I love Vice for gritty open-ended documentaries.
Shaun Smith is an ex-con and was a pioneer in urban terrorism, almost killed by a famously loud car bomb. He now collects debts and runs a boxing//MMA gym. Shaun is a personable enough fellow who has clearly slipped into the later 'diplomatic' stages of the violent urban life. He, improbably, comes off as a wise man, but is not below 'bitch slapping' a muscle head steroid dealer in his gym office. His own commentary on his professions is summed up with this statement, "You call it enforcer. I call it mediator." Of course he also advises, "Always make sure there's a good strong lad behind us."
As the U.S. tilts towards European style socialism and gun laws, it would do us well to look to Britain. I have read numerous memoirs by fighters and bouncers out of England. The impression is that, since no one is worried about getting shot, or even incarcerated for an extended period, that extreme levels of hand-to-hand violence are common in urban settings. A fighter I train, who was born in Jamaica, and has survived attempts on his life in Baltimore's infamous ghetto, had this to stay about his experiences visiting relatives in London, "Of course Baltimore is bad. But when we have elections you don't have to worry about being caught in a cross fire like in Jamaica where they break out their guns on voting night. Neither compare to London though. The people are drunk all the time and insanely violent—and nobody speaks English!"
This brings me to my biggest impression about this Vice documentary: the fact that it is subtitled! For all of you white Americans out there who decry the mangling of English at the hands of Black Americans, if you watch Shaun in action for the full 35:07 minutes you may be convinced that American 'ebonics' is actually British in origin.
I loved this documentary. Nothing like the Liverpool accent which sounds lyrical and slightly effeminate yet they are considered the most savage thugs in England by the other Brits. I would add to the socialistic nurturing of violence that no one has to worry about medical bills (but neither do lumpenproles/illegal invaders here in the US). The Fabian desire to help the poor has just enabled people to get by while being raging alcoholic/drug addicts. Every other Brit looks like Eminem today and their cities are now more "diverse" just like the NorthEast USA.
guys like these were more common in NYC in my childhood but they slowly went extinct after the Police Revolution of the 80's/90's. Liverpool was a major port city hence the rough edge ala Baltimore.
The one story he relates about when he started debt collecting and what those two older guys did to one non payer was one of the most disgusting and chilling things I have heard. You could see in his face how it still haunts him years later.
Also he is a rough man yet he openly acknowledges his depression/anxiety, list of legal pharmaceuticals
and inability to sleep. Most importantly he at least has a Code.or at least he says he does.
On a final note, Mike Tyson seems to be like a Demi God over there with that one bloke tattooing the same symbol Mike has on his own face!
So Liverpool is the Detroit of England?
We will have to put that on the Urban safari destination list.