Peoples opinion about the recently erupted uk riots - Coursework Example

?QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON PEOPLE’S OPINION ABOUT THE RECENTLY ERUPTED UK RIOTS Module Module ID: date: Abstract The present paper looks for exploring the views of a representative of the intellectuals on the riots recently erupted in the UK, which startled all peace-loving British citizens as well as the torch-bearers of justice and equality belonging to all corners of the globe at large. Being the most sensible and intelligent stratum of society, the intellectuals are expected to throw light on the nature, causes and consequences of an unusual event taken place in their physical, social and natural environment, and hence are in a position to analyse and interpret the same in a more eloquent and effective manner in order to warn the public of the problematic after affects of an pleasant incident, as well as both positive and negative aspects of apparently a pleasant one, which appear to be hidden from the eyes of the masses in general. The researcher has analysed the interview taken by BBC News from Mr. Darcus Howe, the local Black writer and broadcaster. The entire state of affairs has been interpreted by taking particular concentration upon the scenario under which the riots had been taken place, along with elaborating the chaos created in the aftermath of the sorry state of affairs. “Although the paper refers to qualitative accounts, the same principles may be applied to quantitative reports and those with mixed methods.” (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 1998) Introduction: The sad incident of riots in the UK from 6th to 10th August 2011 serves as one of the most challenging issues the country underwent in respect of ethno-racial differences and prejudice existing in this apparently peaceful, prosperous, non-prejudiced and unbiased European country. Its being the strategic and economic giant of the globe, the UK was not being expected to be facing such division of the nation on racial, ethnic and religious grounds. Consequently, the world received the news with great shock and surprise. Started in the aftermath of the murder of a black drug dealer Mark Duggan on 4th August 2011 at the hands of the Tottenham police, the riots lasted for five days taking the life of four more persons and wounding a few people, along with several incidents of looting, burglary, violence and assaults. Though initial reaction of the murder was not violent one, as Mark Duggan’s family members and supporters launched a peaceful demonstration outside the police station; however, the youth belonging to the suburban area started using violence against the police personnel and demanded immediate inquiry into the murder case. “The commotion began in Tottenham, London but spread like a bush fire to Hackney, Brixton, Ealing, Peckham, Birmingham, Manchester and suburban Croydon. The UK Prime Minister and London Mayor Boris Johnson were of the many, who cut short their holidays to fly back to deal with the unrest.” (Khalifa Magazine, 2011) Although the disturbance and adverse law and order situation in the London city and in the suburbs was a matter of grave concern for the government and masses alike, yet the most challenging and worrying thing was the associating of a crime control activity with racial prejudice and discrimination. Hence, the unexpected and unpleasant state of affairs demanded the impartial probe into the situation. The present paper describes the opinion of a black writer, had been living in London for the last five decades, under the same atmosphere, who declared the riots as fatal one for the mental and physical condition as well as the well-being of the young generation at large. Aims of the Study: The aims and objectives of the study include: To conduct an in-depth analysis of the event by reporting the important findings of the same To explore the causes and consequences of ethno-racial conflicts in a multicultural society like the UK. To estimate the concerns of the intellectuals regarding the uneven situation and its aftermath To submit a qualitative report regarding the documentary recorded and presented by the hosts of BBC News by interviewing a broadcaster at the area adjacent to the riot afflicted zone amidst public and passers-bye. Methodology: The researcher has applied qualitative research method for the present study. The main objective behind selecting the qualitative research method is to obtain first hand knowledge of the perturbed situation created in the aftermath of Duggan’s murder. “Qualitative methods were used because they generate rich data and allow us to gain a detailed understanding of respondents’ attitudes and experiences. However, they are not suitable for gathering statistical data that can be inferred to the wider population.” (Gervais, 2008, p.7) The researcher observed thirty interviews conducted by BBC News while collecting the data. A large majority of the respondents consisted of both white and black individuals, though the Asians, including the people of the Middle East, Indo-Pakistan Far East countries also participated in the programme. The body language of the South Asians displayed intimacy with the black community, while the Arabs and Far Eastern people supported the white by condemning the criminal and irresponsible behaviour aptly displayed by the Africans during their everyday activities. One of the respondents cited attack on Rosa Parks at het residence by a black offender, called Joseph Skipper by mid-1994, which affirmed the bitter reality that the blacks even had no concern with their heroes and benefactors, and thus could break every rule for their personal purpose. The Chinese and other respondents of Yellow race exhibited their fear on the presence of the blacks at their work places and in public places as well, as the blacks could attack at anyone with their ill intentions and stout physique, they submitted. The body language of the individuals belonging to the Yellow race also displayed extreme abhorrence for the blacks, a significant majority of which appeared to be ready to thwart and harass the fellow beings. An overwhelming majority of the black respondents declared Duggan’s murder as the serious negligence of the police, while the white respondents also viewed the reaction of the murder as criminal and super-judicious in the real sense. Literature Review: Eminent black author Rosa Park has written her book under