Racism: Astonishing Attack in Woolwich Sparks Discrimination Frenzy

Just a little background information; some that is sure to shock you if you haven't seen it already.

Today at 2:20pm.

The London borough of Woolwich is brought to its knees. Suddenly and without warning, the entity known as the British public is forced brutally to attention.

Two allegedly Islamic aggressors have carried out a horrific, machete-wielding execution of a man believed to be a soldier in Woolwich, London.

Although senior police and government forces remain tight-lipped on the finer details of this alarming event, it has become apparent that the attack was unprovoked, and that the extremists carrying it out made no immediate attempt to leave the scene of the crime. However, both were later shot and wounded by the Metropolitan police force.


Here is the shocking interview that accompanied the event. This is one of the attackers; fresh from committing the attack, still wielding his weapon of choice and sporting the blood of his victim.



"I apologise that women had to witness this today," he blurts.
 "But in our land, the women have to see the same."



"Remove your government, they don't care about you!" he continues. A chilling aggressive energy is evident in his voice.

Shocking stuff.

Almost as shocking were some of the comments that started to appear in my social media feeds.
                                                     

Just one of thousands of decidedly backwards comments posted on Twitter  in reaction to today's events

Events such as today's often push a web-empowered society to partake in an intense debate on the motives behind what has happened.  It is seen as customary, I would argue, to give an opinion or a take on what has happened. However, the blanket discrimination that has been jumped to so quickly by a fraction of the British public is astonishing. 

The London Riots highlighted how the public and their use of social media now play a vital role in determining
press coverage of the most pressing events and issues our world has to offer.

Even before confirmation that the attacks were the work of two Jihadists, astonishingly narrow minded, ignorant and perspectiveless comments were being made in every corner of the internet about the attacks being the work of Islam, and that all ethnic minorities should be "sent home".

"Bring back the death penalty" heralded another Twitter user.

Scenes from Kosovo in the 1990s - Where mindless discrimination can take a nation. Bear that in mind.

The English Defence League have begun to riot in Brighton, themselves covered by masks, yet in a vein of hypocrisy claiming that religious groups who have the custom of covering their faces should be ethnically cleansed and removed from Britain.

I think that this image sums up their warped and poorly reasoned viewpoints perfectly:

Today I learned a valuable lesson; shocking events can bring the worst out of people, as well as the best, as a landscape of consumers scrap to make a meaningful response to an astonishing event. I am reminded of the  negative response towards Islam, a fundamentally peaceful and loving set of religious beliefs horribly misunderstood by some, after the 9/11 attacks.

 I sincerely hope that the new generation can embrace the multi cultural nature of Britain, and not reject the diverse, decidedly modern society that it creates.

Woolwich Attacks Live Twitter Feed.

Worldwide Wanderlust: How Global Exploration Became The Planet's Most Precious Pastime

Whilst taking full advantage of finally being able to book my interrail tickets, I began to ask myself a particularly deep and meaningful question.

It went something like this:

What drives people to travel?

It seems that the human race has developed an innate need to push our physical and, indeed, financial boundaries to the limit by exploring the huge variety in lifestyles out there. Perhaps this kind of terribly odd behaviour would have been reserved for solely the most determined of explorers in the past, but since the Twentieth Century, the game has changed. Ever expanding trade routes, affordable air travel, and eventually the dawn of content sharing Web 2.0 have allowed even curious, money-tight youngsters such as myself a viable opportunity to scour out the furthest corners of the world. Incredible, if you ask me.

Marshall McLuhan wrote "Understanding Media" in 1964, noting how new technologies were making content globally available within as little as a day. Also predicted a system like the internet thirty years in advance. Genius.

European route map of both EasyJet and Ryanair, showing that even travellers on the tightest of budgets have access to a ridiculous variety of destinations!

Conveniently enough, I believe that the motives for travelling can be placed into three simple yet deeply curious little categories. Here goes:

Escape
Unfortunately, a conventional Western life is not as boundless and freed by capitalism and democracy as we'd like to believe. We feel in touching distance with the perfect, equal and limitless life, yet are bound by societal expectations. Things like as getting married, settling down, having children, behaving in an acceptable fashion, abiding by set rules, passing exams, and obtaining the most prestigious or high paying job role.

The pace and pressure of everyday, conventional existence can leave us feeling in chains; like we are not reaching our full potential as people.

The thrill and limitless adventure of travelling the world seem almost destined to be the antidote to this problem. I rest assured as not the only person who feels an incredible sense of freedom and endless possibility when out in the world experiencing new places, people, food, culture, and, perhaps most importantly for us Brits, weather!
Such change in routine is always something welcome to the endless hardworking folk out there in the world in need of an escape.

If you're anything like me, the sensation of getting away from old routines and exploring the world will set you free as a person. Which is always a bonus.

Instinct

Affordable air travel and the unstoppable growth of tourism as an industry worldwide has seen the travel bug take hold of the world on a phenomenal scale, with more than 900 million international travel journeys being undertaken each year (Source: World Health Organisation)

Yet even in centuries gone by, where only the wealthiest of nobles could take sail and see the world, people were genuinely prepared put their lives on the line to see even the darkest corners of the world.

