When I was growing up we had our punks, head bangers and preps. There was vandalism; kids skipped school, and there was violence. However, I think violence among today’s youth is continuing to grow and it might even be worse than it was 20 years ago when I was a teen.
I think a majority of the youth today, aged 10 to 19, have very little if any respect for adults. Today it is nothing for a teen to use foul language towards an adult.
I was reading a new article that said ” Police are facing increasing violence and intimidation from teenagers who have no respect for the law.”
A series of parent workshops are being held to address teen violence in Indianapolis. A 14-year-old boy is appearing in a Vancouver, Canada court Tuesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of another teen. An awareness walk, was held on Saturday in Ottawa with a goal of preventing teen violence.
Last Boxing day a 15 year old girl was shopping with her parents when she was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout in Toronto.
“In 1998, about a third of all victims of violent crime were ages 12 to 19 and almost half of all victims of violence were under age 25. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)”
In 2001, 5,486 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered-an average of 15 each day (CDC 2004).
During the last five years for which statistics are available, more youth (ages 12-24) died from gun violence than from motor vehicle injuries (CDC 2004).
In a nationwide survey, 17% of students reported carrying a weapon.
What are your thoughts on Teen Violence? Is it a growing problem?
If you liked this post, why not buy me a coffee?
RSS
7 responses so far ↓
Wrote: May 22, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Less morals, less supervision more violence..the permanent kind.
Wrote: May 22, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I think yes, because overall respect has gone down the tubes. That is a generalization, there are many decent teenagers out there, but when overall respect toward each other and elders is so blatant, there is no real self-check in place to prevent violence, is there?
Wrote: May 22, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Yes teen violence is continuing to grow things are worse than they were even 2 years ago
Wrote: May 23, 2007 at 5:10 am
I do think we live in a different world then when we were growing up. I teach my children to always be aware of their surroundings. Teen problems have gone up and I think so much of it has to do with the lack of parental guidence. I’ve often have heard it said that teens need their parents more so then they even did when they were small. I can really see where that is true. Teens need someone to talk to beside their peer friends who see the world pretty much as they do. They need perspective and a reality check. It makes our job as parents even more important.
Wrote: May 25, 2007 at 1:24 am
I have mixed feelings about this. I’m a 30 year old punk that grew up causing trouble around NYC. This violence and disrespect kids are embracing today is partially influenced by the massive media bombardment of negative events. In all honesty I believe that it started under Reagan, when the threat of nuclear incineration was a “real” threat to people. Despair and rage set in and thus punk and hardcore were born. The 90’s saw a lull in this mentality. The first Gulf War was almost a joke on television: all they showed was pretty lights and then a whole bunch of smoking Iraqi tanks. The Serbian War? Things are always bad (I’m a history major; I can attest to this), but they’re also always good. But post 9/11 the media has gone on a negative tangent – instead of reporting the news they report spin of the most negative kind. “Terrorists are everywhere!” “At any minute a dirty bomb could go off in your city!” “There might be a draft!” “This is all the fault of Christians/Jews/Atheists/Homosexuals/Liberals/Conservatives/Whatever!” There’s an air of desperation anjd hopelessness on the streets. Kids are literally mentally battered and broken by this garbage. As a result the “punk rock” attitude has come back, only this time it’s mixed with some ultra-violent messages sent through various forms of media and memes. The result is that kids shoot up a school to “get back” at *something* or *someone* (the source of this despair is so scattered that these kids have no idea who to rage at, so they just rage) that made them angry instead of the old school “meet you in the courtyard after lunch for a brawl”.
This isn’t the cop-out of “it’s all the media’s fault”. This is me saying that *kids* should not be watching this negativity-bombardment, at least not without something to counter it. Hate is too accessible. It really is.
Yes, I do play violent video games. But I also have serious beef with parents buying 12 year old children “Rated M” games.
This is only part of the problem, but I think it’s a big one. I also think that kids should get a crack on the ass when they do something wrong instead of this “go stand in the corner and think about what you did” garbage.
I’m just rambling I guess. And too lazy to spell check this post.
-=Grim=-
Wrote: May 26, 2007 at 2:42 am
I think that it’s important that teens have an adult they can go to if they need help or someone they can talk to. Whether it’s a parent, teacher or family friend, they need to feel safe to talk to someone.
Wrote: May 27, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Teen violence is a huge problem, worldwide. We have experienced it in our own family where both teenage daughters have been through years of self-mutilation, anorexia, alcohol and drugs, casual unprotected sex, etc etc. My wife and I are absolutely devastated: we’ve had verbal abuse (”#@$%m loser parents, pathetic, disgusting ….”) (In this comment I wouldn’t use the foul words that have been thrown at us). We’ve had physical abuse (twice having to call the police when daughter having psychotic drug-induced violent episode). Numerous suicide attempts. Now, a number of points to make:
1) we see ourselves as normal, loving parents who have willingly and happily focused our lives around bringing up our children.
2) we are not alone: at least 30% to 40% percent of the kids at their school are in similar trouble as ours are
3) we’ve tried all the counselling and psychiatric services we can access, including the use of anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs
4) Marijuana use, even very very small/light, can cause psychosis in young people. And usually does.
5) These are worldwide accelerating trends in most countries, most cultures, but especially in my humble view in the materialistic developed world.
Where does all this come from? I call it the “canary in the coalmine” syndrome. In the olden days caged canaries were used to warn miners of the arrival of toxic gas and fumes. How did they warn them? They (the canaries) died. And when I miner saw a dead canary he knew he had to get out of there real quick.
Our kids are the canaries. Their increasingly aberrant behaviours (suicides, eating disorders, drugs, casual sex, etc) are a warning to us about this world we have created, this toxic culture in which we swim. Materialist (how much money can I make?) . Relativist (all beliefs are equally true/valid). Individualist, (”what’s in it for me?”), anti-science, anti-religion, anti-logic, anti-thought, anti-everything. Sensation is preferred to rational thought. The quick fix, the knee-jerk reaction. The demagoguery. The cynical manipulation. Greed. Corruption. Short-termism.
Our education systems are letting us down. Our legal systems are letting us down. Our political systems are letting us down. Our media and information systems are letting us down.
The prospects in my view are bleak.
Rose, I encountered your blog only yesterday and wish I had done so many many months ago. I enjoy your writing and your ideas — so I have added your blog to my blogrolls at two of my sites:
Maybe you will link-exchange with me.
Cheers, SRS.