Seriously, stay OFF my lawn!
April 10, 2008 11:40 AM Subscribe
Kids today: a 10 and 11 year old girl assaulting another 10 year old girl and breaking her hip on a Pennsylvania playground; a widely broadcast video showing teenage girls in Lakeland, Florida beating up, gang style, a 16 year old female classmate reportedly filmed for the express purpose of posting on-line; the murder of Daniel Sorenson by teenagers termed a thrill killing. Just a few bits of recent reportage of teens behaving really badly.
Is it really the media that's to blame? Poor parenting? A society that worships celebrity, yet cannot distinguish between fame and infamy? The interwebs and intertubes? Video games?
Or, are we witnessing the final arrival of the superpredator teens heralded so frequently in the 1980s (and satirized so brilliantly by Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick in the 1960s)? Incidently, the non-arrival of this breed of teen terrorist is something that Freakonomics authors correlated (in)famously to the Roe v. Wade decision, or is just more of the same old same old?
Is it really the media that's to blame? Poor parenting? A society that worships celebrity, yet cannot distinguish between fame and infamy? The interwebs and intertubes? Video games?
Or, are we witnessing the final arrival of the superpredator teens heralded so frequently in the 1980s (and satirized so brilliantly by Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick in the 1960s)? Incidently, the non-arrival of this breed of teen terrorist is something that Freakonomics authors correlated (in)famously to the Roe v. Wade decision, or is just more of the same old same old?
This post was deleted for the following reason: this is not going particularly well and seems to be itself an example of what it is trying to decry in some ways. -- jessamyn
Kids is wildin'
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:43 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:43 AM on April 10, 2008
We need to remove tempation. Everyone cover your lawn.
posted by DU at 11:44 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 11:44 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
This is why I xerescape.
posted by everichon at 11:45 AM on April 10, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by everichon at 11:45 AM on April 10, 2008 [3 favorites]
In unrelated news, I can't wait for Grand Theft Auto IV to come out.
posted by empath at 11:47 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by empath at 11:47 AM on April 10, 2008
I want to tell them to get off my lawn...but I'm afraid.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 11:47 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by The Light Fantastic at 11:47 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
I blame food coloring and vaccinations.
Kids have always been evil. Are there any statistics showing any of this has gotten worse?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:48 AM on April 10, 2008
Kids have always been evil. Are there any statistics showing any of this has gotten worse?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:48 AM on April 10, 2008
The USA has 300 million people. 3 stories over what, a year? for 300 million is pretty damn small. A few decades ago these stories would have stayed local, but these days even local stories are national (if they sound shocking enough.) So because 6 kids in Florida are crazy and beat the shit out of someone suddenly KIDS ARE HYPERVIOLENT! FEAR THEM! Get a grip, learn some basic math, and stop freaking out.
posted by aspo at 11:49 AM on April 10, 2008 [6 favorites]
posted by aspo at 11:49 AM on April 10, 2008 [6 favorites]
I like it better when kids would hear the voice of God and decide to rally armies against the infidel invaders. Kids today are so damn lazy.
posted by oddman at 11:49 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by oddman at 11:49 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
It's because nobody is going to report or write about the kids that don't do anything bad. Violent crime rates amongst teens are lower now than in the 80s. See also.
posted by mkn at 11:50 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by mkn at 11:50 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
I blame knee-jerk attempts to find single causes for things, based on prejudices and confirmation bias.
posted by Artw at 11:50 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:50 AM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
Absolutely do not let a child have a cell phone in their bedroom she says, unless you want them up all night.
It worries me that there are parents who needed to be told this.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 11:51 AM on April 10, 2008
It worries me that there are parents who needed to be told this.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 11:51 AM on April 10, 2008
"Gang style?"
Maybe from the slappy bitchy girlie gang of South Florida. Not exactly hardcore. Have you seen this video? It's not exactly in the same league as the murder.
