Subject:  A generation of attention seekers.

Date:  Sunday 7 June 2009

Dear justice4victims.org,

I have a theory about the violence which is the bane of this generation of youth.  Often, though not always, I believe acts of violence by young people are little more than a demand for attention.  In this Facebook and Big Brother generation, our youth are obsessed with celebrity, no matter how insignificant, tenuous or negative.  The ambition of many youth nowadays seems to be little more than appearing on TV, even if that means being blatantly and publicly ridiculed; the context or purpose doesn’t matter to them, all that matters is the publicity itself.

Examples of this attention seeking behaviour are apparent in their day to day life.  They post details of themselves on the internet to inexplicably introduce themselves to complete strangers.  More and more young people have a graffiti tag.  You often hear very intimate details of their lives being publicly discussed at full volume on their mobile phones.  This is the generation that, even when alone in public, plays its acquired taste music on speakers for all to hear, despite it being of a far poorer quality than would be heard if played on their ipods.  Recently, as I entered my local Tesco I noted the young security guard and other shop staff standing at the security point, listening to their drum and bass music on a small sound system.  What was most notable about this was the fact that the speakers were not facing the staff, but outwards, toward the entrance; clearly this expressive music was for the benefit of me and the other shoppers.  Or, more specifically, to gain my attention.

Violence is another example of this attention seeking.  Consider school bullies – their malicious acts are almost always carried out for an audience, or because they are being ignored by their victim.  Some parents say that to tackle bullies the best strategy is to ignore them until they tire.  However, I don’t believe this applies to this generation, which absolutely demands your acknowledgement.  When applied on the streets this takes a particularly sinister turn – often your failure to acknowledge the presence of a group of self perceived alpha males (or females) is considered disrespectful, and at your peril.  If this bully wants to leave some sort of reminder that you met him… well, what better way to impose yourself on somebody than to physically attack them.  Want the attention of somebody you don’t like, beat them up – who can ignore that?

I admit this is one theory and probably only applies to a small sub-section of violent youth, but I do not believe the link between this generation’s violence and its obsession with attention can be ignored.  As for why they crave this publicity, I can’t answer that; suggestions are welcome.

Lindsay Mott

Doncaster

South Yorks.

justice4victims.org