Morally degenerate youth?

HE recent actions of some youths viciously assaulting a man who inadvertently disturbed an illegal drag race have stimulated much discussion in society. I was shocked and disgusted at the actions of those individuals who booted and hit that man, and joined the chorus in condemning their actions.

However, this has led to much discussion as to whether our youths are becoming morally degenerate. Of course, this discussion is led by some older folk and done so very vociferously on social media when commenting.

The question that arises after reading such comments and hearing people express their views on the youth is: “Is it fair to condemn an entire group of people for the actions of a few?”

The youth have in the past, and will, now and in the future, always dominate the news when such incidents arise, and such comments will be made, but are such generalisations made when some older folk do wrong and it is caught on camera and publicised?

Do people go around saying: “All middle-aged people, or all senior citizens, are morally degenerate? The answer is no!

I consider myself lucky to lead a life where my path intersects with the youth on a regular basis and I am often reminded of the words of my English teacher, Mr Kally, to me when I joined the ranks of the teaching profession and taught alongside my former teacher. He said: “Don’t ever forget that you were once young too.”

At one of my recent karaoke outings I met youngsters who were equally shocked by this incident and it dominated the discussion for the evening with all of them condemning the actions of those responsible.

Another young group, whom I know well, consisting of about nine or 10 males and females who are friends, get together every Monday evening, alternating the meeting place so everyone has a chance to host this get-together, where they make more than 300 sandwiches at their own cost.

Now this is not for their consumption. The next day, Tuesday, they join other groups and go out on the streets to meet the homeless and distribute hot meals the others have prepared. The sandwiches are given so that the homeless have something for breakfast.

They do this without fail every week and I’m blessed to know such lovely youths, who did not need to be told to help others but saw the suffering and on their own took action to alleviate it in their small way.

There are many who help in different ways and in different spheres of life, and they are not the exception but the norm.

The area I live in has more than 24 informal settlements, where some folk live in serious abject poverty. I have been approached by youth groups who come in and distribute blankets and food in these areas and they do so without any need for publicity.

They also do so in a wellorganised manner and show real compassion when dealing with the poor. In a similar manner, I recently made an appeal to assist the very poor children with school uniforms and books and my appeal was responded to by young and old, who gave what they could.

I was touched by some of the youngsters who apologised for not being able to give more but promised they would assist when their meagre earnings would allow it.

There are organisations with youth wings who also engage in similar projects and their youth are groomed to ultimately take over the running of the organisation and maintain its ideals and purpose.

It is my opinion that we do our youths a disservice by broadly condemning them for the actions of a few. Bad news does spread fast and often wins the race in reaching out to more people than good news does.

We must also remember that the youths of the 1980s and 1990s also played a vital role in toppling apartheid.

Finally, my point to those who insist our youths are morally degenerate is that if you persist with that argument then please be prepared to take the blame for it, because as elders it was your job to guide and nurture them.

Fortunately, we can say that the majority of our youths are not morally degenerate, and that within society there will always be people of all ages, sexes and any other criteria you could think of, who could wear the mantle of being “morally degenerate”.