We must take back our streets...

[Yorkie]

Of course, this theory doesn't apply to everyone, but it is an accepted fact that something as simple as not eating together is a by-product of the family breakdown. Not in all cases, of course.

The other theory, with regard to sport, is that children/teenagers are not able to 'tire themselves out'. Taking part can be a very good way of learning basic skills and has many benefits. Sport or fitness is a form of release. I love the way skateboarders are seen as the dregs of society by the adult population, but in my experience they are actually doing something that they enjoy and have something to focus on rather than hanging about causing trouble.

I agree that fear helps. I was petrified of my headmaster at my Prep-School. He was a lovely man, but he laid down the foundations and boundaries and formed a mutual respect. I would not have dared cross him or some other of the teachers. The sad thing is, there seems to be a severe lacking in support of teachers from parents. I know a fair amount of teachers from my Uni days and the general consensus is that they do not get the support to enforce a strict regime and the classes are too big to make huge inroads.

An excellent post and very good points made.

 

[Les Biehn]

Exactly.

Which is why kids need a father figure around. Someone to instil just a little bit of fear.

Doesn't have to be a father figure, probably the most well behaved of all my mates grew up with just his Mum and she made sure he knew not to be a twat.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I blame the mid to late 30-somethings (like me) and early 40-somethings. What went wrong with our parenting skills? Why the f*** have we brought up so many little shits, boys and girls taking over our streets with no respect for themselves, let alone anyone else.

Every time I get a bus in my neck of the woods, there are 11 and 12-year-olds running riot, swearing, spitting, beating each other up, intimidating other passengers - and they know that they're above the law.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Doesn't have to be a father figure, probably the most well behaved of all my mates grew up with just his Mum and she made sure he knew not to be a twat.

Indeed. The same goes for a couple of my friends who lost their fathers when they were 13. The mothers in question took on that extra responsiblity and laid down the law. Although difficult, a single parent family should not be an excuse to avoid teaching children morals and basic behavioural levels. Many single parents do fantastic jobs.

 

[Yorkie]

I think it is down to laziness rather than one parent or two. It is hard work teaching a two year old that their tantrums won't get them their own way.
It starts even that young. There are some parents who do anything for an easy life.

 

[Les Biehn]

I think the word 'youth; has always had an unsavoury overtone and perhaps more so with the ever powerful media, but it is not just tabloid hysteria. The rise in gun crime and deaths in London is not just media spin, but a growing crisis. Statistics of how many children have/do carry knives is also alarming.

I think it's the use of the word 'youth' by the certain aspects of the media media and certain people that gives it the overtone. The media would report gun crime commited by teenagers as gun crime amoung youths whereas I would be very surprised if they reported gun crime committed by men in their 40s and 50s as gun crime amoung the middle aged.

I think sport and activities can be productive as long as they are handled well. By this I don't mean fundamental Health and Safety but the values that are instilled by the people operating the programmes,

 

[Dover]

I fortunately live in a good neighbourhood, know my neighbours, and likewise they know me. What I had not realised was that I had come from a rough area when growing up. There was always abandoned cars down the road, dumped fridges, teenagers on homemade or stolen motorbikes up on the hills. I think you get the idea.

What is alarming though is the alarming rise in knife usage. No one I knew had a knife unless they went fishing, or camping. Furthermore, I have met at least five young people who will not leave their house without some sort of a weapon, and this is usually a knife. And these are young reasonable people, that if they are doing something you do not agree with you can talk to them, without raising an eyebrow, let alone your voice.

There are two problems here. Violence creates violence. Hence these kids are just plain scared. If they do not have a weapon they feel their own safety is compromised. Secondly. Just say I confront one of these young people for graffiti, for example. They are in front of their mates, get scared, or worse, have a rush of adrenaline and bravado, and then the weapon that they are carrying will be presented.

Solutions. I am ill equipped to give any. I am a single man in my late thirties with no children. What I do know is this though, talking costs nothing, and neither does politeness. I attempt to lead by example, and have had no trouble walking through the park at night, and know some of the young people there.

 

[Dover]

Oh. Just an afterthought. If anyone should go in the stocks, it should be the parents of the children involved.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Borstals,approved schools and (at least) corporal punishment in schools.Course,capital punishment in schools would also be okay,and national service.Mustn't forget national service.

 

[Caveman]

I have met at least five young people who will not leave their house without some sort of a weapon, and this is usually a knife. And these are young reasonable people, that if they are doing something you do not agree with you can talk to them, without raising an eyebrow, let alone your voice.

If they are carrying a knife they are not reasonable. If you are carrying a knife you are prepared to use it and you are SCUM. Don't make excuses for these idiots. I almost lost a mate a year ago from a stabbing, he only just survived.

We've turned into a soft nanny state and over populated this country with immigrants who have brought with them there own drug, knife and gun culture. On top of this, there is as stated, parents who don't give a toss.

Why we are at it, why not bring back some discipline in schools?

Unfortunately I don't see a quick fix to this and many more lives will be lost.

 

[London Calling]

I am not sure we have lost the streets to the kids. This is someone who lives in Hackney which officially has the worst "youth problems" in the Country.

Large parts of the area has bans on youths after a certain time.

The "bad" youths are just a minority.

To me and unfortuntely, we (adults) do seem to have lost confidence to talk to kids over minor issues, this means kids keep moving the boundaries and no authority ever speaks out to them.

The media seemingly distast for people in authority . I believe doesn't help. When was the last time a paper such as the Sun, Mail etc congratulated the hard work of Teachers, Social Services or anyone else who deals with children.

