Youth Rage

[starrwriter]

The recent arrest of a teenager for the vicious beating death of the wife of a famous attorney in a rural suburb of San Francisco reminded me of a surprising phenomenon I noticed at virtually all online newsgroups and forums I ever belonged to.

Blind rage, mostly from young people. Not anger or vexation, but explosive rage looking for any target in fantasy or reality. The immense popularity of ultra-violent video games and films is only one symptom. School shooting massacres like Columbine have brought this rage squarely into everyday life. And now a boy who apparently bludgeoned a 52-year-old woman to death and carved a symbol into the flesh of her back. What compelled him to do it if not rage?

A teenager in one forum described his generation as "skull-****ed." When I was young, I thought my generation was screwed: the Vietnam war, planes and missiles loaded with enough nuclear bombs to destroy all life on earth many times over, a president assassinated under suspicious circumstances, etc. Now the Cold War is over and, although we have a war raging in Iraq, no one is being drafted to fight in it. What is causing young people today to feel so much rage and hopelessness?

They are eerily similar to the Vietnam vets I have known who were suffering from post-traumatic shock syndrome. But what trauma have young people undergone? It's a mystery that troubles me because some of these youths will grow up to run this country.

Two popular films come to mind. "River's Edge" was based on the true story of high school students who callously ogled the corpse of a girl murdered by one of their classmates and failed to report it to police. "American Psycho" is the story of a Yuppie sociopath who runs amok and commits senseless murders. Both of these movies were so deeply disturbing to me they made me feel sick.

Anyone have a theory about what is causing youth rage nowadays?

[Logos]

Although almost 20 years old, River's Edge (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091860/) is a great movie :)


Basically I think a big issue teenagers and twenty-somethings deal with these days is too much choice. Seems little things are so much more complicated than they were than two or more generations ago, to me anyway, but every generation says that, no?


Yay for the industrial revolution.

Life is very confusing and a lot of people expect instant gratification and I do think that organic problems like attention deficit are manifestations of industry and technology. Most people I know have more than one degree.

My heart goes out to younger people who are faced with some of the bigger decisions in life they have yet to make.

[B-Mental]

Yes when I was young I thought my era was messed up also. An actor was the president, legwarmers and saddle pants were in, disco was out and headbanging was in.

Down with synthesizers in with the electric accordion!
I rebel in very unrebellious manner.

[starrwriter]

Basically I think a big issue teenagers and twenty-somethings deal with these days is too much choice.

I can see how too much choice might cause confusion, maybe even anxiety. But rage? That doesn't make sense to me.

The very few times in my life I felt genuine rage was because someone had committed an egregious injustice against me. Why do so many younger people feel terribly wronged? Exactly who are they really mad at?

When I was a young man, I discovered I had been lied to about many things -- education+hard work is a guarantee of success, the government is trustworthy, etc. But my reaction was wariness and a healthy dose of skepticism, not rage.

[Psycheinaboat]

I wonder if this is really something new. I mean humans have always been violent, but the forms that violence takes do seem to change over time. Perhaps the young seem the most violent, by proportion, because they are physically the most able and lack the maturity to fully understand their actions.

According to the newest stats I've read (there may be more recent data now) teen crime dropped quite a bit during the 90's and continues to drop, although, less significantly now.

Teens having internet access and more mobility now than ever before may allow those with violent tendencies to more easily act out their aggression. Media coverage certainly makes us all much more aware of the bad things that happen, but I am not sure I can agree that things are actually so different.

On the other hand, these changes and many others are providing the current generation with a very different environment and maybe an increase in aggression is what is resulting.

[B-Mental]

Teens having internet access and more mobility now than ever before may allow those with violent tendencies to more easily act out their aggression. Media coverage certainly makes us all much more aware of the bad things that happen, but I am not sure I can agree that things are actually so different.

On the other hand, these changes and many others are providing the current generation with a very different environment and maybe an increase in aggression is what is resulting.

I definitely think that interactions with machines more than people is a large cause of several generation's dysfunction. Do pressures change with this new social network?

I also wonder if the rage comes from learning the lesson, 'If I only knew then, what I know now.' Imagine focusing so much of your attention on things that don't or won't matter in just a few years.

