[Tokolosh]

I think one of the many reasons why knife attacks are so common is because they are relatively cheap and easily accessible. You can buy them at most sport shops at an early age and there's not much age control.

The other day I watched a program on belgian tv about juvenile gangs in Liverpool and there was a kid boasting about 6 guns he had stashed in the bushes on the street he lived in. Apparently it had something to do with him protecting his territory. That coming from a snot nosed kid, who should be in bed by nine.

[NWRA]

It’s surprising when politicians/newspaper columnists, etc, say that the parents (of kids in gangs) need to take responsibility for their offspring’s actions; when those parents (and probably grandparents) are usually as bad or worse. The stabbers are the products of three or four generations of thugs. They don't have morals or a conscience because there is nobody to instil those things in them. I think these things need to be taught in schools subtly, somehow, at a very young age; emotional intelligence at that age is as important as intelligence.

And of course there's the influence of gangster rap; it's hard to argue that it's not an influence when you see those YouTube videos of London or Liverpool gangs posing with guns to a hiphop soundtrack and talking like idiots.

As for the whole 'respect' thing; I think what they mean is they want people to fear them, to acknowledge how hard they are. It's nothing to do with respect (as in the real meaning of the word) just reputation, just more macho bullshit.

[girlgun]

i think they should ban knives. because if knives are illegal, no one will ever get stabbed.

[Rob Instigator]

they should ban smokin' hot babes, cuz hard-on's are dangerous

[Alex's Trip]

Originally Posted by girlgun

i think they should ban knives. because if knives are illegal, no one will ever get stabbed.

No. If no one has knives no one will ever get stabbed.

Legality ain't got much to do with people possessing them.

[terriblecanyons]

Originally Posted by girlgun

i think they should ban knives. because if knives are illegal, no one will ever get stabbed.

What am I gonna cut my steak with? A spoon?

[Sonic Youth 37]

Originally Posted by terriblecanyons

What am I gonna cut my steak with? A spoon?

Snip it into pieces with scissors.

[terriblecanyons]

Originally Posted by Sonic Youth 37

Snip it into pieces with scissors.

Well you can stab people with scissors too, so they would probably be banned as well.

[gmku]

Originally Posted by █████████

i thought this was going to be another thread about gmku.

Indeed, as did I.

It seems my reputation has graduated from dirty old man to simply grumpy old man.

[Rob Instigator]

dirty and grumpy are the way to be

anyone who is not otherwise is fooling themselves.

[gmku]

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. The sun will come out tomorrow.

Don't worry--be happy!

[atari 2600]

all good reasons to carry the most concentrated pepper spray you can get your hands on...add to the above accounts of teenage knifeplay the laissez faire attitude several states adopted just today regarding carrying concealed weapons. sure, permits are required (which isn't even really a good screener even with the checks), but it leads to more people carrying weapons that don't have authorization as well.

spray is better than a stun gun...less of a chance of missing...
although, if an assailiant is intoxicated enough, neither pepper spray or a stun gun will have much effect...which is a good reason to learn some martial arts, perhaps Krav Maga, a discipline that emphasizes disarmament of a combatant.

in this city there is also increased crime perpetrated by teens, especially in the summer.

I overheard a small boy and his mother walking and talking today. the kid urgently says, "I want a kill suit," and the mother says, "a kill suit, what's that?"
I don't know wtf he meant either...

Kids and their misadventures with penknives figure into quite a few tales by Dostoyevsky, but the one this thread particularly calls to mind is what's related in a minor subplot of The Brothers Karamazov:

You must realise that he was fearfully worked up by what had happened already. The boys, seeing I’d given him up, set on him and taunted him, shouting, ‘Wisp of tow, wisp of tow!’ And he had soon regular skirmishes with them, which I am very sorry for. They seem to have given him one very bad beating. One day he flew at them all as they were coming out of school. I stood a few yards off, looking on. And, I swear, I don’t remember that I laughed; it was quite the other way, I felt awfully sorry for him; in another minute I would have run up to take his part. But he suddenly met my eyes. I don’t know what he fancied; but he pulled out a penknife, rushed at me, and struck at my thigh, here in my right leg. I didn’t move. I don’t mind owning I am plucky sometimes, Karamazov. I simply looked at him contemptuously, as though to say, ‘This is how you repay all my kindness! Do it again if you like, I’m at your service.’ But he didn’t stab me again; he broke down; he was frightened at what he had done; he threw away the knife, burst out crying, and ran away. I did not sneak on him, of course, and I made them all keep quiet, so it shouldn’t come to the ears of the masters. I didn’t even tell my mother till it had healed up. And the wound was a mere scratch. And then I heard that the same day he’d been throwing stones and had bitten your finger — but you understand now what a state he was in! Well, it can’t be helped: it was stupid of me not to come and forgive him — that is, to make it up with him— when he was taken ill. I am sorry for it now. But I had a special reason. So now I’ve told you all about it... but I’m afraid it was stupid of me.
commentary

