I think things should stay pretty calm, unless certain individuals or groups WANT a show of rage and prod people into doing things they wouldnt normally be doing. THings can get sketchy quick when people are angry, we just need to rely on eachother to be calm and collected and not get out of hand.

I agree with CG

Well if all of the irresponsible people are the ones getting bailouts, the responsible people will get really angry, really quick. I don't see them lashing out at banks and what not. Maybe just staging protests etc. But nothing crazy because, after all, they are responsible people.

I agree. But I read recently about how the crime rate has risen. Desperate times, desperate folks.

steph, are you fainting because you agreed with a conservative? heh heh

I don't think it would take much for an all out riot from any one/group of ppl but I think we are still a ways off before any serious damage can be caused.

The most serious act of desperation and rage I have yet to read about concerning this recession is about the Californian man who killed himself, his wife and their five children after both had been laid off. If anything, there will be a higher suicide rate during these poor economic times.

No, I've done that before.

Having worked directly in communities involved in riots in New York City in the late ‘60’s, I would be terrified if the same thing happened now (Not that I wasn't afraid at the time myself.) What is not generally known was that burnings in major cities New York, Detroit, L.A. etc. Was fueled by the TV coverage, it told folks who were prone to riot, where the current action was. Once the authorities realized that, they got the press, radio TV, and paper to put a complete blackout on the riots. There were a number of them, at least in NYC, and I presume other cities as well after that news blackout. Because of the blackout they were contained, and the police could start making arrests. Today with the internet, independent cable networks, I do not think such a blackout is possible. Let us pray it NEVER reaches that point again.

Oh yes I could see this happening. Desperation could cause rioting.

If that were the case, janneth, shouldnt the GREAT depression, and Jimmy Carter's double hit of inflation and unemployment resulted in a massive uprising?

It is my understanding that Europeans tend to protest and riot over their government, and those in power far more than Americans. I assume this is because in America, the corruption of those at the top, who hold the power, has been present for so long, that it has become the norm, and normal citizens are used to being sh*t upon.
Calling people having a hard time losers and irresponsible is only going to add to the anger. There are a lot of people really hurting right now, and it is beyond their control, not because they are lazy, losers. Perhaps, those of you who do call those having hard times losers, should put yourself in their shoes, because you never know when your husband will lose his steady job. When a job is lost in this economy, the chances of finding one to replace it are very low.

"What is not generally known was that burnings in major cities New York, Detroit, L.A. etc. Was fueled by the TV coverage, it told folks who were prone to riot, where the current action was. Once the authorities realized that, they got the press, radio TV, and paper to put a complete blackout on the riots"

"Was fueled by the TV coverage"??? folks WHO WERE PRONE TO RIOT????

What kills me no pun intended is that some people hit such despair over losing their job that they are actually moved to kill their family and then take their own lives as though it is the end of the world. I honestly can not wrap my head around it. They didn't even try to look for another job. That kind of psychological snap is some scary stuff.

Yes, when there were arrests the home addresses were most often way outside the neighborhood of the outburst. I would say that anyone who intentionally goes to an area in chaos to participate in that chaos has a propensity to that chaos. Is that not logical?

ABC, CBS, NBC surely agreed with that assessment, along with the local stations in NYC at the time, channels 5, 9, and 11. I guess they did not share your unique incites, and was it just luck that the disturbances petered out after the coverage on TV ended?

ccpdm, steph is fainting cause she agreed......with ME! which is shocking.

I agree Hypno..such sad stories came out when people first started losing their jobs and I couldn't understand it. I still can't understand why they felt there was no way out. I mean to kill your whole family..terrible.

I think that riots COULD happen but who knows if they will.

Having worked in broadcasting on the national level for years, I've got to ask G'pa: what year, what city, what disturbance petered out with the coverage?

And it's 'unique insight' not 'unique incite'.

"I assume this is because in America, the corruption of those at the top, who hold the power, has been present for so long, that it has become the norm, and normal citizens are used to being sh*t upon."

