The character of the looters

This is another take on the same subject matter, written at the request of a different magazine but not published in the end, also from August 2011.

Character of the Core Looters

Last week's events shocked many people deeply.  How could so many people act with such a lack of concern for property, people's livelihoods and even the revelation of their own identities?  Did these masses possess no moral compass or sense of right and wrong?
As events after August 6th became progressively less like the riots the media described them as and increasingly like planned, co-ordinated looting outings, 'boring' shops and premises were mainly left alone whilst shops selling shoes, fashionable clothing and accessories, electronic goods and alcohol were consistently targeted.  From Sunday on there was no visible political, racial or religious motive - the object was the acquisition of desirable items.
Thousands of people from many parts of society were involved: a teaching assistant, a university student and a boy of twelve to name but three.  Some were bystanders who were caught up in the excitement and and some were responding to notices on Twitter and Facebook.  Central though were gangs using closed blackberry and similar networks.  Who are these gangs and where did they come from?

As someone who works with deprived families and teenagers leaving 'care', I was not surprised to learn that around half of those so far charged are under eighteen, nor that many of the disturbances had occurred in or close to deprived areas.
In many, perhaps most, areas of high welfare dependancy, large numbers of teenagers and young adults are utterly disconnected from mainstream society.  Their sense of alienation is such that most do not see government, law or wider society as being in any way connected or relevant to them.  They are inwardly focussed and often resent influences which originate outside their normal frame of reference.  At the same time they are constantly bombarded by radio, television and internet advertising for fashionable consumer goods.  With few meaningful aspirations in their lives, these consumer goods, the very types of items targeted in the looting, often become the focus of their aspirations, the acquisition of them becoming a prime motivator.
Benefits do not stretch far and many welfare dependent families are under acute financial pressure, especially with rising utility bills.  It is often impossible for parents to afford the items their children demand.
The teenagers are often heavily influenced by American gang culture, which encourages disrespect for authority and frequently glamourises violent criminal activity.  Many have little or no respect for others but feel that they are owed respect, which is understood to be either freedom from criticism (which is known as 'disrespecting' or 'dissing' them) or being seen as tough and dominant.  
For many, work is an alien concept.  In many families neither parents nor grandparents have ever worked and there is a commonly encountered belief that working is 'a mug's game' which robs you of your valuable time in exchange for the responsibility of paying more bills  Those who work for low wages are regarded as naive and stupid.
A strong culture of entitlement exists amongst many beneficiaries, who are used to the state providing for them, leading to abdication of responsibility to outside agencies.  This in turn encourages teens to feel no responsibility for their actions: The state is expected to sort out any problems they cause.  Others must work for their benefit but they see no reason to do likewise.
Most of the teenagers I work with come with no concept of responsibilities, but all are aware of having rights.  To many however, their 'rights' simply mean a carte blanche to do whatever they like, refuse to accept criticism, to be subject to authority or to be held responsible for their actions.  Many are failing in school or have been excluded and many parents do little to encourage their children in education.  As many come from broken homes with absent fathers, with few positive role models for them to look up to, all too often the role model they choose is the one on the estate with the most fashionable clothes, the most money and the most dominant attitude.  All too often this is the local crime boss.
Crime is endemic in most deprived areas.  With benefits calculated as the minimum a person can be expected to live on, even moderately priced items are beyond the pockets of many. Often, crime is a way to fund the things benefits will not stretch to.  Influenced by gang culture and other local criminals, many teens see little wrong in taking up criminal endeavours themselves, allowing them to gain items they aspire to possess.  Many also say that in the absence of any facilities for them they see crime as way to have fun and escape the boredom many of them complain of.  A worrying number of these young people have no real sense of right and wrong.

Like other teenagers, most have a strong desire to belong to a group and gangs are often the obvious choice.  Once in a gang, pier pressure encourages them to join in the gang's activities..  This is often petty crime or vandalism but increasingly we are seeing violence, sometimes with tragic results, as with the murder of Yemurai Kanyangarara in July.  
Gangs can exert a very strong hold on members.  Many teens consider their gang (often known as their 'posse' or 'crew') as family and often attach little or no value to anyone outside the gang.

As gangs are often involved in criminal activity or behaviour they often encounter the police and many teenagers have numerous convictions against them.  The police are seen as an enemy who stomps on their 'right' to do as they please and victimises them for going about 'their business' (which often involves theft, vandalism, intimidation and drugs).  Most feel abused by any warning or punishment but many believe it is their right to be abusive to others    They resent the spectre of authority and often harbour a defiant resentment against those they consider wealthy or privileged, who they often believe treat them unfairly.  
Most know that as minors they will face much lighter penalties than adults but in any case, Young Offenders Institutes hold no terror for them.  Many of them have served sentences and it is seen simply as a fact of life.  Some have told me that they like YOIs as, if they behave themselves for a week or two, they are rewarded with the use of a playstation to supplement the television.

Most of the teens I encounter in this context are dismissive of any ideas of fairness or respect for others and they often cite politicians' supposed corruption as a justification for acting the way they do.  This is just an excuse though.  The real reason is that with no sense of right or wrong, and no sense of the wider community, they simply don't care.
It is exactly this attitude which characterised last week's looting.  People who do not care about the rights of others, who often cannot tell right from wrong and who see barefaced theft as no more serious than a walk in the park