LONDON and JERUSALEM — The Daily Mail reports on efforts to change British drinking habits (and includes, of course, several tabloid-worthy pictures that make one wonder whether a dating service is needed to help these drunk girls):
Such scenes are not uncommon, which is why Cardiff — one of the country’s worst cities for binge drinking — has just banned boozing on the streets.
The crackdown is aimed at late night revellers, targeting rowdy hen and stag parties and generally trying to make the streets safer after dark.
Police can use the new powers to confiscate alcohol or arrest anyone who defies them.
The ban has been a success in trials in small areas but will spread across the entire city in time for Christmas and the New Year.
Yesterday it was hailed as a big step towards ‘reclaiming the streets’ from drunken yobs.
Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott said: ‘Late night alcohol-fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour is a huge problem on the streets.
‘People deserve to have a night out without the fear of intimidation or facing violence as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.
‘This ban should help the law-abiding and responsible majority to reclaim the streets.’
When I lived in London in 2001 and worked as a bartender at the Zetland Arms, I observed that British people drink a lot — a lot more than your average American. But it was still within reasonable limits. Every night, the regulars — a friendly-but-sad bunch — would arrive after work and drink pint after pint while watching sports. Then they would leave for home late at night and return the next evening.
Later in the evening, the drunk girls would arrive. Since pubs had to close at 12:30 a.m., they would drink a lot and then move to a club or hang out on the streets. (It is legal to drink outside in counties including Britain and Israel.) But I rarely saw any problems. The closest I ever got was when I took the drink out of the hand of a drunken Scotsman because I was angry and he refused to leave at closing time. Luckily, the manager came over and calmed him down. (One lesson of bartending in London: If you want to befriend a Scotsman, mention the film “Braveheart” in a positive way.)
But, sadly, it seems that things have become much worse:
…the proportion of women who binge-drink almost doubled between 1998 and 2006 and is now at 15% (men who binge-drink increased by 1% to 23%). However, the proportion of 16– to 24-year-old men binge-drinking decreased by 9% since 2000. Researchers also found that whilst fewer children are drinking, those that do drink are drinking much more than they did in the past.
Violent crime by youths is also an increasing problem. If the reports are credible (I have not been to Britain since 2001), then English cities are dealing with mobs of drunken, violent youths every night.
If you want to see the future of a country, look at its young people. Great Britain, once known as the economic, cultural, and fashion capital of the world, seems to be crumbling. I first realized this when former British Prime Minister Tony Blair started giving speeches several years ago defending the very idea of the country itself.
The still-unanswered question facing Blair in the 1990s was: What does it mean to be “British” as opposed to “English,” “Welsh,” or “Scottish”? The United Kingdom is a political entity created through conquest that has rarely, if ever, had a collective sense of identity. Blair tried, unsuccessfully, to brand the country as “Cool Britannia.”
The British Empire collapsed after World War II, and the British people never quite recovered subconsciously as the United States, a former colony, became the new leader of the free world. Decades leader, the British people viewed Blair as George W. Bush’s lap dog in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. (In geopolitical terms, Blair could do little else.) It was a confirmation of the global humiliation that the British people have been feeling after centuries of power and influence had disappeared.
In recent years, Scotland and Wales formed their regional parliaments and became more autonomous. The current prime minister, Gordon Brown, is a Scot and now deeply unpopular. It is indeed possible that Great Britain will cease to exist in the coming years. As the country devolves, it might also lose sovereignty to the European Union and the euro.
Cultural divisions and economic conditions are also tearing the country apart. Decades of mass immigration have caused many Brits to feel that their country is no longer “British.” The most-popular, national food is now seen as chicken tikka masala rather than fish ‘n’ chips. (One former coworker here in Israel moved here even though he is not a Jew because he said that his country no longer exists.) Radical Muslims in Britain condemn democracy, want to impose Shari’a law, and have plotted terrorist attacks. Anti-Semitism is skyrocketing (see here and here). Young men are becoming more apathetic and willing to live with their parents as well as on the dole.
