David Cameron calls for all teens to do community service.

[Kleatus]

In Ontario (Canada) we're required to do 40 hours of community service to recieve a high school diploma.

It also hasn't hurt. It's not a bad idea, just worded poorly. Also, LOL at the sensationalist a few posts back saying months of service for no pay. Somehow, I doubt that's what he meant.

 

[Apollo45]

So, um... I seem to be missing something, but what exactly is the problem with community service? Seriously, it's not bad, and it gives you something to put on a resume saying, "hey, I have experience doing ___, and was a nice enough guy to do it for free to help others". Always a good thing. On top of that, since when did a bit of hard work kill anyone? Have you never worked outside before? Is it really that bad to get out and do a bit of physical labor?

Hell, you might not even be doing physical labor. Community service doesn't always mean building a railroad; volunteering at an animal shelter is community service. Or you could help an old lady take care of her yard. They don't need to force you to do a specific thing either. Making it a requirement to continue on to higher education works just as well; that gives you years to figure out when and what you want to do to count towards your service.

I'll admit freely I'm American, so I'm not exactly up-to-date on British politics, and there might be something else going on here. That said, I don't see anything particularly wrong with this.

 

[LordFisheh]

I'm all for it. At least he's not bringing National Service back.

These riots piss me off not because of the whole destruction schtick but because they weren't actually about anything. It wasn't a protest against the government, it wasn't the poor against the rich. It was a bunch of oppurtunist thugs causing anarchy for the sake of anarchy. This is an unfortunate side-effect from a government that thinks it was politically minded.

No, they said 'we hate the rich' so it's a legitimate protest. Like how when EDL types insist that immigrants are stealing their jobs they're making a valid criticism of an actual social problem that they have made efforts to understand, as opposed to just being racist thugs.

/sarcasm off

People need to accept the fact that just because rioters claim some left wing motivation they do not become noble revolutionaries. I understand that if you lean leftwards (or any direction, really) and see rioters shouting values that you share then it's tempting to believe them and support them. But when you look at their actions - murder, beatings, theft - are these really the values supported by the Left? People will justify their actions by anything they can rally behind. Sadly, these thugs are not on your side. They might shout a few shared slogans, but their actions speak far louder.

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

As soon as you get out there with a broom Mr.Cameron. Leading by example and all.

 

[KaosuHamoni]

Oh do piss off. I've done my fair share of volunteer work and all that jazz bullshit already, I don't need you guilt-tripping me into doing it more than I already have.

Conservative wanker... =_=

 

[Hugga_Bear]

<---

Called it.

It won't do any good, Cameron's approach to this world is that of a naive child, he simply doesn't understand. None of it. He doesn't get economics, people are strange to him and sociological trends outlandish and bizarre. He lacks the understanding of most professionals and in it's stead has beliefs instilled in him from some unknown source, presumably the same that fed him money for breakfast.

I don't hate Cameron, I actually pity him, I think he's pathetic. However his policies are harmful, his direction is worrying and he continues to push at those who have little while demanding they give more. In a better time this wouldn't be a terrible idea. Forced voluntary work is actually not as terrible as it sounds.

However you don't do it now and not as an 'antidote' to the issues 'caused' by the group in question.

I can't see it going ahead really, though I don't doubt the Cons will get off on the idea I don't think they're quite foolish enough to push this through, though who knows...if the media continues it's disgustingly biased reporting against the 'youth' (yeah, still not kids.) then it may get some support from the more retarded voters.

Regardless, three cheers for fucking idiocy.

 

[Jazoni89]

Times like these make me glad I'm not a Teenager.

Suck it up Kiddies, your country hates you.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

I will do community service If David Cameron will fuck off and die within the next hour.

Since that won't happen.
Fuck that.

 

[Lt.Snuffles]

Suddenly I want to start rioting...

 

[DEAD34345]

This is a non-issue. The community service isn't compulsory, he merely wants to make it available for 16 year olds.

Apart from the 1 or 2 other people who mentioned this, did any of you actually read the article?

 

[alandavidson]

Community service, in itself, is not a bad thing. Most high schools in my area require a certain number of hours of community service to graduate. I did community service in high school and when I turned sixteen the people I was volunteering for straight-up hired me part-time. Not a bad deal.

But in this case, it's some elitist prick saying that thousands of kids should work their asses off to pay for something THAT THEY DID NOT DO.

