I just read the homeschooling thread, and I was appalled. I am an American man, and I take great pride in providing my family a safe home and very nice environment in which to live and grow. What has apparently happened to the population of the U.K. is chilling. Apparently socialism has turned into overbearing government control. Thought crimes? Cameras everywhere? Garbage bin police? Political correctness gone mad? Furthermore, it seems the underclass (chavs?) has grown and is now a threat to anyone on the streets of your cities, and no one stands up to them? And, of course, you have no right to defend yourselves, and you have no weapons with which to do so?

If I am wrong about this, please tell me how it really is (I will be relieved). But if these things are true, I ask you, are you men, or did the government confiscate your testicles, too?

You'd be 100% correct

But how much different is it here in our country?

why single the poor brits out?

It seems rather worse there than here. But I have not been there in years, so I am not sure that the information we receive is correct.

reply to post by Grumble

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It's not that much worse... we just have more rural areas and open country side where the cameras, pc and other factors don't really reach as well... although are beginning to...

Cities might as well be in the same country however

Although I can identify with the idea that we are apathetic I will refrain from entering into nationalistic swaggering. It is bad here and in most countries, just in differant ways.

chavs are a massive problem, some people will fight aganist them because they are not strong but the normal citzen is weary of them they are like rats, alot og gangs around, we have no legal right to protect ourselves if we do we are arrested,camreas are everywere however not in the countryside, but what you said there is all true.
Yes, us men are been castrated so that we can not protect ourselves and our familes

They can not actually castrate you

sure

they can take rights away and let things be out of your control

But they can not control what I teach my children and teach them young

My oldest son, knows full well who he is and how to handle these scags ... not talking violence, simply, education and how to keep your mind free of propaganda

They can never take your mind unless you let them

My husband is british, he is quite aggressive and certainly will not take much crap from anyone.

Castrated? No, but the British public has a disturbing amount of trust and complacency in allowing the social institutions and government decide what what is right and wrong, acceptable and allow alot of things to happen without much protest.

But no, not castrated. many are quite sick of it, and try to leave the UK. They aren't weak, they just have a heavier boot grinding down on them, that's all.

We got a leaflet for our local MP stating how he would "Drive the hoodlums from the streets" and "Show no mercy when doing so" I lolled so hard reading it. If I can find it I'll scan it.

reply to post by Grumble

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Yeah cause government abuse of power only affect those with testicles. Grrrr! I can understand your outrage.

British balls should take the streets right now!

Yes, here in the UK a lot of our rights are being taken away from us. That is because the whole political system is corrupt and a farce. The sooner we remove it and replace it with something that will serve us rather than imprison us, the better.

However, I ask Americans, have you been castrated ?

Your government bombs you, sends you out on wars to make individuals rich and steals your money by the trillion. They have your prison and coffin ready for you (FEMA camps) and what have you done about it ? NOTHING. What are you going to do about it ? NOTHING.

( Please do not think that I am anti-American, I certainly am not. I take the trouble to write this because I really like America and Americans. ) but

If you do not start to do something about this, THEY WILL KILL YOU.

My trouser contents were intact last time I checked.

The disarming of the British population has no bearing on the issue of any possible armed struggle against an overbearing government. Firearms in public hands were few and far between and limited to sports shooters. Unlike the US where guns are so much more available.
Hell, they did such a good job, along with the compliant and ignorant press, of portraying any firearms holder as being some wannabe Rambo figure, on a hair trigger mentally and about to unleash mass death on innocent people at any time, that the equally ill informed masses were falling over themselves to condemn ownership of firearms. It was a classic mass mind control move.

Yes, we are more watched than ever before and those in power want ever more intrusive means to catalogue us and our every move, but maybe the worm is turning. The MP's expenses scandal opened them up to mass public ridicule and calls for transparency and scrutiny on a scale not seen for a long time. Much as the government wanted to gloss over it, it has been damaging and will continue to be so as more is made public. I'm not sure we need armed struggle to remove a corrupt government, although it sure would be nice to legally have some means of defence against the criminal classes instead of waiting for the police to turn up after the fact to "investigate" (a bit late if you've been shot by some criminal with an illegal firearm - who of course were not bothered by the government firearms ban!)

Anyhoos, back to the point. I see a lot of tough talk from across the pond too, but little in the way of action. Maybe people have become so dumbed down and complacently comfortable, they are afraid that a revolution might postpone the next series of American idol!
As has already been pointed out, illegal wars and the subsequent loss of American lives, the huge cost of those wars, criminal fraud in the financial sector and the taxpayer being put on the hook for the debts, while the fat cats reap bigger rewards for their failures seems to have caused little or no real outrage. What is needed to make the people angry enough to actually do something?

I took to the streets, got kettled for 8 hours, got harrased by heavy handed thug police and sent on my merry way. The police state is strong in this country. we have a larger than acknowledged under class, the richer have got richer, the poorest poorer, we look to blame the chavs or the Muslims or the immigrants for all societies ills. There is no community, people fear the young.

I blame Margret Thatcher and the Daily Mail reading masses.

reply to post by Grumble

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It's not as bad as you make it.

I live here, I see the "gangs" on the streets...however these "gangs" are generally just stupid teenagers who haven't really got any issues just hanging out. Yes you get some idiots, but you do everywhere.