[Toilet & Bowels]

Originally Posted by Glice

See, this sort of sentiment makes me quite angry. Not a personal thing, I have no major reservations against your good self Mr & B. But. I went to a shitty comp. There was a couple of (non-fatal) stabbings, plenty of teen pregnancies, lots of under-achievers, lots of people for whom English wasn't their first language given inadequate language support (and thus failing in spite of their superior intellect), lots of people wasting their lives on weed, pills and 'higher' drugs and then people like myself who, arrogantly enough, should've done better but no-one cared about the 'gifted' kids. It hasn't affected me massively - I was going to be a cunt whatever - but I was a lot more 'socially disadvantaged' than a lot of the now smack-heads, and while I was failed by the comp system, I was failed because I was clever, and I'm still a smart-arse cunt, regardless of the education system I was in.

I don't really have a very big point except it's very easy to point the finger at education, which always strikes me as erroneous. By way of a counterpoint to the above, I ended up in quite a good college with some 'best education money can buy' sorts, at least 12 of which are now on smack and living on the streets, after their families finally cut their financial-umbilical cords sometime in their early-mid-20s.

well, i shouldn't have been lazy and generalised like that without explaining exactly what i mean, but i'm at work and it could take pages.
But anyway, if there wasn't a something wrong with the education system your school wouldn't have been full of kids getting wasted and stabbed etc.

[Toilet & Bowels]

Originally Posted by girlgun

i think they should ban knives. because if knives are illegal, no one will ever get stabbed.

it would probably be too obvious a solution to making stabbing people illegal.

[Cantankerous]

Originally Posted by Toilet & Bowels

it would probably be too obvious a solution to making stabbing people illegal.

Originally Posted by Alex's Trip

No. If no one has knives no one will ever get stabbed.

Legality ain't got much to do with people possessing them.

Originally Posted by girlgun

i think they should ban knives. because if knives are illegal, no one will ever get stabbed.

*post denotes SARCASM, ladies and gentlemen.

Originally Posted by NWRA

It’s surprising when politicians/newspaper columnists, etc, say that the parents (of kids in gangs) need to take responsibility for their offspring’s actions; when those parents (and probably grandparents) are usually as bad or worse. The stabbers are the products of three or four generations of thugs. They don't have morals or a conscience because there is nobody to instil those things in them. I think these things need to be taught in schools subtly, somehow, at a very young age; emotional intelligence at that age is as important as intelligence.

This is a good point.

There are two things that I personally think trigger violent behaviour with kids in general, at least in big urban areas with insormountable problems: one is the family enviroment they are born in, where adults lacking the necessary maturity to raise a child too often also try to cope with surviving themselves, therefore neglection takes place on a regular basis.

When kids start growing up they find themselves stuck into an educational system that generally fails to provide them with what's lacking at home, often because the teachers themselves - and trust me, I know enough people who teach who could confirm this - find it frustrating dealing with them or lack interest in finding out new methods of communicating knowledge in the classroom because of the nightmerish infrastructure that many schools offer to both parties in general.

It's only normal that a young person's frustration and sense of validation needs to find new ways to manifest itself, and at that age violence or aggressive behaviour are part of the hormonal process when everything else fails to make an impact.

I disagree about the rap thing. It's true that there are kids who go for that gangsta attitude, but even if you took the music out I bet the violence would still be there. Also, art can open up opportunities to redeem individuals - think about certain community centres that use it to drag young people off the streets, often with a meagre budget- so what you gain from it is subjective, rather than definite.

[pbradley]

 

In my day, we called it a rumble.

And they were choreographed.

[lucyrulesok]

kids don't respect adults anymore.... i don't know why. there are probably a million reasons. but if a young person doesn't respect the authority of their elders then they will run riot. i know i would have done a lot more silly things in my life if i wasn't so frightened of my mum, even though i have no real reason to fear her, she really doesn't pose a physical threat over me.

Go back to your room, lucy!

[Toilet & Bowels]

Originally Posted by Cantankerous

*post denotes SARCASM, ladies and gentlemen.

oh dear, cantankerous, oh dear