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Everything rage: The spiral of anger in today’s youths

Damien Leith

by Damien Leith

16 Apr 06:00am

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Filed under: Anger, Hoons, Road Rage, Violence, Youth

117 comments

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” - Abraham Maslow

Get out of my f***ing way!

I was driving through Sydney on Friday around midnight and found myself surrounded by cars filled with youngsters. I’ve never felt so conscious of my own space.

The drivers were like roosters standing over their nests: music pounding, windows down, making their presence felt.  I glanced over at one or two of the drivers, their glares were nothing short of threatening. It was a distasteful blend of “I’m out on the town with the boys” and “If you stare at me again I’ll have you.”

I don’t remember being that angry when I used to go for a night out. The drivers looked a little over half my age, fuelled and fired up.  Are they really angry or are they an exaggerated adolescent version of all of us? For various types of rage, it seems, are all the rage.

I read recently about a Scottish man who suffered severe head injuries at the hand of four teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.  Then there was the brutal story of the Canadian in Sydney who, while in his wheelchair, suffered an unprovoked attack at a train station – again by a group of youths.

What is the problem here?  The stream of examples of violent attacks by youths -  fatal knife attacks at schools, bullying, gang assaults – is scary and I doubt there is a parent out there who doesn’t shiver at the thought of what perils their kids might face as they drift away from their homestead.

But it’s not just our young, we’re hearing about violence across all age groups and it doesn’t have to be the alcohol, drug related or vicious fatal types that we see on the news everyday. Violence, rage and anger are everywhere and we’ve all experienced it at some level.

Recent reports show that one driver in four admits to committing an act of road rage. One in five say they have ended a relationship or friendship with someone because of how they behaved when they were angry. 71% of internet users admit to having suffered net rage and 50% of us have reacted to computer problems by hitting our PC.

The list goes on but more interesting than statistics is the types of rage we’re experiencing these days. Office rage, classroom rage, phone rage, road rage, queue rage, PC rage, air rage, shopping rage, pavement rage, lollipop rage. (Yes, lollipop rage - in the UK it has been reported that 1 in 10 lollipop ladies are a victim of abuse or violence.

Anger is a way of dealing with stressful situations, but these days it has become much more physical and violent.  Why are we so stressed? We live longer, have more holidays and our lives are much more comfortable than ever before. On the flip side, our lives are much faster paced, demanding, results driven and nowadays we’ve come to expect things instantly, even a short wait can be exhausting and annoying – waiting has become stressful.

The recent fiasco on the F3 out of Sydney where motorists waited for hours to et out of the city highlights how our lives can be instantly attacked by stress – a 12 hour traffic jam challenges our every anxiety and I doubt there is anyone who could remain calm in such a situation.  People have a right to be angry.

There is some evidence that stress has overtaken the common cold as the main reason for taking time off work. Where does that lead? Anxiety and depression are two common side-effects on top of sleepless nights. A sleepless night will leave anyone with a short fuse.

So if stress really is more prevalent then this is an unmet challenge for youths. I’ve heard the term, “Bad to the bone” and we all know somebody who we think is exactly that. While I believe it is true that there are those who have innate violent tendencies there are also those who are born into stressful environments, and possibly more stressful environments than there have been in the past, where violence and rage are acceptable means of expression.

Anger is everywhere and everyone has different ways of dealing with it, it can even be healthy. But violence isn’t. As reason slips away, so does the bigger picture and lives get ruined. Where will this leave our youth?

Most commented

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286Why do our universities teach shonky "magic"?
232I'm Labor, I'm pro-life and I'm no political hypocrite
226Is an act of crime ever too trivial for investigation?
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213Blame no one – and everyone – for the Oz Day debacle
185A fair day's pay for a fair day's play

117 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Bec says:

      07:19am | 16/04/10

      My favourite moment of road rage: driving through a side street near Park Road in Milton last year; traffic in the opposite direction backed up quite a way behind the roundabout. Some genius in a red 4WD decides that he is too special to wait, so decides to overtake on a double-line, drive the wrong way around the roundabout, and straight into me, swerving onto the footpath at just the last second to avoid hitting me. I was rewarded with the finger as I passed him: a full arm-out-of-the-window affair. And he was on the phone too. So elegant! So demure! I’d let him put his shoes under my bed, but only if I suffer a moderate to severe head injury.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      11:11am | 16/04/10

      My favourite case of road rage -  I was travelling on a Greek car ferry to Crete. As we neared the dock, the instruction came to go back to our cars down on the car decks, which we all did.  I clambered into my car and waited.  Then car engines around me all started up, and the horns started blaring for the guy in front to get moving.  The ferry docked five minutes later.

    • Formersnag The Child Protector. says:

      07:15am | 16/04/10

      And Fe"man"nazism had absolutely nothing to do with sreading fear & loathing between the sexes, starting a gender war or destroying the love & trust in a sacred marriage.

      Reply

    • Adam says:

      12:24pm | 16/04/10

      Nurse time for my brain medicine

    • Mr Subramanian says:

      12:49pm | 16/04/10

      Your’e lining the increase of violence in society with the rise of feminism? rotfl You really need to lilnk up with Dan Brown ~ he could put together a ripper of a yarn out of your theories!

    • AliceC says:

      01:07pm | 16/04/10

      I’m beginning to think you are a misogynist, Formersnag….

    • Gaz says:

      08:27am | 16/04/10

      One word explains it: ice.

      Reply

    • Beagle says:

      09:49am | 16/04/10

      Agree Gaz,

      While there are other factors, the difference between now and then is methamphetamine and derivatives.  I understand there are only 6 or 7 manufacturing facilities in the world that make the raw ingredient from which the derivatives flow.

      I think that keeping an eye on these raw materials is as important as keeping an eye on enriched uranium.

    • Ben says:

      10:54am | 16/04/10

      Beagle, the reason many amphetamines have become popular of late, particularly in the USA, is because they can be made at home in a sink with everyday products. Also I don’t think any of the examples in the blog would be the amphetamine ‘type of people’.

      About the boys in car late in the city, as a young person who goes to the city to party every weekend, 99% of people hate them, they drive to the city and quiet literally spend hours driving around popular spots just to be seen in the cars they have spent so much money on. Its called doing Happy Laps. Not all young people are filled with rage.

    • Beagle says:

      11:40am | 16/04/10

      Ben, the article is about rage and not specific to road rage. I appreciate your point about guys wanting to be seen(and heard) in their shiny thumping cars, but that has nothing to do with rage. That is just the peacock parade of youth.
      You missed my point about the pre-cursors to ice, speed and the other meth drugs. All these drugs begin life in the labs of a very small number of manufacturers. If you monitor the supply chain, it can go a long way to finding the points where the chemicals diverge into the netherworld.
      Don’t know where you are posting from, but this is Australia, not the USA. The majority of drugs here are made from diverted pre-cursor drugs. Better regulation of the over the counter drugs that meth can be made from, coupled with diligence regarding the pre-cursors can go a long way to eliminating this scourge from our streets.
      A large proportion of violent anti-social behaviour (rage) is fueled by meth induced paranoia and reacting to situations in a violent way.

