# Tottenham north London riots **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836 "2011-08-07T17:06:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/41 "2011-08-08T22:41:58Z")
BBC live is streaming for me so it looks like it’s ioen internationally [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14449675](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14449675) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/42 "2011-08-08T23:13:14Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > 😕 He didn’t say anything racist. Your insistence that he did is puzzling. No, he didn’t. I am so sorry. If only I could sleep, \*\*Eyebrows of Doom \*\* if only. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/43 "2011-08-08T23:27:39Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > BBC [coverage is here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14436529). > > So what’s going on? I’m an American with no idea about the local issues involved. Apparently the riots started when word got out that Harry Redknapp was considering making a bid for Emile Heskey. The riots in Birmingham started when word got out that he had changed his mind. (fact: 90% of Americans will not understand this joke) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/44 "2011-08-09T01:01:08Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > (fact: 90% of Americans will not understand this joke) F–king A. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/45 "2011-08-09T01:07:55Z")
[http://www.twitvid.com/4JTZH](http://www.twitvid.com/4JTZH) This woman sums it up pretty well. “we’re not gathering together to fight for a cause, we’re running down footlocker and tiefing shoes” ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/46 "2011-08-09T01:26:02Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I really don’t wish for the old days of having a Magistrate read the riot act followed by a volley and bayonet charge from the militia; but I do think the police could have been more active in dispersing the looters. Just make an example by firing bullets into the air and tasering a few random looters. They are cowards who’ll scatter at real force and to quote Grand Moff Tarkin “Use the fear of force, not force itself”. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/47 "2011-08-09T02:21:07Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > No, he didn’t. I am so sorry. If only I could sleep, \*\*Eyebrows of Doom > \*\* if only. ☹ What’s your problem? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/48 "2011-08-09T02:30:12Z")
Send in the Paras. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/49 "2011-08-09T02:33:19Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Just make an example by firing bullets into the air and tasering a few random looters. They are cowards who’ll scatter at real force and to quote Grand Moff Tarkin “Use the fear of force, not force itself”. Ahem. [ul] [li]Bullets come down.[/li] [li]A leader in the Space Nazis isn’t someone whom I’d use as a guide to good governance.[/li] [li]You don’t actually know that they are cowards.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/50 "2011-08-09T02:47:22Z")
BBC us showing the riots spreading upcountry. Liverpool was mentioned. They showed a huge Sony distribution center in Enfield completely ablaze. Looks like Bangkok last year. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/51 "2011-08-09T02:58:01Z")
Arab Spring, UK Summer - what’s next, US Fall? Shit seems to be spreading. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/52 "2011-08-09T03:11:15Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Arab Spring, UK Summer - what’s next, US Fall? > > Shit seems to be spreading. Except Arab Spring is a genuine movement against dictatorship while this is largely riots by ungrateful, half-crazed mobs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/53 "2011-08-09T03:16:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > ]A leader in the Space Nazis isn’t someone whom I’d use as a guide to good governance. Say what? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/54 "2011-08-09T03:21:03Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Except Arab Spring is a genuine movement against dictatorship while this is largely riots by ungrateful, half-crazed mobs. From what I’ve been reading, it’s young people without jobs or training to get jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/55 "2011-08-09T03:21:25Z")
Yes, why aren’t they more grateful? > [@Martin Fletcher / NBC](#): > > The truth is that discontent has been simmering among Britain’s urban poor for years, and few have paid attention. Social activists say one out of two children in Tottenham live in poverty. It’s one of the poorest areas of Britain. [**The sad truth behind London riot**](http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/07/7292281-the-sad-truth-behind-london-riot) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/56 "2011-08-09T03:24:40Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Just make an example by firing bullets into the air and tasering a few random looters. They are cowards who’ll scatter at real force and to quote Grand Moff Tarkin “Use the fear of force, not force itself”. :rolleyes: 1. What goes up, must come down. Bullets tend to come down with force similar to what they went up with. People can get killed when that happens. Way to go, genius. 2. Tasering a few “random looters” will probably take those looters out of the game. However, it will not stop the dozens, or even hundreds, of the looters around them from turning on you. How fast can you recharge that taser…? 3. The “cowards” are armed with boards and pieces of pipe, they’re smashing things, using what have been described as “petrol bombs” to set entire blocks of London on fire, and are throwing bricks at the police. Sure, they \*might \*scatter… but it sure looks like they’re not intimidated by authority or what force is already being applied. 4. Do I have to explain how stupid it is to go to _Star Wars_ for advice on how to deal with the real world? ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/57 "2011-08-09T03:31:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Say what? Assuming I’m not being wooshed here, the Grand Moff Tarkin that **Qin** quoted is a character from Star Wars. And he ain’t no rebel. ---
**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/58 "2011-08-09T03:33:39Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Yes, why aren’t they more grateful? > > [**The sad truth behind London riot**](http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/07/7292281-the-sad-truth-behind-london-riot) The UK affords social welfare and accomodation to the poor. Maybe they should try being poor in India? Also, poverty doesn’t necessarily mean people turn to crime. Look at the Chinese Americans discussed on p32 - 33 of Walsh’s “Crime: A Bio-social Analysis”. > **[Race and Crime](https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=vgHgNsmZ3vsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=race%2Bcrime%2Bbiosocials&source=bl&ots=PB0-b-YJpd&sig=E0uIiShYRpmMXKvgBCq4bTCmYTo&hl=en&ei=SLTDTOWvAZTksQPZt934Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=East%20Asian&f=false)** > > This book examines the incendiary issue of racial variation in crime rates in the United States and in many other countries using a variety of data sources. It examines the latest genetic data asserting the reality of the concept of race, and various... ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/59 "2011-08-09T06:13:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Say what? > [@runcible\_spoon](#): > > Assuming I’m not being wooshed here, the Grand Moff Tarkin that **Qin** quoted is a character from Star Wars. And he ain’t no rebel. Yup. The Galactic Empire is designed to evoke Nazism, and not all that subtly. I mean, Stormtroopers, slavery, genocide, black uniforms… ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836/60 "2011-08-09T06:15:12Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > :rolleyes: > > 1. What goes up, must come down. Bullets tend to come down with force similar to what they went up with. People can get killed when that happens. Way to go, genius. > > 2. Tasering a few “random looters” will probably take those looters out of the game. However, it will not stop the dozens, or even hundreds, of the looters around them from turning on you. How fast can you recharge that taser…? that’s easy - deport them for resettlement in the West … Indies from whence they came from in the first place 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tottenham-north-london-riots/591836.md?page=4)