Panic
'Panic on the streets of London,
Panic on the streets of Birmingham,
I wonder to myself,
Could life ever be sane again?'
Making my way from LICC HQ to the London Palladium after work on Monday, I wondered whether Morrissey might see fit to include The Smiths' anthem 'Panic' in his set list for the evening. After all, events the previous evening meant I approached the venue with a certain sense of trepidation - what state might the streets be in when I, and the rest of the sell-out crowd, emerged later that night?
Although there was no sign of panic on the streets of Oxford Circus after the concert, elsewhere in London, and beyond, it was a different story; as it was the night after, and for who knows how many more nights to come?
Fortunately, help is at hand for anyone, like me, who is at a loss to comprehend the purpose of the rioting and looting currently sweeping the country. Apparently, it's a means of showing both 'the rich' and the police that 'we can do what we want'. At least, that's according to the two young girls who gladly bragged to a BBC reporter of their involvement in 'the fun', whilst swigging the bottle of Chablis they'd looted. Hearing that, I confess, reminded me of the first words Morrissey sang on Monday night:
'On the day that your mentality
Decides to try to catch up with your biology...'
The aching tragedy of this 'explanation' is its stark revelation of the shriveled vision of identity that now pervades our society. So inextricably are personal identity and worth now bound to the accumulation of consumer goods, that some who lack them will go so far as to violently take them for themselves. Not by chance were the primary targets of the rioters and looters clothing and jewellery stores, and those selling electrical goods.
Whatever legitimate arguments about social deprivation, lack of opportunity and the like, that will doubtless surface in the aftermath of these disturbances, there can be no justification for the scenes we have seen this week. However, it is an easy thing to speak out against the aggressive covetousness of others whilst disregarding our own compulsive need to line our own lives with whatever trophies of identity we deem necessary for our acceptance. It is a much harder thing to actually live as those who really do believe, and are willing to demonstrate, that a person's life doesn't consist in the abundance of their possessions.
Dear God, please help me...
Nigel Hopper
Author's note:
After nearly four glorious years as editor and occasional author of LICC's 'Connecting with Culture', this will be my final contribution. Next week, I leave the Institute in readiness for taking up a new post with A Rocha UK in September. I would like to take this opportunity to record my thanks to all the writers I have had the pleasure of working with, and to the readers of 'Connecting with Culture', for their encouragement, insightful comments and contribution to the debate around the weekly articles. I leave you, and 'Connecting with Culture' in the very capable hands of my colleague, Ben Care...
Links
The Evangelical Alliance has issued a call to prayer, along with a variety of suggestions for practical action in response to the riots. You can view them here
You can read The Guardian's analysis of the psychology of looting here and and article with contributions from ex-LICC staff member Becca McGeown on riots without responsibility here
Comments
Brokenness of Britain Protesting Became rioting Larceny and looting Brazen burglary Flames of fury Leaping to safety Burning business Fear and distress. Free pickings! Choose your store Come for more You urban poor. Bring alienation Criminal agitation Opportunities serve To grab what you deserve! Cameron's 'Brokenness of Britain' Is debated by the politician: Causes and blame; Issues to name; Why in all classes such greed Bankers’, MP’s acquisitive need? ‘We must have it’ ‘Because you’re worth it’ Symbols of success. What ‘I have’ materialism Insatiable consumerism Is there a moral collapse? 'Reservoirs' are running dry, perhaps, Refreshing water has been polluted, Values questioned and disputed. With all our secular social analysis Social and community crisis Do we need to 'unblock those streams' Revive our spiritual and moral dreams? "The moral code", once advertised Forgotten or just despised Showed people honesty and truthfulness Love of neighbour and faithfulness Community and fellowship Ground for our citizenship. Christ implanted in our mind. Ideas of service, a sacrificial kind. This reservoir needs refilling Not abandoning or rejecting. The way to peace and harmony Flourishing and opportunity Is not by social tinkering But justice in our thinking.
i had an interesting experience to do with this, a few years ago. i have a disabling illness and live off benefits. i was spending some time in convalescence hospital. my room looked over the visitors car park. one day there was a meeting for hospital administrators on our site. i looked out of my window and saw a line of beautiful cars. wonderful cars. expensive cars. hospital administrators cars. i felt a wave of anger and frustration. i felt helpless. they could afford cars like that, yet would go to great lengths to trim anything off any budget that would contribute to my well being. in fact hospital administrators are probably not the richest of groups themselves. in the context of the economic crisis they just made a very visible focus for my anger at "them" who by their covetousness and greed and theft and cronyism and neglect caused the situation. i cannot approve of looting. i did restrain myself from standing in the car park and shouting at them. i didn't spray paint their cars and i like to think it's not just cos i didn't have any spray paint with me at the time. but what can i do ? i write regularly to my MP, and have complained about being ignored by the disability benefits authorities. but over all i feel helpless and frustrated. demonstrations don't seem to work. what can i do? but what can they do ? what could i do if i was not very articulate, young, unemployed, got qualifications that don't then lead to a job? coveting and theft clearly don't solve anything, but then neither does staying passive. what can they do ?
Amen brother. Sad to hear you are leaving, I have enjoyed and have been encouraged and spoken to by you many contributions over the years. God bless and keep you in you new undertaking. Gary Stacey
A wonderfully thoughtful article that, as usual, ends by turning the focus on ourselves and asking us a question, with piercing accuracy, about our own hearts and attitudes towards material possession and acceptance. Thank you.
Date:
2011-08-18 15:42:03
Author:
Siobhan Calthrop