Robert Falcon Scott - The highly esteemed British explorer who died as part of a team attempting to be the first men to reach the South Pole. He scoured the untouched landscape of the Antarctic simply because he could, and gave his life in the process.

The inquisitive nature of the human race has meant that we fight to find somewhere tranquil, isolated, and untouched by other people and the Western influence that they bring, an influence which many of us are trying to escape. Finding such an 'untouched' place is an art, since the more people escape to somewhere, the more 'ruined' it can become. Take Bali for example:

Scenes at this once idyllic Indonesian paradise. Curiosity of Australian  holidaymakers  has transformed the area into a seedy tourist sprawl.
This picture accompanied the harrowing headline "3 Killed In Bali Nightclub Bombs"

Our natural desire to use our great ability and potential as human beings to see the world has its benefits and its drawbacks. I believe that any travellers should take great care to absorb the culture and traditions of anywhere they are visiting; take it in their stride, as per se. Either that, or face the unstoppable spread of a corporation and greed driven landscape worldwide, which, deep down, nobody wants.

Possibility

Let's face it, when booking a nice little excursion abroad, we all think of everything we could get up to whilst we are out there, be that swimming, relaxing, scuba diving, drinking, clubbing, building campfires, safaris, sightseeing, suntanning. Hard not to get excited about, isn't it?

Knowing that we will have so many varied, fun activities at our disposal to creates part of the incredible atmosphere of anticipation surrounding holidays. Travel companies take full advantage of this. Take Thompson, for example:

The dream-like, iconic 'endless swimming pool' effect pioneered by Thompson Holidays advertisements give us this sense of adventure and possibility that makes us itch to go travelling.

The idea that we can create our ideal routine through piecing together a travel plan gives us a powerful sense of control, something which many of us are guilty of enjoying a little too much. 

I hope you enjoyed the read. Any feedback would be much appreciated, thanks!

Sam Kersey, Student Culture Junkie

http://www.facebook.com/Skurzey
http://www.twitter.com/samkersee

Beginnings of a Backpacker

I have managed to uncover some great pictures of some of my first ventures outside of Europe. Hopefully this should give you a little insight into my original inspiration for wanting to work and travel worldwide, and my drive to make this a reality!

Vietnam - age 11
 Outline:
First trip outside of Europe, exploring Mui Ne and the legendary city of Saigon.

Atmosphere:
Mui Ne was an incredibly relaxed and idyllic coastal area full of vast and beautiful sand dunes, whereas Saigon was a bustling, humid Asian city with an incredible sense of vibrancy and purpose, as well as  richness in culture. The people never pronounced the ends of English words, with hilarious results (although massive respect goes to the majority of Vietnamese people for taking a wise variety of languages into their daily stride!)

Highlights:
Eating Pho at a roadside bar in Saigon watching the thousands of motorbikes go by.
Crocodile Fishing.
Shooting an AK47 as part of a guided tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels
Sand boarding down the Mui Ne dunes into a river.
Bizarre introduction to the Victor Hugo worshipping, beautifully costumed Cao Daism
Witnessing first hand the devastating effects of Napalm through the eyes of the Vietnamese War Museum

Photos:

Shown around Mui Ne sand dunes by local kids after the white kid's dollar!

Fresh cut with the local barber!

Chugging it down at the pool bar!

Sand boarding  is a fond memory of an incredible trip that left a mark on me for sure.

India - age 13
 Outline:
Spending a week at a Corbett Tiger Reserve in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh, then going on to hit the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Atmosphere:
Corbett was a quiet, cultural venture in incredible heat with absolutely beautiful scenery and surroundings. Delhi was busy to a suffocating extent, with lively markets left right and centre, and many tour guides spotting our ethnicity and battling to 'show us around'. Agra was a place of incredibly interesting temples and religion, the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal, and a cushy five star hotel. I remember Jaipur as a kind of lovely, flowery haven, but I probably know nothing about the place seeing as all I can remember is swimming and having a  much-needed stellar cheese toastie!

Highlights:
Authentic Indian food was incredible, notably lashings Chapatti and aniseed candies. However, curry every day for breakfast lunch and dinner can wear thin, believe it or not, and I think at one point we went out to grab a cheeky Chinese! Typical tourists.
Piling into Jeeps for bumpy rides through all of the rich and poor districts of Uttar Pradesh. The financial diversity in India was astonishing.
Lemon tea and desperate, unsuccessful attempts by Indian salesman to ship us a brand new Kashmir carpet home!
Scouring through the markets, and finding some really interesting psychology books among the mix.
Hilarious venture into a "Westernised" bar.

Photos:

On the left, the hottest day I have ever been through (44°C) , so much so that our temple tour was cancelled midway through!

With my brother again, this time discovering the Taj Mahal! An incredible destination.

Nanithal, a vibrant Indian market town.

More pictures and experiences to be shared soon!

You have been reading up on the beginnings of a student culture junkie. If you want to check up on how I'm doing today, just take a look at my
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Thanks for reading!