There is a large selection of news stories tonight from the UK, and about half of them concern the growing epidemic of “yobs” in British public spaces. Yob (or yobbo) is a colloquial term for someone who engages in anti-social behavior, often accompanied by violence, and usually under the influence of alcohol. There is a public perception that the situation is out of control, and that the police are unwilling or unable to do anything about it.In other news, Saudi Arabia has announced that it plans to require everyone who runs a website or blog to obtain a license from the government. The stated reason for the move is to reduce online libel and defamation.
To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.
Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, DF, ED, El Inglés, Gaia, GB, goethechosemercy, ICLA, JD, JP, KGS, Kitman, Nilk, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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7 comments:
Call to UK readers : I've been wondering for a long time who your famous yobs are. I have yet to find any indication in the media.
The unaddressed question is that of race. My understanding is that, contrary to other European countries, UK yobs are not especially Muslim, or of an immigrant background.
Indeed, it seems they are mostly white and of British background.
Anyone willing to share information on this ?
That’s correct, I spent 4 years in London and I can attest to that fact. Most of the yobbos in the UK are white working class kids high on skunk and booze. Referring to them as working class is however a misnomer as most of them live on the dole. The same goes for their parents. The majority live in depressing council estates in areas that are rife with violence and drugs.
Then you have the yardies, the Jamaican criminals who’re heavily involved in drugs and other criminal activities. Many of the youth gangs in the UK consist of Jamaican and other Caribbean boys who’re known for their ruthlessness.
Another peculiar fact is that the Caribbeans and the Africans hate each other with a passion. The Africans view the Caribbeans as former slaves and subsequently as losers and the Caribbeans view the Africans as primitives monkeys.
Go figure.
Thanks, Kritisk.
@Kritisk:
So, basically, if you want to call a group by its name, you need to bring a non-white person to do it for you :)
We have Yob-equivalent kids here in Israel as well (though they come from several different backgrounds), and the media is very busy demonizing alcohol, blaming it for all the stabbings and wanton attacks on police officers that dare interfere with their 'fun'.
Parents, of course, have nothing to do with any of it. In fact, judging by popular beliefs, all these children have materialized from thin air, and supposedly get their money by transmuting cosmic energy into gold.
In hoc signo vinces
@Robert Marchenoir,
Yob - Yobbo, much loved by the yellow press such as the Daily Mail, the connotation is of the white working class/underclass.
We can not give our enrichers derogatory labels, now that would be racist.
I wouldn't count on the "label" yob to keep its meaning. The meanings of labelling words can and often do change subtly.
I seem to recall gay meaning bright or happy at one point.
goethechosemercy: I seem to recall gay meaning bright or happy at one point.
While slogging through a discussion about the Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas hearings I ran across one particular wag who noted the following:
"GAY" IS NOW A ONE WORD OXYMORON
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