Is This The End?

I know this was touched on by various people over the previous weeks, and I know I spoke about something similar a while back, but seriously, what the hell is the world coming to? Now, if you know me, you'll know I don't "do" politics. Never have and likely never will. International Relations, Allies, Enemies, Middle East, Far East, East vs. West - it's just too much for my ickle brain cell to deal with. I like to think I have enough going on in my life to concentrate on the crap hitting the fan elsewhere in the world. It's not me buring my head in the sand, nor ignoring the plight of others, it's just all a bit too much.

But what about the crap on a local scale?

There's the local-scale craziness goings on. For example, Mark posted about a friend of his that was murdered a few days back. My own local paper has stabbings, shootings, drink drivers and rape in there on a near-daily basis. Gun crime is up. Knife crime is up. Sexual Assault is up.

What goes through someones head when they decide to start carring a carving knife with them? Protection? From other knife-wielders? So what made THAT person start carrying? Vicious Cycle, maybe? He is so I am, and they are so they do? I watch a lot of Street Crime UK on TV - one of these shows that follows the police around for "gritty reality TV". It's crazy, from the binge-drinking, to the drug taking, to the things that one human can do to another.

So, is it the drink and drugs? Sure, people drink FAR too much on a regular basis and either do bad things, or become the victim of bad things. Same goes for the drug users - then add the ones that do bad things because they need money to get their drugs... It just boggles the mind, seriously.

A while back over here, the Police held a knife amnesty in an effort to cut down on knife-crime. 90,000 knives were handed in over a 5-week period, as well as a rocket launcher. Nice. Where would one GET a rocket launcher? Never mind... But here's the thing, sure, getting those bowie knives, hunting knives, carving knives, flick knives and whatever else off the street is all well and good, but do they not realise that said knife-wielding-maniac only has to nip into his kitchen, open the draw and viola! He's re-armed.

So, we've got the wars around the world, we've got the craziness on a local scale, you've got people assaulting policemen all over the world, youngsters out of control... What the hell is happening? Despite hating sounding so old, but when I was a teenager me and most of my mates would just have a laugh - sports, computers, whatever. We didn't hang around trying to get adults to buy us beer or cigs, we didn't drink till we puke every night, we didn't see a policeman and hurl abuse, nor try to mug ambulance drivers, not put gas cannisters in fires in the hopes of blowing up a fireman. If we did something wrong, we got a smack from a parent, or real trouble with a teacher. Adults - and anyone in a position of authority - knew better, they were to be respected. If they shouted at you, you did as you were told, not get half a dozen of your mates to beat the life out of him.

Then there is the why... WHY is it like this? I've seen the world supply of excuses. Alcohol, Substance Abuse, Drugs, Parents, Mental Illness, Computer Games, Music, TV, Movies, Abuse, Peer Pressure, Nanny State, Legal Loopholes, The System... I mean, seriously - can ALL this be to blame, and more importantly, can it be fixed? We've got the "Anti-Social Behaviour" laws going on, but are they working? It would appear not.

Guess there is no easy way to say "This is the cause" and equally, no easy way to say "This is the answer".

The world is going to hell chaps, but I swear to you, if my kids ever give me a hint of turning out like that, they'll be off to military school!