    • John A Neve says:

      12:25pm | 16/04/10

      Have been reading this line of posts and yes, drugs might have an impact on the actions of our society. But what is the underlying cause?
      Why do our young people see the need to pump shit into their systems?

      Please try and address the cause, not the result., ask yourselves, why would a young person pay good money to injest a slow poison?

    • Ben says:

      12:48pm | 16/04/10

      My comment about Happy Laps was in reply to the authors first and second paragraphs.

      Im posting as 20 yo from Sydney, and I could be wrong but you sound like a typical middle age person blaming problems on drugs you dont understand.
      The pre-cursor (pseudoephedrine) already is closely monitered, but thats besides the point, ice is not a contributing factor to the antisocial behaviour of young people, speed maybe, but not ice.


      John, Alcohol is a poison to, and people of all ages ingest that. Its the same principal just taken to the next level.

    • Ben says:

      04:00pm | 16/04/10

      The topic is a general culture of violence, to which ice does not have a contributing influence because it is not widely used. I noticed your articles do not comment on its overall popularity, you should really read them yourself.

      Quote: “The Bureau of Crime Statistics report concluded that “there is insufficient evidence to claim a causal link between chronic methamphetamine use and violent behaviour in humans”.”

      Yes the report is flawed, but that was still its conclusion.

      It does seem like all you background for this discussion is from the media, do you have any actual experience with youth violence?

      Im interested though, what are you implying im addicted to?

    • Fonzworth Bently says:

      08:52am | 17/04/10

      Three words explain it, rage breeds rage

    • Beagle says:

      02:13pm | 17/04/10

      Ben - you ask the question “I’m interested though, what are you implying im addicted to? ” ...
      After careful consideration I am implying that you are addicted to - Sunshine, lollipops and anything beginning with the letter B.

    • John A Neve says:

      08:35am | 16/04/10

      Damien,

      I think for the most part, one word sums it up frustration.
      Our entire world is tied up by rules and protocols, added to which there is nothing new in our world, it’s all been done before.

      We now have instant gratification, it’s not real and is fleeting, but it creats the need for more, but more what?  We have seen them sing, dance and drop their pants, every actor worth their salt has won the last war.

      You cannot hunt, shoot or fish, camp without a permit, we live in an uninteresting, sanitised world. There is no challenge, few jobs and ever more restrictions.

      As the great divide between those that have and those that have not, increases, our youth are educated enough to know that thay are going nowhere very fast. Sadly they don’t know what to do about, come to that neither do I.

      But I tell you what Damien, I would not swop my life with that of todays youth,
      they have my sympathy, because it’s not going to get any better in the short term

      Reply

    • Paul H says:

      08:51am | 16/04/10

      John, could not agree more. Well said!

    • Craig Lambie says:

      09:52am | 16/04/10

      @John A Neve, I have to disagree.

      The world has so much more on offer than ever before.  Our country, culture and life is far richer than ever before.

      The restrictions on our lives are there to ensure fairness and equitable distribution of our resources, like the animals you would like to hunt, shoot or fish for.  Our Population has expanded, limiting the resources per person further, and we are inline to expand our population even further. 
      The only way to manage our ever expanding population, and still maintain a reasonable standard of living, is to regulate it.  People, unfortunately, have lost common sense and decency and are becoming angry and stressed, and they are taking it out on the people around them.

      In London you see this even worse than anywhere, at least in Australia we have the sunshine to brighten our day.

      I think the real question here is Population.  With a larger population we have more tax revenue.. (Yaah goes the pollies), we have a larger workforce, therefore lower wages and globally competitiveness (Yaah goes the Industry owners), but we need more Transport, Health and Education facilities (Boo goes the Pollies) and higher taxes to pay for them all, especially since the workers are generally from less educated backgrounds than Australia (Boo go the Industry)

      So…. what is the answer?
      A more stressed out Country with pressure from all sides, or do we take a step back and relax for a couple of years, let the infrastructure catch up to the current Population, let the housing bubble cool down and prices flatten out, let the Water Supplies fill up a bit.
      Then we can decide if we can handle 15M more people in the country or not, and honestly if we did, I would move to Europe… if I wanted to be crowded by people, I may as well be closer to everything too.  Australia is a beautiful country with plenty of opportunity, but the time difference with the “world” is to large to effectively do business with it….. different rant there…
      http://lambiesravings.blogspot.com/

    • T.Chong says:

      09:58am | 16/04/10

      JAN interested in yur reply: para 2 - you comment that so many are just after a kwik fix in relation to instant gratification.
      Para 3 you bemoan the need for permits (i think are a very good idea, particularly in relation to shooting) as breaks on the instant gratification you bag in para 2.
      These two ideas seem to be at odds.
      Would you really advocate hunting/shooting sans a permit?

    • John A Neve says:

      10:45am | 16/04/10

      Messrs Lambie & Chong,

      I obviously made a mistake in useing hunting, shooting and fishing to convey my message, but I thought it would save space.

      The point I was trying to make was the degree of restriction youth is under.

      Also I would point out at no stage did I say people were “just after a kwik fix in relation to instant gratificaton”. What in fact I said was that “we now have instant gratification”, totally different.

      Putting that aside, I stand by my coments and think time will prove me correct, sadly.

    • T.Chong says:

      10:50am | 16/04/10

      JAN : apologies for misquote and therefore subsequent conclusion, on my part. Mea Culpa

    • Toby says:

      12:17pm | 16/04/10

      Craig,
      You say you disagree with John and then support him comment on restrictions from paragraph three down.  Whether the restrictions are there for a good reason or not, it is still frustrating to be controlled to the nth degree.

      T. Chong,
      Permits/licences, yes!  Complete bans not based on science but on the fact that society has become squeamish about knowing that meat once lived and breathed, No!

    • jed says:

      08:37am | 16/04/10

      it’s not like there’s never been a punch on at the pub, but there was like a switch flicked when anyone born post ‘85 started hitting the town.

      a pub or club was no longer a place to socialise, these clowns seemed to arrive with the expressed intention of panelling someone.

      Reply

    • Beagle says:

      11:44am | 16/04/10

      Drug-induced paranoia and reacting to situations in a violent way. Prevalence of Methamphetamine, ice, etc.

    • bella starkey says:

      01:08pm | 16/04/10

      Beagle:
      there was speed and coke and other drugs before meth got popular.

      Meth is a filthy, horrible drug, but not that many people use it, not everyone who uses it is violent either.

      I think you need to stop getting your info on drugs from alarmist current affairs programs and be a little more realistic about things.

    • Beagle says:

      02:25pm | 16/04/10

      bella, “not that many people use it, not everyone who uses it is violent either”. I don’t remember saying they did. Speed is meth bella! and for you information I don’t get my information from current affairs programs, I have many years experience working with addicts.

    • OldGirl says:

      08:46am | 16/04/10

      Older Australians cannot go out for a meal or a show, because of the violence. Kids today don’t seem to worry , that we are the grey brigade of oldies , whos biggest thrill of the night is probably a coffee and a toasted sandwich, if they are in the wrong mood we get it too. Things have definatly changed, a punch up at the pub was one on one but now its a gang brawl. I hope they settle down for their own sakes.

