The rise of wannabe knacker culture

Where I come from Knackers are not members of the travelling community they are basically the kinds of people that riot in Dublin, drug dealers, vandals, joy riders etc. Many people have been making the point that these people who rioted are the ones that the state has left behind. Which is valid in a way. Some of these kids don’t know better and don’t have no other prospects. So they get easily caught up in republican rhetoric. But many of the people who were arrested were not from these areas. They have futures, they have education they have secure homes. So why do they throw bricks at people. I believe it is the rise of wannabe knacker culture.

One of the most popular rappers in the world is 50 cent. Ask any kid why they listen to him and talk about how he got shot and was a drug dealer. They talk about how he is rapping about real life. Real life is being stuck in traffic for 3 hours a day. Being a “gangsta”(another word for knacker) is not, yet this is what some kids think it is real life. Kids from all social backgrounds walk around the city in hoodies acting and aspiring to be knackers. Many of these kids that are not deprived, they have everything they need in life. Yet they want to be the “hard men”. Why?

Senator David Norris talked about how in deprived communities that once the first few locals get educated and become doctors, lawyers and dentists. They will become role models and make kids in these areas will want to be doctors and not drug dealers. Yet lets look at the areas where kids have loads of positive role-models where there neighbours are Doctors Dentists and Lawyers. These kids are rioting too. Many arrested on Saturday did not come from deprived areas. Did the reclaim the street anti-capitalist riots come from deprived areas or well off areas.? Mostly they came from well-off backgrounds these people are not marginalised. In fact they are the least marginalised in the country. They talk about fighting for the working class. Yet the working class think that they are a disgrace and many have never meet a working class person. They just want to fight the “pigs” and be anti-social.

The state of education in inner city areas is a disgrace to say the least but to say that marginalisation is the cause of these riots is in my opinion wrong. Sure marginalisation causes a lot of crime joyriding being one but not every crime is due to this. Why are lower class rioters called marginalised and lashing out at society while middle class rioters are called politically motivated. Are we saying lower classed cannot be politically motivated, are we saying middle class kids are marginalised. Or is it the case that many people and mainly young males just want to be knackers.