[Psycheinaboat]

I cannot remember the author or book (sorry), but I once read this doctor's theory that birth control was to blame for what he considered negative changes in modern parenting. He said that because we are the first parents ever to choose to have children (even if those kids are the result of neglecting BC we still made a choice) and this affects every choice we make in our parenting. He felt this lead to children being less disciplined and overly indulged.

I am very in favor of birth control being easily obtainable and responsibly used, but it is an interesting theory to me. We are among the first parents to look at our kids as something other than an act of Fate or a surprise blessing from God.

[Psycheinaboat]

I definitely think that interactions with machines more than people is a large cause of several generation's dysfunction. Do pressures change with this new social network?

I also wonder if the rage comes from learning the lesson, 'If I only knew then, what I know now.' Imagine focusing so much of your attention on things that don't or won't matter in just a few years.

I think that pressures would change with social change. I would think, and we can see, that some of the pressures young people felt just ten or twenty years ago are no longer an issue, while new tensions have been invented.

Oryx and Crake is a very interesting book about the strains on social harmony in a world much like ours only in the near future. The author, Atwood, mixes much of our reality with very possible fictional elements and produces a warning.

[Logos]

Like Psycheinaboat mentioned, we get more media coverage of gruesome stuff. Maybe like some anti-social books published it gives kids or adults `ideas', I don't know. Most people see violent stuff on tv but don't mimic it. There will always be angry maladjusted people out there. I'm not a teenager so I don't pretend to know why they're so angry. But I still think it comes down to so much more choice, confusion about what is the right thing to do and so there is so much more that can be taken away or so much more to hope for that probably won't happen. The disparity in the class system is getting wider. Rich get richer, poor poorer.

But this San Fran murder you mention, that kind of `rage' it's not too far off from say, road rage, in my opinion. The attitude a person has to carry a gun, and use it when they're frustrated and in a hurry and someone is irritating them, it's there in the glovebox anyway. Instant grat and all that. Some people have a grand sense of entitlement to make others do what they want them to do or else. I think also society in general is putting less and less emphasis on personal responsibility, more and more people look externally for happiness and someone else to make them happy, hence kids feeling ripped off and lashing out at others when they're not happy and don't get what they want. I mean, it's just not cool to have a paper route anymore, right? who wants to slog away and hump papers around for blocks? so kids deal drugs instead or something to make money.

Also Psycheinaboat mentions the choice people have now as to whether to have kids or not, and what percentage of kids are born `by mistake' or `unplanned'? as compared to say the 50's when a traditional marriage was pretty rote. Now parents can feel ripped off because they ended up raising kids instead of finishing school or travelling or whatever. And imagine how a kid must feel to know they were `a mistake' or `unplanned'?

[Koa]

I can see how too much choice might cause confusion, maybe even anxiety. But rage? That doesn't make sense to me.

The very few times in my life I felt genuine rage was because someone had committed an egregious injustice against me. Why do so many younger people feel terribly wronged? Exactly who are they really mad at?

When I was a young man, I discovered I had been lied to about many things -- education+hard work is a guarantee of success, the government is trustworthy, etc. But my reaction was wariness and a healthy dose of skepticism, not rage.

Here there are 2 points... I am facing a lot of confusion and I often realise that I do have choices about some things, just I dont know how to choose and how to pursue my choices... but as it's said, that doesnt really get me angry and willing to kill something, just stressed and depressed sometimes...
(btw I'm not a teenager but someone mentioned people in their 20s... btw Logos, I thought you were a 20something too...no?)

Also, this education+hard work thing... I dont know if someone still believes in that even when young, in my country noone really does... we know that even if we have the best degree ever, someone will be smarter and take the best places... we know that working hard is only a symptom of being stupid, why should I work hard if people who do nothing achieve more than me? ...we know that politicians and 'rich' people are only there to lie, why should we trust anyone who is in a better position than us?

that last thing something causes me anger, when I turn off the TV not to see by which huge morons we are ruled in general...

As for teenagers killing etc, well they must have something wrong. Just spoilt idiots who dont know what to do of their free time... Some have some psychological issues, some are plainly crazy... a couple of days ago on the news: a guy of 15 killed both his parents and tried to commit suicide, but he was already in cure for some problems... even scarier, a girl a few years ago killed her mum and brother for no real reason and tried to blame it on imaginary robbers... I dont think she had problems, she was just sick in her head...

