THE BRITISH THREAD

you need a clue to the code?

tough


ok three words 4 and 2 letters.

Bloody cold outside!

I'm in flannelette.

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Only £5.99 at a store near you and cheap at twice the price. Especially when the "two for the price of one on Tues and Thurs only" is taken into the equation.

Terms and conditions apply.

Morning everyone!

Morning brass monkey!

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6107028.stm

...was reading the news.

Yesterday, we had a leaflet put through our door (quality printing too) with a local miscreants picture, stating he was subjet to an ASBO and showing a map of the area he was banned from - which includes our road!

It says to call a number if he's seen...

If I see him, I'm going to tell his Mum!

Serously though - as soon as I saw it - I thought 'there's proud' - a whole quality pamphet dedicated to him - such kudos amongst his peers.

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Anybody want to take me on?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6107172.stm

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Hope nobody snaps their ulnas. Ouch!

Thank you smorgs, my slingbacks are slung and the phone is off the hook. We can all be thickies together.

I found my Dorothy post on another British thread by the way. How many threads are there?

No its not. Dorothy knows her bones. Well bone. Whalebone? Did you know that Greatest of Britons Thomas Paine used to make ladies corsets?

meanwhile http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6109230.stm

but its not as bad as it seems is it? We need all these workers to pay our pensions dont we? And of course for every immigrant there's an emigrant so the numbers roughly balance. [Except that for every poor immigrant from eastern Europe or Africa, a bone fide member of the middle classes moves permanently to their home in rural France]

...because their parents are not interested in them. Too busy working fingers to the bone to buy that plasma tv and holiday appartment in Spain. Ever since Thatcher said (even if she didnt) that there is "no such thing as society" we have raised a generation of feral children who are now breeding too. Thatcher was right, there is no such thing as society, anymore.

Hi Vickie E. I think there are just the 2 "British" stylee threads. This one and the one called "are there many brits on A2K?"

DP

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There was a major row at a GATT meeting a few years ago about the showing of American films in France.

The French restrict the showing of American films. I don't know about the other countries in this survey. Or what the position is now.

Assuming that the French did this partly to reduce the importation of American values as well as to strengthen their own movie industry they also have an additional aid for that in the use of sub-titles and dubbing which, presumably they control, and that will apply to the other countries as well.

Because we speak the same language as the Americans and screen a large number of American films we are likely to import American cultural values on a much greater scale than these other nations.

Whether this is the cause, or a contribution, to the differences the survey highlights I don't know but the materialism of the parents Steve mentions could well be claimed to be so. Has been in fact.

One American importation has been the Halloween hype.

I saw some figures which said that in the last five years the spending in the UK on Halloween related products had risen from £12 million to ££120 million (from memory) and that US spending on such products was $4.8 billion.

The idea that it is the parents working too hard for consumer items begs the question of why they do.

Another American value is often said to be the power parents in the US grant to children and, if that is so, it is highly likely to be reflected in their programmes particularly when those programmes are made by a section of the US population which is not only city based but which is said to be more ready to grant their children too much power over family spending for whatever reason.

We might also have a larger number of people living in high density conditions which are well known, even with animals, to cause behavioural problems assuming it is agreed that the things mentioned are problems which not everybody would agree is the case.

The figures do suggest that blaming the youngsters is a ridiculous proposition because the differences can only be the result of cultural factors and there are a battery of those besides the ones I have superficially mentioned. The decline of religious belief is often referred to in this context.

I agree with everything you said spends...

Well almost everything.

I can't debate this subject - as it makes my head spin! There are just too many factors, too many reasons... we know things are breaking down - we know we are reaping the rewards from years of Thatcherism, but the task of turning things around seems impossible.

I'm a bit dubious about the religious link - but I am always prepared to listen to the arguments...

I don't think it's necessarily about USA imports - though I accept unequivocally that it may have a part to play.

I also agree with steve - there is no society.

But I do think it has a lot to do with the class system - I believe this still operates in British society (such as it is), though with extra categories. Although I had a long debate with a colleague on this matter: he maintains the class system has gone - but I strongly disagree with this assertion.

It certainly has something to do with lack of aspiration, hope and a sense of despair amongst the young.

It's hard to put into words - I'm not articulate enough to express views and reasoned arguments on this subject effectively. But I do care about it, and think about what I can do in my job that might make a smidgeon of difference to a young person that I see.

