Pity and scorn

I worry sometimes about the 'youth' of today. I say 'youth' because I'm only in my 20s. But I'm talking about teenagers. I'm watching a documentary right now about the weapons culture among kids and it's disturbing, especially as yet another teenager was murdered in London today - 17th this year I believe.

Now, these kids immediately claim self-defence when they're asked why they carry a weapon, but they readily admit themselves that it's a defeatist attitude - you carry a knife because you're afraid of people who carry knives? Please - like ANYONE believes you are afraid. The people carrying knives are full of the "yeah I'm so hard" attitude and proud of the fact that they're armed. They are not afraid, they are stupid.

One kid just said that a person can be attacked simply for looking at someone the wrong way, or because they look weak - and no, they weren't talking about other gang members, they were talking about members of the public just going about their business. Is this really what the world has come to? Teenagers attacking strangers with knives, simply because they look wrong?

Maybe I'm old fashioned, maybe I'm jaded. I don't know. But it seems to me that if you want respect then you have to give it in the first place. I appreciate that these kids in the cities are products of their environment, and that they have these attitudes because this is how they have been raised, but if they don't get themselves killed, they're not gonna have a life.

I'm beyond sick of hearing of another knife attack, and I'm sick of the attitude of these kids. The lot of them need to grow up, and fast.