Sad Country We Live In

[Lee]

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/justice/article909472.ece

My son actually wears 'Goth' stuff and has long hair, being a rocker. Do I have to worry about getting a phone call saying he's been beaten up because of the way he looks!!

I really wish I had the skills and the money to pack up and bugger off abroad.....alas, it'll never happen

What can be done to stop the mindless violence that we're seeing, day in and day out, in this once great country??

[Woody]

I agree Lee, we live in a very intolerant society, where you have to follow the "Norm" to be accepted. If you deviate from this in anyway especially in the way you look, "society" will alienate you and reject you. You'll probably find your son does get grief for his apperance from his non-rocker friends. People fear what they don't understand.......

Woody

[Alison]

My eldest daughter has a condition which means she walks in a very slightly different way to most people -and she has been taunted in the street by total strangers. Then there's been that story in the news today about the young pregnant woman, shot dead on her own doorstep over a dispute....about a car parking space

There are a few very sick people around.

[Boatman]

Yes it is a tragic situation.

They do it because they seem to have lost the ability for empathy, for conscience, community responsibility and personal accountability.

As to the why, was it is lack of discipline at home or school? Were they taking mind altering substances? Had they been exposed to so much gratuitous violence that they don't understand the line between games/fiction and reality?

I don't know, what I do know is that it seems to be a more violent sick world now than ever and society leaders need to answer these questions and sow the seeds to put things right.

On a brighter note, did you see the news about the dolphin saving a beached whale?

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7291501.stm

If dolphins can be altruistic why can't human beings be as nice?

["Rock On!" with Shane Carlson]

I agree with all the sentiments here...

I have lived away from the UK for most of the last 20 years...and sadly it's not just the UK that's facing these issues. From my travels all around the world during my time away it seems to be the way of the world now-a-days (blimey...don't I sound like an old fart?). All the deadly sins pervade everywhere. I mean...if you need an example of a society thats gone badly wrong...just look at the USA...who the hell would want to live there!!!

Whilst some of the things happening in the UK are very sad and extremely sickening...believe me...there is still nowhere like the UK...ANYWHERE! There are many good things going for the UK...its just that many people don't know what they have!

After so many years away...I have now decided to return "home". So...on July 1st 2008...Shane "Camel" Carlson returns to the UK!!

Who knows...maybe even ARFM will let me broadcast again!!

RULE BRITANNIA!!

[Paul Chamberlain]

We had a major problem last Summer with asbo's accumulating outside and causing an enormous amount of damage from street lighting to water mains and even objects thrown through my kitchen window. I liased a lot with the local police via email and thanks to that averted serious problems over halloween and firework night.
The police pulled out all the stops and have cleared the problem away for the first time in ten years.
If you have any issues that the police can deal with find their number and email address. They will get rid of the problem.

[Woody]

The bad thing about your Daughter Alison is that unlike people who choose to be different in their lifestyles, dress sense ect... your daughter does not choose to be different so that makes it even worse and makes her "insulter's" extremely cruel people who deserve a good slap round the back of their heads and have to be made to experience the same sort of problem for a week.

Woody

[Lee]

And another 3 teenagers murdered so far this weekend!!!!!

[Alison]

It's a cliche but I blame the parents. You can see them in any supermarket in the country, any day of the week. Most of them would rather do ANYTHING than insist that their kids behave.

There are the rather pathetic ones "Crispin darling...don't do that" as Crispin takes not a blind bit of notice and proceeds to empty frozen peas all over aisle 3.

There are the screechers "GERRRRRRRRREARRRRRR!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!" which has similar results to the first example as they scream at the kids all the time so the kids just tune them out.

Then there are the ignorers who basically do nothing and hope no one realises the child is with them.

But too few of them actually DO anything to regulate the childs behaviour in any way! We can't blame the schools, it has to start at home.

Sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant didn't it? ;D

<Carefully climbing down off soap-box >

[Lee]

alison1604 said:

It's a cliche but I blame the parents.

Alison, I couldn't agree more!!

