Talking to my brother this morning about rapidly youth crime, it seems to be a thing happening globally. The rate of change depends on the past baseline, but it is ramping up rapidly, and becoming far more aggressive and violent in nature. There are many sides to it, but what I have noticed talking with various people, is that most seem to think thew solution lays in legislation and policing. I don't think this is going to help at all, other than increase the cost of management of an escalating problem, because it doesn't address the cause of the issue.
The supply needs to be cut.
It is an upstream problem.
There is a famous parable that visualizes the upstream problem.
“Imagine a large river with a high waterfall. At the bottom of this waterfall hundreds of people are working frantically trying to save those who have fallen into the river and have fallen down the waterfall, many of them drowning. As the people along the shore are trying to rescue as many as possible one individual looks up and sees a seemingly never-ending stream of people falling down the waterfall and begins to run upstream. One of other rescuers hollers, ‘Where are you going? There are so many people that need help here.’ To which the man replied, ‘I’m going upstream to find out why so many people are falling into the river.’”
—Saul Alinsky
Where are all these delinquent children coming from?
And I think this is where it gets challenging to solve, because the problem isn't singular in nature and has many influencing factors that need to be addressed. Also, the river itself isn't a part of the environment, it is the stream of society as a whole, with everyone approaching the edge of the waterfall, just travelling at different rates. If the problem of youth crime is to be addressed adequately, it isn't enough to focus on individuals, or even the groups, the entire direction of the stream needs to be changed so it doesn't lead to the cliff it is hurtling toward.
At the core, I believe the macro thing of supreme importance to humanity and the individual, are the qualities of our relationships. Large and small, it is these that make up society at the global and the local levels. I believe it is obvious that nearly everyone on earth is better when they have healthy relationships in their lives, but it is rarely considered how all of these relationships bind together to provide a meta for society.
Over the last several decades, the rise of individualism for profit has been the business direction, which has led to all kinds of developments that facilitate us to be more capable by ourselves and less reliant on others. This sounds like a good thing and it is in many respects, but it has also led to disconnection, disenfranchisement, and isolation. This has created a host of societal problems, with one symptom of the dysfunction being youth crime. But there are other symptoms, like depression, substance abuse, and loneliness.
For a long time "the breakdown of the family" has been talked about, but the focus tends to be narrow, as if it is the family itself that is important. Yes, families are a big part of this, but at the core it is about the quality of relationships within the family that matter, not the concept of a family itself. A family alone is not enough to change this, because there is peer interaction and influence. Treating all of this as isolated instances, isn't going to help.
The meta has to change.
The breakdown of the family has happened because of all of these isolating disconnection activities, and it has sped up because business has found ways to make them stickier for profit. Things like social media and streaming services are examples of isolating consumer products and despite what many people believe about themselves, we are all influenced heavily when we use them. But even when we don't, we are influenced by them indirectly through our interactions with others.
There is a term called "competitive cognitive artifact" which is relevant here.
The mathematical biologist David Krakauer penned the term and it means: technologies that improve our cognitive power, but leave us worse off without them.
However, these consumer tools aren't only competing cognitively, they are competing socially. They are "Competitive Social Artifacts" (if this hasn't been penned by others, I claim it). And the impact of these artifacts have been enormously detrimental to society as a whole, as the compete for and degrade the relationships at an individual level, and therefore change the meta at a group level also. Everything from the amount of time and quality of time we spend with each other, to the depth of friendship, the circles of trust, the ability to communicate and how we are able to read others have all been affected, and much, much more.
The changed meta has not only directed us away from human-need development, it has pushed us toward a cliff to where humans are increasingly irrelevant, using technologies that speed the flow of the stream. The upstream problems are multifaceted, and while the breakdown of the family is one aspect, there are problems further upstream again. Essentially, we need to get to the root causes of what directs the stream and we need to redirect, cutting off the flow to the waterfall, and over.
Legislation treating symptoms is never going to work, in the same way that even with all of the legislation around illicit drugs, problem usage is increasing. Problem usage isn't increasing because people are enjoying their lives so much, it is increasing because they are looking to escape whatever life they have. They are looking for an easing of their problems, a way to disconnect from them. And social media, streaming services, food, medicine, and all other consumer industries are leveraging this desire to ease discomfort, for profit. It doesn't matter that the solutions they sell are treating symptoms and not the causes, because that just means they have repeat customers.