the title “My Story” in 1992, in which she has elaborated the ethno-racial hatred observed by the white majority against the black people. She recollects the memories when she was forced to leave her seat in the bus in favour of a white passenger, which had raised racial clashes all over the state. She admits the presence of racial discrimination in every multicultural society, though some of the cultures are in a position to control and suppress the prejudice by introducing friendly policies acceptable for all members of a social establishment. The author had to undergo opposition, trials and penalties from the dominant white population (WASP), but stood as firm as rock to play her role with great honesty for the elimination of racial segregation from the public places, education and health institutions, transportations and others from the American culture. It was the time when the blacks were deprived of the right to cast their votes as well as from participating into any political activity at national scale. Hence, the US population did not take advantage of the technical, intellectual, literary, strategic and scientific talent and proficiency of the entire black community for several decades of 19th and 20th centuries. Somehow, inclusion of the African Americans in the mainstream has accelerated the pace of progress in different fields including business, technology, politics and social and health sectors etc. Somehow, their inclusion in the mainstream has also increased violence and non-tolerance in the multination states of the world at large. Malcolm X (1965) in his “Autobiography” has also drawn out the miserable plight of the black people, which had divided the Americans because of the colour of their skins. The author describes how the blacks were attacked, tortured, humiliated and maltreated at the hands of the white majority all over the USA. He had also elaborated that the job and employment opportunities were limited for the African Americans, and they had to experience bitter attitude of authorities at health centres, recreational spots and other public places at large. He deplores that the blacks ha been living the life equivalent to slavery because of the widespread apartheid and racial discrimination. The blacks had lost their real identity, he asserted, which forced him to write X as his surname, because of the absence of any information about his ancestry. It was the circumstances, which instigated the feelings and emotions of the downtrodden African American population to raise revolt against the discriminatory laws and social norms, and to win equal status for them in society. As a result, the blacks launched their campaign and Malcolm supported the same for the socioeconomic and political uplift of their black community. The same struggle turned out to be triumphant, and now a black i.e. Barrack Hussein Obama has being enjoying the position of the President of the USA since 2008. Harper Lee’s famous work “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1960) presents the division of the US society into various fractions, which helped in uniting the blacks against the whites, and clashes and chaos raised their ugly heads in the society subsequently. The injustices and inequalities exercised towards the blacks aggravated the differences between the blacks and whites, and weakened the fabrics of nationalism and patriotism. The blacks also established Harlem Movement during the first half of 20th century, which lasted in the victory of humanity and human rights activists celebrated the principles of justice, equality and fair play in the wake of long struggle made for obtaining the freedom and liberty from exploitation. The Research Procedure: BBC News had conducted interviews from the individuals belonging to different socioeconomic statutes, professions, classes, races, ethnicities, religions and both the genders. The main objective for the same was to witness flaws in the hegemony and peace situation prevailing in the country, as well as estimating the magnitude of differences between the ethno-racial and religious groups of the UK. The researcher also observed the same as a distant participant observer, and witnessed the entire process of interviewing and replies produced by the respondents. The interviews were conducted at the spots where the tragic incidents of murder, looting, injuries and clashes had taken place during the five days. An overwhelming majority of the respondents declared the chronicles of events as the part of some conspiracy hatched against the very foundation of peace and stability of the country. The respondents expressed deep feelings of grief over the incident, and reiterated the need of immediate, impartial and comprehensive investigations of the entire situation, which could be made by Independent Police Complain Commission (IPCC) under the supervision of the home department. The control room of the BBC News service was regulating and recording all the interviews being conducted at the spots. The respondents admitted the negligence of the Tottenham Police in respect of arresting Duggan, as well as the raids they made in the residences of the black community for collecting illegal ammunition meant for some criminal activities. The respondents agreed to the very point that operation against one community or ethno-racial group could certainly be taken as a revengeful and biased behaviour against the very community, a large majority of which could belong to patriot, peace-seeking and law-abiding citizens of England. Additionally, such type of incidents, according to the respondents, could aggravate the nature and intensity of differences and hatred against one another, paving the way towards dividing the nation into small groups and factions in their wake. Furthermore, the senior citizens and middle aged respondents particularly looked aggrieved over the serious and criminal negligence of the Police department, as the department, they pleaded, displayed no slightest interest in saving the life of Mark Duggan altogether. They proclaimed that they had to make long struggle during twentieth century for discouraging and decreasing racial conflicts and differences, and hence won equal status and rights for the individuals coming of divergent communities; somehow, occurring and repetition of the Tottenham-like incidents would put the entire strife of several decades into grave jeopardy. The Black community appeared to be vehemently distressed