Dear Catriona Stewart and Herald Scotland...

Firstly may I apologise for the poor penmanship and structure of this open letter. I left school before taking any exams, and am therefore illiterate, uneducated and a smear on society. (Lets get the generalisations out of the way early on, eh!)

Now, lets get to the point of this blog entry.
Mid August some stills, and then a video of a man vandalising a car in a supermarket car park went viral. 48 year old Gary Brissett, while out on a walk with his child in a buggy, had taken it upon himself to cause £7,000 of damage to a parked Aston Martin. The reason for this, still unknown as he has not disclosed it in his court appearance to date.

The reason SO many were taken aback by this action varies from social group to social group. There are car enthusiasts who appreciate the beauty of the car,  and craftsmanship which goes into every vehicle. There are people who are sick of mindless idiots causing damage to cars, and forcing their insurance premiums up. Then of course there is the majority. Law abiding citizens of the country, with morals and who know right from wrong.

On the flipside you have your eco-loving, mindless, jealous, judgemental fools who feel they can pigeonhole people, and build up a non-existent social structure. Drawing divides, makings judgements on people based on their choice of clothing, food, or transport. I would firmly put Ms Stewart into the latter. (You know what, you are right, it feels good to judge!)

So, somewhere in your deluded mind, while viewing the world through your eco-green coloured glasses, you decided that because a man decided to buy an expensive car, he deserved to fall victim to every narrow-minded vandal that passes by the car. How dare he work hard for a living and treat himself to a material item. How dare he be individual and stand out from the crowd. In fact, there lays the first issue. I assume you have done your research on this, and are sure this car is indeed an outright purchase, and not a company lease, private lease, a very expensive credit agreement?

You applaud and celebrate a criminal act, but then on Twitter claim you don't condone or encourage the action. All while saying "I often feel like keying swanky cars. I particularly feel like keying performance-cars". If nothing else, you glorify the act, and suggest it is rational to want to cause damage to someone else's property, based on your preconceived judgements of the person.

We are in agreement at one point, and that is that there are some people out there who drive like utter arseholes. However to suggest that either it is only performance car drivers, or that ALL performance car drivers fall into this pigeonhole of yours is ludicrous to the extreme. Some of the most horrific high speed accidents in the UK involve non performance cars. In fact I would go as far as to say that had some of the cars involved in some of these accidents had the equipment of a performance car, they may have been able to stop or turn, rather than crashing. When the arse biscuit behind the wheel decided he was a racing driver for the day.

Judging someone simply on a vehicle they drive, while being somewhat uneducated on the whole automotive world (which I will hazard a guess you are) is plain pathetic. To then play judge and jury on a high profile criminal matter, belittle the work done by the Metropolitan Police in finding Mr Brissett. Giving your character reference to the courts suggesting imprisoning poor nasty little Gary will be bad for his child, well that bit is just laughable. Are you familiar with the phrase "roll model"? Or do you think by putting up the hood on the buggy, Mr Brissett was shielding his child from the act, and would never encourage such behaviour from his children as they grow?

Speaking of Mr Brissett and his buggy. Let us focus on that for a moment. Now, I am a little out of touch with fashion in both clothing and baby products, but am reliably informed that Gary was in no way dressed in rags, and the illusive buggy which was used to shield the child from his actions, is in fact close to £1,000 in value.
Now, taking the buggy for an example. Am I to assume by you fussy judgemental logic, that a person of lesser stature is well within their rights to put a slash down the side of the unoccupied buggy, based on someone daring to have such a materialistic item? Oh of course, that's right. On Twitter when asked about similar actions based on spending obnoxious amounts of money on an item, deserving it to be vandalised, you switched back to the "boy-racer" argument.

So which is it? Do people who drive like prize idiots on the public road deserve to have their car vandalised, or do people who work hard in life and reward themselves with a nice car deserve to have their cars wrecked?

The whole reason this case gained such public support isn't because it was the middle classes rising up against the social scum of urban society. If you are not familiar with London streets, inner and outer, there are plenty of cars which are priced £50k and up, sports car, luxury cars, they are all there. Not a rare nor eye catching sight.
No, the reason it got the support it did, was because a nasty spiteful little piece of work, was caught bang to rights, lining up the offence, preparing for it, and carrying it out. All in glorious HD thanks to modern tech and dash cams. For the majority of people, actually watching someone carry out such an act is almost sickening. It angers people to see someone  who believes they can judge someone, and in turn punish someone.