The kids in our Close are allowed to run riot by their parents, who are happy to close their doors and let them!!

I went to my car this morning to find dirty football marks all over it, and my wing mirror hanging off

When you do tell the parents, they say "we'll have a word".....an hour later, the kids are playing football again

If the parents have no respect, then what hope do the kids have

[pickle]

I can't stand it in buses when children scream and shout and their parents ignore them. It happened on a bus coming back from Leeds last night and I saw a couple in front of me - the girl looked terrified as the child kept stomping around and shouting random things.

I'd just come back from a council meeting about graffiti in Headingley too.

[Karen (kazbaz)]

Totally agree with what everyone has to say! There is absolutely nothing to put teenagers off committing any sort of crime today. We can't smack our children (not that I agree with it but it never did me any harm) teachers aren't allowed to retaliate when attacked by a pupil (bring back the cane, again, that never did anyone any harm). My Brother, his partner and their 2 little girls were burgled a couple off weeks ago at 3am while they were in bed. My brother woke and heard a noise downstairs, immediately called the police and when they arrived went downstairs to discover that the little b*****ds had helped themselves to his computer and various other things. If my brother had of confonted them and one of them had been hurt my brother would have been the one in trouble! Lower the age at which people are sent to prison or keep them somewhere until they are old enough. In some countries people still have their hands chopped off for stealing. In this country they go to prison where they can go to the gym when they like, have 3 good meals a day and have ensuite rooms with a telly. Triffic!
Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[Lee]

kazbaz65 said:

In some countries people still have their hands chopped off for stealing. In this country they go to prison where they can go to the gym when they like, have 3 good meals a day and have ensuite rooms with a telly. Triffic!

Exactly!! Prison, for most criminals isn't a deterrent anymore

Keep them locked up for 23hrs a day, with an hour for exercise.

Also, bring back the death penalty.

[jacqui]

lee said:

Also, bring back the death penalty.

See, this is one of the very few things me 'n' him will always disagree on. I feel very uncomfortable with the thought of the death penalty and very much feel that it would open the door to a more vengeful society. The lines would get blurred and vigilante attacks would be rife. To me, killing is wrong, regardless of whether it's sanctioned by the state or not.

I totally agree that the prison system needs a drastic overhaul, and that the bloody ridiculous Human Rights Act needs to be looked at very closely, though. Once a person becomes a convicted criminal, they should be subjected to Prisoner's Rights, which don't include Play Stations, flat screen TVs and a menu for Christmas dinner. They should be fed, watered, educated, forced into rehab where necessary, forced into counselling and that's it.

I don't think there's any easy answers, though. How do you get parents to give a damn about their kids? How do you get kids to give a damn about the society they live in? If I had the ready answers, I'd be a millionaire. How come, though, did I manage to raise a 16 year old, on my own for 12 years, whose greatest crime is a total inability to put the toilet seat down?

[Woody]

I agree with Jaqui about the death penalty, our justice system is not infallible and until it is we can’t use the death penalty with good conscience. I also agree that it would create a more vengeful society.

I don’t think its all kids & teenagers faults, there are more assholes over 21 than below it. Society in general has changed, people don’t respect or care for anyone anymore, its human nature to be selfish, but today’s society have no sense of belonging or community.

I don’t think Parents are solely to blame, we are all different, but parents play a BIG part in pointing their children in the right direction. Our upbringing plays a vital part in who we turn out to be, but personal responsibility has to be taken once we turn a certain age for our actions. My opinion from my generation is that there are too many Nanny reared children & its having a bad effect. Grandparents do not treat their grandchildren like they did their own children. They are less strict, more forgiving and tend to spoil. Parents feel guilty that they are not around enough so spoil and are less strict with there children (don’t we all just wanna be loved!). It’s a vicious circle which puts children in the role of “Boss” at a very young age. Why would they respect anyone or follow the rules when they are in charge? In an ideal world one parent should always be around, especially pre-school (5 and under) but in modern times that’s hard to do. How can Parents raise their children when they spend more time in the care of others?

Woody