“They call us problem child; we spend our lives on trial. We walk an endless mile; we are the youth gone wild! We stand and we won’t fall, we’re one and one for all. The writings on the wall, we are the youth gone wild!” Lyrics excerpted from “Youth Gone Wild” by the American heavy metal band Skid Row circa the late 80’s.
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Let’s establish some terminology to better understand the world’s view at large. A child is someone below the age of puberty, the legal age of majority and considered a minor. The legal age of majority, and supposed maturity is 18 years old. A teenager denotes a person between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. This overlaps and is oft misconstrued with youth, which incorporates persons between the ages of 15 and 24.
In the following incidents names have been omitted to protect the guilty. Because – is anyone really innocent? Locations left out because the “where” is irrelevant when the “what” can be anywhere. Lastly, no reference to race. Because though love knows no color, violence comes in every flavor.
A 30-something man was walking home from the gym. A girl/woman, teen/youth approached him and asked for his assistance. Complying he followed her to a nearby apartment complex. Where he was surrounded by 15 teenagers and then brutally beaten. In what kind of world do we tolerate assault on good Samaritans?
Three stolen cars lined up at the pumps of a well-lit gas station. Twelve teens, aged 12 to 17 years old, piled out, some heavily armed (yeah guns). Unprovoked they promptly raced across the parking area where they began assaulting a man who was sitting at the store front. Dragging him across the pavement, punching, kicking and body slamming until he was able to scurry away into the store. After which the “kids” began randomly firing shots into passing traffic. Stolen cars? Illegal firearms? Assault and battery with possible intent? But they’re just kids… right?
Taking his niece (a minor) out for ice cream, a 40+ disabled man stopped by a local elementary school to walk his service dog. There he encountered teens who were underaged drinking and smashing their bottles in the school’s outside cafeteria. When he confronted them asking them to stop, for the sake and safety of the kids who attended the school, they became instantly aggressive and hospitalized him. The niece was unharmed, but how would you react if they’d hurt the dog?
An elderly, disabled, homeless man (this just keeps getting better and better) had an altercation with a group of skateboarders outside a public business. Not wanting to provoke further confrontation, the man attempted to flee the scene. At which point a 15-year-old teen pursued and bludgeoned him from behind with a skateboard blow to the head. The man fell into the street unconscious. The teen walked away smiling to cheers of approval from his fellow boarders. Should instigators suffer the same guilt and punishment as aggressors?
Anybody else feel kinda sick? Any traces of abject terror of “children” doing something equivalent to horror movie level? Or do you shrug- “no worries” as long as it’s on the other side of the screen?
Who do we blame? The usual suspects? The mind-numbing violence in current video games and movies? The aggressively savage lyrics of modern music? What passes for parenting now-a-days? Misdirection of society as a whole? Overpopulation? All of the above?
What do we do? How do you stop or avoid the unpredictable and random? Run away? Comply? Yield? To where, how much, to what? Fight back?- but gawd help you if you win. Somebody’s mommy will be on the 6 o’clock news with tears, a baby picture, and tales of a promising future destroyed, and you’ll be doing 20 to life.
Conclusion because there is no solution. I like to think positively hold hopes for a better future. But here… in reality (a place I loath) there will be no end or understanding until the aggressors become victims themselves with age, sans understanding, and the cycle begins anew.
I welcome almost all questions, comments via Focus, or E-mail me at [email protected]. Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused! See ya.
