In the absence of effective policing and clear guideline of when and how to intervene, the mobs which were ignited by an apparent vendetta crossed the acceptable threshold and all hell broke loose. It had never crossed their mind to call in the military for backup as it is inconsistent with democratic practices. Affording human rights to those who dare has deprive basic rights to the majority who abided by the law. Where is fairness?
No matter what humanistic socialists argue and seem bought over by lame excuses by rioters of the social and economic causes and citing similar stealing by filthy rich bankers in the subprime crisis, the bottomline is that violence is unjustifiable. Two wrongs will not make one right.
Have sympathy for the middle class being squeezed and has to bear the brunt of societal problems. Many were innocent victims of unscrupulous capitalists and greedy looters. The rights and safety of the majority of good people ought to be protected by the state.
Consequently, the horrors have led some to call for a review of unchecked and ill-disciplined "liberalism". Prior to the London riots, no one has acknowledged or taken notice of the continuing decay in western society decades. While religious studies have taken a back seat in the name of secularism, it was moral hollowness with tacit support from government and society that should be blamed.
The decline of family education and imparting ethics and values is the foremost and primary cause for the decline in reason and decency. Families have become utterly dysfunctional. Though not all single parents are non-chalant about educating their young, many struggle with jobs to make ends meet and family support from spouses (whether former or current partners) is sorely lacking. Is it better to have "tiger mums" than no control at all? People are now paying for the price of freedom.
A handful of middle class individuals who partook in the looting were not poor but driven by greed, self conceit and malice. There is no fostering of ethics or morality at home as parents are too busy trying to make ends meet or are cursed as single parent families. Who would provide the guidance when politicians, big businesses and military did not live by social norms, ethics, incorruptibility and public good.
Two generations ago, many in our extended family lived in poverty but it never crossed their mind to enrich by dishonest means or steal from those who have more, even if they possess are ill-gotten wealth. The stories of seizure of lands by landlords and hard-hearted factory owners are familiar and had at one time formented pressure for socialist revolution. These were averted because conditions improved. Majority of the poor were able to climb the social ladder through education, apprenticeship, small business and working overseas. What we are certain is that tsituation for the have-nots will worsen if they harbour negative thoughts, get addicted to drugs and live socially irresponsible lifestyle.
As concerns surface over the security of Olympics complex in the wake of the riots, notice that China did not do the ungentlemanly act of criticising London's incapability in hosting the Olympics 2012. This is a stark contrast to western media and official jeering and support for riots and killings in Tibet in the runup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Events similar to the London riots could happen anywhere in the world's big cities where social tensions, dysfunctional families and ineffective state protection. Some cities in the US, such as Philadelphia, are on high alert to avoid similar disorder and damage to the infrastructure. According to recent BBC news reports, curfew has been imposed on youths entering the historic part of Philadelphia. But is that too little too late to overhaul societal ills?
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