An article on social behaviour has encouraged my thinking.
It seems to me that different groups in Ulverston have polarised and we are on a downward slippery slope.
On the one hand we have those that are self-satisfied with their material wellbeing and see no need for change, vote for the status quo and Conservative.
On the other we have the young people who are thronging at the Roxy in the early hours.
Different groups living in their own worlds with little thought for the other.
If the Roxy gets closed down, which is on the cards,there will be a large angry resentful group roaming around town.
Its time for some moderates to get talking to everyone they can and bringing groups together.
I continually come across some very negative people on this blog with comments that I ignore.
When people start to protest like at the recent Roxy meeting, negativity also thrives. "The police are useless" "Why doesn't someone do something"
What's wrong with getting out there at 2-3 am and talking to these rowdy kids rather than deal with them remotely. I'm sure that in the long term this will be a lot less painful than a cold 'official' approach.
Having been out there on the streets at this hour , I have a certain affinity with this rebellious lifestyle. In many senses it is good and positive it just is lacking in consideration of other people's viewpoint.
Watching the Isle of Wight Festival on TV reminded me that there are a lot of people that are reveling in negativity. Many may have a very limited experience of the society they live in. A complete contrast in my view to the atmosphere at the recent Hewitt classical music series of concerts in the Coro.
However I wonder whether I've got blinkered vision.
Can some (balanced considerate!)young people help?
I feel lost on this one.
11 comments:
Geoff, I could go on ond on about this one, but I'm about to go to bed. I'll be brief.
The problem is , since 1997 the country has been led by the most totalitarian government for more than a century, which, whilst succeeding in controlling and monitoring the activities of the law abiding majority to a degree never known before, has utterly failed to control, deter, or improve the behavior of the antisocial minority.
The rot began when the Tories were in power prior to the current administration, notably when the then Home Secretary Michael Howard introduced the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which sought to ban, amongst other things, utterly harmless open air 'rave' and dance parties. The Labour opposition could have thwarted this bill by voting against it, but many did not, siding with the then government; the bill was duly passed. This was a sign of things to come.
Since the Labour government came to power in 1997 even more things that have previously been regarded as sociable, community based activities have been banned or restricted; notably smoking in pubs, which has accelerated the decline of an institution at the very heart of traditional British communities. Activities such as carnivals, school sports days and villiage fetes - essential to community cohesion - have begun to be eroded begause of increased bureacratic intervention and health and safety concerns. Admittedly this problem took root long before the current administration, but the Labour government, ostensibly there to represent and support working class values, has done nothing, absolutely NOTHING, to address these issues. This is because it is composed of, and seeks to promote, the interests and concerns of a Metropolitan elite, who care nothing for the wider community and are wealthy enough to not need to depend on communal support. Their blinkered, insular, self satisfied mindset sets a very poor example to those they are meant to lead. They claim to know what is best for others; but their actions lead to what is best for themselves.
As if all this wasn't bad enough; we have a justice system which is inconsistent at best; with regular public outcry about leniency shown towards serious criminals, such as knife wielding attackers or paedophiles.
At the lower end of the scale; the governmental approach to dealing with antisocial behavaviour seems to be to ban or stigmatise entire activities or lifestyles; whilst the small minority of INDIVIDUALS who are committing offences are NOT PUNISHED IN ANY WAY AT ALL.
This 'sledgehammer-to-nut' approach only seeks to alienate young people; who are often are made to feel awkward about their very presence in public places; whilst they see the few nasty people they know behaving badly with glee.
If it is obvious that someone has committed a crime, they should be subject to some sort of sanction. Simple.
Many young people, and particularly those from lower-income or disadvantaged backgrounds, feel very vulnerable. They long for authority figures to do something about the criminal minority who represent such a threat. But the response they experience is the curtailment of the freedoms and the right to self expression of an entire, mainly innocent group.
It's time to target the INDIVIDUALS who cause the problems with swifter and more effective justice. Then the majority will be more at ease within our communities, which can then begin to recover.
Many thanks Sloane, for some very thoughtful and perceptive comments.
How do we identify and deal with the extreme indivuals?
Not through the official channels maybe.
Voicing firm disapproval for a start, followed by the ability to take very real action that will be felt by these extremists.
