The vision of youths running headfirst into a life of crime and civil disobedience is one that we see regularly on the media, is it a true reflection of the majority? One must admit that our society appears not to care about the slow learners in primary school, who were automatically promoted to higher education despite their challenges. Due care and attention was not given to ensure they could function at the next stage of their development.
There are however a majority of young people that are doing some very impressive work and are not receiving the same attention, if we look at the media time given to student fights and the like, compared to students in chess clubs, spoken word competitions etc, there is a big disparity.
The disparate reporting and emphasis tends to become a celebration of the misbehaviour in the eyes of the offenders, so much so, it seems that everyone is uploading a fight to social media in the hope it will hit the 7pm news. A New Orleans researcher demonstrated the link between the funeral celebrations of gang members and the perception of young vulnerable persons of it being a noble send off and tribute to the life lived. This is a terrible perception to create, it signals that a life of crime is acceptable and an early death is its own reward.
I am not arguing that our society did not create these ‘monsters’, it is well documented that the majority of school offenders are either illiterate or barely literate. This creates difficulty if progressing in life and building a positive vision for oneself, presents difficulty to access basic job opportunities. Yes, our society has created these ‘monsters’, as we seek to move forward and In light of the aforementioned, we should not censor these incidents but we should present a more balanced news report.
More balanced and in-depth reporting of the good things that are happening with the country’s youth is required, when last did we see a news reporter interview the parent of a successful primary school athlete? I am sure we can identify that nearly every family member and friend of a murder victim is interviewed. While the Police do their job, it is imperative that we provide some hope for those youths who are trying to be good citizens of this blessed country.
Keegan Denny
San Fernando