Am I being excessive in hoping that the families of these boys come under some scrutiny? 14 year old lads don't just go out with a stabbing weapon. For someone to do something like that, it suggests some severe behavioural issues.
There is a sizable sub-culture in Liverpool and across the country too where carrying a weapon gains you a warped sense of respect. Television and certain cultural influences tell people you get respect by being 'gangsta' acting like a selfish, arrogant shit and just taking what you want. You get respect by running drugs. Kids look up to illiterate gobshites driving around in Audis and wearing Versace who 'earn' all that by being parasites on society via targeting vulnerable people and selling them the filth they put into their veins in order to get them through their day.
Sadly, far too many kids look up to utterly appalling role models, and many of them do not have a supportive family unit to help guide them. I saw it growing up in the north end. There were always the scum families. Emotionally immature, so could only deal with anything in their lives through violence. I saw their offspring giving cheek when just really young kids. They went on to be bullies. Totally unchecked they progressed to anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. Still unchecked they graduated to local car crime and burgling their neighbours. Still unchecked they went travelling outside of the area to burgle, rob and steal cars. Only after doing all that for years did they finally end up in and out of prison. By then it was all far too late. They had their own kids, some of whom have been up for firearms offences, some are dead after crashing stolen vehicles. The cycle just goes on and on...
Some families certainly do have a lot to answer for. Behaviour goes unaddressed. It's also often excused by parents anyway. ''Oh little Jimmy wouldn't do that, he's such a good lad to his gran. Salt of the earth he is.'' At one time if a teacher pulled you up and got in touch with your parents, your parents would be all over you. In my school though, parents would roll up and twat the teacher for chastising their kid.
Sadly, we live in an age of entitled, extremely emotionally immature people who go from 0-100 on the aggression scale at the drop of a hat because they just don't have the social skills or emotional maturity to do anything else. Just as bad, acting like an utter scumbag actually brings you kudos in your perverted, sick, sub-culture.