      Reply

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      12:46pm | 16/04/10

      Look as a uni student who goes out at least twice a week, often more, I can say that I have NEVER seen a fight, let alone a gang brawl. It does happen sure, and the media reports it when it does, but please know that this is something that doesn’t happen regularly and every night out is not just a bunch of people bashing each other. It is just not as bad as the media makes it seem.

    • iansand says:

      09:02am | 16/04/10

      Old farts have been writing articles like this since Alcibiades terrorised Athens in his youth.

      Reply

    • Anti Liberal/National Man. says:

      10:18am | 16/04/10

      @ iansand, ah no, left punchers, have been saying this, with their own alleged quotes, all, by hand, type written, without any reference to a real “archaeologists” book, or link to a web site, with any real science in it, just more spin doctoring. i studied archeology & never came upon anything like it.

      When i was growing up in the 60’s & 70’s, old farts, were saying it then, as well, but i was polite enough to talk to them, about it later, in my mid twenties, after settling down a bit. We compered notes, about what they got up to in the 40’s & 50’s, with what my mates & i got up to in the 70’s, to what was going on in front of us in the 80’s & 90’s.

      it clearly started with flower power, LSD, tune in drop out, free love & has been worsening progressively since then. Each successive, “teen antics” movie has to top, last seasons effort.

      Since the “iron curtain” crashed in 1989, KGB archives have shown that this was, all promoted by communists, who wanted to, “white ant” capitalism from within, by spreading moral & ethical degradation. Well guess what? the plot worked perfectly, red/green/labour coalition, enjoy.

      Regards, the formersnag & swinging voter, guess where my preference isn’t going anymore?

    • T.Chong says:

      10:47am | 16/04/10

      Anti Liberal, National man : make room Punchers, Left and Right, some one else is making with the Friday funnies.
      ALNM - the whole counter culture was a KGB plot ? ROFLMFAO !!!!!!
      You are joking, of course?
      no need for Punch to pay for articles written by comedians, when pure gold like this is to be had for free.

    • Jimmy says:

      11:06am | 16/04/10

      @Anti: Here you go, here is written evidence of what iansand is talking about: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=398104

      What do you bring to the table? Anecdotal evidence that means nothing at all. It is kind of ironic you demand scientific and historical evidence, but yet you think anecdotal evidence will suffice. Anecdotal evidence is an opinion that acts like a polished turd. It is all nice and well meaning to share your own personal experience, but it never holds up against real facts, like a presented to you and found within a few seconds. So before you start moaning about the lack of data to back something up, Google it.

    • Wombat says:

      10:58am | 16/04/10

      If you want anyone to believe that you are actually a different person, you will need to:
      1. Tone down the paranoia.
      2. Write in a slightly different style. You, will, need, to, get those, commas, under, control.

    • Wombat says:

      11:56am | 16/04/10

      Anti Liberal/National Man

      My apologies. I just read your most recent comment on the “Nanny” article and realised that you weren’t trying to deceive anyone.

      The slight ambiguity in your last paragraph threw me. I know that’s not a valid excuse, but it is an explanation.

      Once again, my apologies for my rudeness and presumption.

    • antman says:

      04:58pm | 16/04/10

      Anti Liberal/National Man (formerly Formersnag), do you think you could leave some commas for the rest of us? Are you aware that at least 50% of the commas you use in your posts are unnecessary or just plain wrong? You will note that I have used only five commas in this post (one comes later); not one more nor, crucially, one less than the post requires. By comparison, you would probably have used 15 - 20. As a result, mine is far easier to read and comprehend.

    • LC says:

      06:41pm | 15/05/11

      @ Anti Liberal/National,

      That is the most stupid and outrageous claim I have ever read on The Punch.

    • Pete says:

      09:03am | 16/04/10

      Yeah but we are a nation fooling ourselves. When NSW can ponce around saying We are tough on crime and locking people up at twice the rate of most other states… and not rehabilitate them but turn apprentice criminals /violent people/ people with mental illness into harder reoffending cases what hope do we have against such backward logic that pervades our political leaders?

      But then some people profit big time from this revolving door prison system don’t they?

      Reply

    • John says:

      09:28am | 16/04/10

      Can’t blame the youth for been frustrated, they have shit music.

      Reply

    • Chewy says:

      11:04am | 16/04/10

      Best comment so far!

    • marley says:

      12:12pm | 16/04/10

      Yeah, but it’s their generation that’s writing it.

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      01:01pm | 16/04/10

      your comment just made my day haha

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      09:32am | 16/04/10

      On the matter of road rage , i admit i become very nervous , to the point of frightened to be on the road , being exposed to the level of anger which grips the stressed driver. The displays of sometimes violent reaction to being delayed for a few minutes , by some drivers , is enough to discourage those drivers who concentrate on road safety.
      I suggest that heavy metal music , dush dush dush dush ! , has a detrimental effect on the young brain behind the wheel , pushing young drivers to violent reactions to red lights , traffic snarls , pedestrians , police traffic controls etc etc .
      I agree , to some extent , with John Neve , ( see above ) when he says
      ” I would not swap my life with that of todays youth. “
      Today , we are all much more regimented , choices are limited to what we are told we may chose.  I do believe , however , that there is away out of the monotonous bog we are in . Some of the answer lies in our response to the regimented way of life we live . Challenges don’t lay around waiting to be taken up , they have to be created by the individual , set your own goals and levels , therein lies the challenge , take it up .
      Our way of life can be changed , it can be improved , sight your target and strive to achieve what you want . It will not come to you , you must go after it.

      Reply

    • John says:

      10:36am | 16/04/10

      “I suggest that heavy metal music , dush dush dush dush ! , has a detrimental effect on the young brain behind the wheel ”

      Wayne this is a very naive and uneducated comment, are you suggesting that anyone who listens to this particular genre of music are violent drivers?

      Maybe you should investigate a little more and have a look at the other genres of music that promote hate, violence and for that matter dangerous driving. While your at it also have it look at the mainstream movies that promote driving like a dickhead.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      12:48pm | 16/04/10

      John :  The point i was making is more the towards the level of decibels the young brain behind the wheel was being pounded by , not the genre of music.
      I really don’t think that music lyrics have much effect on the driving abilities of young people . The movies depicting ” driving like a dickhead ” , as you so eloquently put it , would possibly cause some
      idiocy from those with low intelligence , but not a great deal.
      Most of us can control our emotional responses to musical or film stimulation .

    • bella starkey says:

      01:02pm | 16/04/10

      Yo Wayne, the dush dush, or as it more commonly known by doof doof, it not metal, it’s dance music.

      metal sounds completely different coming out of a car and people who listen to metal generally don’t have sub woofers in thier cars so you can hear it from 3 miles away.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      03:40pm | 16/04/10

      bella starkey :  hey thanks bella , as you can tell , i’m an “old fart ” and not real up to date on the music scene.  Hope readers know what i mean though , the volume of the music coming from vehicles driven by some young people has to be distracting to say the least , physically damaging ( brain & ears. ) Thanks again for the music lesson bella.

