Unite Against Hate

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I think we must all be quite stunned at the minute at the riots which are currently on going in the UK. I believe that when we are investigating the topic of discrimination we cannot ignore this issue as it is so current. There are alot of questions as to why this has happened with many answers both thought invoking as well as angering as many people believe it is just simple criminality. However i have looked at this in three ways:

• Firstly, it seems there is on going discrimination against black people across the UK, particularly in socially deprived areas where policing is brought into question considering frequent unprovoked searching of black men at a huge percentage on record in comparison to white searches. Leading to frayed relations with police and black communities.
  


• Secondly, lack of opportunity seems to have had some impact here to. Are the youth of today a lost generation? Anger directed at the government is evident; lack off and cuts to jobs, benefits, education and youth projects particularly in poor communities are contributing to the "no hope" and "no future" type stance these people and incredibly many children are today faced with. They are feeling forgotten and lost deprived in a world where wealth speaks volumes.
  


• Thirdly, in turn and what they don't seem to realise is that they are discriminating against themselves and their own communities. After the looting, rioting and destruction are over what type of community will be left behind? Broken down businesses, more job losses, even less money to spend on community housing and projects and a broken youth that is already suffering poverty, they in turn are discriminating against the working class in their own communities and themselves.
  
  

No reasoning of course can make any of their actions right and I am certainly not writing this to condone any of their actions. Some are simply opportunist criminals following the "pack mentality" of the mob. However I do find it interesting to look at all angles of this story and have found in my research that this is not the first time these type of riots and looting have impacted the UK in 1981 and indeed 1985 the UK suffered at the hands of rioters frustrated with what they believed was police brutality and negligence to their race. Obviously it has been much more widespread this time though due to advances in technology-24 Hour TV reports, Internet (social networking sites) and mobile phones have all contributed to the substantial and rapid growth of both the widespread geography of events and the amount of support generated by the rioting public.

ageism

i began to research ageism in our society and was quite surprised to realise that as a regular road user i had never actually noticed that this traffic sign could be deemed offensive. however, when my attention was drawn to this i must admit i agree that the hunch back type figures aided by a walking stick to depict the image of an elderly person is actually quite demeaning and i was a little shocked that even nowadays in society something so blatant can still exist when so many discrimination acts and laws are now in place.