I have no love for Norris green, personally, but I only experienced little things there, as aposed to my supposedly nice area now, where I have been through hell.

I have many friends around my area, but I can not always be with them.

No offense to anyone here, but in my experience there is nearly always a reason for an attack, however bizarre that reason might be.

Stranger violence is actually very rare, despite what the tabloids say.

My guess is that if someone from a particular area is being attacked by people from the same area, there's something behind it - whatever that may be.

As a victim of what I thought was a random stanley knife attack many years ago I speak from experience.

I didn't know the guy, but he knew me - I'd "been with" his ex girlfriend and he didn't like it.

Trace it back and go through who knows who, and the reason eventually becomes apparent.

The other side of the coin is that some people go around just asking for it - not that I'm saying that about anyone here.

There's an Irish saying;
"talk quiet or carry a big stick"

Meaning if a person is loud or lairy then they'd better be able to look after themselves because they get themselves noticed - often by the wrong people...

Originally posted by stumason

Although, it would seem alot of US posters think it's all Miss Marple, tea and scones, Pride and Prejudice nonsense....

Not this US poster I assure you.

I've seen the violence on UK streets first hand, so this news comes as no shock, although at the risk of offending my fellow gun owners, I think it grossly over-simplifies the issue to suggest that the high crime rates we are seeing in the UK are caused by a lack of gun ownership, after all, if that were true wouldn't Japan be awash with crime, and Somalia would be crime free. The ability to defend yourself and deter crime is certainly a key element, but for the UK I don't think it's the main one.

I think the problem is the people, the British are inherently violent, that's one of the reasons that the rest of us had to spend the last 200 years kicking them out of our respective nations and clearing up the mess they left behind. General standards of behavior are poor, sometimes very poor.

The country is a mess alright, they are such talented people but with such a lousy attitude. The future of the UK is bleak, Churchill must surely be spinning in his grave.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
It was an unprovoked attack, and had to deal with three or four lads punching and kicking me in the face.

Over here 3 or 4 violent attackers would constitute what is referred to as a "disparity of force".

In laymans terms, you could legally shoot the little bastards.

Having earlier said that guns are not necessarily the solution to the UKs violence related social issues, the application of a well placed magazine of .40S&W hollow points would certainly reduce the number of random attacks of the type you describe.

Jesus Retseh, do you talk about anything other than shooting people?

Having read the whole USA contra UK posts, I can only say that, having been in England's south several times, I have never, ever seen real violence ,even in the "dodgy" parts of say, Bristol, or Exeter. To me, british kids, even teens (had to travel on a schoolbus once ...missed the "real early one" ...ahem.."Blame the Ale, lots of it..")seemed almost scary polite compared to the obnoxious loud-mouth spoilt sh.ts in The Netherlands .
I have to admit hough, that the more decrepid, dysmal parts of Bristol, hit my Dutch/Leftish/socialist sensitivities like a brick .I had never seen poverty that real. Showed me what I knew.. [A fellow shuttle-bus passenger ,seeing my astonished looks , said:Tese housing projects make the UK a certified third-world country, and this isn't even the worst." That remark really schocked me.]
I knew that Thatcherism had killed-off any semblance of fairness and equality for the God of "The Market" and his Prophet "Dow jones", but seeing the actual social result, was disheartening&saddening to say the least. Gangs ,Violent kids/teens , it comes all down to poverty and lack of a future. It's not even single-parent families or teen-pregnancies, it's poverty and hopelessness stemming from an, in my eyes, still deeply Hierarchic society..

Hopelessness&poverty creates violence. "they have nothing to lose" ..
However, I have only been met with tonnes of friendliness and helpful kids&adults (and yes, it rained quite a bit, but The Devon Coast is still utterly gorgeous, despite wet feet... Go and see for Yourself..The pound is cheap,take the oppportunity all You UK-Haterz..)

[edit on 17-7-2009 by diakrite]

[edit on 17-7-2009 by diakrite]

Originally posted by CRB86
Jesus Retseh, do you talk about anything other than shooting people?

Of course he doesn't! This is a guy (if I can call him that) who says that the UK is the most violent place on earth and then goes on about how he's going to shoot everyone. . . Go figure.
I look on him like I would look on any other psychopath! Avoid him and hope he goes away.

Originally posted by kyred
And about a month ago there, a guy walked past a convenience store, saw his enemy in there and pointed his finger at him and kept walking. The enemy ran out of the store, shot the guy in the back and then walked up to him a put a bullet in his head. His defense? He pointed his finger at me in a threatening way.

Strange. Exactly the same thing happened in London recently. Exactly! Guy walking past a take away saw someone from a rival gang. Pointed his fingers at him in a gun shot type way. The guy in the take away ran out, shot him in the back, strolled up and shot him in the head as he was on the floor.

Weird how similar the stories are. I thought you may have been thinking of the London one when I first read.