Today's post is going to be random - an explosion of thoughts.
The last I posted was in Feb - a lot's happened personally, globally and politically...
I've been wrecking my mind thinking how can i ever make a change? How can i make the kids i see acting like right idiots realise their potential? How do I help people open their minds to issues like Syria, Guantanamo Bay prison, indefinite detention...?
What pisses me off the most is that kids growing up in areas like Tottenham, Peckham, Brixton....povery & crime ridden areas..... know that no one is going to help them. They have so much potential, so much character, determination and motivation that when it's applied to something good they will excel in it. But why would they even try to do that when from an early age they're exposed to things no child should be exposed to - crime, drugs, violence and so much more. They're not bad people / kids, they're a product of their environment and no one - not the government and nor the community are doing anything to change it.
I'm blessed that I live in a pretty well off area... but i've seen things & experienced things that help me identify with those kids. I'm not going to pretend like i've seen people get killed but i know of people that have seen that, that should have been the intended victim - i know what they aspire towards and i know what the reality is. They all have dreams to be something better, no one WANTS to be in a gang or go to prison - but the reality is they are so limited in their choices that this is all they see for themselves! I'm sick of people thinking its a simple topic - read an article about some gang shooting and saying they're idiots is the most naive and ignorant attitude to have.
I don't know what the point of this is - like i said it random and its just me rambling (through text) but i just want people to think twice before they comment on kids in hoodies... i haven't even touched on the issues most of these lot will face. Most join gangs because if they don't their chances of surviving unscathed in such environments is little to none, they kill because the mentality is that sooner or later they too will become a target, they sell drugs to earn money - money they wouldn't be able to make otherwise because of the lack of jobs available to them. When you get a chance to sit out and speak with them - most will be polite, most realise that the life they lead isn't ideal but what all will say is that they do what needs to be done. They know nothing different and don't expect any change.... i can't even begin to imagine what that is like!
I haven't even touched upon Guantanamo or Syria, but i think that's enough for today. I just hope that if any one does end up reading this they'll think twice before making any judgements whether it be on a kid in a hoody, a women in niqaab or a man covered in tattoos.
