What is our world coming to?

Question

14 y old boy stabbed to death on his milk round, 15 y old boy attacked riding his bike, attacker got the wrong kid! 9 y old boy tortured and burnt in a park, he's too scared to go outside. 3 teenage girls stabbed getting off bus. 20 y old father shot in front of wife and child. and most of these incidents are done by other teenagers. I just don't understand what has happened to the younger generation. i mean i'm only 23, but i get nervous around groups of teenagers. TEENAGERS, they should be at home doing their homework. not having a rant, just want others opinions on this.

it all just makes me so sad that so many children and teenagers are targeted

Answer 1

I think there are several factors at work here; absent fathers, a general lack of discipline, and parents acting as friends rather than role models. In addition, I truly beleive that we need to take our children away from the TV, away from the computer, and regulate what they've got on thier iPod's! I am not saying that television, music or the media are evil, nor do I support censorship in anyway. What I am saying is that parents truly need to be aware of what their children are watching from the earliest possible age. When a young child is exposed to the type of violence and gore that has become commonplace these days, he/she becomes desensitized not only to this violence, but to the overall suffering of other beings. That child is more able to inflict pain and even cause death without compassion or remorse. Every night on prime time news programs, I can almost guarantee that I will see at least one dead body. Or the video of a brutal beating. Our society releases DVD's and youtube clips for the sole purpose of watching people get gravely injured or killed. I see people watching these things yelling, "Whooaaa... that guy got f***ed up!" and laughing as someone gets blown apart by an oncoming train, or beaten to death, or shot in the face. Blood no longer makes people shudder. Life does not hold the same value to those who have been brought up to view it's loss as entertainment. Free speech, and freedom of the press means that we as a people have the right to release, broadcast, or say what we like; however, that doesn't mean we can't regulate what happens in our own homes. Step it up, people! Raise your children to be GOOD citizens, to be able to contribute to society, to care about people and animals! Take them outside and play with them. Make them try EVERY SINGLE extracurricular activity until they find one they like. Make them volunteer for charities. It's more difficult that way and they may not like you for it, but you will be rewarded by seeing your child become the type of adult we need more of.

Answer 2

I truly believe that the only solution to the problems with some teenagers today is a rigidly enforced 2-prong attack.

First, punishments for criminal behaviour should be severe. Never mind 6 months at butlins like they get now, they should be given hard labour in sh!tty conditions. So hard that they come out thinking "fugg me I don't wanna go back in there!"

The second and perhaps more important part is to encourage and reward kids to do positive things for the communities. Giving even a small reward for things like doing old folks gardening or supporting sports groups etc would give these young people a sense of achievement and self worth.
The pensioners are right when they say that national service should be brought back.

Answer 3

Drugs, lack of parenting, and dropping out of school could be big factors. My daughter is 12, and some of the things I hear her and her friends talk about is so advanced! I know at 12 I didn't even have a clue about the things they know nowadays. It is scary. It is like a "Me Generation". They don't have respect for themselves nor anybody else. My husband is a gun dealer and their store was robbed last week by three 15 year olds, a 17, and 19 year old. They attempted to steal heavy weapons that they were going to use to retaliate over another group of teens that had fought them a week before. Now the older ones will have at least 10 years in federal prison, and the younger ones will spend about 6 years in a juvenile detention center. They don't even care....one was still talking about when he gets out there will be pay back! I can speak for our kids....we screen every movie that they watch, we make them put school first, we don't allow video games during the school year, and we keep up with what they are doing. I am not blaming all parents who don't do the things that we do, but there are alot of parents that just give up, and by the time the child is 15 years old it is almost too late because they are too over powering with disrespect. My kids try themselves with us but we just show them we are more firm!

Answer 4

Its an unfortunate and true fact that some kids / teenagers are animals - particularly in a group mentality - but this is nothing new - there are extreme examples such as the Bulger case in Liverpool (a young child who was murdered by two other children) and other examples through history. A majority of teenagers / kids are responsible and normal - but there is always a news story to give us bad news to spread panic. It's difficult to remain positive and optimisitc in the face of the cruel world - but these are regionally isolated incidents accrued by the media. I seriously think this is down to bad parenting and ill equiped, uneducated and dysfunctional, young parents who themselves have grown up without positive role models or a supportive family unit.

Answer 5

This is a massive question and no one answer could cover it all, but in my experience growing up in East London in the 1960's it is no more violent now than it was then except for the proliferation of drug crime ( muggings vendettas payback etc) and the reduction in fear around knives. Everyone remembers when crocodile dundee pulled out a foot long knife and said "no that's a knife". Instead of weapons being seen as fearsome dangerous things they have become common currency even if not used more youths carry them as accessories. Police stop and search is a thing of the past ( possession of a deadly weapon they called it when I was young was a real crime). Muggings were common place in inner cities and still are and as people move away from inner cities and new home ownership has given people the ability to choose where they live then the sense of value also migrates with them. In short I think we desensitise our youth and distribute rough inner city values further afield making each generation products of our own upbringing and as more of us city kids move into suburbia then we spread our problems further. Its no worse now just more widespread.

Answer 6

When I was young if I got out of line at home or school I got a whipping(never life threatening) and I have turned out ok. I don't know who the Dr. was who said children shouldn't be disciplined but they were definitely wrong. It does not harm their psyche or damage them mentally. What it does is makes a respectable adult out of them. Too many times today people in general are just given a slap on the wrist and not made to answer for their actions. Just imagine what the world will be like in 20 years when these teenagers have kids of their own - scary........

Answer 7

It is the times we live in. Everything seems to be out of control.
It seems that people are just going through life unaware that
things have changed drastically, and certainly not for the better.
Like our world leaders, when something isn't working, instead of
trying something else they just stubbornly insist that it is working
and go on being stupid while things fall apart.

Answer 8

It's the governments non regard for the working class in slum areas. as usual. When they moved all these foreign bodies in over the decades there was no thought of integration, it was just left to the locals to get on with it and now every different race/culture in this country have formed their own gangs be it for protection or gain. In the 60s & 70s you had one gang in each area who protected their turf and believe it or not did not attack the locals. now you could have 3 or 4 gangs of different race/culture who attack anyone not belonging to their group regardless of age and they have no fear of, or respect for the law..and who can blame them I'm rapidly losing faith myself, why do you think the uniformed police don't venture far from the town centres.. the country will get worse before it gets better..... so live with it! ,,

Answer 9

The problem is drugs. I would bet the percent of drug related crimes is very very high. I was a wild teenager and drugs were very available then (late 70's mid 80's). I'm the mother of a 21 year old and during his time at school he would tell me of his friends doing drugs. when i asked him why he hung with them he said because if he didn't hang with them then there would be nobody to hang out with. Ice is very prevalent in our area and i suspect it is everywhere. It changes people. i'm glad i'm drug free now.

Answer 10

Who knows what is going on? Rap? Single mothers? Growing up poor in a world at war?
Pick your reason