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Despicable People


Guest Elton

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Guest Leon Roskilly

When I was a kid, the pavements were covered in chalk marks, marking out traditional games like hop-scotch etc.

 

We'd come home from school, meet our mates in the street and play unsupervised.

 

We had our own society, the more sensible ones generally keeping the more outrageous ones in check. There were rules, and we knew what the boundaries were.

 

I now live in a quiet close, with a fair bit of grass, and a few trees.

 

Safe from traffic, some of the youngsters from the next road would come to ride their bikes, play ball games, make piles out of the cut grass and throw it away.

 

Of course the old folks complained! The council were forced to put up 'No ball game' signs when the majority of the residents voted for them.

 

My protests that the kids needed somewhere to play were greeted with 'they can go up the park'. (from those same old folk who grew up playing street games, smiling at the memory when reminded of their own childhood, but then protesting that things were different then - too right they were!).

 

When I took my youngsters to the park (when they were young), it was apparent that the kids from the houses thereabout 'owned' that turf, and strangers weren't welcome.

 

No, the job of kids these days is to stay indoors, watch the TV, and play video games, and not to disturb the neighbours.

 

Strange really, when you think that kids have played outside their houses for thousands of years, binding the community together with their games, learning social skills and leadership, with adults not too far away when things might occasionally get out of hand. And, apart from a few rough estates (where no one gives a damn what the kids are up to), it's all happened in the last few decades, within my life-time.

 

I would imagine that a time traveller, stopping by every few years or so, would find something eerie and sinister about our child-free 'communities', where neighbours no longer chat.

 

When I was a little older (from about 11), I'd strap my rod to my bike, meet up with my mate, and cycle miles and miles to go fishing. Learning self-sufficiency, and initiative. Today's kids aren't allowed to find their own way around, always dropped off and picked up in their parents' car.

 

Living in it, we really can't see how distorted our society has become, how the social institutions, that have always been there, from the earliest of times, have broken down.

 

How every family has become isolated, and how kids from dysfunctional families have become extremely isolated individuals.

 

They sense that the world doesn't give a damn about them, or what they do, except to say 'you can't play here'.

 

There are some right little buggers, who find there way down to Chatham pier.

 

It's a real pain when you want to concentrate on the mullet. But then, when you take the time to talk to them, they respond. When you show them how to bait their hook properly, cast to the gully, answer their thousand-fold questions, instead of right little trouble-makers, you find you are talking to half-decent kids, and they begin to show respect (on thir good days, at least!).

 

Treat them like scum, and they'll become scum. Treat them with a little respect, and most will learn quickly, and maybe make half decent anglers one day :-).

 

I love handing them a mullet to gently return, and watch the look on their faces as it swims away :-)

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

(ps My wife teaches in local schools - some of the problems these kids have at home, you wonder just what chance they have of turning out half-decent)

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Guest Martin Salisbury

Leon your spot on there.

 

I was a kid 10/15 years ago and i can see a big change just from then.

 

The things that some kids know now compared to myself is frightening.

 

My girlfriend teaches and she also says the same. Some kids have to deal with some big problems.

 

I come across a few 'naughty kids' as I work at a solicitors and half of them think it's normal because its where/how they are brought up. Also they know they can get away with it!

 

But even though they've often done wrong they are often still good kids given the time.

 

martin

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Exactly

Now does the last couple of posts not just show how the liberal ideas of the late 80s and especially the 90s destroyed a way of community living?:{

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Hmmm.. i must admit i was abit ignorant to how dangerous some places are. I now live in a well dodgy part of leeds (student accomadation). The most burgled street in Europe as a matter of fact. Since i've lived here thats for about the last 4 months i've seen. Children setting off fireworks in the street, putting them in letterboxes and on cars, 3 of my friends have been mugged, i've seen a man walking down the street with what looked like 2 swords sticking out of the bottom of his coat. endless people walking round homeless, drunk or on drugs. I've seen two cars seriously vandalised for parking in someone elses space, a girl was raped 50yds from my girlfriends house, joyriders most nights, the newsagents/off license on the corner of my road has been held up at gun point twice, i've been threatened on the street midday on a sunday by some lad because i crossed his path and if i'm honest it does worry me (6ft2, 14stone, an experienced martial artist) walking around at night. This is really unaccepteable. a house over the road was burgled last week and one of my house mates watched a house being burgled last month. she phoned the police who didn't arrive for 40 minutes. apparently there is also a gang of burglers going about who sledge hammer your front door down even when people are home and just take your stuff eek.gif What can you do?