The most significant example of the negative feelings held by Britons was the recent inclusion of Nick Griffin, the leader of the far-right British National Party, on the political, panel-discussion show “Question Time.” Both journalism and the free-market are perfect bellwethers of cultural trends. Companies, even media ones, must tailor their products, services, and marketing pitches to pre-existing trends in society. Journalists, who ideally have their fingers on the pulses of people, decide which views are relevant to a the discussion of a given topic. When the BBC, the standard-bearer of British journalism, decides that a person like Griffin is suited to a serious political discussion, that is a clear indicator of what a significant segment of society is feeling.
In the theory of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Great Britain may be nearing towards the end of the life-cycle of all nations and empires as a result of all of these trends and feelings. With all of these cultural, political, and social problems in the subconscious minds of drunk girls and guys, is it any wonder that they seem to have lost hope in the future? Without any optimism, they turn to alcohol and violence out of nihilistic despair.
One of my favorite 1970s-era bands is the Moody Blues, and I think their following pop-rock song from 2000 is an apt description of British malaise:
We’re on a runaway train, rolling down the track / And where it’s take us to, who knows where it’s at / But if we hold together, we can make it back / For an English sunset
And I’ve decided I can live with humility / And the sad decay / ‘Cause that’s the English way
We keep the faith alive in every thing we do / And at the end of the line, we still keep coming through / And though it’s sad and sorry, what else can we do / It’s an English sunset
And I’ve decided they can wait for the requiem / And take it day by day / ‘Cause that’s the English way
As someone who has loved British culture since he was a child, I write this post about these unfortunate drunk girls with extreme sadness. Still, I fear that the same attitudes are affecting behavior in Israel, specifically in Jerusalem. As Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz notes:
Anyone with more than passing knowledge of the atmosphere in central Jerusalem will be aware that the heart of our capital city is rapidly becoming a late night no-go zone.
Clusters of violent youth rule and roam the streets, armed with knives and with the beer and vodka bottles they’ve emptied, picking fights with unsuspecting victims.
Of course, the police are not solely to blame for the deepening climate of intimidation and violence. As [Public Security Minister Yitzhak] Aharonovitch and Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Dudi Cohen have frequently observed, ours is becoming an increasingly violent society, more and more kids are now carrying knives, and the response needs to be found, at least in part, in better parenting and better educational values.
I travel to Jerusalem several times a week, and I will likely be returning to live there soon. I was walking on the way to a pub with my girlfriend, a born-and-raised Jerusalemite, and we were speaking in English. A man on the street walked up and tried to convince us to come to his bar. (There are dozens of such people in the city center’s streets who try to get English-speaking tourists to visit their restaurant or bar.)
I waved him away and said, “We don’t need [your flier]” in Hebrew. His response? “Your accent sucks!” he yelled in English. I was about to walk over and return the favor when my girlfriend stopped me and said, “Do NOT talk like that here!” Unfortunately, people have been assaulted there for less.
As I have written in my Letters from Israel series, the Jewish state is rife with political, religious, and social divisions that many fear will tear the country apart. This has led to increased anti-social behavior and the possible destruction of the civil society that had developed since the refounding of Israel in 1948. Perhaps young Israelis have developed the same pessimism regarding the future that British youths and drunk girls there now have.
As a result of the geographic isolation of the United States — it is separated from the world by two, gigantic oceans — the country is usually the last to receive cultural trends from Europe (as well as technological innovations from eastern Asia). Since young people there are increasing angry and frustrated over their economic and social conditions, I wonder whether the same anti-social behavior will occur in America soon.
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1) I’d say school shootings and gang violence are pretty anti-social actions.
2) It couldn’t possibly be that Israeli culture is so violent because the State of Israel requires violence to exist, could it? Jeff(Quote)
“The United Kingdom is a political entity created through conquest that has rarely, if ever, had a collective sense of identity.”
What conquest? Who conquered who? Please don’t just write what you THINK is historically correct in your insular American brain. Find out the facts first. Hint: Why do you suppose it’s called the UNITED Kingdom, and not, say, England?
“It was a confirmation of the global humiliation that the British people have been feeling after centuries of power and influence had disappeared.”
