Am I missing something?

Symbolic of my little world

This week in quite a few cities in the UK, there has been rioting by the far right to protest against immigration. The unrest was fomented by an horrific attack on young children by a young man whose family originates from Rwanda. News outlets reported that social media was responsible for this upsurge in wanton violence. I am on social media. Why didn’t I get to hear about it until after the effect?

My FB page is full of pictures of flowers and holiday scenes; celebrating birthdays and anniversaries; dead cats; Gary Larson cartoons, and ads I take no notice of. Nobody thought to tell me I could have a day out in some random city bashing police officers. Am I being cold shouldered?

While I can see why many people are disgruntled, there is a big difference between a right to protest and the opportunity to destroy neighbourhoods. One woman interviewed said she went along because she was angry that the government were spending millions on housing illegal migrants while she couldn’t afford food or get a dentist appointment – this is Britain! You don’t have to burn buildings to make a point. Fortunately, there are now thousands who are taking to the streets in opposition to these attitudes and we now have a voice that supports asylum seekers and British citizens of different ethnic backgrounds.

It is amazing how quickly we adapt to change. Since the Iphone came onto the market in 2007, we use our phones for almost everything. I read my newspaper on it, I do my sudoku and crosswords as well as sending emails. I would be lost without it. However, there is so much that really gets my goat. Targeted ads tell me to play words games to stop my brain addling – too late mate! One ad says that I could have an IQ of 240 if I play their game. Wow! And I thought there was a Bell curve with 100 being the midpoint. One particular ad says, “only 1% of poeple” can complete the task. Pity the makers can’t spell!

So in my little world, no one in my village has raised a pitchfork in anger. While the riots have made international news, they really are not that widespread. Perhaps I should be thankful that I am left out in the cold. Social media reckons I like pictures of flowers, and those ads tell me I need to exercise my brain. Probably the algorithms are not too far off the mark. So, it is even more surprising that my email junk box is full of ads for penis enlargements and “hot Ukraine girls”. 

Slugs and snails attacking blackberries