Young people have always had rage to give out, but nowadays it seems that more and more spoilt kids end up doing something violent... not just the poor kids from the suburbs... but when I look at teenagers I'm just disgusted, they are addicted to their mobile phones since the age of 10, girls seem to think that only make up and a very short skirt will lead them somewhere in life and act like they were 30 ... 10 years ago we were much more naive as teenagers...(but again, for what I've seen of the UK for example, young people already were like that 10 years ago...it's probably just us southern-europeans being late...)

So I dont know what it is... I wonder about the violence-in-tv thing... I refuse to believe that it can condition people to that point, but what if it is kinda true? I see about deaths and stuff everyday, but if I was involved in something terrible like an accident, or more extremely a war, I'd realise how fu**ing different that is in reality from seeing it in a movie or on the news...

But excuse me, weren't there 'unplanned' kids all the time also 50 years ago? and probably more? Though online I've met many people in their 20s being married and having kids, often by chioice, which again here is a weird thing... I'm 23 and none of my closest friends is yet married even if they really want to... the reasons? finishing studies, earnign enough money to buy a house (which takes years and years i a good job...) ... Again, southern Europe I guess, as opposed to Nothern and the US (I've often heard that Italy is the country with the smallest birth rate in the world, if it wasnt for immigrants there'd be almost no children around...)

Oh! I got it! it's that we feel... insecurity... we don't know if we'll ever make it to survive, to have a job that will give us enough to have a home and food, we don't know if there will be soon a war that will erase all of us within 5 seconds (but again that's not new...cold war anyone?)... but society just doesnt feel safe... Though I suppose this is just a problem of late teens, and people in their 20s... younger kids are probably too busy choosing their new mobile phone and texting their best friend about who to kill next time they're bored...

[Bongitybongbong]

And imagine how a kid must feel to know they were `a mistake' or `unplanned'?

Just take it from me, it completely sucks. It's a loneliness that makes you feel inadicquit (spelling?).

[Nightshade]

I blame bordom. I think its because we (my generation the one you are talking about) is the real I need it now generation that the media caters for I mean they didnt even have faxes that long ago and so we need somthig to be happening all the time to keep bordom away and I suppose thats what turns them to drugs, and crime -excitment.
Me I get mine from just getting worked up about planning somthing or a new book or somtimes simply wearing matching socks !:D
and anger is always related to bordom in my book its fustrating and theres nothing you reall cant do so you get angry and then there is the whole people are desensitized by exposer to violence so they dont find it shocking so it seems a reasnable route.
Or then again Teenagers have apparntly always meant to shock and its the only shocker left?
so bordom resulting from too much tv internet and easy living

[starrwriter]

I blame boredom.

Guess what? Young people of my generation got bored, too. We didn't have cellphones, the internet or video games and TV was really boring. But, with the exception of Charlie Starkweather (portrayed in the film "Badlands"), youths didn't go on killing sprees as bored as they were. I grew up in a boring little town in Michigan where there was nothing to do. I hung out with a couple friends and we hit on girls who ignored us. I bailed out when I was 19 and moved to more interesting places. And I didn't leave a trail of bodies behind me.

[starrwriter]

And imagine how a kid must feel to know they were `a mistake' or `unplanned'?

Whenever I did something to aggravate my mother (which was often), she always told me I was adopted. I didn't believe I was adopted, I assumed she was being sarcastic, but her strategy made me feel six inches tall. It worked to keep me from driving her crazy.

[Koa]

Guess what? Young people of my generation got bored, too. We didn't have cellphones, the internet or video games and TV was really boring. But, with the exception of Charlie Starkweather (portrayed in the film "Badlands"), youths didn't go on killing sprees as bored as they were. I grew up in a boring little town in Michigan where there was nothing to do. I hung out with a couple friends and we hit on girls who ignored us. I bailed out when I was 19 and moved to more interesting places. And I didn't leave a trail of bodies behind me.