I'm thinking it's backwards. The American public doesn't riot as often because we aren't used to corrupt politicians. IMO, Europeans get charged up so easily because the general public never got over the abuses set apon them by the kings and queens in their individual desire to rule.

I've noticed an increase in bank robberies in my area.
That's pretty ugly.

IMO, there is something much more seriously wrong with a person who kills his family besides losing his job, something more deeply rooted.

I do have a fear its going to get ugly and ugly fast. Especially in the summer when crime tends to go up (according to all the stuff I've read), plus the heat gets to people sometimes (add to that the anger of our current situation and its a recipe for chaos).

Grandpa, my folks who came to this country when they were younger have mentioned stuff like that before. All this crazy news coverage, then suddenly nothing about the rioting. I guess if people know there is a huge riot happening some people can get swept up in all the mess.

Steph, if you knew what gpa meant, why do you feel the need to correct him? Is it just to be snarky, or can you not help yourself?

"And it's 'unique insight' not 'unique incite'."

Isn't this a little petty, steph?

Actually, I did it because I know from several conversations with him on posts and private messages that G'pa usually is careful and values accuracy in discussions.

Actually, Grandpa misspells things all the time, but we all know what he means and don't call him on it.

It's not a spelling error. Incite means to provoke or cause to action, a curious misuse in this thread.

I don't correct spelling mistakes because I make them all the time, and I leave words out.

Why did my comment about my grandmother working in radio broadcast for 40 years, including the 1960s, get deleted? That's nonsense, and makes me incredibly irritated at this site.

Stephley, my grandmother worked in radio for about 40 years, including the 1960s. I've heard about the things Grandpa is talking about. (If this gets deleted, I will raise holy hell)

It's a homonym error, much like two/too/to. You know what he meant, why bother to correct him?

Steph, On August 11, 1965, a routine arrest of a drunk driver in the Watts section of Los Angeles sparked a riot that lasted five days and took the lives of thirty-four people. African American rioters looted and set fire to stores, as bystanders chanted the slogan of a popular disc jockey, "Burn, Baby, Burn!" The Watts riot ushered in four "long, hot summers" of mayhem. Between 1965 and 1968, more than three hundred riots occurred, resulting in two hundred deaths and the destruction of several thousand businesses (Thernstrom and Thernstrom 1997, 158-61; Graham 1980). As to when and where this blackout was implemented, 1968, and where for me it was first hand in NYC. I volunteered to be a representative of the Dept. of Social Services. We had busses that would go into the areas cordoned off, and took families who wanted out of the riot area out. We went in without police escort, or protection, then find places for those families to live (with family and friends if at all possible), diapers, formula etc, for infants, and a limited amount of clothing if until things settled down in their neighborhood, . I had a number of certificates from the Commissioner for my work BTW. How do I know about the blackout, meetings I would attend strategy meetings at the time of the event, and then after action meetings, where we discussed what went right, what did not, and how can we do it better next time. These meetings were held both inter and intra agency. In 1968 there was that epiphany correlating the press reportage, and the increased intensity in these riots. Once we had the blackout on reportage, these outbreaks never really got off the ground, and petered out. I was told that the blackout was agreed to nation wide. I would think that the fact the riots that were going on and off over three years ended nationwide all about the same time, would support what I was told back then.

As to incite and insight I am aware of both their meanings, my only excuse is my mind flies a hell alot faster then I type, and I can never seem to remember to proof read, particularly while multi tasking

"As to incite and insight " - we knew what you meant, GP.

"How do I know about the blackout, meetings I would attend strategy meetings at the time of the event, and then after action meetings, where we discussed what went right, what did not, and how can we do it better next time. These meetings were held both inter and intra agency. In 1968 there was that epiphany correlating the press reportage, and the increased intensity in these riots. Once we had the blackout on reportage, these outbreaks never really got off the ground, and petered out."

Curiouser and curiouser.