On my rounds, I've met several people who impress me greatly with their attitude. They are no-nonsense individuals who at the same time are caring and treat others as individuals. One an ex-policeman (from twenty to forty years ago) who knew how to get his point across with an intuitive approach which was not rule bound by political correctness.
Sloane ,if that was brief...... ! and I thought Labour came in in 1994 ?
Anyway ,it was a well thought out piece and echoes my own feelings.Slightly off topic ,I watched the Rhys Jones programme the other night ,this is the boy shot in error by a gang member in Croxteth.The so-called gangsters who terrorised an estate had firearms etc. but were so young they went around on bikes ??? It is evident the police cannot deal with this age group at all. The seven facing charges ,including one charged with murder,were said to be laughing and joking in the dock .They all had < previous > and knew the system but had no fear of the police or prison.
Don't the government look at cases like this and ask why ?
To get back to the original point i.e.the Roxy - I must take issue with you .What's wrong with getting out there at 2 or 3am and talking to these rowdy kids ? Are you crazy ? I have years of experience of dealing with drunk,rowdy people of all ages . It's not exclusive to the young. One thing you cannot do with a drunk is to reason with them. You have to be firm with them and send them on their way . If you can't do it ,you call the police and they take over. If an offence has been committed the correct action will be taken. The police have been present at the Roxy for the past few weekends so if there is still a problem they will deal with it and possibly object to licence renewal if it persists. Again, I urge you not to approach people at 2 or 3am ,you are asking for trouble.
Absolutely spot on AR, to approach these people when they are full of drink would be foolhardy and dangerous in the extreme. As somebody mentioned before, what would happen to the Roxy, and the museum, if it was closed down. Most comments have been "kneejerk" thus far, but not much energy has been expended as to the next potential buyer/letter of the building and it's long term succesful future!
I can't agree with either of you regarding talking to young people in the dead of night.
You're allowing your imaginations to run away with you and out of touch with reality!
My experience is that that I did not meet any 'drunks' - people out of control. They were people who were a bit 'loud' and over- talkative but you could also call friendly.
I was greeted with "Hello Grandad" and "Father Christmas" remarks I've had from 'sober' people on the London Tube.
I felt as though I could possibly had a conversation with them which would depended very much on their response. A 'play it by ear approach' but always worth a try.
My main gripe with people I talk to is that they've come to be afraid of strangers, especially those doing something unacceptable.
"I wouldn't dare" is a frequent response.
Well, dare then - and you'll have a pleasant surprise. People aren't as predictable as we imagine. You'll get a wide range of responses depending on your own attitude.
Talking to each other is a big thing of mine at the moment - second to actually doing things with others - which is always preferable.
It won't be me or AR being carted off to Furness General either Geoff!
Geoff ,you are naive in the extreme. Take it from one who knows - you will meet the wrong person one night and get a bottle in your face.
It is difficult to counter your argument A.R.
The statement "Take it from one who knows" is powerful.
However you don't say what you know.
So it's one persons experience versus another's.
We all have our own experiences. I wish people would be guided by these, however in practice they create myths which are repeated until we all believe them.
It makes for peace if you don't disagree with others is a common one in Ulverston. Don't rock the boat - as a result we have lots of separate groups here who operate independently. People who avoid getting involved. People who let others with energy get on with it even if they disagree. Worse still they stand on the side lines and just whinge and criticise.
I believe in trying things out and learning from experience rather than believing the statements of others who claim to know.
The more experience one develops, the better one gets at handling complex human relationships.
Being assertive doesn't usually leave to conflict. Staying friendly and rational helps.
I find it to be very rare indeed to meet truly negative people. There is usually some humanity that we can relate too.
As a teacher in a sink school in the East of London - Hainault - one gets to know all the kids from the neighbourhood. They don't suddenly become negative when they leave school. There's always something there that has the makings of friendship. People like to be liked.
By getting involved with actually talking to others we can breakdown the stereotypes created by those that voice opinions that are based on myths.
Often we don't have to speak - giving eye contact is an excellent start.
Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy..(F.Scott Fitzgerald)
"Show me a wimp, and Ill tell you a fantasy."
Ulverston young people, talk to - hero?
Neighbour, ask to turn down the volume - martyr?
What planet is this?
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