That's the problem...the point where the explanation fails... I agree with Nighty as I am just a few years older after all, but I do believe that previous generations got bored too...possibly even more (no online friends ;)).. but maybe the difference is that we are the 'i need it now' generation as Nighty put it...maybe we get bored faster... we dont need to walk for 20 minutes to reach our best friend and ask him to go out for a drink, we just send a sms...(uhm ok there were telephones 10,20,30 years ago too...)... I dont know, I also feel strangely inbetween generations, it wasnt that long ago I was a teenager, but I'm also old enough to remember life with no mobile phones and no internet...

[Nightshade]

Guess what? Young people of my generation got bored, too. We didn't have cellphones, the internet or video games and TV was really boring. But, with the exception of Charlie Starkweather (portrayed in the film "Badlands"), youths didn't go on killing sprees as bored as they were. I grew up in a boring little town in Michigan where there was nothing to do. I hung out with a couple friends and we hit on girls who ignored us. I bailed out when I was 19 and moved to more interesting places. And I didn't leave a trail of bodies behind me.
I didnt mean to imply its only bordom or that this generation are the only peole who have ever suffered it just that maybe less and less is seen asd entertaining because there is soo much available ..
anyway my younger and I guess more "in touch" sister says that I am sooo ignorant about what Im going on about and bordom is only a tiny bit to do with drugs etc the rest i s"experimenting, peer pressure" :D

[kilted exile]

I am unable to speak to why teens in North America display rage, however having grown up in Glasgow I do have an opinion on why there is a problem there.
I believe a lot of it has to do with the destrucion of the "old" industries such as shipbuilding, which were one of the main sources of employment for youths from more socially deprived areas of the city.
A lot of the blame for the decline in job opportunities can I think be laid firmly at the door of possibly the most evil women ever to walk the face of the earth (Margaret Thatcher).
Anyway, before I continue going off topic, she also uttered one phrase which I think contributed to the problems "there's no such thing as society" :flare: ,when the leader of a country says something like that how could anyone really epect the country to generate kind, well-adapted individuals.

However, rant over.

[starrwriter]

I am unable to speak to why teens in North America display rage, however having grown up in Glasgow I do have an opinion on why there is a problem there. I believe a lot of it has to do with the destrucion of the "old" industries such as shipbuilding, which were one of the main sources of employment for youths from more socially deprived areas of the city.

Every advanced country faces the same economic changes, particularly now that we have a world economy that goes beyond national borders.

An example from my life: when I was a young journalist, I learned newspaper photography and dark room work. Now that newspapers are switching to digital photography, practically everything I learned is obsolete. And the newspaper I worked for doesn't even exist anymore.

I don't see much connection between rage and the loss of traditional economic opportunities since new opportunities (like the IT industry) arise all the time. In fact, I doubt if rage is connected to livelihood prospects in any strong way. It seems to be a more psychological/existential type of thing.

[Nightshade]

humm maybe because IT industry is so indoors you have no opertunity to work off your anger while the "tradional industrys" do??

[Reichenbach]

Quote:
Blind rage, mostly from young people. Not anger or vexation, but explosive rage looking for any target in fantasy or reality. The immense popularity of ultra-violent video games and films is only one symptom. School shooting massacres like Columbine have brought this rage squarely into everyday life. And now a boy who apparently bludgeoned a 52-year-old woman to death and carved a symbol into the flesh of her back. What compelled him to do it if not rage?

Going off on a different note, I would just like to show you something that a friend of mine did with her rage, I thought it tied in nicely with your reference Columbine inncident . . .

Mommy... Johnny brought a gun to school,
He told his friends that it was cool,
And when he pulled the trigger back,
It shot with a great crack.

Mommy, I was a good girl, I did what I was told,
I went to school, I got straight A's, I even got the gold!
But Mommy, when I went school that day,I never said good-bye,
I'm sorry Mommy, I had to go, But Mommy, please don't cry.

When Johnny shot the gun, He hit me and another,
And all because Johnny, Got the gun from his older brother.
Mommy, please tell Daddy; That I love him very much,
And please tell Chris; my boyfriend; That it wasn't just a crush.

And tell my little sister; That she is the only one now,
And tell my dear sweet grandmother; I'll be waiting for her now,
And tell my wonderful friends; That they always were the best;
Mommy, I'm not the first, I'm no better than the rest.

