Happy slapping and ASBO's in Britain. - Darkforum.com - Dark Stories, Dark Art, Poetry, Photography, Debates and Discussions

Iron's Rite · *Last edited by Iron's Rite : 07-06-05 at 11:06.*

Quote:

Violent 'Happy Slapping'
Craze Plagues Britain
By Tom Hundley
Foreign Correspondent
Chicago Tribune
6-22-5

LONDON -- Watch out for "happy slapping," the latest youth craze to sweep Britain.

It's not a new dance step or even a new designer drug. It's a criminal assault.

Groups of teenagers approach an unsuspecting person and begin punching and kicking him or her while capturing it all on their mobile camera phones. The images are later uploaded and shared on the Internet.

The victims can be young or old, male or female. Bus stops, tube stations and parks are considered prime venues. In most cases, the injuries are minor. But on Saturday, British newspapers reported that an 11-year-old London girl had been raped by a gang of happy slappers, and Scotland Yard confirmed that three 14-year-old boys had been arrested.

The craze apparently started in London late last year but has spread across the country. British Transport Police say they have investigated about 200 attacks in London alone since the beginning of the year, but they acknowledge that most go unreported.

Happy slapping is the latest manifestation of what Britons call "yob culture." The word "yob" dates to the 19th Century--it likely derives from "boy" spelled backward--and it denotes a kind of loutish, anti-social behavior associated with working-class youth in Britain's urban centers. The British soccer hooligan is the quintessential yob.

"I happyslap people," explained "Huni bo" from Sleaford on a popular yob blog. "I dnt see nowt wrong wit it tho, ima good person! Its well funni tho!!"

"It's not funny," replied Spartanette from Swansea. "If it's just among mates and you actually know the person, then it's harmless, but when you do it to someone you don't even know, you deserve a beating."

"So I deserve a beatin yeh?" replied Huni bo. "Wes onli do it ppl lyk are age ish, say from 15 -- 19 or 20. summats, wunt do it to an old man, even though they keep avin a go at us, an it dus are heds in!"

Violent anti-social behavior is hardly news in Britain--it was common in Charles Dickens' time and was made iconic by the 1971 film and Anthony Burgess' 1962 novel, "A Clockwork Orange"--but a particularly vicious attack last month once again focused national attention on the problem.

Phil Carroll, 49, a father of four from Salford, a modest, middle-class suburb of Manchester, confronted three youths from a nearby housing project after they threw a stone at his car. Suddenly, he was set upon by a larger group. The attackers left him bleeding and unconscious in the street. He remained in a coma for two weeks before waking.

But it wasn't the attack that drew headlines. It was Manchester Police Chief Supt. David Baines' graphic characterization of the attackers:

"They are gangs of feral youths who are under no control from adults, parents or anyone else," he said. "They are not concerned about respect or their responsibilities. The criminal justice system holds no fear for them. This is a national problem. Today it is Salford. Tomorrow, it will be somewhere else."

`Culture of respect'

A week later, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to create "a culture of respect" in Britain. He used the annual Queen's Speech, in which the government sets out its legislative agenda for the year, to declare war on yob culture.

"It's time to reclaim the streets for the decent majority," Blair told Parliament. "People are rightly fed up with street corner and shopping center thugs ... [and] binge drinking that makes our town centers no-go areas for respectable citizens."

One new tactic that will be tried this summer is "dispersal zones," designated areas in cities where police have powers to impose curfews, ban groups of two or more youths from congregating and send those younger than 16 home to their parents. Those who defy the police risk large fines.

The government also floated the idea of forcing young offenders serving community service sentences to wear bright orange jumpsuits as a means of shaming them.

Hazel Blears, the Home Office's minister for anti-social behavior, told the Observer newspaper that she didn't want young people "breaking rocks" in chain gangs but that the public needed to see that offenders were being punished.

Experts dismiss humiliation

Juvenile crime experts were doubtful, and the idea appears to have been scuttled.

"In my experience there is no benefit gained from humiliating offenders in public," said Rod Morgan, the government's chief adviser on juvenile crime.

Last month, a large shopping mall near London banned teenagers wearing hooded sweatshirts and baseball caps, an adolescent fashion that in Britain is associated with anti-social behavior. The justification was that the hoods and caps obscured faces from the mall's ubiquitous security cameras.

Politicians and the public have applauded the ban. Owners of the mall say they have seen a 22 percent increase in shoppers since they began enforcing it. But many ordinary law-abiding teens also dress in that style, and critics said the ban tarred all youngsters with the same brush.

"It grabs media attention," said Bob Ashford, a specialist in prevention programs with the Youth Justice Board, an advisory and monitoring panel.

"Our view is we don't want to demonize kids. Lots of kids wear this clothing. It's a fashion statement. To label a person as criminal or dangerous because of what he is wearing . . . is not a solution," he said.

