Was walking through Victoria park earlier, making the most of the nice weather. Near the bandstand were 4 teenagers kicking rubbish around and throwing tin cans about the place, shouting and swearing like the big tough guys they so obviously were not. Garbage playing with garbage you might say. They couldn't have cared less that they were frightening off the pensioners sitting on the nearby benches, ruining the afternoon for everyone else.

I really do get sick of seeing these little sumbags ruining things for everybody else. Apparently it's not enough that we spend thousands on the skate park to keep them occupied. Their parents must be so proud. Sadly I couldn't find a CSO or policeman anywhere in town. I would have enjoyed ruining their afternoon just as they were ruining everyone elses.

Rant over!

Pentioners and young people generally never mix. You know, the whole "Back in my day we'd have had our genitils fed to us for so much as talking out of turn..."

I must say that most of the time, most of the kids at the skatepark keep themselves to themselves. Unfortunately some take the actions of a few and brand an entire generation with the same brush.

I'm not excusing them, unfortunately one of my friends younger brother (he's about 14) is quite mouthy, I'm not sure what he's like when he's out and about but he swears more than me in and around the house! And I swear alot..... I don't think that them shouting around and swearing is really acceptable at such a young age. But there's a whole taboo about swearing in public. Swearing is commonly becoming words and phrases many of us use in every day life, it's just evolution of language and arguing with it is like trying to argue with a tidal wave. "You will bloody well not....."SPLASH!".

Also the whole "we pay thousands on a skate park", you don't pay thousands. You pay a nominal amount, out of say £1000 in council tax, probably about £0.20 went on the skatepark, so complain about the 20p instead.

The council/local agencies paid. Reporting them out of spite is not the thing to do, either. (the whole, well they are ruining someones day, so I'll try to ruin theirs).
Report them because they are doing things wrong, not because you want to get back at them. If you actually went through Newbury purposefully looking for a PCSO or a copper then more fool you, tbh. There is a police station near Sainsburys so if you felt that determined to report them, why didn't you go there?

Maybe they don't skate?
There's not exactly an abundance of options for young people who have no money.

The skatepark is often packed full of people, especially on lovely days such as this so I don't think that was a waste of money at all.

What would you suggest they be doing? Fair enough they should learn a bit of respect for others and not be sswearing loudly and throwing rubbish about but they will learn as they get older that it is unacceptable. If they had something else to concentrate on, however, they might not be doing it.

Well, maybe I should have been clearer. Collectively we paid thousands. Better?

And no, I didn't purposely trawl the town looking for a policeman. And as for not reporting them, is it better to just let them get away with behaving like that? Maybe we should all just ignore petty lawlesness, I'm sure that would make the town a much nicer place.

What would I suggest they be doing? Really? How about not littering the place and making a group of pensioners leave the park. That would do for a start.

There are endless amounts of things they could be doing. Even if there were no options, would that excuse them somehow? And somehow I doubt they will learn as they get older. Rubbish like that rarely does.

Saying this, I am put off with going into places such as McDonalds if I see there are a lot of younguns hanging about being rowdy.

The amount of times I've suffered abuse because they are bored is horrendous, things like name calling and I've even had a nearly empty can thrown at me which was revolting.

More respect does need to be achieved somehow, I think the fear of what will happen has lessened. Being "told off" by someone will do nothing nowerdays. They need a smack around the face for really offensive behaviour.
It just doesn't seem that these people were being so very offensive to others though, just a bit rowdy.

Edit - It doesn't excuse the behaviour at all, I'm just saying if there was something for them to do or a place that they could go specifically for them it might make a difference. Would they really hang out where all the other people do if there was a place designed for them to hang out?

How are they "Skatepark Scumbags" if they were by the bandstand ??

The skateboards they all had were a bit of a giveaway!

I don't think "Handbag scumbags" would carry the same weight nor be fair so how about rephrasing everything and focusing on the fact these kids were/are being a bit daft, being a skater has nothing to do with it.

That's what I did focus on. And they had skateboards. And they'd just come from the skatepark. And I liked the alliterative potential.

And they're scumbags. And skateparks tend to attract a lot of them. The one in Thatcham is the same. Yes, not every skater behaves like that, but a significant minority of skatepark patrons do.

And they were being more than just a bit daft. They were being scumbags.

And like feral dogs these revolting. pathetic specimens always hunt in packs, so they can "big it up" presumably

You cannot have a significant minority. That's like saying my gentlemans sausage is massively small. The one in Thatcham is worse, the one in Newbury is generally much better. I can't take your opinion and judge them as scumbags as I wasn't there. I know people who call kids who play music from their mobile phones on buses "scum" or "yobs". These would be kids who actually have an education but left their earphones at home so play music quietly at the back of a bus. Equally I know people who consider thieving children to not be scum so...depends where you are on the scale, doesn't it? Your thread title sounds exactly like a headline from the Daily Mail.

