English task - Looting in London

1.       The difference between looting and rioting, is that looting not involves any physical violent. Looting is a kind of shoplifting, and is a result of the riots. In addition to that, it often  includes a wider range of people, often children, women and older people. Another thing that is different from rioting is the fact, that looting not necessarily has to have any reason. Many looters don’t have much money, or any work, so that might be a reason for their behavior. When the shops already are destroys, it’s easier for people (and their conscience) to shoplift.

2.      

a.       Social exclusion: When someone is excluded and separated from the social society, then he or she is 

b.      Disregard social norms: To ignore and not respect the social norms/ rules.

c.       High unemployment: When a country has a huge number of not – working inhabitants, there is a high unemployment rate.  

d.      Criminologist: A person that studies crime, the behavior from criminal persons, causes for criminal behavior and so on.  

e.      Opportunism: Is a kind of strategy or behavior that uses the surroundings for his/ her own benefit, often without any regard to the social norm or rules.  

f.        Lack of invention: When nothing is done to make a situation better. An example for that is when people loots without anyone paying attention to it or anyone doing something about the situation.  

g.       Consumerism: The use and consume of a product or service is called consumerism.

h.      Catalyst of unrest: Is the reason why something happens. The Catalyst of unrest is the factor that speeds up an upcoming event.

3.        Yes, I think this could have happened in Norway too. Maybe not in such a big dimension, because Norway doesn’t have a lot hooligans that could have made people looting. Despite the fact that Norway has a little number of unemployment, there are, and always will be unemployed people in the country. That little number of unemployed inhabitants could technically do looting, but if we look at the situation of Norway today, I don’t think that this will be a situation that someone has to worry about in the nearer future.    

4.       I think the lootings (and the riots) say a lot about the social conditions in England. The fact that people does practice looting, shows us that the rate of unemployment in England is quite high. That also means that there are very many poor people in England, which can be a cause for their behavior. As a result of these two factors, we may see that the social conditions in the country aren’t so good, especially not in the “lower classes” in the English society. I think that the traditional class system has a lot to do with the riots and the looting. The typical class system may have changed a bit through the years, but we still recognize it in today’s England. The classes are still there; the ones with work and a good life standard, and the unemployed people with a lower life standard. Most of the people with no work, was born and grew up in families that lived in the same way, without work and in “the lower class”. For these people it’s often much harder to find work, not only because the main part of them doesn’t have any education, but also because the English society doesn’t give them the chance to. I won’t say that the behavior of looters is correct in any possible way, but what I want to say is that both the English society, and the looters has to take one step in the direction of the other part.