Suggesting the choice of car is in some way making up for a shortfall in his manhood. How very 1970's of you. Women drive Aston Martin's too you know. As well as Bentley's, Porsche's and other expensive cars. What do the cars say about these women? They have loose vagina's and a mono-brow? And by driving one it somehow makes us overlook this issues with them.
Not everyone is quite as judgemental as you think they are. Sure we all make brash judgements on some people who thrust themselves to our attention. Take you for example. I would guess that 90% of people who read your article think you are a lonely, bitter, electric car driving, cat loving, readymeal eating, Katie Hopkins wannabee,  eco-loony. Probably all wrong, but hey, it's fun to judge, right?

Now some facts. You say you can't spend more on a car than a house. Well again. This is London, if you can find houses for under £100,000 which are habitable, I suggest you snap them up now, as there has clearly been a mistake in its pricing.
Racing along suburban streets, again, a bit of a myth really. With speed humps and traffic calming increasing at a rapid rate, the idea of speeding around London is a thing of the past. Especially given the traffic. Sure it clears up and there is the odd occasional chance to squirt it, but that's hardly an everyday thing. Of course, it is easy to forget, which the UK's rich racing heritage, just how many race tracks and airfields there are to use these high-performance penis extensions on.

You don't get boy racers in a Fiat 500.. Nope, you are right, because they are girls cars! (Sorry I got all judgemental again there. Wow it really gets a hold of you doesn't it!)
The Fiat 500 Abarth, with 160bhp, 0-60 in the mid 7's, top speed of 130mph (almost double the UK limit) and coughing out 155g/km Hmmm no potential to be an arse biscuit in that now is there?

Your summary will draw my blog to a neat close I think. Suggesting that "ostentatious cars" are somehow a symbol of all that is wrong in the country. Forming an opinion on someone based on the car they drive, I would argue, is far worse.
It is in fact those who feel they can pre-judge someone, and understand everything there is to know about someone. Their wealth, morals, social position, purely based on what car they drive. THAT is where things go wrong. Not giving people a chance, taking no interest in a person, but merely the material objects which surround them. Deciding in a split second that you indeed stand on the moral high ground. My god, the irony is all too much.

Without knowing a single thing about someone, you have decided they because of the car they drive, they are beneath you, and idiots like Mr Brissett should take the law into their own hands, and serve a sentence on said person. To write such a piece, and for the media outlet to then publish it simply perpetuates everything that is wrong with this country. Not an economic divide with the wealthy brushing away the poor and working class. But narrow minded, big mouthed idiots with a little bit of an audience, inciting others in to acts of stupidity, while banging the social divide, tax the rich drum.

Take a moment longer to know someone, before judging them. A little consideration goes a long way.

Yours sincerely

Smart Car driving wanker.

Perception, our place in society.

Perception is key when it comes to establishing your presence in society, both yours of others, and how indeed you are perceived yourself by others.
For example, take figures of authority. If you walked into a Police station and every officer was standing dressed in Nike joggers, hoodies, and a nice pair of Air 180's, you would have difficulty taking them seriously. The same way you would not expect to be taken seriously if you turned up at a job interview for an office position, in shorts and a t-shirt.

So lets look at perception. How and why is it SO important to us, and when did it start getting used almost as a weapon?

The power of perception all starts with human instinct, a brief, judgemental opinion formed of someone within seconds of laying eyes on them. Stereotyping people until we have an opportunity to get to know more about them. See a pan of water on the cooker, we assume it will burn us, then carefully test it to find out its just been put on and is cold.

We do the same with people. Society pigeon holes people, teaching us that casually dressed people care carefree, well dressed people are professional and respectable, and depending what side of the fence you sit on this one, people in uniforms with authority, namely the police are either trustworthy and a safe refuge, or untrusted, and will abuse us.

When you walk down a street at night, and see a group walking towards you your subconsciousness kicks into overdrive. Scanning, looking for clues as to what part of society these people come from, do they pose a risk, should you take action. Cross over, turn around, or keep on walking to get a better idea before deciding. Depending on your experiences, you will be compelled by what you have learned from previous encounters. Those who have been victims of any sort of street crime are likely to cross away as soon as they make visual contact on the group.

