Onlookers laugh during teen girl's gang rape

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Australia doesn't have the monopoly on good human nature, nor does the US have a monopoly on the bad.

No it doesn't and never said it did. However the vast differences in society and culture is evident. Sorry bud but Aussies have not made thuggery and ghetto cool, which is ironic considering they were convicts.

Anyway, Australia is just one of many examples. Lets compare the country to Canada, Finland or Sweden. Better yet, lets compare Vermont or Maine to CA.

BY - you act as though entire countries have a single amorphous culture. It just isn't the case - certainly not in the case of a country as large and as diverse as the USA.

As highlighted in red, it does not.

The huge disparity in crime stats speaks for itself. Some US states actually have lower crime rates than even European nations. They must be wealthy states? wrong!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States...s_by_crime_rate

Its a simplistic analysis at best - you can't quantify "culture", but that doesn't seem to stop you from trying.

Noone would deny that the US (as anywhere else in the world) has its share of social problems and that those problems can vary drastically in different parts of the country.

If you were honest here - you admit the same of your own country.

[Heracles 417]

BY, you don't seem to know much about your own culture either. There are a lot of novels and films that depict the underbelly of Australian society as well. While these films are of course fictional, they stem from reality, even if that reality is restricted to certain demographics, as it is in the US.

Cleo 14 people are shot and killed in the UK vs 9,369 here. US has 5 times the UK's population. I am sure you can do the math here.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...s-with-firearms

Per capita:

# 8 United States: 0.0279271 per 1,000 people

# 32 United Kingdom: 0.00102579 per 1,000 people

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...arms-per-capita

Edited October 27, 2009 by Booyah!

[Heracles 417]

Its a simplistic analysis at best - you can't quantify "culture", but that doesn't seem to stop you from trying.

Noone would deny that the US (as anywhere else in the world) has its share of social problems and that those problems can vary drastically in different parts of the country.

If you were honest here - you admit the same of your own country.

This sort of attitude is why nothing changes. The, 'well you have it too, therefore, it's the same thing'. No it's not the same at all actually. It's the norm here but the exception there. The United Nations does not award a nation 2nd place for Human Development if people are shot or a victim of violence frequently. Hence, the nature of the award in the first place.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Booyah!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I'm not disputing it.

Quite simply - it doesn't prove your claim about a wholesale breakdown in society from decades past to now.

The United States has a big problem with crime and now a growing problem with teenagers. That is all I am pointing out. Even when population is factored in, such incidents are nowhere near as prevalent as they are here. Not even by a long shot. Teens here clearly do not give a #### about anyone else. Hence the taking photos and laughing, while someone is having their life destroyed. Not to mention this girl was bashed. At least Australian kids would have had the decency and common sense to have jumped in and stopped them or at the very least called immediately called the cops. Knowing Aussies, they would have jumped in and knocked these guys out.

I don't know about the UK, but the moral standing of America is not perceived as something to aspire to by Australians. Quite the opposite actually. For whatever reasons, the US has some serious issues with teens and needs to start cracking down on them and their lawless (above the law) attitude. #### prison, they need to be punished and humiliated in public for every one of their peers to see it.

Adults make the rules and run the show, not teens. Most obvious difference between the US to AUS is the parenting, or lack of. I blame parents here as they clearly allow their kids to run wild and have put them on some sort of better than everyone (center of the world) pedestal. Where even the poor ghetto loser thinks they are cool.

Seldom does a day go by in the Boston area that someone isn't stabbed or shot or otherwise a victim of violence. And much of it involves teens. Drive by shootings, gang violence etc. It is being more frequent and violent.

[Heracles 417]

Seldom does a day go by in the Boston area that someone isn't stabbed or shot or otherwise a victim of violence. And much of it involves teens. Drive by shootings, gang violence etc. It is being more frequent and violent.

Same thing here in DC. It's because these teens think they are above the law.

Lets not even go into the situation of broken homes and single mothers raising these kids.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Australia doesn't have the monopoly on good human nature, nor does the US have a monopoly on the bad.

No it doesn't and never said it did. However the vast differences in society and culutre are evident. Sorry bud but Aussies have not made thuggery and ghetto cool, which is ironic considering they were convicts.

Anyway, Australia is just one of many examples. Lets compare the country to Canada, Finland or Sweden. Better yet, lets compare Vermont or Maine to CA.

BY - you act as though entire countries have a single amorphous culture. It just isn't the case - certainly not in the case of a country as large and as diverse as the USA.

BY, you don't seem to know much about your own culture either. There are a lot of novels and films that depict the underbelly of Australian society as well. While these films are of course fictional, they stem from reality, even if that reality is restricted to certain demographics, as it is in the US.

I agree that popular fiction reflects the social truths of a certain time.

The movie Once Were Warriors was widely praised for its depiction of the social problems of the Maori people in NZ - domestic violence, crime, alcoholism and drug dependency, suicide, lowered high school graduation rates. Much the same problems you that are apparent in any other marginalised population you care to name - including the Australian Aborigines.

Trainspotting was based on similar problems in Scotland during the 80's.

Pretty much Louse Erdrich's entire body of work has been about the problems faced by Native Americans.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Its a simplistic analysis at best - you can't quantify "culture", but that doesn't seem to stop you from trying.

Noone would deny that the US (as anywhere else in the world) has its share of social problems and that those problems can vary drastically in different parts of the country.

If you were honest here - you admit the same of your own country.

