Posted on 11/02/2006 6:34:11 AM PST by FourPeas
British teenagers are among the most badly behaved in Europe, a study by a think-tank, The Institute for Public Policy Research suggests. Why?
In Britain we have come to both demonise and fear our teenagers: the yobs, the hoodies, the street gangs - the Asbo generation which terrorises neighbourhoods.
"Kids hanging around" is now regarded as the greatest social nuisance of our age.
As the new IPPR report puts it: "Commentators fear that British youth is on the verge of mental breakdown, at risk from anti-social behaviour, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse. These concerns are, to an extent, borne out."
Such gloom is in contrast to evidence that there has never been a better time to be young.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
EMO
Uh oh.
Ivan, how about a few sentences of context on this story. Is this widespread? Does it cut across all social groups? Is it "a broad strata of British society"?
I don't entirely believe anything that has a BBC byline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvMzQ4Vu-8
It's not necessarily only EMO.
...
Southern European nations with a strong Catholic tradition and a focus on the family do not share the same level of delinquency.
Things that make you go Hmmmmmm....
All of these disorders are the INEVITABLE consequences of real-world socialism.
I disagree. I see it more as the consequences of a decline of valuing family and people. Success often brings the need for "more".
Southern European nations with a strong Catholic tradition and a focus on the family do not share the same level of delinquency ...statistically children brought up by two married, biological parents do better than those from single parent families or people cohabiting.
Wow, who'd a thunk?
Personally, I'm insulted. I do a great job with my kids, despite the fact that I keep switching jobs to avoid the court taking out for child support. My babies mama does a good enough job. And I come by with my girlfriend du jour frequently (sometimes), so I'm not an absentee father.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Youth unemployment has fallen dramatically in the last 25 years.
Today's parents are richer than ever before and young people have access to an extraordinary range of activities and opportunities undreamt of even a generation ago. Sounds good, but....
From the original BBC news report:
'On every indicator of bad behaviour - drugs, drink, violence, promiscuity - the UK was at or near the top, said the Institute for Public Policy Research.
The institute looked at the results of a number of studies of adolescents conducted in recent years.
The researchers believe the country's record can be explained by a collapse in family and community life in the UK.
Measured against German, French and Italian youngsters, British 15-year-olds are drunk more often and involved in more fights, and a higher proportion have had sex.
The institute says young Britons are marked out by how they spend their free time.
In England, 45% of 15-year-old boys spend most evenings out with their friends, and in Scotland the figure is 59%.
In France just 17% of boys spend their time in the same way.
On the other hand, European teenagers tend to sit down for meals with their parents far more often.
Some 93% of Italian teenagers eat regularly with their families; in the UK just 64% of 15-year-olds do the same. '
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6108302.stm
It doesn't have to be the traditional nuclear family although statistically children brought up by two married, biological parents do better than those from single parent families or people cohabiting.
IMHO, it's pretty easy to see the demise of the traditional nuclear family as being the cause of nearly all of this.
Teens have been teens for as long as we've been on the planet. It's a time of struggle - a search for ones' identity, and a time to establish a bit of separation from ones' parents.
But the foundations for surviving this time need to be laid early - kids with values, and kids who FEEL valued (not in material things, but the feeling that their parents genuinely care enough for them as people to spend time with them, to listen to them, and to help them aquire the skills they need to become good adults) will by and large come out of this time intact, all the wiser for the lessons learned from a few stupid moves.
I know too many people who think that once their kids are out of diapers, that the "hard work" is over. From that time on, all they think they need to do is give them stuff. It's nearly as damaging as just letting them run wild.
I posted: All of these disorders are the INEVITABLE consequences of real-world socialism.
You replied: I disagree. I see it more as the consequences of a decline of valuing family and people. Success often brings the need for "more".
I agree that devaluing family and the individual are a part of socialism. However, I think they can exist separate from it, too.
Perhaps I should have used the word "materialism". The want of more stuff rather than recognising the value of people. This is certainly possible without socialism.
One thing I noticed was that Britain's youth didn't have as many school activities to keep them busy (yes, those sports do serve a purpose), and they had much more readily available public transportation, which gave them a lot of freedom at very young ages. I was shocked to see such young teens on public transportation "just hanging around."
Well! That explains it.
It's the food!
I can only speak as a 76 year old Brit who was a teenager right after WWII. In those far off days there was conscription in the UK..there was no dodging it..you had to do 2 years service in the armed forces.
The first night I spent in the RAF barracks I was surrounded by what used to be hard faced punks weeping for their mommy's. 2 years in the forces smartened most of the hard cases up and even turned them into normal civilised citizens.
I know this will never happen again..but whichever way you look at it..it worked. A 2 year armed forces stint focuses the mind amazingly!!
I would argue that increased materialism is a manifestation of the absence of other values.
Stripping people of their natural values, which is the constant program of socialism in power, leaves only the shallow remainder of mere possessions instead of an estate, mere status instead of honor, and the almost certain expession of the worst elements of human nature.
You can tell from my tagline that I have hard views on this matter. ;^)
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