Violence is the Refuge of the Ignorant

I used to tease my mum when she would twist my ears for doing or saying something wrong, I’d say “violence is the refuge of the ignorant”... of course she thought it was rude. Whilst then it was just a JOKE, I believe it best describes what is going on in many boroughs in London, and across the United Kingdom. Ignorance, ignorant parenting, and disrespect for the law as a result of to ignorance to what it takes for good governance. Where there is ignorance, violence becomes the only mode of communication.

As street fires, petrol bombs, disgruntled teens and adults rioting without a cause swept across many areas of the United Kingdom, I did a quick mental analysis of the areas of London that were affected. I admit; it is a vast generalisation to say that most of these areas are home to a lot of the less privileged, less educated people living on benefits, etc, however for the sake of my argument let’s agree that they are. It begs the question is social welfare the best route for a nation.

The riots have been masked as being a protest against particular ethnic groups being picked on and treated wrongly, while that may or may not be the case, the riots have not been solely about that. After watching a series of interviews with the rioters stupid enough to show their face on television, it has become evident that there is no unifying cause, no message that the rioters want us to hear, no burning issue they want the prime ministers attention over. They just took an opportunity to collect what they haven’t worked for, as they always have.

These rioters have enjoyed a mandatory free education that while not as good as a private education is still GOOD, they enjoy free healthcare, uninterrupted power, pastoral care is also free on the NHS, free housing. In addition to all this if they are still unable to secure employment they collect fortnightly (or weekly, I’m not sure) benefits for food, a hoodie from primark(had to pop in a joke there), and for most alcohol, cigarettes, and on the odd week a spiky dog collar for those beasts they carry around London to scare people. This is the model I have always argued that we ought to follow in Nigeria. I thought that it was necessary for us to give out benefits, housing, and everything that a wealthy person can provide for themselves to those who can’t, but I am now being forced to reconsider this.

Whatever comes free is never valued. Perhaps if these rioters understood the importance of hard work to survive, if they hadn’t taken for granted the free education they enjoyed, and actually made the best of it, if they understood that they would be homeless if they didn’t work to pay rent, if they knew they would not have the luxuries of food and clothing that they have without a job perhaps they may have thought twice about taking to the streets to pilfer from a society that provides to them at no cost to themselves.

I will not change my position on the need for a social safety net in Nigeria so quickly, because we do still need to provide at the very least primary and secondary education for all, healthcare, power. However, we also need to consider that there are side effects to “free everything”. Free breeds disrespect, ignorance to the inside workings of a society and its government, and when the ignorance becomes full grown its only refuge is in violence.

Xoxo.

Disclaimer: I am not for a second suggesting all the people in the areas of rioting are uneducated and underproviledged as this is inaccurate, it was merely a generalisation made as food for thought on the issue of welfare, and I mean no offense by it.