the moment where all of the chaos in the world synchronised pefectly to create beauty. Yours Sincerely,N

The Evenings

The monotony of the modern life and the comfort of the mundane; it’s as if everything is planned. We walk along the pavements; we drive our cars along the roads; we make our daily round from A to B only to return back to A. We forget to marvel at the extraordinary wonders that inhabit our universe and instead we go about our routine in a steadfast manner.

When was the last time you looked up? To look up is to not know where you go but to see where you could be.

When did you last watch the sunset? 9-5, our lives are confined to the period between the most sublime moments which tend to serve as the background to our existence.

I decided to veer off the pavement and walk into a field. It is here that I waited with camera in hand and captured the moment where all of the chaos in the world synchronised pefectly to create beauty.

Yours Sincerely,

N