This sort of attitude is why nothing changes. The, 'well you have it too, therefore, it's the same thing'. No it's not the same at all actually. It's the norm here but the exception there. The United Nations does not award a nation 2nd place for Human Development if people are shot or a victim of violence frequently. Hence, the nature of the award in the first place.

Quite simply, I'm saying that every country has its share of social problems - perhaps not the same problems or to the same degree, but the results are often the same.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Lies! Liberal lies!

[meowmeowmeow 1]

Its a heinous crime BY, but you have absolutely no context forb this. None whatsoever.

What it does show is that kids are now desensitized. To look on and laugh is an absolute disgrace. Situations like this is where I like France's Good Samaritan laws. All of those who looked on, let alone laughed, should be punished for not doing anything. This girl has had her life ruined and they think it's funny. Funny is when every single one of them is in prison for 10 years. Then we will see who is laughing.

Sure you will say I am generalizing, so have a look at the comments from teenagers towards the girl who can no longer walk properly due the side-effects of the flu shot. Yeah real funny. If I dared mocked the misery of someone else, my old man would have slapped me across the head. If I did what these kids did, going to prison would be the last thing I was worried about.

I was watching a few news reports from the area there, not to my surprise I saw typical 2009 parent responses of "the school is to blame for not having surveillance or security". No b-tch, pathetic parents like yourself are to blame for their gross incompetence and should be held accountable.

The two issues are the:

• Lack of empathy for the victim.
• As per usual, parents shifting the blame to someone else.

you is gangsta, mad props yo

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Seldom does a day go by in the Boston area that someone isn't stabbed or shot or otherwise a victim of violence. And much of it involves teens. Drive by shootings, gang violence etc. It is being more frequent and violent.

Same thing here in DC. It's because these teens think they are above the law.

Lets not even go into the situation of broken homes and single mothers raising these kids.

It is appalling what has become tolerated and accepted as the norm. They think they are above the law because they get nothing in the way of morals or values at home anymore. The murder rate, homlessness, and youth violence is a black eye on this country. I believe we can do better, much better.

[Heracles 417]

Seldom does a day go by in the Boston area that someone isn't stabbed or shot or otherwise a victim of violence. And much of it involves teens. Drive by shootings, gang violence etc. It is being more frequent and violent.

Same thing here in DC. It's because these teens think they are above the law.

Lets not even go into the situation of broken homes and single mothers raising these kids.

It is appalling what has become tolerated and accepted as the norm. They think they are above the law because they get nothing in the way of morals or values at home anymore. The murder rate, homlessness, and youth violence is a black eye on this country.

There is only one quick way to fix this #######. Remember that kid who was caught tagging up (graffiti) in Singapore? A country which uses corporal punishment. I guarantee you that the guy has not touched a paint brush since. Hey, it fixed us convicts up.

I believe we can do better, much better.

For once you actually get the point of me bringing light to such issues. Nothing to do with hating the country bud. A society needs to identify and actually accept a problem to begin with, before it can work on fixing it.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Booyah!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Seldom does a day go by in the Boston area that someone isn't stabbed or shot or otherwise a victim of violence. And much of it involves teens. Drive by shootings, gang violence etc. It is being more frequent and violent.

Same thing here in DC. It's because these teens think they are above the law.

Lets not even go into the situation of broken homes and single mothers raising these kids.

It is appalling what has become tolerated and accepted as the norm. They think they are above the law because they get nothing in the way of morals or values at home anymore. The murder rate, homlessness, and youth violence is a black eye on this country.

There is only one quick way to fix this #######. Remember that kid who was caught tagging up (graffiti) in Singapore? They still have corporal punishment. I guarantee you that the guy has not touched a paint brush since. Hey, it fixed us convicts up.

I believe we can do better, much better.

For once you actually get the point of me bringing light to such issues. Nothing to do with hating the country bud.

I think that part of the solution lies at home. And that leads us to the problems of poverty, lack of education, etc. But we need to start somewhere. It's not getting better, it's getting worse. The family unit ain't what it was when I was growing up. Look at octo-mom and single mothers with 6 kids from 6 different fathers. Wonder where the problem starts?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Something you might find interesting:

According to Tania Kopytko, Māori youth have always had a difficult time maintaining ties with the traditional Māoritanga culture, especially lacking "the commitment and effort necessary for a knowledge of [it]".[48] For this reason[citation needed], Māori youth import mainstream and popular cultural icons, identities, and lifestyles in considerable quantities. Most typically, these Māori youth will take after the African-American hip hop culture, as its perceived mainstream status makes it readily accessible to them. Kopytko also says that the socio-political position of African Americans resisting a dominant white culture mirrors the situation of Māori, Polynesian, and even poor-white youth resisting the oppressive white forces which occupy the higher economic strata of society in New Zealand.

I believe that this also applies to the situation of the Australian Aborgines. Indeed its little different - if this is any indication.

You can complain all you like about "neanderthal culture" but until you can wrap your head around why several entirely different peoples in several different countries share similar social and economic problems and indeed similar attitudes and resentments - all you're doing is chasing your own tail.

Point being - its not a local culture thing as you continue to suggest, but something more universal.

[HAL 9000 96]

So what IS the problem or series of problems?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

So what IS the problem or series of problems?

When I was a kid, you fought after school, shook hands afterwards and that was the end of it. Today, cut in front of someone in line and they follow you home and shoot you.