I was born in 78 and during the late 80s / early 90s, I was rarely at home. At the weekends I would walk over to the rec to play football or Fighting Bulldog. Without a word to my parents (we didn't have mobiles and no way was I walking home), I would regularly wander off and end up a mile or 2 away, jumping a brook, building a dam, fashioning a rope swing from a tatty bit of string, making a campfire or lobbing bricks through the windows of a disused factory. We'd think nothing of bodging together a go-kart from scraps of wood and wheels from a pram then hurtle down a steep hill with no method of braking other than a) aim for grass, b) aim for something solid or c) jump off. Not for one minute did we consider donning knee pads, elbow pads or cycle helmets. I'd always go out on the instruction that I had to be home before dark but I rarely did.
In the week, I'd come home from Primary school and often find that nobody was home. It didn't matter, I'd just knock on a neighbour's door and have tea there. It didn't matter which neighbour it was, I could just pick one from the row of terraced houses and they'd always welcome me in. Occasionally my mum would knock on and ask if I was there but more often than not, she wouldn't know where I was until I wandered back home.
My parents used to tell me tales of how when I was 4 or 5 (1982-3 ish) we lived on a crescent with a green in the middle. All of the kids would leave their toys / bikes / scooters out on the green for days on end and they'd never go missing.
Things have changed and when you consider that I'm only talking about a couple of decades ago, they have changed quickly, it's very worrying.
I have 2 kids now, a daughter who's nearly 9 and a son who's 7. I wouldn't let them walk anywhere on their own and want to know where they are at all times.
Yes, I'm sure this is partly due to the media we're bombarded with, telling us tales from all over the country of sick bas**rds snatching kids and abusing them, hacking them up or taking indecent pictures for their fellow pervs. I do, however feel that the internet has played it's part in creating these people, or at least encouraging them. They can now find like-minded people very easily and before long, their sick fetishes start to feel almost 'normal' and 'acceptable'. Porn is on tap, it's no longer something they get a rare glimpse of when they dare to reach for a VHS from the top shelf, they can spend as long as they like indulging their fantasies and thinking what they would like to do to one of those girls they see by the roadside, girls like my daughter. I have little doubt that there ARE more of these people about now.
You're right, drugs have made things worse and that was inevitable but it's not the whole story. The real problem is the breakdown of family discipline. My dad never knew about me lobbing bricks at that factory but I know what would have happened if he did... smack. What would happen nowadays? Firstly, the parent would deny that his little angel had done it and secondly, demand that the factory is demolished for the safety of his little lamb.
Young kids will now shout abuse at adults and if you react, you risk a kicking from a gang of them. If I had tried that as a kid, I would expect a clip round the ear from the adult or, worse, an "I know your dad".
I'm not 100% sure why this has changed so much but I do know that kids are over protected by a government that interferes with family life far too much. We've seen the other extreme where they have done nothing and cases such as 'Baby P' arise but that is a rarity. From day to day, parents should be able to discipline kids as they see fit but now we can't lay a finger on them. They can get away with anything because they know the worst you can do is unplug their Xbox. What lessons does that teach then for when they're old enough to go out on the streets? Not even the police have power over them. An ASBO? So f***in what!
And that brings me to the final point, 'The Streets' (not the band), a self-fulfilling prophecy. There has been a significant change in British culture that I'm sure our American fans will have seen in years gone by. Take Rap / Hip-Hop music for example. Don't get me wrong, I like some of it and I'm hardly Mary Whitehouse but F**k me, every other song is about making fast money, getting bitches and being hard as nails. You are not a credible artist unless you've done time. I know that some people will be reading this and grinning to themselves, thinking, 'damn right, that's good sh*t' but if you step back and look at what's happening, the connection is undeniable. A LOT of teens now aren't interested in hobbies or sports or getting into a good job, they are out on 'The Streets' mouthing off at people and swaggering around, expecting riches to come their way one day like they have for their idols, it's a route that easily and commonly leads to drugs and crime. It has been said that kids grow up too fast these days but they're still as easy to influence and things like music and the associated culture soon rub off on them. Then all you hear is tales from teenagers who've had to make it on 'The Streets'. They didn't have to. Aside from the odd unfortunate kid who gets turfed out, they could all stay at home and watch telly or have a kick about with mates, instead they take themselves out onto the streets and the problem grows.
Things have changed and without a doubt, they have changed for the worst. I love my kids and in all honesty, dread the time when they start going out alone.
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