Are we desensitizing our kids?
April 18th 2008 06:15
I'm sure most of you know about this case in Florida involving a teenage girl who was beaten by 6 female teens whose age range from 14 to 17. The beating went on for about 30 minutes while 2 teenage boys stood outside as lookouts. The beating was so severe that the girl passed out while it was going on. The victim is said to be suffering from vision and hearing loss as a result of the attack.
What makes this incident so shocking is that it was all caught on camera. Apparently the girls planned the attack, luring the victim into the house under false circumstances and proceeded to beat her as the cameras were rolling. I saw a footage of the film but couldn't watch it in full because it was just so gruesome. The victim wasn't even fighting back and even as she was knocked unconscious because of the severity of the beating, her assailants proceeded to beat her when she regained consciousness.
And do you know the reason why they were so mad at the victim? She allegedly bad-mouthed them on her MySpace page. I mean..come on! I've had my share of drama and controversy when I was young, I was even bad-mouthed on several occasions. But never in a million years would I resort to this violent behavior.
To top it off, they intended to post the video on Youtube and MySpace perhaps thinking they would become instant celebrities because of it. Yeah, right, you guys are celebrities alright - notorious ones.
Even if the victim did indeed write negative things about them, it doesn't justify the violence of their actions. There is no justification for their actions - NONE. Fortunately the victim's parents are pursuing this case and hopefully her assailants will get the punishment they so deserve.
Which brings me to this question. Why do you think many of our youth today are becoming increasingly violent? And as parents, what can we do to address this problem?
What makes this incident so shocking is that it was all caught on camera. Apparently the girls planned the attack, luring the victim into the house under false circumstances and proceeded to beat her as the cameras were rolling. I saw a footage of the film but couldn't watch it in full because it was just so gruesome. The victim wasn't even fighting back and even as she was knocked unconscious because of the severity of the beating, her assailants proceeded to beat her when she regained consciousness.
And do you know the reason why they were so mad at the victim? She allegedly bad-mouthed them on her MySpace page. I mean..come on! I've had my share of drama and controversy when I was young, I was even bad-mouthed on several occasions. But never in a million years would I resort to this violent behavior.
To top it off, they intended to post the video on Youtube and MySpace perhaps thinking they would become instant celebrities because of it. Yeah, right, you guys are celebrities alright - notorious ones.
Even if the victim did indeed write negative things about them, it doesn't justify the violence of their actions. There is no justification for their actions - NONE. Fortunately the victim's parents are pursuing this case and hopefully her assailants will get the punishment they so deserve.
Which brings me to this question. Why do you think many of our youth today are becoming increasingly violent? And as parents, what can we do to address this problem?
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Comment by Johnny Come Lately
Jack's Back
I do hope that these offenders feel the full weight of the law for what they did. They were certainly old enough to know right from wrong and deserved to be punished as adults.
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
I saw this on the news. They only showed a couple of minutes of it though.
I totally agree with Johnny Come Lately about the offenders feeling the full weight of the law.
I know that if it was my kid that was bashing someone else, I'd come down on them like a tonne of bricks but I'd like to think that I would have taught them that that is not the way to behave before it got to this stage.
As parents, what can we do to address this problem? Stay focussed on our kids.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by the world of gaye
batty
Family Madness
bright lights greedy city
REFLECTIONS
THE WINDMILLS OF MY MIND
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Budget Centsability
The parents that defend kids that have committed acts of violence are as reprehensible as the the act itself. What on earth are they learning when their parents do this? It's just reinforcing bad behaviour. As Mrs M said the parents should come down on them heavily when something like this happens.
Comment by Hope
Gifted Parenting
Freelance For Life
Mrs. M - Someone posted the clip on Youtube with a link to the before and after pic of the victim plus a copy of the complaint they filed. It's really horrific to say the least.
Gaye - You are right. kids today have become uncontrollable because parents have become almost afraid to control them. A parents role doesn't end even when the kid reaches a certain age.
Cheryl - I agree, if they justify the actions of these kids, then what does that teach them? it will only make then think that they can do anything and get away with it. And maybe the next thing they'll do will be even more serious or fatal.