    • Kate says:

      05:15pm | 16/04/10

      Wayne - I’d be driven insane by endless doof doof music too. Loud music while driving probably does distract the driver, which could lead to impaired judgment. When learning to drive four years ago, I was advised by my instructor to avoid the radio or CDs until I had a bit more confidence in my driving abilities, and also to avoid having too many passengers whose conversations might be a distraction.
      However, I have yet to hear anyone driving along with metal music blasting out of their car at full volume (I love metal music, so I wouldn’t mind seeing that).

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      07:42pm | 16/04/10

      Kate :  You would be right on the money there Kate , no way a driver can concentrate with the ” doof doof doof !  ” pounding out.  Ditto for too many passengers in the car , far too distracting.
      Kate , my son loves heavy metal too , i leave home for awhile . Probably accounts for my lack of musical knowledge.
      Keep enjoying your music Kate !

    • Brian says:

      09:42am | 16/04/10

      One of the chief background causes of all this rage is the absolute over-emphasis we have had for decades on “rights” and the almost total neglect of teaching on responsibility.  So now each generation, more than the one before it, becomes more and more focused on “my rights” and what society, the government, and everybody else owes “me”, with no thought at all for what “I” owe them.

      If we can reverse the emphasis, imagine what a civilised society we will have!

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      11:02am | 16/04/10

      Ask not what your country…..

      I blame:
      1. Track suits.
      2. Really aggressive music.
      3. An entitlement ethos.
      4. A lowering of social standards.
      5 The cult of celebrity
      6. Movies glorifying bogan attitudes (Fast and the Furious etc)
      7. Nanny state attitudes

      To quote from Tony Soprano season 1, ep 1 to his shrink: “I feel like I’m coming in at the end of things, like the guys before me got all the good things”
      Shrink “thats a common feeling in our society”

      Why do you think their are so many young men willing to become terrorists. Note the guys in England that tried to drive their cars into an airport to blow it up were Medical students. Hardly uneducated.

    • Adam Diver says:

      11:10am | 16/04/10

      Well said,

      A small introspective look upon myself sees me leaning towards the very thing you warn against and it was so silent I didn’t even notice.

    • Average Joe says:

      12:10pm | 16/04/10

      I agree wholeheartedly Brian; the notion of personal responsibiity has all but disappeared and is replaced by victimhood. Everyone’s a victim of something (poor job prospects, poor upbringing, being expected to actually work for a living etc) and as such feel they’re entitled to lash out at anyone simply to make their lives seem a bit better (I might have a crap job, but at least I don’t have my head punched in like that guy, etc). It also gives them a bit of power that they otherwise don’t feel ike they have.
      The thing they don’t realise is that actions have consequences: be it king hitting a innocent person or not performing at work and it appears that some people (not all necessarily youg by the way) don’t get the idea that society is a two-way street: yes you get certain “rights”, but they always come with responsibilities and most importantly consequences for misuse/abuse.

    • Gobsmacked says:

      10:40am | 16/04/10

      Maybe Anthony Burgess was a prophet, to me they all seem like Alex and his droogs these days.

      Reply

    • Chewy says:

      10:59am | 16/04/10

      Damien, You only have to see the latest episode of underbelly to realise that badasses are the new goodguys.

      Alot of the kids you spoke about are the product of todays stressed households. I honestly think the rise in household debt has alot to answer for. Feminism has been so successful that nowdays many families are two income families, heck to buy a house now you basically need to be a two income family, so with both parties working can you really put your best into household duties and raising the little ones? The advantage of a double income family has largely been erased because so many are doing it so and the cost of living inflated accordingly.
      I know pleanty of people who have debts they will never pay off trying to raise families almost at breaking point. Anger is a symptom of the problems with how our society is now geared.

      Connections, connections, connections are the lifeblood of a healthy community. With less available time what about community connections? Mum cant do canteen because she has to go to work? Dont speak to your neighbours because the dont speak english? 
      Lets not forget the traffic congestion lack of parking spaces and the stress that causes.
      And will those poor buggers in the hills district ever get their promised/cancelled/promised/cancelled train line?

      It doesnt take Einstein to see society is stuffed and we only have ourselves to blame.  I am an optimist though…

      Reply

    • bec says:

      12:57pm | 16/04/10

      I think the world would be a better place if families *could* survive on one income, and both parents worked part-time. There would be equal time with kids, enough time to spend as a whole family, better health and less stress, and both in the couple get an opportunity to follow interests and passions outside the home. It would be win-win. Alas.

    • Scott glennon says:

      11:01am | 16/04/10

      People Damien. People have lost the value of respect. For each other, our belongings, our habitat and even ourselves. It’s rare to observe an act of respect or kindness, from standing up for elderly on public transport to the polite gesture to thank the driver behind you for ensuring your safe passage into traffic, instead we watch our Ipods pretending we never saw the elderly and flip the bird at the car behind us because they didn’t leave us enough space to merge. These small things were what made us feel good about ourselves in traffic jams, while on public transport and when stuffed in queues at bus stops, service stations, elevators, the seedy city cafe or at the pub.
      On weekends it has become a custom of neighbourhood kids to congregate on the road, not to play cricket or ride a bike but to intentionally block the flow of traffic by sitting in circles or dropping to the ground and pretending to tie a shoe lace, ensuring your vehicle comes to a stop, before they even consider moving out of the way. Attempting to discuss this with an individual or group in a concerned but caring manner is a pointless exercise resulting in verbal whip lash. This had me revisit the fury I felt during The Parent Trap. When did kids stop fearing being hit by cars? Why haven’t our kids been taught to respect the road rules? When did it become ok to call anyone a pedo or C Bomb (unless being humorous)?
      I liked Zeta’s rave a few days ago, buy paradise away from everyone. Doesn’t solve the problem for society, but I’d sure as hell feel great.
      I’m not sure there is a solution, but I do know that blaming and being angry at each other all the time isn’t going to help, I blame Lindsay Lohan because it makes me feel better.

      Reply

    • Stu says:

      10:49am | 16/04/10

      I just wanted to say, that I really enjoy Damien’s posts. Well composed and thought out.

      Thanks for that!

      Reply

    • BJS says:

      11:07am | 16/04/10

      Three causes -

      1. Too many deadbeat dads and single mums raising feral (and ugly) little bastards on welfare. If you’ve ever been to Centrelink you know the type of people I’m talking about.

      2. A judicial system that does little (if anything) to discourage crime.

      3. A welfare system that rewards stupidity. ie - ” I never completed high school or made any effort to make anything of myself. Please pay me a generous fortnightly allowance to have four kids to four different men. Never mind the fact that my kids will invariably grow up to be just as useless as me leading worthless lives filled with frustration that will probably lead to violence.”

      Reply

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      12:53pm | 16/04/10

      Yes, we should definitely just let these people starve and live on the streets, because they would certainly be less of a problem there. I really don’t see why people earning a lot of money should have taxes go to stopping single mothers and their children from starving and living on the streets. I mean, some people pay so much of their income in taxes, their kids don’t even have their own pony.

    • Scott Glennon says:

      01:45pm | 16/04/10

      @BJS,

      You think there’s room on Xmas Island? =)
      Could open a centrelink there and they’ll be set!