Mommy, tell my teachers; I won't show up for class,
And never to forget this, And please don't let this pass.
Mommy, why'd it have to be me? No one deserves this,
Mommy, warn the others, Mommy I left without a kiss.

And Mommy tell the doctors; I know they really did try,
I think I even saw a doctor, Trying not to cry.
Mommy, I'm slowly dying, With a bullet in my chest,
But Mommy please remember, I'm in heaven with the rest.

Mommy I ran as fast as I could,
When I heard that crack, Mommy, listen to me if you would,
I wanted to go to college; I wanted to try things that were new,
I guess I'm not going with Daddy, On that trip to the zoo.

I wanted to get married, I wanted to have a kid,
I wanted to be an actress, Mommy, I wanted to live.
But Mommy I must go now, The time is getting late,
Mommy, tell my Chris, I'm sorry but I had to cancel the date.

I love you Mommy, I always have, I know; you know it's true,
And Mommy all I wanted to say is, "Mommy,I love you."


In Memory of The Columbine Students Who Were Lost


You spoke far to generally, children who hide away in books and understand the real issues of life will be able to relate to them just as well as any adult can. Although I entirely agree that far too many teens have to much anger that they tend to lash out at anything. Perhaps anger is the downfall in evolution.

[Nightshade]

You spoke far to generally, children who hide away in books and understand the real issues of life will be able to relate to them just as well as any adult can. Although I entirely agree that far too many teens have to much anger that they tend to lash out at anything. Perhaps anger is the downfall in evolution.

Errr yes I did as usual, only wrote half of what I thought !
what I meant was there are people who are naturally more inclined to aggression and anger than others. And perhaps nowadays there are less and less "constructive" ways to work off that 'energy' and it ends up as anger. Maybe more so in teens who areapparently more 'terbulent'. Maybe that fact that TV nad cinema almost always makes violence if even only verbal violence seem socially exceptable if not postivlly reinforced?

Then again maybe its always ben going on at some level its jut that th means anre more available today and the news lives off bad news so we har more about it??

[Koa]

And btw...I spent all of my teenage years hearing from teachers and parents and on tv that the teenage phase is just a diffiicult phase where kids are angry and behave randomly all the time... and I really couldnt stand this kind of talk, I couldnt stand it when my mum read books on the subject cos I think it's bulls**t (can't someone act like that even after 19???, and I mean up to 40, 50, 60? Is it not allowed???), I can't stand it when now when my brother is nervous and arrogant without a reason she blames it on him being a teenager... But I think you should take this urban legend into account in this discussion. It's the age, the hormons, whatever... And I actually have to admit that I'm angry in a different way from when I was a teen.

[starrwriter]

And btw...I spent all of my teenage years hearing from teachers and parents and on tv that the teenage phase is just a diffiicult phase where kids are angry and behave randomly all the time... and I really couldnt stand this kind of talk, I couldnt stand it when my mum read books on the subject cos I think it's bulls**t ... I can't stand it when now when my brother is nervous and arrogant without a reason she blames it on him being a teenager... But I think you should take this urban legend into account in this discussion. ... And I actually have to admit that I'm angry in a different way from when I was a teen.

I realize I spoke in generalities, which is always dangerous, and I understand your disgust at having your feelings written off as a "phase" when you were a teenager. The same thing happened to me at that age, even though my parents didn't read books about it. They were mainly terrified that I would turn out to be a criminal and embarrass them.

But I would like to understand exactly what you are angry about now that you are older. I hope it's not your childhood. If I've learned anything in life, it's that nearly everyone feels they had a rotten childhood even if they grew up in luxury. I got that monkey off my back long ago and it did me a world of good.

[permanentstain]

i think about this frequently. i have observed that teen anger in general comes from dislike for authority and control. love among teenagers is considered 'puppy love' and not as 'real love'. i think that condescending message can be applied in several other cases. but who's to say which one is better even though it's all we have. we cant possibly gain 20 years of experience in a few years. it should be accepted that the best decision will not be made consistently. i feel like people pick and pick at us so often that expectaions are unclear and it's annoying to have to readjust for someone who is being overly critical. it is offensive to me for my life to be classified a 'phase' when every stage of life is a phase. i'm still learning and so is everyone else. but i guess many people see themselves as superior because they have aspects of their lives in order. in a nutshell anger=being told what to do, criticism, pressure, degradation of youth quality(who raised us again? look at them 20 years ago, i think we'll be okay), and dissatisfaction with the status quo.

