Texas

[Lencoboy]

You're right in that we rarely hear about baying mobs of kids from rival schools squaring up to one another now like we used to back in the 70s, 80s and even the 90s.

Same also for clashes between kids from certain suburbs/housing estates, which was a common staple of our local rag in the 80s and very early 90s, but virtually unheard of nowadays, thank God!

I'm sure there was even talk of tribalism between members of different working men's clubs in certain areas at one point.

I also heard that school riots were more commonplace back in the late 70s and early 80s, as epitomised in the 1982 made-for-TV film 'Birth Of A Nation', about a dysfunctional comp school in London, which was like a more 'adult' version of Grange Hill. Pupils also used to hijack the headteacher's office and/or staff room, trash them and/or do sit-ins.

We rarely seem to hear of such anarchic/militant behaviours from school kids nowadays.

[Lencoboy]

They get little news attention now over here, Vee. At first we had reports all week, then days and now it's very brief. Reading UK boards when it happens you tend to see people saying it's just America, what do they expect with all those find, etc.
At first people were shocked but now it's just another school day in the US.

If events like that don't change it God knows what will. But all is not lost because look at the tobacco industry. How did we ever remove their grip on our governments? Whilst not wholly illegal the laws preventing smoking indoors were a massive change.

But for all the grief the US gets we have our own hypocritical behaviour too. How would we respond to banning alcohol? Aside from health it is involved in a ton of violent crime.

We have big problems with knife crime but our laws concentrate on carrying. Nothing stops anyone over 18 owning an arsenal of weapons from 3 inchers to swords. We had more than one knife amnesty but what's the point when you can just buy another one? The only attempt at a ban has been the broader bank of telescopic weapons which mean no flick knives.

Likewise, child battering (non-sexual) seems to get very little news attention in the UK these days, unlike back in the 80s and early 90s it seemed to be a big thing and even the subject of a full-on moral panic at times, plus emblematic of our sick society.

I know physical chastisement of kids has generally fallen out of favour over the past 30-odd years or so, but surely there still must be the odd brazen parents with a screw loose who bish-bash-bosh their kids willy-nilly, but the media hardly ever seem to make a song and dance over it anymore like they used to!

Whenever it's the opposite, about kids physically attacking their parents (and teachers), it's suddenly big news and often the subject of a moral panic plus the usual mutterings of 'kids today have no respect', 'bring back borstals', etc!!

But I guess the latter situation typically makes for more exciting reading, especially amongst the 'populist' press.

[AntsyVee]

They get little news attention now over here, Vee. At first we had reports all week, then days and now it's very brief. Reading UK boards when it happens you tend to see people saying it's just America, what do they expect with all those find, etc.
At first people were shocked but now it's just another school day in the US.

Yes, it's getting the same way here, Terry. Unless there are a high number of casualties or the circumstances are very unusual, it's covered for a day or two on the news and that's it...especially with covid now. Although one of the top stories on the news this weekend is Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah. Why? I don't get it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, it's getting the same way here, Terry. Unless there are a high number of casualties or the circumstances are very unusual, it's covered for a day or two on the news and that's it...especially with covid now. Although one of the top stories on the news this weekend is Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah. Why? I don't get it.

Meghan is good at networking. Marry a Prince, who's not a very strong person, and make connections to big media names. They can use the racism angle to make it on Oprah?

They fled the UK saying they wanted privacy and spent every minute courting the press. It's just another reason why people over here think she's full of BS.

Commonwealth Day today so more timing from them.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Likewise, child battering (non-sexual) seems to get very little news attention in the UK these days, unlike back in the 80s and early 90s it seemed to be a big thing and even the subject of a full-on moral panic at times, plus emblematic of our sick society.

I know physical chastisement of kids has generally fallen out of favour over the past 30-odd years or so, but surely there still must be the odd brazen parents with a screw loose who bish-bash-bosh their kids willy-nilly, but the media hardly ever seem to make a song and dance over it anymore like they used to!

Whenever it's the opposite, about kids physically attacking their parents (and teachers), it's suddenly big news and often the subject of a moral panic plus the usual mutterings of 'kids today have no respect', 'bring back borstals', etc!!

But I guess the latter situation typically makes for more exciting reading, especially amongst the 'populist' press.

The unruly kids at school stuff seems to have fallen out of media favour now.

Physical abuse of kids always hits front page when it's extreme like a death. That will always be the case. Don't know about lower level abuse (not the smacking debate, that should never be conflated with abuse) but like anything it's probably more about when campaigns highlight it or the media decide to conduct a report and the rest follow suit.

[AntsyVee]

Meghan is good at networking. Marry a Prince, who's not a very strong person, and make connections to big media names. They can use the racism angle to make it on Oprah?

They fled the UK saying they wanted privacy and spent every minute courting the press. It's just another reason why people over here think she's full of BS.

Commonwealth Day today so more timing from them.

Yeah, she hates the press, but at the same time, if she didn't have it, they would'nt have that Netflix deal that pays their bills. You can't have it both ways...

[Lolalee1]

A lot of people hear really couldn’t give a flying shit on what the pair or royal family do.
I hope Malcolm Turnbull keeps pushing for Australia to become a Republic country.

[Lencoboy]

The unruly kids at school stuff seems to have fallen out of media favour now.

Physical abuse of kids always hits front page when it's extreme like a death. That will always be the case. Don't know about lower level abuse (not the smacking debate, that should never be conflated with abuse) but like anything it's probably more about when campaigns highlight it or the media decide to conduct a report and the rest follow suit.

Yes, I do remember the unruly kids at school stuff being the subject of moral panics back in the 90s and 2000s, and the calls to bring back caning, especially from the hard-righters.

I've also noticed over the past decade or so the media haven't been making such a big deal over general ASB and chav culture. I remember rags like The Scum and Daily Fail spewing out lurid headlines such as 'Yob Britain', 'No-Go Britain', 'Broken Britain', 'UK Teens Worst Behaved In Europe', etc, all of which epitomised the typical noughties' moral panics!!

[MyNameIsTerry]

A lot of people hear really couldn’t give a flying shit on what the pair or royal family do.
I hope Malcolm Turnbull keeps pushing for Australia to become a Republic country.

Brits are much the same, Lola. Sick of hearing about them. The Diana era was relentless.

Less want a republic but just want less of a media circus over 'woman has baby' type stuff and their pontificating about what we common folk shoukd be doing all while they jet around in luxury.

[Lencoboy]

Brits are much the same, Lola. Sick of hearing about them. The Diana era was relentless.

Less want a republic but just want less of a media circus over 'woman has baby' type stuff and their pontificating about what we common folk shoukd be doing all while they jet around in luxury.

Same also goes for other 'celebs'.

For example, the endless media coverage certain members of the Spice Girls received when they were pregnant with their first kids and when they finally gave birth to them back in the late 90s really did my nut in at the time.

Big deal, women have babies every day the world over. Always have and always will.

Let's face it, when both me and my younger brother were born, the local rags alone never made a song and danced over it. Ditto for all three of my brother's kids.

Reason being, we were (and still are) just an ordinary family and insignificant to most other people, unlike the Beckhams, et el.