    • Who says:

      11:07am | 16/04/10

      Thank goodness you got out of there with your life, you must have been so scared!  When is Gen Y going to learn that they can’t just go around “making their presence felt”.  Society may never recover from the chaos!

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      11:40am | 16/04/10

      You know people can make their presence felt by achieving or contributing rather than thinking “The Hills”, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”, “Big Brother”, Fitty Cent etc are worthy of your adoration and imitation.

      Pull you pants up, you look ridiculous!

    • Dave says:

      11:02am | 16/04/10

      Youth of today have no patience or empathy any more. They live in a fast fodd world where instant gratification is a must. If the need is not satisfied 5 minutues ago they get frustrated. Social networking pages have taken away the art of conversation & communication. Youth have no discipline are shown no discipline at school because it would a violation of rights if the teacher gave the strap or a smack up the back of the head
      And as John said their music is really really crap and this is coming from a head banger from way back when heavy metal meant something
      Great article Damien!!

      Reply

    • Grant says:

      11:39am | 16/04/10

      Interesting piece Damien, it sure is a shame that it is basically an incorrect urban myth and has no basis in the realm of factual representation of evidence, considering the information you provided anecdotal second hand information.

      This is a serious problem in the media, and really has to be addressed.

      Stating that 1 in 10 lollipop ladies are a victim of abuse or violence is not sufficient as proof of a broader problem in the community at large. 

      New coverage such as this plays a part in increasing the perception of crime victimisation in the community, with a tendency to exaggerate and focus on violent crimes , for example:

      -  ‘We’re hearing about violence across all age groups’
      - ‘The list goes on but more interesting than statistics is the types’
      - ‘We see on the news everyday.’
      - ‘A Scottish man who suffered severe head injuries’
      - ‘Then there was the brutal story of the Canadian in Sydney’

      This creates a fear of crime, a genuine anxiety of crime by an individual.  This fear can influence public sentiment and affect the thoughts and behaviour of the public that includes the perception that there is degradation of society’s morals and a general societal breakdown. 

      This has damaging effects on a community’s well being, and can change people’s routine activities and cohesion affecting community stability. 

      Almost all types of crime are on the decrease and this can be attributed to better policing, improved situational crime prevention, education and an increase in societal stability and general cohesion, and an increase in wealth distribution amongst all classes are among many of the reasons for the reduction.

      http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4524A092E30E4486CA2569DE00256331

      “INTRODUCTION

      Australia was a less violent society at the end of the twentieth century than it was at the end of the nineteenth or eighteenth centuries. Violence and theft have been part of human interaction for all of recorded history, but it is not easy to compare statistics on the extent of violence and theft across the span of the twentieth century.”

      Skogan, W. (1986) ‘Fear of crime and neighborhood change’. Crime and Justice

      Gray, E., Jackson, J. and Farrall, S. (2008). Reassessing the Fear of Crime, European Journal of Criminology

      Office of Crime Statistics and Research (Office of the Attorney General), NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the Australian Centre of Policing Research, Australian Criminology Research Council.

      Reply

    • Scott Glennon says:

      12:24pm | 16/04/10

      @Grant,

      Perhaps the police are getting better at catching younger crims…
      But I’d have to agree with Damien’s opinion, for example it is new for kids to feel the need to take knives to school. There has to of been a change.. Perhaps crime rates have nothing to do with it.

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      01:08pm | 16/04/10

      ONE kid took a knife to school. I’m sorry but it isn’t like kids everywhere are just carrying knives around for gods sake.

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      09:55pm | 16/04/10

      @scott glennonI would draw your attention to this part of the article

      “But the level of violence was “fairly minimal”, considering how many students returned home without incident each day, he said.

      Students, parents and school staff members were now more likely to report violent incidents to police than they were in the past, Mr Atkinson said.”

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      11:38am | 16/04/10

      As I’ve said before, nothing six months of boot camp can’t cure…....

      Reply

    • jhamiltonwa says:

      12:26pm | 16/04/10

      What we need is a good war. Undesirable side affects notwithstanding, as a social enema it is second to none especially for youth.

      Lately we always seem to fight them in places that have had a surplus of it before we got there. If we westerners could only go back to fighting each other in our own countries like we did in the C19 I think the social positives would be maximised for the developed and undeveloped world.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      12:34pm | 16/04/10

      Force parents to be more responsible, send them to jail for a few weeks if their 13 year old kids are found king-hitting tourists at 3.30 in the morning at a bus terminal. They’re certainly not going to be punished by the courts. maybe a slap on the wrist and a bag of lollies on the way out.
      Once the little rat-bags realise there is some consiquence to their actions, like mummy or daddy spending some time in lock-up because of them, or the parents recognise the repercussions of not keeping an eye on them. Maybe, just maybe, things might improve. Nobody wants to live in a nanny state, but cops can’t (or shouldn’t) have to look after other peoples kids.

      Reply

    • Mike says:

      12:25pm | 16/04/10

      To me it’s more than drugs or anything like that, it’s the direction our society has gone in, I mean what else could it be? It hasn’t occured independently of that. I think the more open, the more liberal you become, you open up a lot of freedoms and choices for people that didn’t used to exist, and when they do wrong the method of dealing with these issues has also become a lot softer and the blame shifted to different things and just too many excuses made so nobody really has to take responsibility for anything, from parents to teachers to politicians to most obviously these young individuals themselves.

      I’m not saying it’s all bad, far from it, but I’m saying the answer lies very much within the general changes in society over the last 10-15 years in particular. In the past young people more or less lived by narrower, more pre-determined, socially different set of rules (in an unwritten sense of course). Those rules have changed, and not all for the better. That’s what it boils down to imo. Yes we had less freedom in the past, that’s why I’m saying it’s not a black and white ‘back then was better than now’ or anything like that.

      Reply

    • Nick says:

      12:54pm | 16/04/10

      Frankly I find the attempted intimidation from city youths laughable. I grew up in a country town, if there was going to be a fight on a Friday / Saturday night, that was it. There would be no posing or mouthing off, just straight out violence, which would generally end with a handshake and a beer.

      I’ve spent plenty of time in capital cities on work, and it never ceases to amaze me how young guys try and act tough, but when it comes to the crunch, turn tail and run. I had the misfortune of being accosted in Darling Harbour one night by some insipid little punk, demanding my wallet and brandishing a knife, I laughed and told him to “p!$$ off”, when he got even more aggressive, I broke his nose and threw him into the harbour.

      I suppose the question is when did we as society allow these young clowns to intimidate us to the point of spoiling our evenings out? Why can’t the police force instigate a zero tolerance policy on this type of behaviour? Surely cruising the streets with your seat laid back to the point where you can barely see over the steering wheel is illegal? How about the insanely loud doof-doof music blaring from these cars? Surely that’s noise pollution?

      I’d honestly like to see some type of public humiliation for these types, which at the very least would knock their egos down a few pegs. As for gaining respect and appreciation of elders, I’m not sure how to fix that, it seems to come down to parenting and clearly by the above article, many parents have failed miserably and we as society suffer accordingly for their shortcomings.

