This month (of June) the respected broadcaster and writer Darcus Howe, impressed me with a short piece regarding teenage murders in his London’s The Voice, column (“Vex in the City”).
Giving an example of his recent holiday in the Caribbean he broadens the subject by citing youth killings in Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica. As he returns to the UK headlines scream the same chilling problem(29 murderers so far in 6 months). YOUTH MURDERS ARE A GLOBAL PROBLEM, he reminds us.
“The Caribbean, Latin America and Africa have produced a mass of young men who have taken to killing each other like ducks to water…They are casualties of an increasingly globalised world that offers them nothing but a disconnection from values of the generation that preceded them.”
In other words values that we of past generations learnt (and still, luckily upheld) are out of reach with this feuding, green generation. Of course throughout history young men have had fights. But this is different. Children are scared. Parents are worried...in the old days there was honour, kids used fists; you defeat me, i accept; today it is about cemeteries. No winners.
Bad vibes. Full stop.
But what are the values that Darcus Howe is talking about?
Humility, respect, good manners; which youngsters learn via respective parents, religion, school and community education.
Today the young see (and have) more possibilities, opportunities and information yet lack stability (broken families); broken politics and role models some who are themselves, broken celebrities. Celebrities with ragged egos, drug addict entertainers, arrogant entertainers some so stupid that they happily pass their rubbish to these eager hero worshipping youngsters.
Remember the young fella with a hood, hanging pants and a sulk playing his loud music on his mobile phone in the bus which irritates you but you (impontently) cannot do anything? Not because you are scared of him (a baby) but of the law, the consequences of, lack of citizen's power, common sense...
One such "hanging pants" confessed to me. When he listens to rap music it (sometimes) makes him feel like ripping someone’s head off. In other words: Inspired Aggression. Negative Energy. Some of today's Pop Music has become substitute to that essential basic education. For good manners, good behaviour, etiquette, respect.
And hence.
You stare at me, I stab you.
You give me bad looks, I stab you and END your life.
You step on my foot, I KILL you.
That is one story.
The other is Aserma Dawitt.
A promising 15 year old school girl from Eritrea, in East Africa, killed in London beginning of June. Arsema was living with her mother and two siblings, having fled the fires of war in her homeland to find solace, peace, education and a possible future in Europe, but met her death in a lift of her flat(pictured above). Arsema was a remarkable student who went to church, devotedly. Ironically, it was in the same church that she met her 21 year old, killer who became obsessed with her.
The mother of the deceased criticised the police for not protecting her victim after informing them of the threats.
There are thousands stories to tell.
Loads.
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