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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My elderly neighbour told me the riots have set black people fifty years back

172 replies

sundayrose10 · 10/08/2011 02:46

Saw me coming back this evening so stopped me for a chat. Said black people have no chance now Hmm they have truly fucked up. (hmm yeah, cos we are allllllllllllllllllllllllll the same)

Is it unreasonable for me to think he could have had tact considering I am black myself Wink

I might teach him a lesson and not buy his Mail on Sunday for him any more. He is normally a sane(ish) person.

OP posts:
Xenia · 10/08/2011 10:59

I really don't think in London it's seen as anything to do with race. We have loads of affulent prople down here of all colours and creeds th ankfully living harmoniously together as well as just about anyone else manages on this planet and much better than most places. We're very lucky. Plenty of the youths are white. It's a teenage thing. Go back to Shakespeare's time and the Victorians. You will always have teenagers making trouble.

The extra policing is stopping it in London and it will calm down when we get some rain and back to the usual awful English weather.

minipie · 10/08/2011 11:11

Agree Xenia. You will always have teenagers making trouble if they can get away with it. (See the Red Guards in Maoist China).

The thing is, there now seem to be many more teenagers who can get away with it than there used to be. Their parents have no control over them, and getting a criminal record doesn't seem to matter.

merrymouse · 10/08/2011 11:59

I think mobile phones and other digital media has been a huge facilitator for the riots. Back in the 80's many potential rioters would have needed to find 10p for a phone box to communicate by phone. Apart from radio, TV news was on at 1pm/6pm/10pm. To loot and riot in a highstreet you need other people to join you, otherwise you're just shoplifting.

Ironically considering the outrage at phone hacking, I think this will lead to the government trying to increase their access to and control of new media.

sprogger · 10/08/2011 12:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kallista · 10/08/2011 12:35

ROFL at finding 10p for a payphone. Most of them were vandalised or broken anyway. Yes I remember the joys of being a teenager in the 90s.

One of the local dealers was based in the phone box by the corner shop bless him. The ones who hung around the school car park had....walkie talkies.

pranma · 10/08/2011 12:46

The problem is that the pictures in the media all show only black faces so people tend to see that first.I dont want to be racist,I hope I'm not.I lived In Sierra Leone and chose to have my ds there-his godparents are Sierra Leonean.Is the problem that black youths are the most disadvantaged in our society or that their behaviour draws them to the attention of the police who are so afraid of being called 'racist' that they stop and search but do nothing when there is evidence of wrongdoing?I want to live in a balanced multicultural society but I dont want to be terrified of cities in my country.It doesnt matter what race the rioters are but it does matter that they should be stopped now-and yes to some extent I do blame the parents!

LineRunner · 10/08/2011 13:07

Ipm BBC news just showed one of the first convicted looters leaving court.

In my eyes the most interesting thing about him is that he is a teaching assistant.

MoominsAreScary · 10/08/2011 13:08

It said on the news yesterday they had arrested people from all different social backgrounds, as for lower mobile phone tariffs ? They think the riots are being organised by bbm which costs £6 a month and can be used as much as you like, also blackberrys arnt exactly cheap

MoominsAreScary · 10/08/2011 13:12

They were talking about a youth worker yesterday as well, it says alot when the people who are supposed to help under privileged teens are looting and rioting

OhdearNigel · 10/08/2011 13:14

I saw just as many white faces in the media so your neighbour is being a prat.

carminagoesprimal · 10/08/2011 13:17

No they're not cheap - but BB's are considered the 'poor mans' phone due to cheap messenging service -

LineRunner · 10/08/2011 13:20

And I remember the riots a generation ago - the ones in the west end of Newcastle which lasted for two nights were all white faces. All young. All male.

What has changed things there is regeneration programme.

MoominsAreScary · 10/08/2011 13:22

As for the 12-16 year olds that are in the middle of it all their parents should keep them in when they know that riots are happening, Colour shouldn't be an issue, we don't know how many of these young kids have black parents and how many have one White one in my opinion the thing these young kids all have in common is an irresponsible parent ( regardless of colour)

FreudianSlipper · 10/08/2011 13:22

the problems with clapham, east dulwich, camden and croydon to some extent is that although house prices there are very high these were very much working class areas this has all changed in the last 20 years. especially clapham and east dulwich the house prices have rocketed, the middle class have moved in and taken over but there are still large estates that are very run down and poor. the schools are very picky in what children they take and this has caused a huge divide in these communities

aliceliddell · 10/08/2011 13:25

Might it be anything to do with the fact the police killed a Black man in Tottenham and started stop & search on Black kids in Hackney. Because, actually, those things happen because they're Black.

worraliberty · 10/08/2011 13:27

I'm always a bit wary of these threads about race/colour/religion etc that begin with "My neighbour said" or "My friend/FIL/MIL etc said"

Anyway, the majority of the trouble in my area does seem to have been caused by mainly black and Asian youths but as people have rightly said...they're also mainly male and under the age of 25.

aliceliddell · 10/08/2011 13:27

Freudian - took the words out of my mouth. You could make a map of house price increase/riots.

aliceliddell · 10/08/2011 13:29

Anyone else see the EDL types doing a bit of vigilanteism in Eltham? That's going to help.

carminagoesprimal · 10/08/2011 13:29

FS; Dulwich Village, all the roads off Clapham Common, and most of Camden have been middle-class and expensive for years - and I mean years. Yes I know these areas are surrounded by large council estates but so what? Plenty of decent, hard working, law abiding people live on council estates - I know loads of them.

creighton · 10/08/2011 13:31

Faithless12, you should know that mixed race people are claimed by white people only when they look like Halle Berry or become president of the United States. This conversation about mixed race people was had when Obama won the US election.

BustySinclair · 10/08/2011 13:35

the thugs and thieves are all colours, all races, all religions and both genders

the only common denominator is low intelligence

FreudianSlipper · 10/08/2011 13:37

small areas yes but that is the same as everywhere but no one wanted to live in clapham 20 years ago and certainly not east dulwich now its is so middle class you need to be earning way above the national average to buy there and rents are very high too

i have not said those living on council estates are not decent hard working people but very affluent next to very poor run down areas does not work and the divide in these communities is too wide, the schools are divided there should be more affordable housing for all in these areas especially those who have lived there all their lives

Nancy66 · 10/08/2011 13:37

Your average middle class family could not afford a house in most parts of Clapham and Dulwich and that's been the case for a good 20 years or more.

alemci · 10/08/2011 13:43

Yes maybe they are poor but without sounding cliched why did poor people not behave like this in the 20th century. There were lots of poor people then. I know there was a general strike in the late 20s but people did seem to have more respect for authority and the police.

I think there has been far too much pussyfooting round the issue of the poor young black males and so called poverty. Their culture doesn't help either when they men just go off and don't stick around. Again I know this is a bit of a sweeping statement but I think it does have relevance. That is why there is a gang culture in the black community.

FreudianSlipper · 10/08/2011 13:49

it was not about more respect for authority, they knew their place, they could not make demands for better, if they didn't work they could not feed their family. some did revolt thankfully, if they didn't things would not have changed that much. do we really want to go back to that

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