This idea of different peoples feeling humiliated is a staple of your writing on “other” countries and people. I wonder why you didn’t answer my question on that last time. I’ll repeat it here (bear in mind, the last time I asked it was in response to your remarks that the Arab nations were humiliated by losing the 1967 war to tiny Israel.)
Do you consider the Holocaust to represent a humiliation for the Jewish people? I feel that it arguably represents THE greatest humiliation of a people, ever. I mean, according to your apparent notion of group humiliation.
“It is indeed possible that Great Britain will cease to exist in the coming years. As the country devolves, it might also lose sovereignty to the European Union and the euro.”
What do you mean by “as the country devolves”? Devolution has already taken place. It’s not a process. Also, the country can’t devolve. Only the governmental power devolves.
“When the BBC, the standard-bearer of British journalism, decides that a person like Griffin is suited to a serious political discussion, that is a clear indicator of what a significant segment of society is feeling.”
No, it’s not. All it means is that the BBC are obeying the law by not discriminating against a registered political party that won a significant share of the European Parliament vote in the last election. Griffin, being the leader of that party, IS suited to a serious political discussion, and is entitled to be heard on the BBC. Only a Nazi would believe otherwise.
“As someone who has loved British culture since he was a child, I write this post with extreme sadness.”
No, you write it with extreme prejudice, naivete, and very obvious, if misguided, Schadenfreude.
“The British malaise”?
”…is it any wonder that they seem to have lost hope in the future”?
“Without any optimism, they turn to alcohol and violence out of nihilistic despair.”?
Are you serious? You’re talking about a nation of 60 million people here. Very few of which are turning to alcohol and violence out of nihilistic despair.
Boy! a yellow, tabloid blog! Now, I’ve seen everything. koyaanisqatsi(Quote)
“I waved him away and said, “We don’t need [your flier]” in Hebrew. His response? “Your accent sucks!” he yelled in English. I was about to walk over and return the favor when my girlfriend stopped me and said, “Do NOT talk like that here!” Unfortunately, people have been assaulted there for less.”
Shocker: American goes to foreign country, causes trouble, blames native, and begins campaign of negative propaganda.
Tip: When in a foreign country, try using please and thank you, and generally being pleasant when addressing people. koyaanisqatsi(Quote)
Jeff, you are correct regarding gang violence and school shootings. Good point.
But, the State of Israel requires violence in self-defense to exist. That is different. Sam Scott(Quote)
koyaanisqatsi,
Shocker: American goes to foreign country, causes trouble, blames native, and begins campaign of negative propaganda.
Tip: When in a foreign country, try using please and thank you, and generally being pleasant when addressing people.
I am not a tourist. I am an American Israeli. I know the culture.
As you may have read in other posts, Israel is not a polite country to begin with. No one says “please” or “thank you.” Everyone is blunt and direct.
http://samueljscott.com/2008/08/30/letter-from-israel-no-way-out-or-stuck-in-the-1970s/ Sam Scott(Quote)
koyaanisqatsi,
What conquest? Who conquered who? Please don’t just write what you THINK is historically correct in your insular American brain. Find out the facts first. Hint: Why do you suppose it’s called the UNITED Kingdom, and not, say, England?
It was united through conquest. What, the kings of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland went to London and asked to be included in the empire?
Do you consider the Holocaust to represent a humiliation for the Jewish people? I feel that it arguably represents THE greatest humiliation of a people, ever. I mean, according to your apparent notion of group humiliation.
Of course, the Holocaust was a humiliation for the Jewish people. It was even more so for European Jewry, who generally went like lambs to the slaughter without trying to fight back.
What do you mean by “as the country devolves”? Devolution has already taken place. It’s not a process. Also, the country can’t devolve. Only the governmental power devolves.
I mean that the United Kingdom may cease to exist, at least in its present form. It is possible that the country will officially break apart into England, Scotland, and Wales. (Northern Ireland is up in the air.) I believe current EU maps already divide Britain into several regional parts.
No, it’s not. All it means is that the BBC are obeying the law by not discriminating against a registered political party that won a significant share of the European Parliament vote in the last election. Griffin, being the leader of that party, IS suited to a serious political discussion, and is entitled to be heard on the BBC. Only a Nazi would believe otherwise.