Mr. Cameron, this is NOT the military. You cannot hold the actions of a few against the whole.

So FUCK OFF!!!

 

[LightspeedJack]

I told y'all this would happen if we voted in the tories but did you listen?

 

[LordFisheh]

He was saying stuff like this a long time before that. Still messed up, though - can someone explain what the differences between this and slavery are?

Very easy. Slavery is the owning of people like property. The words you're looking for are 'forced labour'. Which is not necessarily a bad thing; compulsory education could be considered forced labour, hell, penalties to social support for people not seeking jobs could be considered a soft way of 'encouraging'/forcing people to work.

Just like what was said in Critical Miss, don't blame anything. If you want to put blame for the riots on someone, blame it on the rioters. You know, because without rioters, there would be no riots, right? It is the responsibility of the people to maintain self-control.

Also, this. Exactly this. Even if we say people are rioting due to anger and not a 'take what you want because you can and fuck The Man' attitude, this applies. When you are angry, you are not entitled to punch the person angering you in the face. It's even less acceptable to start lashing out at random passersby who had nothing to do with whatever made you angry. Such people are seen as violent criminals and often considered mentally unstable.

 

[intheweeds]

This is basically putting jobs meant for criminals in the hands of teenagers

Whoa whoa whoa. You meant to say helping others is a job meant for criminals? It called community service because you are servicing the community. Breaking rocks and stamping licence plates are jobs meant for criminals. You could call it volunteer work and it would be the same thing. LOTS of people who are not criminals do this kind of work and actually enjoy it. I too come from Ontario where all high school kids are required to give 40 hours to the community before they get a diploma. I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

I did listen to the speech where he said that and he didn't say it would be mandatory anyway, he only said it should be 'available' to all teens. Personally, I think, maybe every teen should do some community service as part of their education. How could it possibly be anything but a good thing?

 

[NightHawk21]

I live in Ontario, Canada and for our secondary school diploma it is required to do 40 hours of community service. Honestly, if this is just regular community service, I don't understand what you guys are complaining about. Grab a couple buddies and sign up to help at some picnic or something. 40 hours goes by way fast.

Also if I read the article right, it doesn't look like anyone is making you guys do anything.

 

[mayney93]

fuck off cameron, i'm at the other end of the country, he's not my king, i hail to the king in the north! also i was at the other end of the country, your gonna force me to do something for the so called society that has only ever made my life worse? no cameron, go F**k off, get your southeners to do it, i've got nothing to do with your cesspool of a city known as london

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

There is no need to ever affiliate yourself with a criminal simply because you share some characteristic with him.

Equally there is no need to ever affiliate yourself with the victim simply because you share some characteristic.

Cameron lost nothing but a few days off.

Some people lost their entire livelihoods. They're still not the ones being consulted. Or the Police. Or all the volunteers who helped clean up. Or the shopkeepers etc. that helped defend the places being looted. Three of them that DIED doing it.

Cameron needs to wake up to the fact that you have a number of bored teenagers with nothing to lose freed from school, work and social responsibility. Of course they're gonna go rampaging. We can only thank the stars that it wasn't properly organised, because that would have been lethal.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

This is a non-issue. The community service isn't compulsory, he merely wants to make it available for 16 year olds.

Apart from the 1 or 2 other people who mentioned this, did any of you actually read the article?

I did, and Going down a bit, Boris Johnson said that he wants it compulsory not just available. Then it gave a quote from Cameron saying he liked that idea. Although that may have been from Jonhson but the way they wrote it made it seem like it was from Cameron

 

[i7omahawki]

And again, a small group of yobs ruins everything for everyone else. :/

Not that the idea in general is a -bad- one mind. But it reeks of "Look what those assholes did! Now -you're- getting punished for it."

Yep, which is why this shouldn't be 'announced' right afterwards, as if the two events are completely, instead of only tangentally, connected.

I am completely and utterly in favour of teens fulfilling a 'National Service' of sorts, to help out with the community and help out in areas that need it. Hell, I'm in my twenties and I wouldn't mind doing it until I can continue on my way to a career.

Unfortunately, making it seem like a punishment is idiotic, and implementing this top-down is as stupid as all his other 'Big Society' ideas have been.

If the government are struggling to keep a hold of public services then don't drop it and assume/force people to catch it, rather ask us to take it up before you need to let go.

Suggest that we have a kind of national service and let local communities decide how best to implement them, and if necessary take the models that work the best and establish them nationwide.