The government's main weapon against yobbery is the ASBO. An acronym for "anti-social behavior order," it is a civil order obtained from a court that prohibits a person from engaging in certain narrowly defined activities that are not necessarily criminal but are clearly anti-social.

A neighbor who habitually throws loud drunken parties might be slapped with an ASBO that sharply curtails the number of guests allowed on the premises after 9 p.m. People who violate an ASBO can be jailed.

At first, the process of obtaining an ASBO was overly bureaucratic, slow and costly. Only 600 were issued in the first three years of the program, which began in 1998. But the process has been streamlined, and last year 2,600 ASBOs were issued.

Some community activists say the targeted use of ASBOs has been an effective crime-stopper, but others point to abuses.

Banned from rivers, bridges

In one well-publicized case earlier this year, a woman from Bath who had tried repeatedly to commit suicide was issued an ASBO that prohibits her from going near rivers, bridges, train lines and tall buildings. A woman in Scotland got an ASBO to stop her from answering the front door in her bra and panties.

The problem, according civil libertarians, is that ASBOs allow people to be jailed for activities that are not crimes, such as using foul language or answering the door in one's underwear.

Happy Slapping assault
on mobile phone cam

Children as young as 10 have been ASBOed. That prompted a warning earlier this month from Alvaro Gil-Robles, the Council of Europe's human-rights commissioner. He said the government's policy was "criminalizing" children, and that no child under 16 should be jailed for violating an ASBO.

Morgan, the government's crime adviser, said ASBOs could be useful in curbing juvenile crime, but only after authorities had worked with parents and schools, issued warning letters and drawn up acceptable behavior contracts.

"If you do the proper groundwork, very seldom do you need to resort to an ASBO," he said.

But crime rates falling

Although crime rates in Britain have been dropping for a decade, the public perception is that crime and anti-social behavior are on the rise. There has been no shortage of tough talk from politicians.

In the run-up to last month's general elections, Michael Howard, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, vowed to "make yobs fear the police."

"I want policemen--and women--to have the confidence to eyeball these characters, to invade their personal body space, just like they are invading ours, to confront and challenge their unacceptable behavior," he said.

"I don't want members of the public looking over their shoulders. I want the yobs looking around in fear," he added.

Morgan said a good start would be for politicians and the media to stop describing children as yobs and their anti-social behavior as "feral."

"They didn't choose their parents or their neighborhoods, and they can't walk away from their circumstances," he said. "I don't think these are appropriate words if we are trying to build a culture of respect."

Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0
506190250jun19,1,1220053,print.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

I will be referring to the activity referred to in this article as Chav-ass-hattery or CAH for short, for purposes of accuracy.
Comparisons to the American Wankstah or Wigger are also encouraged in this discussion. ASBO's seem like they might be effective, however, I feel that their potential abuse as a means of regulating personal behavior is to much of a risk. It's funny to note the contrast between the violent forms of youth subculture currently in vogue and those that had their hey-day with previous generations. The Punk and Goth subcultures are known for rejection of social-norms but not based around violent behavior. I have never been one for censorship but I am also aware that absorbing forms of media that glorify violence can have a negative effect when those consuming it have not been taught an understanding of reality and moral values. In the end I say that this problem can be traced back to bad parents.

syphilis · 07-06-05

I've seen a couple of video's on the net about it.
All slappers were either blacks or pakis.

Just shows undeveloped humans can't control their violent behaviour in a civilized country.

Most funny thing is some adults don't even have the guts to defend themselfs.
They just deserve to be slapped for being cowards.

lazaruscorporat · 07-06-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by syphilis

I've seen a couple of video's on the net about it.
All slappers were either blacks or pakis.

Just shows undeveloped humans can't control their violent behaviour in a civilized country.

Do you want to explain that comment before I dismiss you as an ignorant racist?

lazaruscorporat · 07-06-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron's Rite

I will be referring to the activity referred to in this article as Chav-ass-hattery or CAH for short, for purposes of accuracy.
Comparisons to the American Wankstah or Wigger are also encouraged in this discussion. ASBO's seem like they might be effective, however, I feel that their potential abuse as a means of regulating personal behavior is to much of a risk. It's funny to note the contrast between the violent forms of youth subculture currently in vogue and those that had their hey-day with previous generations. The Punk and Goth subcultures are known for rejection of social-norms but not based around violent behavior. I have never been one for censorship but I am also aware that absorbing forms of media that glorify violence can have a negative effect when those consuming it have not been taught an understanding of reality and moral values. In the end I say that this problem can be traced back to bad parents.

ASBOs are very much a middle-class invention - their main use has been to criminalise things which aren't 'nice' according to the middle classes. They're a dream for every cantankerous old git who has muttered "it shouldn't be allowed" - now nothing is allowed because an ASBO can be used to criminalise any sort of behaviour - the definitions are completely subjective.

ASBOs are the creation of an authoritarian/bureaucratic mindset - they make everything illegal unless there is a specific law which defines your right to do something. I believe that everything should be legal unless there is a specific law against it.

