British Media Blames Games For London Riots

[wooty]

This is the first ive heard of games being blamed, but the evening standard is such an outstanding paper isnt it?

Its just dickheads running amock and the media just needs an easy scapegoat.

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! Its now spread to Birmingham, I always thought Britain had gone to hell, but heres the proof

 

[crotalidian]

snip

All True. However on their debut album (The Clash) there is a song Called 'White Riot'

much more apt for the story.

 

[TheAngryKoala]

I blame Fable III for this. All that Revolution malarkey clearly inspired the revolutionaries (whom we English call thugs or pikeys) not to loot London to the ground, but to overthrow the oppression of the evil Queen. And getting a new LCD Television in the process.

Sorry, I can't say with a straight face, this shit's bananas.

 

[Dethpixie]

How can you write a story about riots in London and not make a single reference to The Clash?

What exactly do they imagine "London Calling" was about?

I appreciated this reference far too much.

+2 internets to you good sir.

 

[Enrathi]

I think it's all down to The Smurfs being released in Cinemas round here.

I could totally understand that and agree 100% with the riots in that case.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

When people want to break shit, people will break shit.
It has nothing to do with if they where playing GTA or picking flowers the day before.
The majority of humans enjoy violence, it's enthralling down to a primal level of entertainment.

 

[Petromir]

Yeah, well. It's probably not true but who wants to hear 'riots in London due to fuck ups committed by the people that buy this paper'?

So caused by nobody, no-one buyts it, it's a free paper.....

 

[Realitycrash]

It's always the fault of games, didn't you know?

 

[imnot]

Idiots, obviously it was all the immigrents from iraqistaniland
(If anyone takes that seriously I will eat them while they sleep)

Seriously though what the fuck?

EDIT: Yay 6000 posts *Party whistle*

 

[xchurchx]

It all started so peacefully as well, all this trouble, all this violence, just because some gangster was shot and killed

 

[Dominic Burchnall]

So what do they reckon caused the riots in the 80's? Space Invaders? Honestly, it's depressing. Maybe they'd all been watching Harry Brown, ever think of that?

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

this is complete and utter bullshit. any thing vaguely bad happens anywhere in the world everybody starts to point fingers at gaming, it's like the universal excuse for anything now

 

[USSR]

I blame pants.
If no one had pants, there would be peace.

 

[Sebster 105]

this is FUCKING stupid. It's a bunch of FUCKING yobbos looking for a fight. ME AND MY DAD PREDICTED THIS IN FEBRUARY.

"CHAV" = Counsel House and Violence

 

[PAGEToap44]

This doesn't deserve any further discussion. I open up the internet to look for a serious thread of opinions and I find this. I'm certain the London (and Birmingham) riots have nothing to do with video games. Bloody Evening Standard, not fit for loo roll.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I was waiting for them to blame games. I can't believe it's still the cool thing to blame at the minute. The media can't quite grasp the fact that some people don't need a reason to do something and don't need a scapegoat, they're just stupid fuckers.
I wonder what's going to get blamed next? We already had people years ago saying this, that and the other about how TV was going to turn your children into mindless killing machines.

I hope it's the Internets turn next!

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

Games blamed for violent behaviour?
Oh please. It obviously has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the area is one of the most run-down in the UK, feels heavily isolated and the fact that a collection of anarchist tossers decided to hijack a peaceful protest for their own gains. [/sarcasm]

What exactly do they imagine "London Calling" was about?

Forgive me for this, but I've analysed this song and written about it far too many times now...
There's only one line that refers to civil disobedience - "we ain't got no swing, except for the ring of the truncheon thing". It's a criticism of the heavy-handedness of the police during the race riots in London of the year before.
The line about drug use is Strummer's criticism how how drugs had become something to take when bored (turning people into the 'zombies' the song mentions)

The underlying tone of the song is the end of the world and the end of punk music (which had been delcared 'dead' in 1977).
"Nuclear error" (not "era" as a fair few people seem to believe) refers to the March '79 Three Mile Island nuclear powerstation meltdown, at the time one of the worst (civil) nuclear incidents.
Similarly, the references to London in the song (the chorus "London is drowning and I - live by the river") was about the fears that due to global cooling (oh how times have changed!) the Thames would flood, drowning all of central London and effectively destroying the UK. Strummer's flat would have given him a good view of it happening. In the 1980's the Thames flood defence barrier was built.

I was referring to the album, not the single song, but admittedly, it was more an excuse to reference The Clash than anything else.

So what do they reckon caused the riots in the 80's? Space Invaders? Honestly, it's depressing. Maybe they'd all been watching Harry Brown, ever think of that?

That was Joe Strummer also.