Something is happening here and you don't know what it is...

Oh, we got another one, just like the other ones
Another bad ass, another trouble-maker
I'm scared, ain't you boys scared?
I wonder if he's gonna show us what bad is?
Boys, we got a man with a dog collar on
You think we oughta throw ol' Spike a bone?

Hey Spike what do you like?
Hey Spike what do you like?

Here's another misfit, another Jimmy Dean
Bet he's got a motorbike,
What'a y'all think?
Bet if we be good we'll get a ride on it
If he ain't too mad about the future --
Maybe we oughta help him see
The future ain't what it used to be

Hey Spike, you're scarin' my wife
Hey Spike what do you like?
Please Spike, tell us 'bout life?

--Tom Petty

 I'm not sure which irony captures our world's banal yet insane vibe better -- Mahmoud Achmajenabad lecuring the UN on the hypocrisy of ignoring the riots in the UK or Michele Bachmann flitting down the aisle of her private plane with a wicker basket of snacks and hand sanitizer for the press. While Bachmann is more physically attractive than Achmajenabad, he's more substantive. Kinda, sorta...although I admit that complimenting a world leader by saying he's more substantive than Michelle Bachman is a pretty backhanded bitch slap of a compliment. So, I'll go with the Iranian jerkoff in this case...

The UK is an interesting mix of soccer hooliganism and class warfare working it to a techno-rap soundtrack. Austerity doesn't work to handle recessions, and the combination of class, poverty, and hopelessness really goes a long way toward providing a spark to a pretty combustible situation. Wisconsin was about taking someone's rice bowl; this is a tad more existential, a bit of "What are you rebelling against?" "Whaddaya got?"

Achmajinewhatthefuck has a pretty valid point. And, frankly, just because you're Christian and western and democratic doesn't exactly equate to not totalitarian. It's a pretty faulty syllogism -- All Men are Mortal; Michelle Bachmann is a Mortal; Michelle Bachman would look good in Spandex...and a dog collar.

Now one of our brothers overheard a conversation between a couple of Brits and an American who responded to their concerns about what was happening at home by saying that "It couldn't happen in Indiana because the guy behind the counter would have a shotgun. As for the couldn't happen in Indiana thing, there is some truth to it...diets high in high fructose corn syrup do produce a certain amount of passivity. As does Indiana in general...But, on the other hand, it's wise to remember that if you point a gun at 50 people with rocks and clubs, there's a good chance that when it's done, you'll be among the dead and someone else will have your gun...money...car keys...liquor...food...girl...lottery tickets...Big Gulp...

 

It's worth remembering that the UK riots started in response to cops killing a kid in a ghetto. When people protested, the cops over-reacted, and hilarity ensued... with more to come until somebody gets their head out of their fourth point of contact.