Mind you some friends on my course live in a street where i think 4 people have been shot! nice place! needles (no children playing) in the streets and burnt out cars. These dodgy places do exist. It is a bit different to my home in northamptonshire!!

 

Bretty rolleyes.gif

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Guest Bruno Broughton
Originally posted by Bretty:

I now live in a well dodgy part of leeds (student accomadation). The most burgled street in Europe as a matter of fact

 

Bretty, I used to live in Leeds and if you are where I think you are, just get outa there. Run up an overdraft if you must to get a decent dive, but don't stay - it ain't worth it, mate.

 

 

------------------

Bruno

 

[This message has been edited by Bruno Broughton (edited 16 November 2000).]

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

It all comes down to a question of the rights of society as a whole versus the rights of an individual.

 

There's a saying, "Spare the rod and spoil the child". When I was at school I got caned a few times, it never made me want to go out and thrash anyone (with the exception of one b@$£@%d that was whipping his dog with a length of wood....), and it made me respect the teachers. Nowadays kids can't even be kept in after school as punishment without the permission of its parents! Dare to lay a finger on one of them and you end up losing your job and/or facing court action.

 

Welcome to the nanny state frown.gif

 

There's got to be a balance, but methinks it's out of kilter at present.  History shows that the pendulum will probably swing back the other way before long.

 

Samuel Pepys once wrote that the children (of his day) lacked discipline and were always causing trouble. Maybe things haven't changed all that much....

 

Hopefully one day soon, the do-gooders will realise their mistakes and allow those in power (parents, teachers etc) to punish troublemakers properly.

 

------------------

John Suffill

 

john@go-fishing.co.uk

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Guest Leon Roskilly
Originally posted by John S:

Samuel Pepys once wrote that the children (of his day) lacked discipline and were always causing trouble.  Maybe things haven't changed all that much....

 

Yes, and didn't some of those old greek guys say much the same?

 

Certainly, when I was growing up (no, not that long ago). The papers were saying much the same. 'Bloody youth of today, with their Brylcreem quiffs, cut-throat razors and motorbike chains - what's wrong with them'

 

Some years ago, I used to do voluntary work for the Social Services Unit at St Martin's-in-the-fields. One Saturday morning I was sent round to help an old dear clean out the Peabody flat she had been given.

 

I was surprised at how positive she was about living in the modern West End. 'It was terrible when I was a girl, there used to be gangs going around here garrotting people and robbing them. It wasn't safe to walk the streets after dark' !!!!

 

Tight lines - Leon

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Bring up as many horror stories from the past as you can but I wonder how many of them will be with kids beating old ladies to a bloody mess or threatening to stick hyperdermics in babies. No I'm afraid the kids (not all of them ) are worse than they used to be.

The razor gangs at the turn of the century were indeed bad up in Glasgow and no doubt elsewhere too but the people had a sense of honor ( yes I know it sounds odd) where children and old folk were protected by fear of torture if you went to prison for it. Beasts they are called but now prison spends so much time protecting these animals and they know it. So "it dont matter to me Jack i,ll be sound " is the attitude today.

Rough as it may sound imagine if our prime minister said "no more protection wings in our prisons for these crimes" Soon enough these beasts would think twice.

You know what they say "If you cant do the time dont do the crime"

Say what we will but we will go on letting the crazy laws protect these #%*@s and watch as more people old and young alike suffer from the crime and then suffer from outcome of trying to get justice.

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