Saying that a significant minority of skateboard patrons are scumbags is exactly the same as saying that a significant minority of black people are all thiefs. That wouldn't be an acceptable thing to do. Yet it's socially acceptable to tar a bunch of kids who you don't even know (You sound quite old so imagine you have no idea what it's like growing up with 'naff all to do)

I've been past a few times and generally speaking they have all been using the facility for what is was intended, you will always get a few who thing its hard to frighten the others off though. A good clip round the ear'ole !

Did you say anything to them? If not then perhaps that would have been a start, everyone complains that kids have no discipline these days but nobody wants to help with the guidance.

XJay, I think a significant minority is possible, say 49% of a group for example would be a lot, but not quite a majority.

Thats cos no one wants a 4" kitchen knife in the ribs for their trouble.

Yes you absolutely can have a significant minority. It's a very common phrase used to describe a minority who nevertheless have a noticeable impact.

I don't read the Daily Mail, nor would I wipe my bum with it.

I'm not old.

I know what it's like to grow up with not much to do. Unlike the current generation of teenagers, for whom there has never been so many choices of leisure time activities (such as a skatepark about 50 yards from the scene of their scumbag behaviour). However, even if they did have nothing to do, it would be neither an excuse or justification for their behaviour.

Apart from that you're spot on.

Quite so!

I get sick to death of hearing the "they've got nothing to do" argument.
Unfortunately we as a society seem to have come to accept scum-bag behaviour.

As you say, perhaps acceptance is better than the kitchen knife treatment.

The one in Thatcham is the same ??? Funny that, because I live VERY close to it and wouldn't consider the children (yes, that's right children !) most of whom are aged around 11 or 12 to be remotely anything like "scummy".

As for your 4" blade -I think you will find the most hazardous thing they carry is a can of Pepsi. What is harmful to society it narrow minded party-poopers who haven't got the balls to ask some kid to pick a crisp packet up, but will look for a policeman to tell them off - like it's the most important thing they have to do !

What??

What??

Good luck with both of those.

99% of the time you may be right - but I won't take the risk!

Maybe they should all bugger off to the coast & have a running battle on the prom with the scooter boys like in the good old days?

Well, speaking as a narrow minded party pooper, it's very easy to 'have the balls' to hide behind a computer with such bravado as you do, but in reality there's a very large difference between telling a child to pick some litter up and telling 4 agressive six foot plus 18yr olds to do likewise.

But of course you're a big tough guy and I wouldn't have the balls to argue with such a real man as yourself. Tell me what you would have done in that situation? I clearly need to hear how a real man's man would deal with things.

But you've not noticed a significant minority (I still refuse that term but whatever, for the sake of the debate let's move past that) - You've noticed a few kids and then brandished an entire generation.




It's actually quite good if you run out of Andrex.



Well, I'm 20. I grew up and I was interested in cars, motorcycles and computers. Up until I was 17 I couldn't enjoy cars or motorcycles and well, there's only so much of sitting indoors starting at a computer monitor you could do before you got square eyes and lost the will to live. I am not interested in skating, nor do I think crafting or scouts is a good use of my time which leaves actually very little to do. If you like partying that's something you can do, but I don't. So what is there to actually do? I never really got in any trouble growing up, not at least when it comes to the law. When I did go out I'd normally just hang out in a park playing on the swings with friends, not really doing anything to affect anyone else.

But I was raised in a different time, the 5 years between me and, perhaps, those kids you saw changed so many things. Now it's apparently in order to get recognition from your peers, rather than getting good results and being clever in class, the thing which gets the "respect" is being violent and mouthy. This problem still existed when I was at school, but it was no where near as bad as it is now. And no, before any one of morons spout it, this has nothing to do with music or video games. I have listened to rap, hip hop and soul music almost exclusively since I was about 10 and I have been playing Grand Theft Auto and watching gory movies since about 8. My worst vice is swearing, I don't stab old ladies and steal their worthers originals. Although worthers originals are very nice.

My worst vice is swearing

and a habit of calling those who have a different opinion / way of doing things to you one of several derogatory epithets.

You really need to pay more attention. Recognising there is a significant minority (real phrase - please look it up because you're making yourself look foolish now) who cause trouble in no way tars a whole generation with the same brush (and btw, while you're looking up 'significant minority' also look up 'brandished', it has an entirely different meaning to the one you think it has. And you cannot 'refuse' a term). I stated that very clearly.

So, yes I have noticed a significant minority, and not in any way branded an entire generation.

I grew up in the 80's when there were no skate parks, video games were almost non existent, we had 4 TV channels, not 400. And we had far less money to spend on anything fun than people have now, even allowing for the current economic situation. (we had 3.5 million unemployed in the 80's, not the 1.5 there is now) Yet somehow we never caused half the trouble teenagers do now.