I seem to remember harsher "beatings" from my brothers that barely raised eyebrows, and I don't have any permanent scars, physical or mental. This is a national news story?
posted by rokusan at 11:51 AM on April 10, 2008
Maybe from the slappy bitchy girlie gang of South Florida. Not exactly hardcore. Have you seen this video? It's not exactly in the same league as the murder.
I seem to remember harsher "beatings" from my brothers that barely raised eyebrows, and I don't have any permanent scars, physical or mental. This is a national news story?
posted by rokusan at 11:51 AM on April 10, 2008
There's been a huge rise in the number of people filmed having sex online over the past fifteen years. Clearly, this shows that the number of people having sex has skyrocketed. It's a miracle they even had babies before the Internet came around.
posted by Bookhouse at 11:53 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by Bookhouse at 11:53 AM on April 10, 2008
Jesus, I think I just remembered why I closed my last MetaFilter account.
posted by besotted at 11:53 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by besotted at 11:53 AM on April 10, 2008
When I was their age, we had to beat other kids uphill both ways. In the snow.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:54 AM on April 10, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by backseatpilot at 11:54 AM on April 10, 2008 [3 favorites]
Teacher Assaulted in Classroom with Video Posted on MySpace; ‘petrified’ after being attacked by student.
posted by ericb at 11:54 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by ericb at 11:54 AM on April 10, 2008
I blame it all on Ted Stevens.
posted by blucevalo at 11:55 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by blucevalo at 11:55 AM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
When the kids started taping themselves doing "fire in the hole" at fast-food drivethroughs for YouTube postings last year, I got an uneasy feeling that this generation of whippersnappers is the worst batch yet.
Rickrolling the drivethrough is a healthier outlet for pranksters.
Oh, and... My lawn. Off. Get
posted by porn in the woods at 11:56 AM on April 10, 2008
Rickrolling the drivethrough is a healthier outlet for pranksters.
Oh, and... My lawn. Off. Get
posted by porn in the woods at 11:56 AM on April 10, 2008
I blame food coloring and vaccinations.
And high-fructose corn syrup!
posted by ericb at 11:56 AM on April 10, 2008
And high-fructose corn syrup!
posted by ericb at 11:56 AM on April 10, 2008
Folks, folks. Let me tell you, I take full responsibility for these out of control teens. It's all my fault. Again, my fault, I take full responsibility.
And now, to demonstrate my taking of full responsibility, I will do absolutely nothing.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
And now, to demonstrate my taking of full responsibility, I will do absolutely nothing.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
When I was a kid my brother thried to stab me in the heart with a screwdriver. I still have the scar over my ribs. One time I tried bashing his head in with a rock. I also have a scar from the time a mate of mine thought it would be funny to shoot me from a distance of about 2 foot with an airrifle loaded with a beice of sugar candy (turns out it worked quite well as a pellet). We used to run around the countryside in gangs commiting petty vandalism, minor arson, and improper handling of fireworks. Any kind of fictional depiction of violence was gold to us, no matter how lacking in artistic justification, and any items we couldn't trade in the playground became subject to a kind of oral tradition, growing gorier with each retelling. We had access to stashes of pornograohy before we even knew what it was.
I grew up alright, but KIDS THESE DAYS ARE NO GOOD!
Battle Royale, I tell you, Battle Royale.
posted by Artw at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
I grew up alright, but KIDS THESE DAYS ARE NO GOOD!
Battle Royale, I tell you, Battle Royale.
posted by Artw at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
There are what, like six billion people in the world today? It's not like we need all of them. Does anyone think these chicks are going to grow up and contribute something meaningful and positive to the world? Does anyone think we really need them around?
posted by Naberius at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
posted by Naberius at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
...is just more of the same old same old?
Same old, same old. Teens have been perpetrators of violence, fighting, murder and other criminal behavior since, oh let's say "day one!"
posted by ericb at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
Same old, same old. Teens have been perpetrators of violence, fighting, murder and other criminal behavior since, oh let's say "day one!"
posted by ericb at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2008
If you're curious about what to expect from the not-so-greatest generation of Americans...