      Reply

    • SarahJaneJones says:

      01:13pm | 16/04/10

      Great idea! We need a crime that is so subjective that anyone who “makes their presence known” can be arrested for! and then we can humiliate them for it. You were sitting too low in your car and your terrible music was making noise! I could hear you from the sidewalk next to your car when I was walking through the city on a Friday night! SHAME ON YOU GEN Y.

      Police have absolutely nothing better to do than make sure that Gen Y don’t make their presence known with their terrible music and their sitting too low in the car. God it makes me so angry when people sit too low in the car. Its a big problem facing today’s society.

    • Scott Glennon says:

      01:14pm | 16/04/10

      “broke his nose and threw him into the harbour” Just brilliant!!

    • Nick says:

      01:51pm | 16/04/10

      Sarah; it’s the “look at me, look at me” mind-set that boost the egos of these idiots that is reprehensible in my view. Driving a car in a non upright position is downright dangerous as your ability to operate controls is greatly hampered. Try and shift gear or brake quickly when lying down on a car seat and you’ll get the idea. There is a reason racing seats aren’t moulded in this manner! This is just a single instance of a myriad of stupidities that are seen on any Friday / Saturday night out.

      Why should we allow anti-social behaviour on the pretence that “there just making themselves known”? It’s that type of soft hippy approach that breeds these worthless individuals.

    • Toby says:

      02:56pm | 16/04/10

      Nick is right Sarah.  We need to seriously crack down on any “look at me, look at me” behaviour by banning/punishing it before it gets worse. 
      I propose that we start with police crackdowns on wearing boots, jeans, big belt buckles and RM Williams shirts.  By Nick’s own admission those country boys are violent and this should help keep them away from our pubs and their beloved Bundy (nectar of the God’s).

    • Nick says:

      03:16pm | 16/04/10

      Toby; More than happy if we also have a crack down on track-suits, white sneakers, gold chains, jeans 6 sizes to big that you look like you’ve crapped your pants, baseball hat on backwards, wearing sunglasses once its dark; this list could go on for days but you get the idea.

      Think you may have missed the point in my initial post; country guys might punch-on on occasion, but will more than likely be mates at the end of it. In stark contrast we have the precious city boys who, un-accepting in defeat, will get all their mates to jump in with weapons in an attempt to save face. I’m sure you can agree that’s nothing short of spineless but for some reason acceptable.

      And I didn’t explicitly say ban all “look at me, look at me” behaviour, just the anti-social and unwarranted kind. Get some ambition to be someone that commands respect from valid achievements; not how many Dbs your stereo puts out or the size of your mags or the weapon in your back pocket.

    • Sad Gen X-er says:

      12:59pm | 16/04/10

      Ice might have something to do with it but I can’t help thinking that overdosing on caffine and alcohol mix via 5 Red Bull and Vodkas can’t help.  In the “good old days” of the eighties the problems didn’t start till we shifted from beer to bourbon (or rum) and coke but by that time most of us were too sick and confused to walk let alone punch-on. 

      The rocket-fuel the kids slam down these days can’t help but make them jittery and prone to over-reaction.

      Oh God.  Just listen to me.  I have just officially entered middle-age.

      Reply

    • Rich says:

      01:37pm | 16/04/10

      Don’t worry mate, I am Gen Y and I’m already there too ! Nothing good comes of vodka and redbull, I learnt that lesson fairly rapidly.

    • Rich says:

      01:16pm | 16/04/10

      I think society is like a bell curve, and we are on the downward gradient of this curve.

      It reminds me of Brave New World by Huxley where we are just swamped will so much bullcrap. The media sensationalism, reality TV, instant gratification games and drugs are a sign of a decadent society that has had it too good for too long. There is nothing more to be had, we’ve got it all already. This may not be so bad for people who have worked hard in their life but we now have a generation of kids who have had it all before they’ve reach adulthood and so are left without any challenge.

      If only we had a common enemy to fight/hate then maybe we’d stop turning on ourselves like we are now.

      Reply

    • Grant says:

      01:37pm | 16/04/10

      @ Scott Glennon says:12:24pm ,

      That’s exactly the problem Scott, its opinion.

      Damien’s personal experiences are valid and reputable.  If it happened to him, it happened; but it’s not proof of a wider problem (anecdotal information doesn’t really count).

      So, your statement for example:

      - “it is new for kids to feel the need to take knives to school.”

      How and why do you know more kids are taking knives to school? 

      Is it because.  They just are, you know they are or you’ve seen it first hand?

      Or perhaps because there was some recent highly publicised knife attacks.

      The trends don’t support the assertions made in this piece.  Based on everyone’s comments here, people have a genuine perception of crime victimisation. 

      Criminal Justice trends can include an example from the NSW Children’s Courts 1960-2007:  in 1960 it was 6000 court appearances, peaking at 17500 in 1976 and slowly reducing back down to around 6000 in 2007.

      http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/fchy/youthviolence/subs/sub047.pdf

      Reply

    • Scott Glennon says:

      02:46pm | 16/04/10

      @Grant,

      I maintain the issue is more then just crime related. An upbringing, lapse in social interaction, lack of manners and others can be found in my original post. If respect and common courtesy was instilled within our communities once again we may not feel such rage.
      I should have linked this previously, my apologies. The quote I refer you to is as follows.

      “Generally speaking, we don’t believe that violence in schools has significantly increased but one thing I believe ... is there is increasing tendencies of some young people to carry knives or other weapons,”

      http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/school-knife-attacks-on-the-rise-20100217-oc87.html

    • James says:

      01:38pm | 16/04/10

      Ever seen groups of animals fight over territory?  Pretty nasty isn’t it.  Imagine if you gave those animals alcohol or ice, crammed them ever closer together, encouraged them to work long hours without appropriate rest, sat them in metal cans that moved them very slowly to where they wanted to go, concreted over where they walked, forced them to sit in a cubicle for 8 hours a day, continuously encouraged them to compete against each other and every day showed them digitally enhanced pictures of the perfect animal some thing they clearly are not.  It would be a mircle if they didn’t try and tear each others heads off.

      Humans are animals

      Reply

    • Michelle says:

      02:04pm | 16/04/10

      Damien, like most journalists, opts for the generic descriptors of: youngsters, teenagers, and youths. But, beyond the willful blindness, we know the police description of the alleged attackers of Scottish tourist Mark Willis at Rockdale was Middle Easterners. And the police description of the alleged attacker/s of Canadian wheelchair tourist Heath Proden at Mt Druitt was Pacific Islander.