Nivvie · 07-06-05

I live horribly close to an ASBO filled estate, and I like them.
Anti-social behaviour covers such a broad spectrum, you need something that generalises.

A lot of this stuff is illegal, but by itself it's hard to get a result.
I woke up one morning and and found every flower in my garden had been pulled out. No one really cares about that kind of thing.
I've had my car scratched. My neighbour had her cat injured.
Sooo many eggs thrown at the houses that the local shop has just stopped selling them.
It's getting harder and harder when out on funerals, to cope with the sight of all the smashed gravestones, spraypainted angels, and worst of all, vandalised toys. These people are in the process of burying their loved ones, and know that this time next week some kid could have tried to dig them up (It's always tried, it's very hard to actually dig someone up), and scattered the carefully shosen flowers.

Some of the most obnoxious kids in our area are now on ASBOs, and I can see it's made a difference, as someone is keeping a tab. Things are definitely quieter.

Before it was too easy for each little incident to be washed away. Now they know they'll get an ASBO, and then there's the risk of up to five years in prison.

I don't see the criminaliseation of behaviour as a bad thing as the behaviour has to fall into the catagories of either causing harm, distress or alarm.

Synikul · 07-06-05

Why can't they just play video games and leave people alone?

Dyshade · 07-06-05

In California it used to be the OI groups..... Skinheads both racist and nonracist.... also some punker groups.... it will always be a problem..... we have a bored youth who see nothing else to do but drink and start shit...... break stuff or fight..... it comes from them not having jobs..... and boredom feeds the fire

Dyshade · 07-06-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazaruscorporat

Do you want to explain that comment before I dismiss you as an ignorant racist?

Dismiss away..... just ignore that statement....

lazaruscorporat · 07-07-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nivvie

I live horribly close to an ASBO filled estate, and I like them.
Anti-social behaviour covers such a broad spectrum, you need something that generalises.

A lot of this stuff is illegal, but by itself it's hard to get a result.
I woke up one morning and and found every flower in my garden had been pulled out. No one really cares about that kind of thing.
I've had my car scratched. My neighbour had her cat injured.
Sooo many eggs thrown at the houses that the local shop has just stopped selling them.
It's getting harder and harder when out on funerals, to cope with the sight of all the smashed gravestones, spraypainted angels, and worst of all, vandalised toys. These people are in the process of burying their loved ones, and know that this time next week some kid could have tried to dig them up (It's always tried, it's very hard to actually dig someone up), and scattered the carefully shosen flowers.

Some of the most obnoxious kids in our area are now on ASBOs, and I can see it's made a difference, as someone is keeping a tab. Things are definitely quieter.

Before it was too easy for each little incident to be washed away. Now they know they'll get an ASBO, and then there's the risk of up to five years in prison.

I don't see the criminaliseation of behaviour as a bad thing as the behaviour has to fall into the catagories of either causing harm, distress or alarm.

I sympathise with your situation, but I still don't think that criminalising everything - which the concept of ASBOs effectively does - is the solution.

As you said in your post "A lot of this stuff is illegal" - for the behaviour that is already illegal (scratching cars, pulling up flowers, vandalising cemetries are all examples of criminal damage) then you arrest the little tykes and punish them appropriately. If it's already illegal then you don't need an ASBO to make it more illegal.

If arresting the criminals is the problem, then you need to put more police on the streets, have a crack down on any behaviour, such as the criminal damage you mentioned, which is already illegal.

And the real solution is for the community to self-police itself. This means that if you catch a little git vandalising something you give him a good kicking, rather than moving to the other side of the road.

Lenina · 07-07-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron's Rite

I will be referring to the activity referred to in this article as Chav-ass-hattery or CAH for short, for purposes of accuracy.
Comparisons to the American Wankstah or Wigger are also encouraged in this discussion. ASBO's seem like they might be effective, however, I feel that their potential abuse as a means of regulating personal behavior is to much of a risk. It's funny to note the contrast between the violent forms of youth subculture currently in vogue and those that had their hey-day with previous generations. The Punk and Goth subcultures are known for rejection of social-norms but not based around violent behavior. I have never been one for censorship but I am also aware that absorbing forms of media that glorify violence can have a negative effect when those consuming it have not been taught an understanding of reality and moral values. In the end I say that this problem can be traced back to bad parents.

That used to be a day in the life of a Catchgater... (Catchgate... My shithole home town...) Usually racist fuckwits used to punch the fuck out of random people... And usually chav's used to do it to anyone who wandered past their "hangout" (Hangout AKA, the seat at the top of the street next to a bus terminal...)

It's not a new craze per say... The only new thing about it is... Well they have discovered "camera"... It took some time.... Say like... seven fucking years but hey, at least it proves that they can be taught....

neonwraith · 07-09-05

Quite frankly wide-scale sterilisation is effective, but not as cost effective as a daisy-cutter bomb.

EL