While out on my front stoop enjoying a smoke after dinner, I was advantaged enough to view no less than fifteen young males and three or four young women being loud, disrespectful, violent and belligerent with one another.
They were all between twelve and fifteen years old.
Like a pack of roaming dogs, these youth were what appeared to be “play fighting”; or just horsing around–but it most definitely did have a bitter, hostile undertone to it–like things could (and likely would have; had my neighbor and I not chased them away) get blown out of proportion and a handgun goes off…
The odd thing, though, was that they were all dressed almost exactly alike–oversized white tee shirt with black shin-length shorts or pants and black sneakers.
My knee jerk reaction was to call the police–like I have many times before (mostly to no avail).
But further thinking led me to the notion that perhaps instead of expecting the police to be there to keep the streets clean; maybe the parents should be made more accountable for what their kids are doing while roaming the streets.
And the solution doesn’t have to be punishment–we know the system is clogged enough as it is. Maybe more responsibility from the media that’s obviously got plenty to throw around.
People see enough ads for the hottest whip, illest ringtones, most diggity dopest burger and, probably the worst, most ineffective ads ever: the anti pot ads that show the kid with his fist in his mouth…
Maybe instead of the government spending billions on advertising for military recruiting, they can funnel some funds towards a Responsible Parenting Program.
Imagine for a moment your television screen showing not some camoflouged, armed and ready for battle commoner-turned-hero; rather a Mother Father and Daughter fishing in a stream–or washing the car–or gardening?
It starts at the top, right?
In a perfect world, the police would be there to assist with a fender bender, get a cat out of the tree or pop the lock on a car with the keys stuck in it and the engine running.
But this ain’t a perfect world.
