Youth

No of course it is not because I having nothing to say, lots as always, it is just that I have not had the time! Lets get some strands together. No, our youth are not rioting, a riot has a purpose an intent and wish to get to some goal, pun intended. These youth are just rampaging. What we are witnessing is a new phenomena of our age, 'FlashMobbing' seems to be the parlance. Youth, with all their lack of doom, whipped up by the excitement of being part of something kicking off and with one2one messaging sucking them into the maelstrom.

So let us lay down the blame. Us. You and me are to blame. We have framed and allowed our society to drift down this path. We have watched indifferently as the political parties have corrupted our democratic processes, so we all end up dis-engaged. Look after number one and to hell with the rest of them is our culture. Even as we double talk about what a good idea the 'Big Society' is whilst inwardly shrugging that there is nothing you intend to do to make it work. That double speak, though silent is picked up by our youth and taken as gospel, not the mealy words of spoken agreement but the true unexpressed silent reaction of disdain and disinterest. They take that silence as the route map. So dont blame the youth for taking at face value the society you see, even if you double speak of another world you dont believe in.

Secondly we must blame the parents, for accepting too readily the easy option that single parents are an equal and okay alternative. For not insisting that the children forgo their own space and do join in and take part in family events from mealtimes to get togethers. For not requiring some account of their movements and friends. For allowing their children to develop in a culture where to want is to have without consequences and where authority can be safely ignored as it has no teeth. Where the sense of separateness of youth from the adult world they inhabit is endorsed and promulgated without challenge but actually cheered on as a sign of creative independence.

Thirdly we must blame ourselves for accepting as a norm the divisiveness of a rich get richer society. The quick abandonment of any social values in the hope that you too can get to inherit the riches not realising the chasm has grown enormously over the last decades. With us, the poor on one side gazing in wonderment at a life beyond grasp whilst the rich plunder the the poor, using their energies and desires to build the very barriers to keep the rich enclave for only the rich. All the while promoting the self-evident lie that all can partake of the riches is only you make sufficient effort. Little wonder if those without prospect of progress, yet daily buffeted with tangible emblems of rewards beyond their reach, despair or worse take what they cannot rightfully get. A divided nation is a grossly unfair nation. A divided nation ruled and controlled by the benefiters of that divide is obscene.

Nothing of course condones or mitigates in any way from actions against the very society you live within. Nothing justifies the trashing and looting our your neighbours just because, there is no excuse. We each have to be accountable for our own actions, within a raging mob or not. Accountable, well to our fellow citizens of course. So finally, much as we honest upright citizens are outraged by the sheer mindless stupidity and violence and want to exact retribution. Stop and pause. What we have are youth that are dis-engaged from their society. We urgently need to re-engage them, together with us along the way. So how is locking them up in prison going to help? Meting out stiff punishment leaves a glow of righteous indignation but these are youth who have never had it their way and expect to be pushed and bullied, if not plain ignored. What merit in taking away benefit when they are scudding along on the very bottom rungs already, kick them further down to do what? Again not a good way to go about getting engagement. Yes oh yes there has to be retribution. The consequence of their thoughtless and mindless act has to come well and truly home. How to do it in an upbeat progressive way that ends up with them tying back into our society is a huge challenge. Reward and punishment for failing to work at towards the reward has to be a way. That and working to repair the damage of their upbringing and building back self-respect and hope. Real gettable hope that can be actually grasped. Community work is an option, if they want to make amends but not if enforced against their will. Take away their right to messaging until their have earned its return seems fit for purpose. Take away their right to gather in groups of more than three again seems fit for purpose. Take away their right to walk free amongst us until they have accepted our rules of conduct. Intensive parenting classes and support for parents in standing up to their children again seems fit for purpose. Maybe, just maybe a boot camp experience for those wayward's that refuse to help themselves and are determined to turn their backs on the society that nutures them. But everything aimed at encouragement to join in with us and engage. Maybe we can then learn lessons from them!