In fact, I was just wondering about that.
He says his eyes burned for about 15 minutes.
Gripping reportage.
posted by Pecinpah at 12:03 PM on April 10, 2008
In fact, I was just wondering about that.
He says his eyes burned for about 15 minutes.
Gripping reportage.
posted by Pecinpah at 12:03 PM on April 10, 2008
Down with this sort of thing!
posted by rocket88 at 12:05 PM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by rocket88 at 12:05 PM on April 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
There are plenty of cruel, violent people in the world. Some of them are under age 18.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008
Oh god. If you want to make this argument, you can't just point out bad things that happen today, you have to prove that it wasn't this way in the past. Certainly beatings and assaults happened in the past, they just weren't filmed.
And "superpredator teens"? What a bunch of B.S.
posted by delmoi at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008
And "superpredator teens"? What a bunch of B.S.
posted by delmoi at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008
So it turns out that humans are much nastier creatures than you assumed and now that assumption has been broken its time to get all "OMG TAKE ME BACK TO THE IDEALIZED 50s?" Its not videogames or parents. Its your DNA.
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:06 PM on April 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
Ralphie turns the tables; kicks the living shit out of Scott Farkus. Bart wollops Nelson across the kiester. Charlie slaps Lucy senseless. The Silly Rabbit fucks up the asshole kids who kept the Trix away! Are we witnessing the final arrival of 'bullies gettin' their due?'
posted by ericb at 12:07 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by ericb at 12:07 PM on April 10, 2008
> Or, are we witnessing the final arrival of the superpredator teens heralded so frequently in the 1980s (and satirized so brilliantly by Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick in the 1960s)?
The 1950s were truly the good old days, when behavior this bad was inconceviable.
posted by ardgedee at 12:09 PM on April 10, 2008
The 1950s were truly the good old days, when behavior this bad was inconceviable.
posted by ardgedee at 12:09 PM on April 10, 2008
The 50s didn't have Anderson fucking Cooper, so must have been way better.
posted by Artw at 12:09 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by Artw at 12:09 PM on April 10, 2008
The USA has 300 million people. 3 stories over what, a year?
Forget hipster librarians! Next up -- a New York Times Style article: The Kids are Wildin'.
posted by ericb at 12:11 PM on April 10, 2008
Forget hipster librarians! Next up -- a New York Times Style article: The Kids are Wildin'.
posted by ericb at 12:11 PM on April 10, 2008
The best part is going to be the introduction of the "I did it... for the LULZ" defense into the American legal system.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:14 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:14 PM on April 10, 2008
We found a number of videos, but decided not to link to them because of concerns that doing so would expose our readers to offensive language and give the impression that we condone this behavior.
You can find them on YouTube.
Wha-huh?
posted by Dr-Baa at 12:14 PM on April 10, 2008
You can find them on YouTube.
Wha-huh?
posted by Dr-Baa at 12:14 PM on April 10, 2008
Obviously violence for the sake of posting to the internet is something new. See happy slapping.
posted by Sailormom at 12:16 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by Sailormom at 12:16 PM on April 10, 2008
Does anyone think these chicks are going to grow up and contribute something meaningful and positive to the world?
Hey...on of them could be the next Tonya Harding. Oh, wait...
posted by ericb at 12:17 PM on April 10, 2008
Hey...on of them could be the next Tonya Harding. Oh, wait...
posted by ericb at 12:17 PM on April 10, 2008
Did someone hose down those girls that were arrested for the beating of the cheerleader? Because they've got some lank ass, greasy hair. Is that what they were so mad about?
posted by bayliss at 12:23 PM on April 10, 2008
posted by bayliss at 12:23 PM on April 10, 2008
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posted by Artw at 11:42 AM on April 10, 2008 [4 favorites]