Sometimes you despair for this country

[VHG]

This is in the news at the moment. A youngish couple minding their own business get set upon by a gang and the guy is kicked to death.

http://tinyurl.com/yzph85q

What sort of country are we becoming?

Is it becoming unsafe for ordinairy people to walk the streets (although I admit this was at 3am - but that does not excuse it).

I watched "life" on BBC1 last night - and the beautiful scene of two sea horses doing a mating ritual - it was so lovely.

Then you read about these scum and you wonder why we say people like those behave like animals.

[another-view]

"People should be able to walk home at any time of day dressed however they wish WITHOUT the threat of being kicked to death. "

Indeed they should. I quite agree but that simply isn't true in today's society. The slightest hint of something different about someone is enough to set these scum going for you.

"Are you suggesting that we should all moderate our behaviour so we do not antagonise scum risking attack and if we do not then more fool us? I refuse to live as such. "

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Anyone who walks through town dressed or acting extrovertly at 3:30 in the morning when the clubs have just chucked out can expect trouble. You refuse to do that? More fool you.

[another-view]

Quinlad - Because it is different from what people would normally wear. If people are going to walk round town in the dead of night past a gang a drunks, then they must use common sense. It takes very little for these people to rile up.

[vulcan]

it was halloween,3-30 in the morning and the police state" there were a lot of people about as the local clubs were closing".
well,where were the police, did they assume the club leavers had spent the night doing their knitting ?
where I live we have clubs closing early in the morning, the difference is the police are there to greet them.they[police] know under these circumstances, drink, large crowds and early mornings, it will inevitable result in trouble.

[Hazel104]

I fail to see how they were acting extrovertly, she was in fancy-dress, and it had been Halloween.

By your reasoning since they were pretty much outside of the women’s house she deserved it for choosing to live there?

[Sqad]

Why is one celebrating Halloween?

[ludwig]

Again purely anecdotal, but in my own days of going out binge drinking (late 70s early 80s) there was always the chance of being attacked by drunken violent morons for no apparent reason. You just took it for granted that it was an occupational hazard of being out on the town.
What I don't remember is the genuine viciousness that seems to go with today's violence - the knifings, the shootings, peoples heads being kicked repeatedly like footballs. I don't remember deaths being reported as often as they are now. Even in the darkest days of seventies football hooliganism I can't remember deaths being reported with the same frequency. The violence tended to look worse than it was.

[ummmm]

I use to live in a pub in a busy part of town. I watched loads of fights from my bedroom window in the 80's....

[Sqad]

Ludwig:

In the 50's and 60's I felt it was safe, in the 70's and 80's the violence was there, but not the viciousness, so what happened between the 50's and 70's to start this off which accelerated into the present time.

I have my views and they are wrapped up with discipline and respect.

[another-view]

On this one we agree Zeuhl. Hazel seems to be living in a dream world

[ummmm]

They stopped corporal punishment Sqad?

[Sqad]

ummmm.....yes , in my opinion.

[Hazel104]

Not at all, I grew up and live in two of the roughest parts of London. I’ve seen it all.

Your view is defeatist and I refuse to be defeated by the small minded.
Your giving people carte blanche to do want they want purely because they feel someone “looks/acts differently to me”.

Bottom-line here is these people did no wrong, so condemning them is just nonsensical.

[ummmm]

Many were still getting a good hiding at home though.

[R1Geezer]

So what you are saying, another-view, is that all normal people should cower in the shadows walking head down in order to not antagonise the pond life that stalks ours streets. Right oh! Gotcha, you must be a gutless little tw&t. I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Tell you what I just walk straight through middle and wack the first one that even looks at me funny tell you what when they see you comming looking them in the eye, it;s them that cower believe me. These little sh1t bags understand only one thing, they are weak gutless cowards, front em out they find a soft target, if they out number you about 10 to one they might have a go.

It's attitudes like yours that caused WW2, pacifist are as bad a religious nutters when it comes to causing problems.

[Hazel104]

R1Geezer - you put that much better than I have, that is excatly what I am trying to say.

[jake-the-peg]

Sqad you were probably a young fit man in the 60s that kinda influences how safe you feel.

I could point to loads of cases of street violence in the 50's and 60'

Perhaps the shooting dead of 3 police officers in london in 1966
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wombwell

Football violence is traced back to 1961
http://www.thesportjo...r-hooligans-1961-1986

This is more to do with the fear of violence than violence itself

[scotgal]

This would be the same "Life" prog that showed the bloddy mouthed lion after tryin to kill hyena? Yea lovely hun, just a bit like our streets today

[jake-the-peg]

You really should keep a closer eye on those scottish zoo keepers then!

[naomi24]

Sometimes you despair for this country? You're right. I do.