The media always have a negative attitude and seem to relish unsavoury attitudes towards schools, I refer to the media backing parents feeding their chips last year...............................................Must go, my nursery just told me my Sam is ill.

 

[Race]

It's scary to read about all this stuff that goes on. Being fortunate enough to live in a decent area we dont see this knife/weapons culture on our doorstep, so it''s a bit like living in a bubble. It scares the life out me having a 10 year old and knowing that kids out there his age are hanging around in gangs doing bad things. We have kids hanging about causing bother now and then, but I wouldnt think anything of it to go outside and tell them to clear off and I have done and they go off muttering a few expletives but that's it, but if we still lived in London I dont think I would bother!

In our day it was different as kids had respect for their elders and got a cuff round the ear if not, and adults and teachers didnt fear telling kids off or dishing out punishment as rules were different then, now a teacher cant even put a plaster on a child let alone tell them off as they will be in trouble themselves!! Kids cant be taught respect anymore as there are too many rules and regs in the way.

 

[the right footed denilson]

The trouble with glib slogans like "Take back our streets" is that most of us wouldn't actually want to do anything that makes our streets safer.

For example: we work the longest hours in Europe, take the fewest holidays and commute the longest distances to work - we therefore tend to spend less time with our kids and, guess what, we have the EU's highest rates for teenage pregnancies and teenage drug users, the most teenage drinkers and, I think, the highest rates of youth crime (it's one of the highest certainly). Yet our economy is predicated on house prices rising indefinitely and two people working to meet higher and higher mortgage payments, so any attempts to correct this situation would meet firm resistance.

Our children are also less likely to play in the streets when young. Any attempts to curb traffic to enable more playing would also be met with firm resistance - look at regular NSC posts about speed cameras, traffic wardens etc. If we condemn our children to spend their early years cooped up indoors, watching TV and playing computer games, it's not surprising that they have limited social skills.

We drive everywhere between home, work, supermarkets, leisure activities, so we don't get to know our neighbours, don't shop at local shops (which then close down) and don't feel part of the local community. So families are more and more isolated.

It should also be stressed that incidents like the Warrington one are relatively rare and as such, we're prepared to tolerate them. Particularly when the alternative is a marked alteration in our lifestyle: we want to live in a private world, cocooned from strangers and away from our local community and if if means that one or two of us are killed every year, then that's the price we'll pay - but it's a price that we're happy to pay.

The Truth.

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

the uk has one of the lowest tax rates in europe. and therefore one of the most yobbish societies.

look at prevention rather than the cause. until there is effective redistribution in this country the problem will continue.

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

The Truth.

indeed.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

I have said it on here before, but the whole issue boils down to a few key issues.

Giving people free money to do nothing leads to a dependant useless section of society with no concept of the value of possessions, and the attitude that if you want something, you just take it, or it is given to you.

Kids today have no idea of context and consequence. When I was a child stories had a conclusion, an outcome which was dependent, largely, on the behaviour of the character in the story. Today kids are playing computer games where there is no consequence for the characters no matter how disgusting their behaviour... man walks into a shopping mall with an AK47 mows down half of the police force, steals a motorbike, kills loads of shoppers...no consequences, no context, you get killed, you hit replay.

I truly believe that this nihlistic worldview translates directly into the real world of some kids.

Add together this lack of understanding of the consequences of bad behaviour, together with an ineffectual punishment system, and free cash for the feckless and you get the shite we see around us every day.

Unfortunately, we need to write off pretty much a whole generation and start on the next one to try and correct the situation

 

[the right footed denilson]

I have said it on here before, but the whole issue boils down to a few key issues.

Giving people free money to do nothing leads to a dependant useless section of society with no concept of the value of possessions, and the attitude that if you want something, you just take it, or it is given to you.

Kids today have no idea of context and consequence. When I was a child stories had a conclusion, an outcome which was dependent, largely, on the behaviour of the character in the story. Today kids are playing computer games where there is no consequence for the characters no matter how disgusting their behaviour... man walks into a shopping mall with an AK47 mows down half of the police force, steals a motorbike, kills loads of shoppers...no consequences, no context, you get killed, you hit replay.

I truly believe that this nihlistic worldview translates directly into the real world of some kids.

Add together this lack of understanding of the consequences of bad behaviour, together with an ineffectual punishment system, and free cash for the feckless and you get the shite we see around us every day.

Unfortunately, we need to write off pretty much a whole generation and start on the next one to try and correct the situation

More Truth.

We need to get back to basics. I harbour a romantic belief that climate change might be one of the biggest catalysts behind this. People need to remember what's important in life- maybe its just hippyish twoddle, but wouldn't it be great if young kids, rather than playing computer games or kicking people to death, started being proactive in terms of growing their own food, making things, learning...bettering themselves and the lives of others. I'm not saying this doesn't happen but its frightening the way a large proportion of youngsters appear so utterly disinterested in anything that doesn't involve playstation, mobile phone or street corner.
Of course, on the whole it's the parents who are to blame, but we shouldn't give up on them just because they have a Chav Dad. If we can just capture their imaginations, just stir a bit of passion in them for the good things in life, thats how things like anti-social behaviour will be tackled.

Schools. Innit.

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

Unfortunately, we need to write off pretty much a whole generation and start on the next one to try and correct the situation

did someone say eugenics?

 

[unnameable]

I know a party that does have the balls to deal with the dregs of society.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

did someone say eugenics?

Bit difficult to retrospectively abort them unfortunately, I meant we need to work on the next generation to try and instill some decency in them, I have given up on many of the current twats who blight our streets.