Monday, August 15, 2011

Our olamic opportunism...


Just history repeating: an interesting reminder that media manipulation takes many forms and also, that given the opportunity many would be bitten by the looter bug:
"The country demands that this crime be stamped out... hang a looter and stop this filthy crime". A Daily Mirror headline!
Calm down, calm down: this was in November 1940. "Then, as now, the newspapers demanded strong action from the government to curb the looting, though not even the most right-wing papers of 2011 went as far as the Daily Mirror...". Their outcry was because of the perception that the punishments weren't stopping the tide of looting that even included taking jewellery from the wounded and cutting off fingers of corpses to get the rings: "Fines and imprisonment have done nothing to stop the ghouls who rob even bodies lying in the ruins of little homes. Looting is in fact on the increase".

It's a pity that Gavin Mortimer writing in The First Post uses the first paragraph to take a dig at David Cameron but he was using the example that many have mentioned a 'lament for a more innocent era' and the 'Blitz Spirit' etc; even though none could compare war, blitzkrieg and Faginesque gangs to the situation the pampered yoof of today find themselves in but it is interesting stuff nonetheless.

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2 comments:

Paul said...

Thanks for the link.

Span Ows said...

No worries, I really enjoyed your post (and the links) so fair dos!