Bits: Onward and Upward

The links I posted in the game thread (they were from news stations) had them going till like 3am our time at least (that’s when I passed out and why the post wasn’t done till 9am)

I think you’re right too. If it’s not someone trying to get famous and be a big shot being a menace, it’s someone trying to look cool as being some kind of embedded reporter in a riot.

What bothers me most about it from a psychological perspective, is that many/most of the participants don’t appear angry and just about NOBODY looks scared. There are young women there (girls even really) that have smiles on their faces. There are people sitting and standing around like they’re having a picnic lunch watching an outdoor lawn band.

In my day, girls would have thought the boys were being stupid and left. It would have taken a great deal of anger and booze to do what the guys were doing. There would have been some level of trying to potect your identity and violence against the people with cameras. This looks like they think rioting is their birthright, that there will be no consequences of significance and their stake to a place in the big picture.

What should be done (since most if these people were probably under 24) is throw all if their parents in jail. (Because if the real estate price thing is accurate as we know on LI, most probably still live at home). And or hold each of the peeps parents responsible for some predetermined price of cleanup and restitution that will be levied against them via their taxes. Each of the idiots should have to perform hundreds of hours of community service in public works programs designed to enhance the community, not clean it or maintain it. Then destroy it right in front of them.

Perhaps that will give them a connection to the human respect associated with living amongst others in a community and some value of others property and ideologies.

Because, I shut you not, if I was out doing that, and got home hours late, smelling like tear gas, covered in soot and blood, my parents would have grilled me and beaten me senseless…seeeenssse-less.

I actually destroyed a car once with some friends that we thought was abandoned when I was 15. Turns out, it wasn’t, it just sat there for years, in a parking lot, untouched. We got ratted out, and I was grounded for months. Had to apologize, etc, but the big part was, I felt guilt, and shame, and KNEW afterward, that whether or not it was avandoned, it was STILL wrong because of my parents.