No Knives or Chewing Gum

Recently I went to a club in Kingston where the entrance was reminiscent of airport security. As I approached I noticed entry was not permitted until your ID had undergone scrutiny in seemingly space age technology. Beyond this were stacks of bowls in which you emptied your pockets and thereafter awaited a large metal detector with a horde of bouncers lying in wait behind. Even if it didn’t go off you were still frisked. Despite my best efforts to hide my chewing gum it was found and with a scowl and mutter thrown in a bin full of discarded tatter.

However long this process seemed to take it did leave me feeling a whole lot safer once in the venue. With all the coverage in the news of people being stabbed in drunken arguments outside clubs I felt this club not only offered me bargain drinks but also peace at mind as well as a chewing gum free dance floor.

It does however show how the culture of the young has forced upon themselves routines that were previously unheard of or unnecessary. On the other hand I went to a venue in London where I saw no one getting frisked or searched. In my opinion this has to be standardised in a bid to give the middle finger to anyway who thinks they can get away with carrying a weapon (or indeed chewing gum).

Not The 'D' Word!?

It’s becoming very difficult for bands to make money off album sales these days and it’s all down to this new free music machine called the internet. Having a computer literate younger generation means that they are able to open the doors into ‘peer-to-peer’ (p2p) file transferring. Unfortunately for the authorities it is impossible to police and for the person downloading illegally, it’s just not the same as shoplifting from the local HMV.

So how does one go about making the actual purchasing of music more attractive? If CDs came with a short biography or picture book (like in discography box sets) then this may be more appealing in a sense of owning something of worth. As iTunes is fast becoming the next best place to buy music I think it would be polite of them to attach a short e-book alongside that acts as a ‘cyber album booklet’ as, for me, the album artwork is half the delight.

For an economy that’s spiralling steadfastly down the toilet the music business is definitely feeling the bite - as are the young people - with less pocket money to be spending on (quite expensive) CDs what do you expect? It’s like being trapped inside a supermarket for a week with no one around – don’t tell me you wouldn’t have more than a mars bar.

Don't Use Protection Kids

Every time I open the pages of the London Lite or the Metro there is yet another stabbing in the capital. Despite the Governments’ best efforts to stop knife crime it is still on the rise which makes it hard not to be wary when wandering the streets of London after a night out.

Only recently was I approached by a group of young males on a notorious night bus and threatened, luckily my friend is street wise and managed to control the situation. It makes me wonder however, had I not been with my friends, what potentially could have happened.

It is not only happening in London but in all major cities and even towns across the country. ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ series on Sky One highlights how dangerous gangs are with their tendency to carry extremely harmful weaponry and their mentality to use it whenever they deem necessary.

Last year seven times more people were murdered with knives than with firearms so it seems a blade is the weapon of choice. They say they carry weapons for protection. Protection from what? Those who choose not to carry a weapon are those who need protecting the most.

From Russia With Hate

Politicians for centuries have viewed new cultures emerging from young people as a threat to society. Most new fads with young people come from new music, for example with the punks surfacing in the 70s there was a massive outcry from the older generation that they would be the downfall of all things establishment.

Despite the banning of trends never being successful (i.e. if you ban something it only makes it more popular) Russia is thinking of stamping out emo. Russian officials think that emo is a ‘threat to national stability’ and that it is a dangerous teenage trend which leads to suicide and depression. Their evidence is limited to just a few examples of people actually self harming and committing suicide. Surely if emo was so dangerous then everyone who listened to the likes of My Chemical Romance would be rushing to the nearest high building or buying strong rope and razor blades. It’s not the case.

A coroner in Britain recently linked the suicide of a teenage girl to her obsession with emo and goth music. It lead to a protest on the streets of London against the misconception that emotional music is dangerous. It’s kind of like saying that everyone who listened to punk was an anarchist… stop waging wars on people you know nothing about.

"What you(th) lookin at?"

Youth. Immediately connotations arise of a ‘hoody’ robbing a supermarket or mugging an elderly couple. A word that used to mean innocent and young is now the word thrown around to describe teenagers with ASBOs. So what is this ‘youth culture’ we so often hear about today? According to most news stories it is a young male in a tracksuit, hood up, wielding a knife ready to stab up the next innocent passer by for their phone and wallet.

You will rarely see a teenager reported on without the phrase ASBO close by. It’s no wonder that elderly people are scared to walk the streets and it’s not necessarily because they have something to worry about, it’s the infatuation the media has with giving young people bad press.

Surely youth culture should incorporate much more than what is reported like the new music scenes, fashion and the fact that education levels are a lot higher today. Older people should not try and ‘be down’ with the youngsters and equally should not constantly snub and detest them; instead they should be looking at the reasons why a small minority of young people do commit crimes. Embrace the young, we're the future.