Sadly, some groups in society have learned this, and perceive it as power, and a crazy form of respect. Having the ability to make people cross the road just because of the way you dress and behave. For example, the hoodie! Frowned upon by society, shrouding the wearers face from most angles. Hiding away their expression and making it nigh on impossible to get a read on them. Because of the media coverage, and the aggressive manner people who wear them are perceived behave, the average Joe on the streets will avoid contact with groups wearing hoodies. And if the situation necessitates them passing close by, all items of value will be hidden away, eye contact avoided, and pace increased.

To gangs perception has become key. Stamping their authority on neighbourhoods, using peoples perceptions of them against them. No longer to they need to actually do anything wrong, we just see them and fear them.

But for some this was not enough, and the fight for a positive perception within groups and gangs has now taken over. Infighting if you will.
Not content with being feared by society, the fight has now erupted from within. The knives and other weapons once used to instil fear on others outside the group, for fun or gain, have now turned inwards, and the fighting has begun.
This is not to say that all victims of knife crime are in a gang, far from it in fact. But the fighting from within has caused a lot of the members of the gangs to start carrying weapons.
Weapons which in turn, change a simple street altercation into a fatal or life changing incident.

I have never believed violence is the answer. Going from a road rage incident I was once caught up in, with the driver of the other vehicle feeling that having not been able to over take me for half a mile, warranted a fight (strange people), to a recent disagreement on the internet turning into threats and suggestions of "sorting this out face to face" Ironically the debate which caused the disagreement was on violence.

However, as the years have gone by, situations which were once finished with a cheeky sucker punch, and a black eye, have now turned into "I know, I have I knife, that will teach him". The cowards way, the easy way, or just the most idiotic and irresponsible decision and action a person can make. Ending a simple altercation with someone, in fact a whole group of peoples, lives being changed forever.

Having watched CCTV, and read witness accounts of some truly devastating assaults over recent years, it is abundantly clear that this knife carrying society is here, and is determined to stay for as long as it can.

So we go back to perception.....
In society we all make a decision, be it conscious or subconsciously , to make an impression on others. We don't see how we look for 99% of the day, so what we wear, how we walk, and how we behave is instead all a show. A show for others. Out for the night, impress the ladies, job interview, impress the potential boss, and so on. Clothing plays a key role, as it is a massive visual key for others to associate with.
Then there is how we walk and behave. Body language plays a huge part too. As we watch someone walking, we assess how much personal space of others they respect, body checking and barging is a sure sign that this person is bad news. Respectfully standing aside, being alert of your surroundings, paints a totally different picture.

Of course, all these reads we make on someone in the split second that it takes can all be terribly wrong. And we come back to stereotyping, the man in the hoodie knocking into people as he runs down the street, could in fact be a plain clothes police officer chasing that well dressed man you just passed, who you assumed was running for a bus.

I guess what I am trying to say here is two things, but they work against each other.

Perception IS key, for a fraction of a second. It tells us how to react, and what to expect from someone we perceive as friend or foe.
However perception is flawed, as society teaches us to pigeon hole people, and who to avoid, it also teaches others how easy it is to commit perception fraud. Making yourself to be something you are not is the easy part. Sadly backing up the threat your image paints is where it gets messy.
Proving a point, making a stand, and showing others that you deserve the respect you demand. Carrying a weapon, using violence, just for another step up the ladder.
Finding someone innocent to your behaviours. Unsuspecting and vulnerable, and using them to display how tough you are, is really just proving how weak you are.

Knife crime is nothing new, it will never disappear fully, but for now it is getting out of control. Maybe the media are over reporting it, over inflating the seriousness in our minds. Maybe it really is on the up and getting to a point of being uncontrollable, who knows.


So I will sum up this random ramble with this.
As much as you can fool someone with your image, make them perceive you as a dangerous threat, let me put this to you...

Fear is NOT respect.
Violence does NOT earn respect
Respect is earned, and earned from decent people, not low life thugs who you look up to in some strange way, because you in turn fear them. Break the cycle!

My parting question. How do YOU want to be perceived, and how do you thing people actually perceive you?
Confident, vulnerable, confused, confrontational......