So to use the old 'there's nothing to do' cliche has no validity, is missing the point entirely, and in any case is never an excuse. If we got into any bother, somebody would invariably stop us pretty quickly, because back then they could do so without being accused of breaking the law themselves, or 'you is abusin' my human rights, innit.'

Must be in your head. We're all friends here and I've never really insulted anyone of this forum.



Of course I can. I did.



You can see my bolded sections and wonder why I am perplexed. I had 5 TV channels during my years at my Mums house, never had Sky or anything. The only ever thing I've stolen was a twix bar when I was like 9, and that was by accident. It was 2005 before we got internet outside of dialup! There are probably 10 good kids for every 1 moron, which is not a "significant minority". Just because people are wearing hoodies, ripped jeans and holding skateboards does not make them scumbags.

Back in the 80's I remember hearing about a collapse of industry, I mean look at British Leyland; a bunch of whiny, moany and lazy people who spent more time on strike than they did at work. You don't get that from this generation of workers. Not to mention the whole raving/ecsatcy scene yet I don't say things like "yet somehow we never did half as much X as they did back in the 80s, far out man" because that was something that most didn't do. Ask most 13-16 year olds outside of the social pressures of friends, just you and them, what they are worried about and most will be worried about what college/university they will get into (along with getting cars and all that stuff), getting a house, that sort of stuff.



I never said it was an excuse. Rather than use it as an excuse, use it as a means of understanding that in boredom people will generally go back to their most feral ways. Note I've never said it was right nor that it was an excuse. There's a difference between that and explaining the reason why someone does something. And there are hardly any teenagers who speak like that either, let alone know what human rights are about. (Har har har)

So tell me then, just how does one 'refuse' a linguistic term? You seem blissfully unaware of the meaning of the word refuse. Perhaps less time on those video games and more time spent on homework would have helped there!

And as for the current genration of non moany, whiny workers. Are you sure about that? BA cabin crew strikes, London Underground strikes, public sector marches etc, etc. Seems somewhat moany and whiny to me. British Leyland were indeed useless, but I'm not sure what that has to do with this topic.

Because it's a contradiction of terms. I'm perfectly educated enough. You know nothing of my exam results nor my qualifications. It may be valid linguistically(which I'm not disputing) but descriptively, not so. As I said, it's HUGELY SMALL. Also my saying that a significant majority of skaters are scumbags is, as I said, comparable to saying a significant majority of black people are thieves!

Do you know these "scumbags" or do you give them nothing but a passing glance as you walk by (presumably in the search for a Policemanofficer or a skinny latte or something) and make a bunch of assumptions? You see a small group of kids who happen to have skateboards who swear and are kicking litter around, and yet you turn that into a significant majority. Equally like when I see an old lady I think "wee bag", you probably see a young person with a skateboard and regardless of their situation think "scum"



Just bringing into fact that in the 80's there were plenty of problems (more infact) there yet people didn't go "a significant minority were lazy/criminals/scumbags/people who say "innit".

err, as you were not born then, how do you know?

There are numerous plant hire firms who will rent you a JCB if you'd like to make the hole you're digging for yourself any deeper.

History lessons.

Also Stewie nice to know that you're capable of having the discussion to begin with. Clearly our views are out of alignment.

Ah I see - the emancipation of the teenager & the problems arising from their new freedoms

Actually I happen to be female ! What would I do in that situation ? Go over and tell them to pick it up and make a few comments about lack of intelligence seeing as you asked !!

As for sitting behind a computer - I am actually running a youth project with users of Thatcham Skatepark at the moment and quite frankly object to your comment "skatepark scumbags". If you like, you can come to our next project meeting and then you can meet some of the aforementioned scumbags. Shall I organise that ?

Please don't.

Why in case they have a 4" blade ??!!

Not so much that, more that you will likely live up to the stereotype of youth workers and thereby make me feel rather ill.

Youthworker ??? I'm not a Youthworker !

I wouldn't take it personally. He has a problem reading and digesting information.

I suggest he dunk them in tea before reading them.

I thought you were running a youth project. What's that if not youth work?

Parent work !

I refuse that!
I think we've already established that you are the one with basic literacy problems. Have you looked up all those oh so very complicated words and phrases yet?

Shouldn't these "scumbags" (not my description) have been at school?

Lol. Quite the mature one you are.

They looked a bit old for that, though I could be wrong. I think they were about 17/18 ish.

You might have to get that Shotgun. Since you couldn't even talk to them I doubt you could shoot them in the face either.

And yet you say I'm being immature? I see the JCB arrived. If you get any deeper you'll be needing a Davey lamp and a canary.

Why would I want a Davey Lamp AND a canary?

Let's hope there's a nice new arts centre in the park in the near future to let these "scumbags" expend their energy in a more productive manner.