A few years ago I came out of a supermarket and witnessed three 18-20 ish year olds start on a young guy in a suit. Now, I for one learnt not to tolerate crap from anyone a long time ago, because if you do, they'll keep doing it. Now these guys could of had knifes, but when seeing the guy being kicked and punched my "instinct" if you like kicked in. I dropped the bags I was carrying and shouted "WTF do you think you're doing" and did my best version of the T-1000 fast walk. I continued to shout as I approached so that anyone in the area would know that something is going on. As I got with a few meters they ran. I helped the guy up and made sure he was OK. He was, just a bit shaken. I asked him to go to the supermarket and call the police. I then (without thinking) ran after them.

I chased them for 5 minutes and one of the "gang" happened to be a bit of a chubby chap and almost collapsed out of breath. I grabbed him and he almost wet his pants. He started blubbering that it wasn't him, he didn't do anything it was the others. So I asked him why they did it, he said because the guy looked at them funny.

I had a rant at him for a bit, asking if I should kick the crap out of him for looking at me funny. Tears started to roll down his cheek, and felt sorry for him. He and his mates were just a bunch of insecure individuals that were victims of a paranoid society.

The problem here is that, and maybe in America, is that immature kids with no real worldly experience are having kids of their own. They are missing stable foundations. Thinking that money and "respect" is what life is about.

You see this stuff everyday on TV, these aren't hardened criminals, they are just kids that are making very big mistakes without understanding their actions or the consequences.

Do I know the answer to this, no. Tougher laws, no, I don't think so.

I'd like to point out that if I lived in a country where the arability of guns a rife, then I don't think I would have done the above. I myself would be more likely to be part of the paranoid society and would be a bystander in situation like this.

Just to finish off, I let the guy go and returned to the supermarket, (my bags were still there ) and went inside and asked about the guy in the suit. He never went into the supermarket, nor called the police. Just went home.

We have had a few instances in the UK where situation like mine have resulted in the intervener being killed. But I still think that if you let people walk all over you, then they will. If we lived in a society where people did not just stand and watch but intervened then I feel that the number of similar situations would decrease, as who would create a situation where they know that anyone in view would not tolerate it?

Just my 2 pence.

To be fair the origional poster is lacking first hand experience. Violence can be bad everywhere but from what Ive seen, a bar fight in America is a total joke compared to a proper British one. They seem to wrestle and box were in England its all broken bottles and eye gougeing. This might sound immature but most Americans would bab their pants in they were in the vicinity of conflict that happens every Friday and Saturaday ( Saturns Day) in every city without fail. I might be wrong but I could have nearly fallen asleep seeing the one bar fight I did in America, didnt really capture that sickening, adrenal fight for you life feeling of the ones in England.

Your so right about the British pub scene, because I have a brother who stayed in London for about 6 months and he told me that the pub scene is wild. He told me he saw some pretty savage beatings. Anyway I agree with you that the fights in America are all grappling and boxing or they just pull a gun and shoot. So yeah, in most cases we Yanks get down a little softer than you Brits but there are bar fights here just as rough as you claim in the UK. Just not often though, because the cops usually get there quick and everyone spreads like roaches under a light.

[edit on 16-6-2009 by Jakes51]

Well i took to the streets in protests, and got kettled, hit with a shield and chased down the street.... Just for being unhappy about the state of my country.

The problem lies with the police. The Police in the UK are taking on elements of thuggery (treating the G20 for an example as an excuse to 'crack hippy skulls') and don't seem interested in defending the law.

Honest to god, you can watch the reality TV police shows in the Uk, and you'll see police PUNCHING suspects on TV. **

It's a way of conditioning us. A great class divide, for as long as the lower classes are made to feel stupid, dumbed down and worthless then there will be a constant flux of idiots who will take advantage of this. Then as long as we have the idiots, then we'll have the police treating us all the same.

In regards to being disarmed, this isn't really a problem, as unlike America, we don't need guns to solve problems. We're a tough breed of people us Brits...

Unfortunately our police are becoming 'Americanised' , carrying tazers and guns now, which is really sad.

** Yet the Police aren't there when you need them? Twice i've been jumped by gangs (once in a store robbery and once on a bus) and the police weren't there to help. I had to rely on my own skill and wits to get out of the situation.... I could have been stabbed or battered to death, but luckily i managed to survive.

Bravo buddy for taking it to the streets and demanding change. It's too bad your MP's aren't listening. Yeah, you Brits are a tough bunch no denying that. You will get your affairs in order sooner or later. Keep up the fight and good luck.

Castrated? No. LOL

There is a reason why Brown won't call an election, and that is because he's unelectable.

And when an election is called, there is likely to be a huge seed change in the voting system, because of the recent MP expenses scandal.

We live in interesting times in the UK and there is a potential for massive change, but the impetus and interest needs to be kept up.

I wouldnt call it trust of institutions but rather the over-bearing feeling of helplessness that you cannot change something so you dont bother. I have no trust in our justice system - nither does anyone i know. We joke about it, you kill someone and your out within a year, rob a bank? your in for life. I'm pretty sure any american can understand how screwed over we feel but what about the rest of the world? The men who have NEVER been able to defend and feed there familys? The next revolution will not just happen in a country, it will spread over the world should the media be kind enough to stream it.

Personally, i think the French are going to start it. They seem to be in the only country in europe with Balls. Being british and saying that, its bitter to my tongue XD