“The Whites have become Black.

- David Starky, Historian -

What nonsense? For those of you who watched the BBC's NewsNight, one should be greatly taken aback by the comments made by David Starky.

Throughout the video, David seems to carry a negative agenda (maybe racist) towards the black community in UK. He is treading the line that White culture is good and Black culture is bad. Despite society having progressed so much, the complex issue of "Us VS Them" has again surfaced in UK (sadly). Race remains a thorny issue in fostering closer communal relations.

To label the rioters by "these groups" in "these areas" is derogatory and carries negative connotations. Black culture should not be synonymously attributed to crime. One must note that there were Whites who participated in the riots too. To say that the Whites were negatively influenced by the Blacks is a slippery slope. Shame on you, David! Looks like history has not taught you anything:(!

However, moving beneath the surface of race, there are more serious issues to address. The alienation felt by the rioters and the increasing rich-poor divide in the British community. All these problems require a concerted effort from the government, community leaders and education leaders to address. Tougher laws must also be met with proper scrutiny to prevent abuse of power. Cutbacks in Police funding must not decapitate the Police's powers to act when necessary. All these proposed measure require a fine balancing act.

Finally, measures implemented by the British government should target the youths in general and racial profiling should not be the way forward. Catering education/social measures to specific groups is divisive and discriminatory.