Any kind of violence is a sad thing to see. We’ve seen our own share here in the south of Africa however, things have been tailing off for a number of years now while people get on with the business of living. Yes we have our issues, but for the most part things just go on. Political violence is seen from time to time but on a fairly small scale. Day-day crime is ongoing however, the police are slowly getting a handle on it ( notwithstanding our useless police commissioner ). Economic conditions are always directly responsible for crime rates and as we try to improve the social, living and employment conditions of those less fortunate around us, crime rates are sure to drop. Technical improvements ( including enhanced Internet connectivity ) in many African countries are driving a new generation of IT literate Africans, uplifting the entire continent. We still have issues with foreign pillaging of resources ( directly causing many of the issues so many foreigners like to place at our doorstep ), but this is something that will be sorted out over time. I’ve always equated South Africa ( and Africa ) to the Wild West – a great place to live with a little bit of spice thrown in.
So it’s interesting to see the attempted justifications by UK residents of the current situation over there. A defensive posture stems from the unpreparedness ( and in cases non-acceptance ) they have with the worsening situation. As the financial crisis deepens in both the US and many European countries, increasing unemployment and economic conditions are fueling an increase in criminal activities.
Notwithstanding these general conditions for crime, the British youth have always been a quick-to-encite lot with a mob mentality. Having lived in London for quite a few years, I can attest to the complete lack of respect many British youth have for any sort of authority. Add to this a mixed pot of cultures, poor immigration entry controls and the opening of borders to more EU countries, and you have a situation that’s ripe for violence and misuse by criminals. In other words, many of the same issues we’ve been struggling with in SA for years now.
It’s quite telling that I’ve only ever been physically attacked ( twice ) in the UK ( not South Africa ) and both times were in London by yobs …
On the technical front, the targeting of BBM as a means to incite violence is just a coincidence – people will use what’s at their disposal at that time to propagate their agendas so blaming BB for this is a useless waste of effort. While many I’m sure, think they’re safe using that platform ( due to its inherent encryption ), most countries’ laws now allow fast-tracking of access to commercial companies’ data stores in times of terrorism or large scale violence. So BBM users are not above the law. The only way to truly secure your transmissions is to run your own communications systems.
In closing, South Africans don’t have a monopoly on violence. It happens everywhere. So to those locals and expats who would put SA down, it’s not always greener on the other side. As you’re starting to find out.
My sympathies go out to anyone who has been affected by the riots in the UK.