I highly doubt that the BBC was required to include the BNP on the show. Since you seem to be British, please feel free to point out the exact law. And you probably know as well as I do that the European Parliament is powerless, and its elections are largely symbolic. The European Commission, I believe, has the power.
Are you serious? You’re talking about a nation of 60 million people here. Very few of which are turning to alcohol and violence out of nihilistic despair.
I specifically discussed trends among the youth. And young people are the future of a country. Sam Scott(Quote)
Doesn’t matter to me how you justify your violence, the ends are the same. Jeff(Quote)
So can we agree to disagree based on the fact that I’m a Kantian and you’re a Utilitarian?
Sam Scott(Quote)
“I am not a tourist. I am an American Israeli. I know the culture.”
I didn’t say you were a tourist. I said you were a foreigner. You are, and always will be. You will always operate from an American mindset. I say that’s not in your best interests when in foreign countries.
“As you may have read in other posts, Israel is not a polite country to begin with. No one says “please” or “thank you.” Everyone is blunt and direct.”
So, what was your point? That it’s necessary to pick one’s battles on the streets of Jerusalem? A little redundant, no? I still say a “Thanks, we’ll check it out” would have ended the hassle in the time it took to say it. koyaanisqatsi(Quote)
“It was united through conquest. ”
No, it wasn’t. That’s the second time I’ve had to tell you that.
“What, the kings of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland went to London and asked to be included in the empire?”
First, it wasn’t an empire. It was a union of crowns and parliaments. Second, yes, apart from “Wales” (it wasn’t really Wales until all the individual parts had been conquered) being finally conquered by England in 1282, with the fall of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, all countries entered into the unions voluntarily.
You can read all about it on the following pages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Gwynedd#End_of_independence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_in_Wales_Acts_1535%E2%80%931542
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_the_Crowns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1800
Basically, England conquered the Kingdom of Gwynedd in 1282. Along with previously conquered “Welsh” kingdoms, it became known as the Principality of Wales.
By 1543, laws had been passed that officially annexed Wales to England.
In 1542, the Irish Parliament passed the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, proclaiming King Henry VIII of England to be King of Ireland.
The Union of the Crowns (1603) was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, thus uniting Scotland and England under one monarch, though they remained separate states, with separate Parliaments.
In 1707, the English and Scottish Parliaments also united, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain.
In 1800, the twin Acts of Union formally united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union came into effect on 1 January 1801.
Again, do some research before making “factual” statements. And certainly before arguing with someone who corrects you.
********
“I mean that the United Kingdom may cease to exist, at least in its present form. It is possible that the country will officially break apart into England, Scotland, and Wales. ”
Yes, but that will involve all countries, including England, becoming independent. It won’t represent their “continuing to devolve”.
“I highly doubt that the BBC was required to include the BNP on the show. Since you seem to be British, please feel free to point out the exact law.”
I don’t know the exact law offhand, however, in Britain, discrimination on the grounds of political affiliation is prohibited by law. When the BNP was insignificant, it didn’t have to be given a proportional BBC platform. Now that it’s not, there is no excuse for its not being granted one. Nick Griffin didn’t have to be invited onto Question Time, per se, but to say he SHOULDN’T have been is discriminatory. It’s something a Nazi might say. You should know better.
“And you probably know as well as I do that the European Parliament is powerless, and its elections are largely symbolic. The European Commission, I believe, has the power.”
It doesn’t matter what you and I think, it was still an election and the British people voted in two BNP members as representatives. Those people must be represented. The BBC must acknowledge that representation.
“I specifically discussed trends among the youth. And young people are the future of a country.”
Are you serious? You’re talking about a group of 10 million* young people here. Very few of which are turning to alcohol and violence out of nihilistic despair.
How can you make such a sweeping generalisation about a nation and its future, based on the behaviour of a small number of its citizens?
* Estimate of the size of the the population aged between 16 and 25, who may be said to constitute the group you refer to. koyaanisqatsi(Quote)
Thanks for the references; I’ll look at them as soon as I can. Sam Scott(Quote)
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