      The question is: are we going to keep our heads in the sand, like France, and keep calling this a youth problem until we have riots that last for weeks? Or can we deal with it honestly:

      “French officials point to a host of causes — poverty, unemployment, the influence of criminal gangs — for riots that erupted this week. But there’s one taboo issue that officially colorblind France has been unable to confront: race. The violence, like riots that spread nationwide for three weeks in 2005, exposed how parts of France have divided along color lines, with blacks and Arabs trapped in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods ... France does not like to see its recurrent, and some say worsening, bouts of urban violence through the prism of race or color. Rioters are often described simply as “youths,” while poor projects with large concentrations of immigrants are “sensitive urban zones.” ... Some argue that the recurring violence must make France rethink its taboos ...”
      http://abandonskip.blogspot.com/2007/12/riots-point-to-racially-divided-france.html

      Diversity, all over the western world, is not working out like they promised, and the melting pot is hardening into sclerotic divisions:

      “The UK must enforce “equality, participation and interaction” to avoid US-style segregation, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality says.
      Failing to do so could lead to people living in a New Orleans-style Britain of passively co-existing communities, Trevor Phillips warned. It was a worrying fact that “younger Britons appear to be integrating less well than their parents”, he said.”
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4273414.stm

      So, unless we want to follow France, the UK and the USA down the road to sclerotic division, it’s time to rethink the geat diversity experiment. Or we can just go on calling it a mysterious ‘youth’ problem ...

      Reply

    • joshgtv says:

      02:23pm | 16/04/10

      People, stop watching Today Tonight and A Current Affair and the world will suddenly become a much happier place. Anyone ever seen The Wild One or Rebel Without A Cause? Teenagers have been getting up adults’ noses and frightening the elderly since the concept of adolescence first emerged. Plus ca change etc. etc.

      Reply

    • Chewy says:

      04:22pm | 16/04/10

      Yup if you watch current affair shows you will live in fear of fear of shonky real estate agents, boat people, dole bluggers, twelve year old gangs roaming the streets, unhygienic takeaway and pollies perks.

      Make the depressing wrist slashing switch to ABC and SBS and view never ending injustices like Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, global warming, and for some perverse left wing guilty pleasure you get to see evil Abbott and his evil AWB children overboard Liberals grilled daily by Kerry Obrien and Tony Jones.
      Got a razor blade?

    • Matt says:

      02:40pm | 16/04/10

      oh my god a guy stared at you! how will you ever recover!?

      it should be pointed out that for every tough guy P-plate car driving through the city with music blasting out on friday and saturday nights there are about 50 people standing on the footpath laughing at them

      Reply

    • Bruce says:

      02:58pm | 16/04/10

      What about annonymous web opinion rage.  I see it all the time on this site.

      Reply

    • Mr Pastry says:

      03:38pm | 16/04/10

      I was in a car in the middle of the Brixton in the eighties during some large scale, extreme, pedestrian rage - commonly known as a riot.  The cars were all backed up with the riot in full swing - it was pretty scary but I quickly located my favuorite Bob Marley tape and turned it up loud which acted a protective talisman for my car whch only received a shaking.

      Reply

    • Zeta says:

      03:41pm | 16/04/10

      A wise man once told me: “If you confront your misery as your own, you protect the world from it.” The problems that lead to all this rage stem from us externalising our misery and taking it out on others.

      It’s the broken shoelaces theory of evil, and it explains everything from why kids beat up guys in wheelchairs at train stations, to why dictators commit genocide.

      You get up in the morning and your shoelace breaks. It pisses you off — creates a negative emotional charge. You express it by flicking off a fellow motorist. Now she’s got the negative charge, so she gets to work and yells at her secretary, who goes home and withholds sex from her boyfriend, who provokes an argument and then goes out drinking, and whose hangover makes him flick off five people in traffic the next day, by which time you’ve forgotten all about your shoelace - but the damage has been done. The negative energy has been unleashed.

      All this negative energy builds up and builds up until someone goes home and beats their wife senseless. Their children insulate themselves from the pain and confusion by becoming aggressive, they seek out more violence which drains their empathy, they don’t know how to handle their nameless rage so they pass it on to others, and others, and over and over again until eventually, all the hate gets to be so big that it becomes institutionalised and we don’t even ask any questions, because hate keeps getting passed on to us and we want to see someone else on the receiving end.

      Then you’re scooping the ashes of your neighbours and friends out of ovens and you wonder who to blame, pass on the hate again, but really it was you - you’re to blame. You and your broken shoelace.

      To break the cycle of rage means you take it into yourself. You acknowledge your anger, your sadness as your responsibility, for you to deal with alone.

      This has been your moment of zen. Now let’s all hum together. Hum.

      Reply

    • iansand says:

      04:16pm | 16/04/10

      We demand stronger shoelaces!!!!!

    • joshgtv says:

      04:57pm | 16/04/10

      Velcro - the only route to world peace.

    • Andrew K says:

      05:35pm | 16/04/10

      Can you ring the call centre of the shoe lace supplier and take it out on them? I guess not. Meh.

    • Mr Pastry says:

      06:43pm | 16/04/10

      Is that why queenslanders are more relaxed, they are all in shoelaceless thongs

    • Sherekahn says:

      10:49am | 25/04/10

      You say:
      “You get up in the morning and your shoelace breaks. It pisses you off”
      Why?  Why not say:  Mon dieu, c’est la vie!
      It was obviously your fault anyway, you pulled too hard!  You had a bad night after a wild day.  You should have seen it coming, worn laces.
      Too much TV as a child.  An uncalm lifestyle, read more books, especially about life 50 years ago.  Note the difference with life then and now.  Ask yourself, WHY?
      22 million people, some which you’d only seen in Rupert Annuals when he went on his magic carpet.

      There were one third as many people, two billion instead of seven billion now!  Knew everybody in the locallity, No computers so, to the movies once a week.  Went dancing to meet someone.  Listened to 60’s music, happy days guys, happy days.  Never heard of pollution or climate change, uh? yer what?  GDP was probably someone’s number plate.  Read the Paper? you’re joking!  Comics, had a laugh.  Never drank spirits.

    • Arios says:

      04:49pm | 16/04/10

      Ah Tokyo. What a breath of fresh (polluted) air to be away from all this Australian anxiety and tension. Amazingly with so many more people, the Japanese seem to live so much more harmoniously with one another. You definitely don’t see the same hate on peoples’ faces like I constantly see in Australia.

      Japan always hugely rejuvenates and re-energises me from the petty thuggery that is so common in Australia. In Oz we have a lot to learn about getting on with one another.

      For young people in Oz, it’s like “Train hard at the gym, bulk up mate, get huge” just so you can “be a tank” and “not take sh1t from anyone” and “look after yourself”. I mean really, what a joke. So many young guys are into steroids also (which is another source of rage) just because they feel so intimidated by being of small or average build, so they will do anything (including risking their health) to bulk up and seem more dominant.

      Everyone in Japan is mostly skinny and harmless looking, but they aren’t intimidated or threatened by each others’ looks.

      Now isn’t that interesting.

      Reply

    • SCOB says:

      06:49pm | 16/04/10

      Shame this gentler side of the Japanese could not have manifested itself in the prison camps of the Second World War.

    • joshgtv says:

      07:36pm | 16/04/10

      I suspect that the Japanese just channel their aggression and hatred differently. Look at their behaviour during WWII. I’m no expert but it seems that they are socialised to direct their less positive behaviours at non-Japanese.

    • Kate says:

      05:08pm | 16/04/10

      I have to admit to the occasional bout of road rage.
      Now, I would never jump out of the car and start hitting people, or even wind down the window to abuse anyone. But I think most of us are guilty of the occasional muttered insult or raised middle finger.

