Onlookers laugh during teen girl's gang rape

[Nina~ 431]

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.

[Heracles 417]

How many drive by shooting were there 40 years ago? How many youth murders then compared to now? I see change in the city and in suburbia. There are more assaults on Main Street USA today, IMHO. Read the police report in your local community. Talk to the cops. Talk to the court officers and those involved with it on a day to day basis and see what they have to say.

The opinions of police, courts, welfare workers, teachers etc means nothing to some. In their opinion, it's all anecdotal. The equivalent of some old man saying in my old days. When my old man grew up, there was no graffiti or vandalism of property that is not your own (public property). Regardless of the fact that spray cans were only invented x decades ago, some here will tell you that it's rubbish and graffiti existed since the pyramids.

In my lifetime, the noticeable change and decline of empathy for others is very obvious. Sad to see the older generation die off, while we are left with doe-eyed pothead losers. God help us when we retiree. These kids will leave us to die on the street. Probably point and laugh at our misery. Ha ha Spook and boo tripped and broke their bones.

[Heracles 417]

um what is your point? I never said it does not happen there. Graffiti is probably worse there. A bunch of losers on welfare destroying public property. Considering the welfare payments are actually more than the someone working 40 hours on minimum age here, it throws the they're poor ####### out the window.

How about comparing teenage rape, violence and homicide stats?

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.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Booyah!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

As I say I think it has a lot more to do with individual perceptions being influenced by news coverage than with substantial social decline.

That isn't to say that the social problems of the 50s and 60s are the same, or that the geography hasn't changed in the intervening years.

I do think, as I've maintained consistently that trends in criminal behavior arise largely out of economic problems and that anti social attitudes are linked to this.

[Nina~ 431]

um what is your point? I never said it does not happen there. Graffiti is probably worse there. A bunch of losers on welfare destroying public property. Considering the welfare payments are actually more than the someone working 40 hours on minimum age here, it throws the they're poor ####### out the window.

How about comparing teenage rape, violence and homicide stats?

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.

You make everything sound like every bad thing happens only in America and other third world countries... And I am glad that you agree it happens in Australia too!!!

[Brit Abroad 166]

The major problem with our teens is that parents have become ineffective for many reasons. The governments choose to hobble parents from actively disciplining their child/ren, by enforcing the "no smacking" rules to prevent physical abuse. How many children can be effectively disciplined with words? Has that EVER worked? Many parents are intimidated by their own kids these days. Menaced for pocket money that is unearned and undeserved, simply so it can be spent on the next "big thing" and making sure they have parity with their friends.

Drugs are a growing problem, but they are merely a symptom of society's excesses. When one has everything available, what's left to want except the illegal and immoral? Before you bash me as homophobic, isn't the reason that powerful figures in society turned to boys is because they could easily procure the girls and need stronger titillation? There's a difference between someone whose genuine mutual attraction is to their own sex and someone who is "experimenting" with a vulnerable victim.

Celebrity culture has effectively disposed of morals in society. We see them barely clothed, behaving badly and expect kids not to emulate their icons. Some hope of that. Drugs, gangsta-rap, shootings have existed for decades, but when the pop stars and celebrities glamorise them without the heavy hand of a morally upright parent to balance the logic behind it, we're going to experience depravity in our culture.

For those who are saying it's a new phenomenon, look back through civilisation. It's not a new problem, it's simply on a much larger scale now that the global population has skyrocketed and the publicity is ever present with the advent of instant 24/7 news. How much GOOD news is ever shown, versus the dramatic headline grabbing disasters and disgusting behaviour?

Still, societal values change every 20 years or so. We can but hope that someone makes these Sports, Hollywood and Pop icons realise they're nothing more than today's fad and their value to society is negligible if they are contributing negatively to it. Instead of letting the lawmakers ease their path through the criminal prosecutions, castigate them openly and publicly to demonise their behaviour and make sure they are seen to be paying the (deserved) price for the low moral standards they introduce.

Violent movies, violent video games, no facing up to the dirty side of death and it's emotional consequences. Children have become so accustomed to violence that it ceases to make them draw clear moral boundaries. When an action has no consequence, how can any lesson be learned?

[Heracles 417]

As I say I think it has a lot more to do with individual perceptions being influenced by news coverage than with substantial social decline.

That isn't to say that the social problems of the 50s and 60s are the same, or that the geography hasn't changed in the intervening years.

I do think, as I've maintained consistently that trends in criminal behavior arise largely out of economic problems and that anti social attitudes are linked to this.

In the last month / month and a half alone we have had:

• A teenager bashed senseless for trying to sit down on a bus, while going to school
• A teenager bashed to death while attempting to walk home from school
• A 15 year old girl bashed and gang raped, while others watched and took photos

An you honestly believe nothing has changed? I have never heard of such cases in my entire life, yet here we have them all in a 1 to 2 month time frame.

I think you are also missing the point that while crimes occurred in the past, these incidents specifically involve teenagers. Not some mentally disturbed mass murderer.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Booyah!

[Heracles 417]

You make everything sound like every bad thing happens only in America and other third world countries... And I am glad that you agree it happens in Australia too!!!

If something occurs at a rate of 1 per 100,000 there but 100 here, that is not the same.

Neither does it excuse or explain why it's 100 times worse here.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

These things only mean something because you put inordinate emphasis on news headlines.

[Heracles 417]

These things only mean something because you put inordinate emphasis on news headlines.

Contrary to belief, we did have news back in the 80s.

You still failed to explain the government studies in various cities and states noting a significant rise in violence amongst teens. Or did the news make those studies up too?

[DeadPoolX 9]

Not to say what happened here is okay (it's obviously not), but rape has been going on for centuries. It wasn't uncommon for Roman soldiers to rape women after taking over a village or town.

The really sick part about rape (at the least the history of it) is that the reason rape most often occurred was to hurt her father or husband by "defiling their property." Yeah, the simple fact the woman was psychologically and physiologically scarred wasn't much of a consideration.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Mexicans infiltrated the Roman military too?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

These things only mean something because you put inordinate emphasis on news headlines.

Contrary to belief, we did have news back in the 80s.

Yes we did. So what?

You still failed to explain the government studies in various cities and states noting a significant rise in violence amongst teens. Or did the news make those studies up too?

As I have tried to explain to you (but will now stop as you continue failing to understand) I am not dismissing any published study - only the crazed conclusions you insist on drawing from them.

[DeadPoolX 9]

Mexicans infiltrated the Roman military too?

Well, they were led by General Mexicanus Illegalus. He was quite famous for jumping over Hadrian's Wall.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Not to say what happened here is okay (it's obviously not), but rape has been going on for centuries. It wasn't uncommon for Roman soldiers to rape women after taking over a village or town.

The really sick part about rape (at the least the history of it) is that the reason rape most often occurred was to hurt her father or husband by "defiling their property." Yeah, the simple fact the woman was psychologically and physiologically scarred wasn't much of a consideration.

Well you'd expect the Romans to do that - after all they were little more than a collection of private mercenary armies under the control of specific politicians.

The Greek citizen soldiers on the other hand... what was their excuse.