Riots: Sad fact

Sad fact is that we don't hear about events in the world unless they are reported upon and the media (television, radio, Internet and social media sites) rarely reports on events unless they involve violence or destruction. Terrorist acts, bombings, demonstrations, murder, rape, crashes, natural disasters are the events that most capture a viewing audience, not only because they provide a sense of awe and spectacle, but because they  speak more directly to our fears. Of course, these events are the most valued by the media industry, who thrive on them in the very real sense of the word, since viewer time equals advertising dollars. Those who are poor, who live in dire situations and don't see themselves as part of a valued society and who don't have a voice in the usual sense of being represented by the government, sometimes have no other recourse than to create situations in which they may be seen and heard. Rioting is one way that individuals can draw attention to their plight and the recent Manchester riots, have drawn attention to the fact that approximately twenty percent of the adult population have no qualifications, a quarter of the children live in severe poverty and Manchester is the self-harm capital of Europe. The people are alienated and disillusioned ~ government cuts to education and youth welfare centers has limited personal potential for betterment, cohesion and inclusion in a society that is more concerned with consumerism and celebrity than it is with the welfare of its own citizens. It's extremely troubling that these dejected people have to take to the streets and use violence upon police and each other in order to draw attention to their lack of power. Sick at heart and somber, like many people in a similar situation throughout the world these people are part of society that we don't see for lack of looking ~ they are just a faint mist at the periphery of our vision, generally ignored as something we care nothing for, best forgotten in the hope they'll somehow disappear!