      Everyone’s road rage motives are different. Personally, I get angry when surrounded by people who just can not drive. Yes, part of being a good driver is patience. But seriously, tell me you haven’t wanted to lose it when you’re stuck behind someone doing 70 on the freeway in the right lane, or someone cuts in front of you without indicating, or runs a red light, or tailgates you. It is really annoying. Especially when you try your best to be a good driver and obey road rules, and you still end up with a dinged car due to some deadset moron.

      Reply

    • Scott Glennon says:

      05:41pm | 16/04/10

      Rage much? =P

    • M. Hucknall says:

      07:01pm | 16/04/10

      I listen to the Simply Red compilation in the car because it’s chilled. Trust me, it works.

      Reply

    • yazz says:

      09:27pm | 16/04/10

      The only way is up, baby

    • Sam Chowder says:

      11:01pm | 16/04/10

      If I had to listen to Simply Red I would be very relaxed indeed,  I would be dead.

    • Brett L says:

      10:14pm | 16/04/10

      This nasty behaviour from young people is not always drug related. Most cases I find are just bad manners, rudeness and selfishness. I think banks and government are to blame.  Banks have afforded us easy credit to get want we want on impulse, no waiting and saving (patience gone), no goals to achieve and do the right thing (hopelessness) for latter reward. Then once we have it we are a bank slave to work harder, longer, pressured to move faster, be on time (stress and frustration), walk over people to earn more, give up free time and basically no time to socialise with family (love and respect).  The government then preaches civil rights, from academics, provides children with an environment to challenge authority including teachers, police, and parents (narcisstic and aggressive)  . Then the political appointed Judges give lenient punishments to anybody who does break the law. There is no reason to respect anybody, or wait for and save for anything. And now since young people have little hope to afford their own home there is less to look forward to. There is no reason to save money, or work hard to achieve. They may as well spend their pay on booze, drugs, cars and computer games. That’s why the Ponzi housing market is about to collapse, because there is no new blood to enter from the bottom.

      Reply

    • rohan says:

      09:40am | 17/04/10

      I think th parents should be blamed. Anytime anyone under 21 is caught randomly assaulting, their parents should be charged and jailed for the same sentence.

      Makes sure that there is a little bit more discipline in the house.

      Reply

    • Ashley says:

      01:21pm | 17/04/10

      Its not just the parents, its the adults in general that contribute to the stupidity and aggro of today’s youth. The youth just pass the buck as the adults before them have done. Older generations per se have all the property and jobs and have contributed to the mindless policies and practices evident in the workforce and society at large. Younger people are expected to work and study, sacrifice a social life, something the older generations took for granted, in the desperate hope they will secure a well paying job just so they can pay off a half million dollar mortgage. As these jobs are more scarce than the government and the media let on, the chances they will end up in some low paying, low status job is highly probable. They can then spend their adult life working in the service industry or in a call centre where they will be tyrannised by overfed, ignorant, power hungry ***holes. Capitalism rules and everything’s for sale. Can’t earn enough to pay the rent, eat decently and meet your basic needs, no probs, sell your body to the grotesque sex and youth obssessed power hungry oldies. Dignity is an obselete concept in today’s world. As a generation Xer I saw the hopes of many of my peers crushed through the 90’s recession, its now reoccurring but in greater magnitude with the Y’s. Greedy oldies rubbing their hands with glee as their house prices escalate although anybody who engages beyond mundane thought would have seen the writing on the wall as far back as 2003. End result housing affordability is fast becoming a dream for many. The oldies response ‘oh well, thats just life’,  like life just happens independent of human action and input. Who cares about intergenerational justice, they won’t be around to see the consequences and even if they were they would just pass the buck some more. It seems there are two choices in life these days ; be exploited or become the exploiter and those who think otherwise are fighting a losing battle. Just witness the bad behaviour of those with power fame and money. The cheaters, crooks and ***holes get rewarded. Dare I say a revolution may indeed become a viable future option.

    • Brett says:

      03:41pm | 17/04/10

      you obviously don’t have teenage kids.

    • Brett L says:

      03:58pm | 23/04/10

      Ashley, I’m very sorry to say you are probably right.
      It’s becoming a very different World of self obsessed rich people who exploit the others.  Government, banks, corporations, all feed on the ordinary person. There is a feeling of hopelessness and frustration among younger people. Life is more about the here and now for them, they have no money to save, and to save for what anyway?

    • Sam Chowder says:

      01:32pm | 17/04/10

      At birth, along with teh cutting the umbelical cord - the middle finger should be removed from both hands.

      Reply

    • z80 says:

      11:15pm | 17/04/10

      Road rage is a direct consequence of a baseline stress level that is exacerbated by carbon monoxide poisoning from vehicle emmisions.
      Take away the poison and the problem diminishes greatly.
      Throw in a few faulty catalyctic converters and you can taste the carcinogenic benzine in the back of your throat.

      Reply

    • Oldie but goodie says:

      12:04am | 18/04/10

      It is more of the pack mentality that worries/frightens me.  I have had a son set upon twice by a pack.  Once was in broad daylight on a highway when he was walking home from the station.  He will never walk that way again.  Another time he was ambushed in a park when he was taking a shortcut near our home.  Packs usually pick on someone who is on their own.  They must feel so proud of themselves.
      Last night I was out with a few friends at a large suburban centre and we saw all these young lads sitting on the bonnets of their cars etc.  Fortunately they were on the other side of the road, but because I was with 5 other friends I did not feel intimidated on this occasion.
      I had actually been to see Damien perform and he was brilliant.

      Damien you have written another great article.  I have enjoyed the topics of all your subjects.

      Reply

    • Samantha says:

      12:19am | 19/04/10

      All we are seeing is the result of our stress filled lifetyles which we have made worse by raising selfish, irresponsible children who want everything now and believe they are owed it. They are even shown via tv, games and movies that they can take risks in vehicles,act like criminals and it is all so cool. It is the look at me generation…..well go on look at them!!

      Reply

    • Sarah L. says:

      12:31pm | 23/04/10

      I am glad that this article struck a chord with so many people as violence is a hugh problem with children and youth. I am a psychologist and work with children, many of whom are aggressive and getting expelled from school from as young as 8 years of age. Yes, we can help them but most have been exposed to maltreatment of various kinds from infancy. This is a hugh issue that actually changes the brain of the baby. Big fan of all you do and your music, LOVE the latest CD. Trying to get a hold of your book in Perth. Maybe you could take on prevention of child abuse as a cause!!!!

    • Diesel Weasel says:

      02:48pm | 23/04/10

      Coversations regarding this topic always remind me of Bowie’s Lyrics about older generations in the song Changes:

      “Where`s your shame, you`ve left us up to our necks in it”.

      True now as it ever was.

      Reply

    • Sherekahn says:

      09:52am | 24/04/10

      You say:  (except your punctuation)
      “For various types of rage, it seems are, all the rage.”
      This is so because everyone is feeling out of the loop.  The western world is spiralling down to a hell of its own making, mainly caused by older or previous generations.
      GDP is GOD driving down old values and driving up the overpopulation of the world.
      Many people feel the Earth they new as a child is no longer there.  This is leading us to a delinquency of standard behaviour.

      Reply
 
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