Young People of Today

[CLOWN TICKLE]

I admit at 48 I am no spring chicken, probably ready for the chop, however am I the only person who finds gangs of youths frightening. I am happy teaching them and have no fear in school were I suppose I have some control but when they take over an entire pavement or shopping mall in a line or shout abuse because of my breed of dog I find them terrifying. The two things I dont understand are why this gang culture has started, I lived in South London as a teenager and it wasnt happening then, and do they realise how menacing they can be? I wish I had the confidence to use aliases or be like Dan who I suspect I am slightly envious of ( though I know thats a sin

[redcrx]

I know what you mean, some groups of teenagers can look menacing. It could be that we hear so many stories of fights, stabbings etc in the media that we are now wary of such large groups of teens. We may well be right in feeling this way or the children may just be exactly as we were when we hung around with our friends way back when, but i for one wouldnt care to find out.

Of course, a generation ago or more, i dont think anyone would dare shout abuse at an older person as a rule. I had a discussion with a police officer at the weekend about a group of lads who were vandalising. They only caught a 6 year old, the others abandoned him when they were seen. The conclusion we came to in the difference between some youngsters now and our generation (Im not as old as you but principal is same) is that we were all terrified of people telling our parents if we did wrong. It is a sad fact of life now that some parents are more terrified of their children or not really bothered what the children get up to.

[Champagne]

I find them threatening too. When I was a little girl it was punks who scared me! Anyone with zips in their trousers or spikes in their hair were considered trouble-makers. Now, with the media focusing on �knife culture� it doesn�t reassure the general public. Most of the time young teenagers in groups are pretty harmless, but it�s amazing how we can misinterpret groups of people or loudness as being a threat.

It doesn�t help that communities have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Old people are not respected anymore. Neither are community policemen.

[mccfluff]

where i live a walk to the shops is only a few minutes away but i pass a village square and canal entrance were the local youths hang out. I usually ignore them but i do find it imtimidating to walk past especially when they take over the entire pavement and refuse to move to let you through, they seem to find it funny to force people onto the road (which is a very busy main thoughfare). I understand that there isn't anywhere for them hang out, but they need to start respecting that other people live there as well!

[blue eyes ;)]

i think its not just older people (im not calling you old clown tickle!) that find them frightning.im 27 and i feel threatened by them also,they dont seem to care what they say to you do they x

[chazza]

I was attacked by a gang of youths a few years ago - and even though I am only in my 20s, I find it terrifying walking past or through them even in daylight when they are doing nothing wrong

[gessoo]

I actually feel more threatened by gangs of girls than gangs of boys. I don't really know why, except that girls can be far more verbally abusive to passers by than boys.

Fortunately I very rarely come into any contact with gangs of any sort living in a relatively trouble free area. However, I am 59 and think that if I were younger I would find them more threatening - if that makes sense. They seem to pick on vulnerable people in their own age group.

[yinyang]

I try and avoid going up our wee town's main street at lunchtime cause the local high school kids just take it over. They walk 4or5 in a row, blocking the entire pavement and chuck food and juice at each other. not caring if they hit their intended target or somebody trying to get past.

However, here's a story to remind us they're not all bad. When I was heavily pregnant i was waddling down the street heading straight for a gang of pavement blockers. One of them called me a 'fat cow' and his mate went mad at him, smacked him on the head and said' can't you see she's pregnant you ####wit'The boy that had called me a name apologised and they all made way to let me past.

[Catso]

I realise I'm talking cliche here, but I think a lot of the problem is no respect for any authority, be it elders, police, parents, teachers. They're no respect because there's no comeback if they disrespect them. In the old days, the police, teachers and parents could bring children up to have respect, and all would back one another up. Now parents and teachers often seem to be at loggerheads when it comes to disciplining children

Yes, I realise in one way it's rather 'repressive' (for want of a better word) to trains children to respect authority but it did make society a more bearable place to live, for everyone.

Gangs: there's always been gangs, amongst children and teenagers, but not necessarily as public and/or threatening. They form into gangs because they want to feel they 'belong' and they don't feel they 'belong' to or are comfortable in mainsteam society. Whilst there are exceptions, most people have grown out of gangs by their 30s as I think they feel more comfortable in society as a whole.

[ELVIS68]

They should all be rounded up and put into an Army camp,after the first week of bravado and telling everyone how tough they are they will realise what prats they are and will soon be crying for their mummies,they will also lose that stupid ghetto style accent they tend to use,then eventually when they are released back into society they can act like normal human beings, it works on the TV programme Boot Camp,so why not use it in real life

[Robinia]

I was going to say exactly the same as gessoo about girls, they seem much more intimidating. The only verbal (twice) I've ever had has come from early to late teenaged females. Oddly enough though when I calmly & firmly answered one back she just clammed up - I must be scarier than I thought!

[Ethel]

I think it has been like this for many many years.

Mods and Rockers fighting on the beaches, teddy boys and bikers, punk rockers then goths.

At 48 you must have been aware of the punks that scandalised the older generation - you are the right age to have been sporting a Mohican haircut and safety pins in your nose.

I am a lot older than you and just say 'hello' as I pass. Touch wood, no problems yet.

[CLOWN TICKLE]

Im afraid I hated punk

[horselady]

Ahhh Ethel! Mods and Rockers, now that brings back memories. I was a Rocker through and through, went round in a gang always hanging around with the bike lads. BUT, none of us would ever have dreamt of insulting or abusing a person just walking past, certainly never in this world would we have been rude to an older person, it just wasn't done. I agree with the comments about gangs of girls being scarier, so far (touch wood) no youngsters have ever said or done anything to me but I suppose it will happen eventually.

[dot.hawkes]

I find lads of about 12 - 15 are the worst, they hang around outside the off licence at night in those hooded tops and u can't tell one from another, but u know they are all smelly cos they never wash the things and they always have their hands dug deep in their pockets of a misshapen pair of what were once designer trackie bottoms but now are just a greying pair of scruffy trousers. They barge into the co-op and before the staff know what has hit them the lads have stuffed 15 yorkies down their hooded top or in the pouch at the front. they spit in the street and smoke the odd scrounged ciggie but they disapear at 10pm cos they have to be in by then or their parents won't let them play out the next night.

[Toureman]

A few years ago when my wife and I were in our late fiftys we enjoyed going out for a walk in the evening.

As we approached a group of trogledites blocking the footpath I felt like Moses approaching the red sea and watching the sea part.

I think the reason for that was the two Rottweilers we had, the trogs were also very quiet as we passed through.

[dot.hawkes]

Toureman, excellent, I only walk out at night if I have one of the dogs with me, especially the snappy one who growls at idiots who don't get out of his way/