As the riots continue

So this is how the riots have affected me...

1. I couldn't order chinese from my usual on Sunday because it was in the middle of the riot
2. I can't pick up the bits I need for my holiday because all of the shops around me have either been looted or are closed for fear of being looted
3. My online shopping arrived an hour early waking me up from a nap because they were trying to fit in all the deliveries they had missed because of the rioting
4. I have had broken and disturbed sleep due to the sirens and helicopters circling overhead.

So essentially, nothing that I cannot recover from with a cup of tea and a sit down.

This is how the riots have affected other people in my neighbourhood...

1. They don't have homes
2. They don't have any belongings
3. They can't feed their families
4. They are afraid to walk on the street
5. Their businesses have been burned to the ground
6. Their livelihoods have been lost
7. Their entire worlds have been turned upside down.

Last night I took a duvet, some pillows, some nappies and some food down to our local sports centre where they are collecting donations. A lot of people told me how generous and kind I was. I don't feel like a good person just for giving up some things I don't actually need anyway. I want to do more. I want to go out on the streets and scream at those idiots out there, reason with them, try and understand why they think this makes sense.

I get that they are are unhappy, frig we are all unhappy with the Government, the taxes, the cuts, the unemployment. BUT YOU AREN'T HELPING THAT. I don't understand why they can't see that they are costing the Government more money, costing themselves more money, more time out of a job, more pain and unhappiness as these wrongs are made right. These high streets WILL be rebuilt, the majority of shops WILL reopen. The fires will be put out and the windows will be replaced. You aren't leaving a legacy. You aren't hurting the big people, the people you think are hurting you. You are only hurting the little people. The people like you, the people who one day were in your position and worked hard to get out of it. Worked fucking hard to have the things that you have taken away from them with one match and some lighter fluid.

These thugs make me feel physically sick but still I want to help them, I want to make a difference to their lives to stop them hurting. Stop them from hurting so hard that they hurt other people. It's not right to feel so anonymous that you are happy to be filmed looting, burning buildings and vehicles. Donating a few things does not make me a good person, going out there and making a difference would make me a good person. Being a police officer would make me a good person. Being a member of parliament would make me a good person. You might not like these people or think they are doing the right thing right now but they are doing what they think is right. And who am I to disagree? All I can do is offer a loaf of bread.