-i hope that makes sense; i'm sort of done thinking for today i did two college essays and school on 4 hours of sleep

[Koa]

But I would like to understand exactly what you are angry about now that you are older. I hope it's not your childhood. If I've learned anything in life, it's that nearly everyone feels they had a rotten childhood even if they grew up in luxury. I got that monkey off my back long ago and it did me a world of good.

It's not my childhood... not entirely...the more I think about it the more I realise how wonderful my family is and has always been, I realise I'm really lucky.
What am I angry about now...I'll avoid writing a page long of my feelings and think about a summary of it.

[underground]

aside from culture influence/expectation, it just depends on the teenager's own personality. i know some people who were angsty their whole teenager years, but others were pretty happy-go-lucky. i myself was somewhere in-between. there just were issues that people were more sensitive to as teenagers, and we had different values back then. the whole not-fitting-in thing really mattered then, especially because as a teenager, you're stuck in high school and have to deal with the same crowd and everything, whereas when you're older you can simply walk away and find a new crowd if you don't like the old one.

i personally have an incurable resentment of teenagers. a little unreasonable on my part, of course, but seriously, why do teenagers feel so self-important all the time? well, that's actually a rhetorical question, cause i know it's because they're at an Age of Self-Discovery. but they just have all these unrealistic ideals, by which they set their standard, resulting in a lot of complaints about the unfair world. i just wish we could go straight from being a blissfully-ignorant kid to being a know-it-all adult. skip the teenage phase, which is the worst and kind of the hardest stage of life.

i think i'm contradicting myself here and there. i don't even know what my point is.

[Koa]

aside from culture influence/expectation, it just depends on the teenager's own personality. i know some people who were angsty their whole teenager years, but others were pretty happy-go-lucky. i myself was somewhere in-between. there just were issues that people were more sensitive to as teenagers, and we had different values back then. the whole not-fitting-in thing really mattered then, especially because as a teenager, you're stuck in high school and have to deal with the same crowd and everything, whereas when you're older you can simply walk away and find a new crowd if you don't like the old one.

Well I think not fitting matter possibly even more now... teenagers, well early teens, are cruel. You can find yourself not fitting and not even knowing why.
And if all the crowds are the same (as they tended and tnedto be where I live: everybody does the same thing, everybody tries to be cool...), trust me all you can do is walk away and be alone...been there, done that. Though a lot of people just omologate, maybe for lack of personality... I can't say they're wrong, I sometimes am proud of having followed my individuality, but I also often regret it cos I missed many experiences.



i personally have an incurable resentment of teenagers. a little unreasonable on my part, of course, but seriously, why do teenagers feel so self-important all the time? well, that's actually a rhetorical question, cause i know it's because they're at an Age of Self-Discovery. but they just have all these unrealistic ideals, by which they set their standard, resulting in a lot of complaints about the unfair world. i just wish we could go straight from being a blissfully-ignorant kid to being a know-it-all adult. skip the teenage phase, which is the worst and kind of the hardest stage of life.

I also mostly cannot stand teenagers... well I cannot stand the happy ones. Or the ones who think they know everything already and act like adults.
I hate the mostly out of envy though...

The point is, why can only teenager be allowed to act like that? Self-discovery and all? Can't I be a depressed nervous anxious making no sense being when I'm 40 or 50 if I want to? That's what pissed me off the most about all the damn stereotypes about being a teenager... I'll act as a teenager of my life if it needs to...even if I won't have the alibi of being a teenager... (I feel really teenage-angsty in these days).
It might be a contraddiction but I'm not sure I want to ever be a know-it all adult... kinda Peter Pan syndrome if you want... But finding too many certainties would probably result in becoming dull and leading a dull life...