while making replies to the questions regarding the incidents of murder and looting. They were of the view that they still found them at the perplexed state of affairs even after spending many centuries in England, which presented the very impression to their young generation that they did not belong to England, and hence were citizens of some African state actually. They expressed the feelings of alienation, fear and horror in the aftermath of the murder of the members of their community, which had invited the displeasure and wrath of their young generation for taking revenge from the police, which was the custodian of the white population only. The black workers, labourers, peasants, students, traders, teachers and businessmen unanimously condemned the behaviour of the policemen towards their community, who were creating gulf between the people of the same British nation, they asserted. The interviews were also conducted from the intellectuals; Howe’s interview was the part of the same campaign, where the respondents warned the interviewers of the bitter consequences of crushing the black community under the chariot wheels of racial hatred and ethnic prejudice. The interview team consisted of one male and female member each, both of which were members of the white racial group, though only the lady representative conducted the interview from the black respondent i.e. Darcus Howe. The respondent was standing near the police vehicles along the deserted road, which had been blocked for all traffic. Consequently, the public could not be seen at the scenario, where only policemen were moving here and there to ensure the blockade and banishment of the entry of the public in order to avoid any further distasteful incident. Since the entire nation was shocked at the happening of the racial riots, Mr. Howe was also expected for the same. Somehow, he did not see eye to eye with the statement made by the questioner regarding the very shock, as he denied such feelings by pointing to the several past ethno-racial riots and demonstrations occurred in the country for his fifty years long stay in the country and continuous interaction with its social and physical environment. The respondent, wearing a casual dress and casual mood as well, reiterated his argument by claiming that the searching out of the black youth was the thing of the gravest concern for him, which had terrified the entire black community, particularly the growing members of the black racial group. He was of the opinion that the black adolescents were afraid of reaching the age of majority, as by crossing eighteen years of age, they would also be under the searches and investigations being made in the residences and work places of the blacks. His voice and tone reflected the sense of grief the black community had been undergoing in the aftermath of the Duggan’s murder, as no one considered him safe after the killing of their community member at the hands of law enforcing agencies. The agencies, which were expected to be their custodians, had turned out to be their killers. Instead of giving appropriate answers to the questions made by the lady interviewer, the respondent was inter-mixing the past events of same kind, which had also shocked the country. The delivery and accent of words spoken by Howe manifestly proved that he did not belong to indigenous British population. Moreover, his lack of command in choosing appropriate words of English showed him as a less educated person in comparison to the interviewer. His explaining the situation by moving his shoulders upward and downward, as well as leaning left and right exhibited his concern regarding the murder, which could, according to him, leave indelible impact upon the relationships between the members of divergent racial groups. Consequently, he simultaneously represented the lower stratum and black community of the British society, which lacked sense of judgement in the same manner, which is actually the style and tradition of the intellectuals in general. The most important part of the interview was Howe’s deplore over the plight of the coming generations of his community, which could meet with the same fate for the future years to come. He lamented the killing of a youth at the hands of the police only few meters away from his residence in Tottenham, as such a cruel murder was sure to excite and ignite the wrath and displeasure of his family and community. To conclude, it becomes crystal clear that the UK population looked completely divided over the issue regarding the UK Riots 2011. The respondents did not maintain any consensus at any incident regarding the chronicles of events from Duggan’s death to the killing of four more persons. No black respondent was ashamed of the behaviour exercised by their blacks after Duggan’s death. The white respondents appeared to be more rigid in condemning the behaviour of the blacks towards the whites and general public on the one hand, and towards the law enforcing agencies on the other. The Yellow (i.e. far Eastern) and the brown (i.e. the Indian) respondents looked fearful of chasing etc; consequently, they did not provide any sufficient and to the points responses. On the contrary, they blamed all the citizens for the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. They were of the opinion that the government should launch a tolerance awareness programme in order to bring the rival and opposing communities closer to one another. The expressions of the whites revealed disgust and displeasure over the inclusion of the blacks as an essential part of their community. Somehow, the black respondents appeared to be retaliating and revengeful towards the police and the masses for chasing, investigating and searching out the black youth for nothing. The blacks were determined to stop the maltreatment of their youth at the hands of the police department; it is therefore they justified the violent reaction over Duggan’s killing by the police in cold blood. Bibliography Parks, Rosa. 1992/1999 Rosa Park: My Story Puffin Books Tashakkori, A., Teddlie, C. 1998. Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. http://www.nrudrh.edu.au/doclib_udrh/public/Burnard%202004.pdf Khalifa Magazine. The UK Riots October 2011 http://www.khilafah.eu/kmag/article/the-uk-riots X, Malcolm & Haley, Alex. 1965 An Autobiography of Malcolm X Grove Press http://faculty.cbu.ca/pmacintyre/course_pages/MBA603/MBA603_files/IntroQualitativeResearch.pdf Read More