I live in a deprived area, we are affected directly by youth crime. Last week I was driving down the road, saw two (hooded of course) young boys, maybe 10 or 12 - no older, destroying a lighted bollard in the middle of the road - I didn't stop, or report it - five years ago, I would have!

Like I said - makes your head spin...

I heard an interview on the radio today, the 'yoof worker' said it was because children 'had no fear', not of parents, police, teachers, authority - no-one.

I'm not sure if I agree that kids have to have a certain amount of fear to behave as they should, nor am I of the 'short, sharp, shock/National Service' brigade - but I'm pondering...

What do you think?

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steve: this 'thick' thing is haunting me - I KNOW DP is not thick, nor is anyone - it was just a joke!

Programme about Hogarth on telly tonight (9.00 channel 4), I'm interested, but it clashes with Pete Burn's Cosmetic Surgery Nightmare!

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Does my bum look big in this avatar?

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I don't think there is anything we can do about it. I see no evidence of any preparedness to change lifestyles and these difficulties are a part of the price the maintenance of those lifestyles exacts.

The only alternative to it making the "head spin" is to grin and bear it and adopt methods of reducing the effects of it on oneself.

The rejection of the influence of the movie importation notion entails thinking that the French government at the GATT negotiations I mentioned weakened their position by their insistence of keeping their restrictions. I hardly think that likely unless they thought it of some importance for something.

I have noticed that anti-social behaviour is quite uncommon in young lads who are members of sporting clubs and who seek to emulate their heroes who play at the top level.

That is one of the reasons I like cricket so much. The television coverage is suffused with a civilised and gentlemanly tone despite the aggression of the game and the players themselves are always polite to their opponents to a certain extent. If a fast fizzer rises sharply off a length and smackes the batsman on the box at 90mph he will invariably run over and commiserate with him and then aim the next one at his head while he's still a bit groggy. The batsmen are, of course, volunteers unlike the "lighted bollard".

With a little subtlety of thought one might say the bollard has been "volunteered" by the "motorist" and to young men who haven't got cars when TV implies that you are a toss-pot if you haven't it might symbolise an aggravting concept. The "motorist" is a potent force in our democracy. Its power has increased whilst that of the Church has declined.

The company which supplies "lighted bollards" will be pleased anyway as will the staff at the Council offices who inspect, report, consider, decide, order, take delivery, account for, fit and inspect the replacement.

I just shrug. On the whole it isn't bad compared to what it used to be. You do get to be able to be consternated over whether to watch Hogarth or Pete Burn's Cosmetic Surgery Nightmare rather than whether to save your last turnip for Sunday lunch which was quite common in "deprived areas" not all that long ago.

Yours faithfully

spendius.

Making mountains out of mole hills without a shred of concern for the real attribute.


It happens to be known as evolution, no doubt when little Ug decided he wasn't going to chase the Wooly Mammoth with dad and decided to go fishing and eat grapes and cod all hell broke loose.

What on earth are we going to do with these kids?

You cannot expect the kids of today to be carbon copies of their creators.


'The times they are a changin!' (Zimmerman)


The actual percentage of kids involved in high levels of misbehavior is quite low. The lack of respect for law and order is pure and simple;-

The Police are virtually impotent due to the legislation applied to them, which in effect shackles them from the reality of the situation.

You mentioned sport Spendi;- Yes it does help to maintain better levels of behavioral patterns. The levels of testosterone inhabiting the adolescents coupled with normal male aggression being implemented through the sports in a beneficial manner instead of kicking every grandad they come across to death!


The crap being spewed out via American Films, British Films and Coronation Street, do little at all to assist in an orderly lifestyle.

Bring back the birch if it bothers you that much, then start hanging the buggers!

Sell the spare parts on e-bay.

For about ten years or so I've worked as youthworker (got even a special diploma for that, and it actually was intending to work quite differently than I did it - it started as an AIDS-prevention project ...).

Well, I came across all kinds of kids and youth.
Seriously, those with a certain unsocial behaviour seemed more honest/straight than others ... in their way.
Talking with them, acting/working with them was mostly fun and pleasure, for both sides.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a secret switch which turned on when they were outside reach/sight.

no

Well, certainly a well thought-out response after 5 hours of meditating about it!