[LightShade]

Bongitybongbong, I think it's "inadequate" :)

My view on this whole thing coincides with Koa's.
But not the final conclusion: insecurity is not the full answer. Children being too spoiled, getting things the easy way from their parents and relatives, that's the problem. And not enjoying enough proper educational attention from their parents. Most of them risk to grow up into angry teenagers (and young people) who see that things don't really come as easy as they thought (or were led to believe by over-indulgent parents). Besides, a spoiled kid is less respectful towards other people (parents, teachers, etc), and I believe he/she would grow up into an adult who tends to disregard laws, disrespect other people and breach various boundaries that are not meant to be breached if we all want to live together in harmony (or something close to that :D I feel "harmony" is somewhat utopian).

later edit, upon seeing koa's new post: I don't like those teens either - those who think they know everything and act as if they were adults. I know it's a teen thing, generally speaking, to feel like that,but I'm talking about the "severe" cases :p I find that sad, especially when it comes to girls. They're like really bad actresses - trying to be someone else and totally failing at it, while all they have to do is be themselves and feel good about it, because each one is unique and I think I've started raving so I'd better stop :D

[el01ks]

And imagine how a kid must feel to know they were `a mistake' or `unplanned'?

I was 'an accident' - with all the wonders of medical science, the dr told my mum she couldn't have any more kids, and then she had me :nod: . Almost in a hospital corridor too, cos there wasn't any room.

I get very annoyed with the boredom excuse. As people have said there tends to be a lot more on offer for the youth of today than there was ten years ago. I'm 22, so seem to have been born somewhere between the 'making your own entertainment' and 'there's nothing to do but text friends, play on the playstation and watch tv' generations.

I think a lot of the problems have stemmed from the over the top political correctness that's around now. Parents can be arrested for smacking their children, teachers can get suspended if they tell someone off too strongly, and if a child/teenager decides to take a knife to school and stab ten of their classmates, they're not just evil little sods, they've probably got a mental condition that led them to it, and were just trying to hide the scary shiny pointy thing in people's bodies... It is getting to the stage where we make excuses for everything and aren't able to instil a sense of right and wrong into children - if a parent can't smack their child, how are they going to learn what is right and wrong? It's a useful tool (in moderation!), for when a child is not advanced enough to know what yes and no mean, that at least they could know that doing something naughty will bring bad consequences to themselves (like touching the pretty fire).

[Koa]

I agree with both el01ks and LightShade (uh so now we have Nightshade and LightShade...funny ;)) about spoilt kids... At least down here, the kids who often commit angsty acts are rich spoilt ones, often, as we said, doing it out of boredom.. but also cos noone really taught them right from wrong effectively... Now that I think about it, anytime I've heard of baby gangs and idiots going around throwing stones at cars and such, it was always rich kids or at least coming from avergae families... Not the ones from depressed mafia-ruled reagions, where the cases of young people being outlaws comes from other reason such as working in the black market since they're very young or being involved into cirminal organisation for lack of other choices or rather lack of effort in adapting to the legal choices.

[AimusSage]

people who have excessive rage have poor personal boundaries, therefore are easily angered by events around them. because they are childish and immature they go for immediate gratification, which results in aggression. Aggression is a quick way to get rid of anger, venting it onto others. Usually this is combined with a low sense of well being. Their needs are not met.

The problem is they are not thaught to use the anger in an assertive manner. Instead of focussing it on getting their needs met and acting mature, they go for the aggressive approach, sometimes with extreme results.

Anger itself is not a bad emotion. It can be very useful for people, but people need to learn how to control the anger and channel it into something else, that is constructive and helps them get their own needs met.

The problem in modern society is that people are barely given a change to mature. There is a strong social tendency toward immaturity projected on children. Does that mean that it is bad for people to watch MTV, play violent games etc. Not necessarely but there should be a strong moral guiding compass, until they develop their own. Most of the time it is the task of the parents to provide this compass. As more and more families become double income, the children do not receive enough moral guidance. The combination of increased exposure to immature action and a lack of moral guidance results in children growing up without a good moral base for their actions.

This, combined with the weak personal boundery, which is the result of a lack of social interaction, like playing with friends etc. can cause an explosive situation where children are hurt by something and get angered, but do not know how to use the anger. They also lack the moral compass, or conscience to make the right decision. Thus they might act overly aggressive in a situation and it can easily get out of hand.

Anyway, this is what I think is partly the cause of the rage that young people experience. Btw, I am partly only repeating what I have learned and give my own little spin to it, I am in no way a psychology expert and if I got it all wrong, please tell me.