What Riots Smell Like
by Gordon • • Life • 17 Comments
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This is Croydon. Believe me, I don't live anywhere near Croydon.
It’s already kicked off up the road.
I’m playing phone tree with various friends and loved ones, getting them to their respective destinations by feeding them updates found on twitter.
Last night, a couple of hours after eventually nodding off over the sound of helicopters and sirens, I stirred to the smell of smoke. Unfamiliar smoke. But then, I’ve never smelled a burnt out car before. (I assume that’s what it was. I’ll let you know tomorrow.)
My first thought: This is right on schedule. My second thought: Gosh, it’s going to be off the hook tomorrow night. (Tonight.) My third thought: Just wait until it spreads to Spain. Our Southern neighbour has a youth unemployment rate of 46%. That’s a riot.
BBC Breakfast told me this morning -in it’s usual hyperbolic fashion (it’s a dreadful programme)- that more of London was on fire last night than at any time since the Blitz.
In an odd way, that made me smile.
Let me explain. Too often, “the Blitz spirit” is invoked (literally) to explain or understand how Londoners cope with certain things. And over-invoking, like familiarity, leads to contempt. I have honestly heard it referenced when discussing how people have coped with road works affecting their bus route.
Thing of it is… “the Blitz spirit” is real. And I’m glad the BBC invoked it.
Because what keeps me eternally in love with London -and I am eternally in love with London, wherever I live- is that it is the original theatrum mundi. Whatever happens to the world happens to London.
Terrorism, banking crises, racism, class battles, wealth, food trends, art, immigration concerns. As previously mentioned, the mayor of London’s upcoming book is called The People Who Made The City That Made the World.
London has been continuously occupied for 10,000 years. Bears used to fish from the glacial flow of the Thames. The Romans built a heavily fortified port here to keep safe the exports that were swelling their coffers. Normans, Catholics, Republicans, plagues, fires, floods.
When the bombs started to fall during the Blitz it was the first time Londoners had been attacked in their homes for a thousand years. That’s what she’s like. Here she is, still. You can’t stop London. If she feels like it, she stops you.
So here we sit, with round four of a much larger game kicking off around us.
The much larger game is the absolute abandonment of the youth of the developed world, the outrage at unpunished bankers who have become obscenely rich by robbing us of the futures we have all worked for. It’s appalling, misdirected rage. The damage over the last three nights has been in poor areas, for fuck’s sake. Rioting is terrible magical target selection.
Some isolated incidents of arson and a few stolen TVs don’t make this a local thing.
This is happening to London because it’s happening to the world.
And tonight, one way or another, London will get to speak for us all.
Yes, this all of this. *hugs* I have you and yours in my thoughts during all of this. Please keep me posted that you’re okay.
Thank you, my love. I was saying to Jason this afternoon that my organisational skills have done us well:
I actually ordered a week’s worth of groceries that were delivered on Sunday. We could hole up here for days and still have a choice of wines to go with dinner.
Great post. Stay safe my friend.
Stay safe, indeed. I was quite horrified by the burnt out blocks they showed on CNN this morning!
Hopefully your politicians will see the invoking of the Blitz spirit as a call to action, unlike our representatives who wait until the last minute to make a crap debt deal and then leave for vacation while a ton of government workers are still out of work because dring their weeks of congressional bickering over a single bill, all other legislation fell by the wayside.
Also, enjoy the wine! Way to plan like a pro!! Did you see a possible short term shortage in the cards last week by any chance?
All the best of health and safety to you and your loved ones over there. I knew a British woman who spoke often of how antiques and heirlooms weren’t such a big thing because of the Blitz, and I also got a good sense of how it might get overused. Very much not so in this case.
glad you’re so well organized
trust you still have an evacuation route…just in case. thanks for the update!
I’ve been a bit worried about you and VI, hoping you’re both okay over there. The fact I’m still seeing posts from you is a good sign. Keep the updates flowing, as well as the stocked up wine (good job on that one, Gordon), and I’ll keep you and yours in my thoughts.
Sending you all I can for assistance so the crazies don’t snag ya! (hugs)
Rose
Thanks all… The Hammersmith looting just up the road has been swiftly shut down. But we wait and see.
They’ve jumped the number of cops from 6,000 to 16,000 tonight. Not a small increase there. Fingers crossed it works.
Keep safe.
So far so good. Looks to be Manchester’s challenge. Guess it’s a bit too difficult to lift a new TV or a tracksuit when there are sixteen thousands cops (count them) floating around.
Or at least, fingers crossed…
Right so.. g’night. It appears that it’s only rough in London’s fringes. Manchester can take care of herself. Guess I don’t have to stay awake to ‘protect’ crap that I don’t actually care about.
Told you London would speak. London’s sick of this shit.
Stay safe.
x
Stay safe, Gordon.
Let me join your friends in telling you to stay safe.
Here’s some insightful stuff about the riots from one of my better news sites:
http://www.slate.com/id/2301296/pagenum/all/
Stay safe, friend.
My comment got long, so I posted in in my LJ.
http://apel.livejournal.com/1634295.html
As harsh as this may sound, in light of the incoming energies that surround us, I’m not too suprised there were riots. The psyche of people is being strongly influenced by astro & astral influences. As we approach 2012 a strong influence is at work. Primarily it will use whatever means available to smash up, destroy and burn old patterns of consciousness that block our collective way. Of course there is always choice and thus the danger of a ‘wrong choice’.
Gordon, I have been reading your blog for some while now and find your observations, insights and postings very useful. Sorry to here you are in the ‘war zone’ of London. I don’t doubt you will be alright no matter what happens. You have an old soul and it’s many unique experiences to help you ‘life hack’:)
In L.V.X
Don