As you have likely noticed, none if this addresses youth crime directly, nor is any of it a potential quick fix. That is because there is little point in treating youth crime other than mitigating risk, if the cause of the issues aren't being addressed. It is the same for loneliness, depression, domestic violence and problem drug usage. As long as the upstream factors aren't addressed, nothing will change.
If there are only the resources available to do one thing, it makes far more sense to save those who aren't in the water yet, because that stems the flow and will eventually lead to no one going over the edge of the waterfall. This easing at the edge will show positive progress and save more resources, that can then be moved to other areas. Treating at the waterfall point will not only mean a continual flow, it will also result in a massive amount of failure, which puts more pressure on the system, as it collapses further and further under the stress, no matter how many resources are thrown at it.
As I see it (very idealistically), our activities from the ground up, from the individual all the way through to the governments and largest corporations, should have the main goal being improvement of human wellbeing. If this was the underlying mechanism for all activity above from business and government, then it would impact positively on everything that facilitates wellbeing - the environment, the energy sector, military, finance, automotive, medicine, consumer electronics and the list goes on. And, these impact on people at the professional level with work-life considerations, which impact on families, children, and individuals as a whole.
The underlying mechanism is "for profit" currently, and that leads to all of the problems that appear above. The problems are symptoms of illness and dysfunction, and while it is easy to blame individuals and small groups, they are products of the environment, influenced at every touch point, which is driven by the "for profit" meta. That meta reduces the quality of our relationships, which is why so many people say "never get into business with friends and family".
That shouldn't be the case.
We should be able to be in business with friends and family because business should be aimed at improving wellbeing, meaning that our relationships strengthen, not degrade. However, we have been so conditioned by the current meta, that we don't know anything else, and can't imagine a different way. Any suggestion that questions the status quo is rejected as crazy and fanciful, as if it is impossible. But just imagine telling a tribe a hundred thousand years ago that they won't care about each other, and that they shouldn't work together for the common good, and that they are better off alone.
Could they imagine it?
Are we better off alone? Should we only work for ourselves? Should we not care for others?
Society is suffering a death by a thousand cuts, yet we seem to keep ignoring the underlying tool that is being used as a knife to sever the relationships that bind us together. There is no quick fix. But the fix isn't that complicated to understand. It is just more convenient to not do something now, even if we all go over the edge in the future.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Right, it was due to the way of bringing up a child by family before. Yet, today I think it is mostly due to the social media and peer influence among them. An unsatisfied generation has been created by some uncapable parents. Also, stupid and dangerious behaviours have been normalized by social media, such as beating someone and recording it.
This is part of it. But these tools have come about for a reason, driven by business profits. All reports say screens are bad for kids - yet the corporations keep producing content designed to keep them using screens, right?
I don't agree individualism is to blame. I think we are seeing the consequences of nihilistic secular humanism as drilled into the wider culture through education, the media, and politics. How you feel matters more than how you reason out a position. Central banks and fiat money have wiped away opportunity by consolidating wealth, but people blame "the free market." And kids with no purpose, often from broken families, with no moral role models beyond TikTok have no reason to strive.
Where has this come from though?
There has been a push for the last 100 years to drive people to toward isolation and away from family. Perhaps it ramped up more since WW2 and after so many men were killed, pushing more women into the workforce also. Women used to be the social glue that held communities together at the local level. It is all part of the meta.
It is "free" - the banks are exerting their freedom to control ;)
This is a direct result of profit at any cost consumerism that has resulted in the development of applications and algorithms that compete for attention. That attention is taken from elsewhere - which is ultimately away from interacting with other humans directly and locally.
The entire economic algorithm for profit rather than wellbeing creates an environment that has encourages that nihilistic secular humanism you mentioned.
I think your cause-and-effect analysis is flawed.
Placing all the blame on corporations and none on the people who choose to consume as if they are automatons seems to be missing a big part of the picture.
Addendum:
Consider the wider trends, not just delinquency, but also depression, anxiety, suicidality, gender dysmorphia, and other indications the young'uns are not OK in a wide range of areas.
Obviously working in a school system, I think this is one of those issues that needs to be addressed in the home. Many times the parents send them to school expecting us to "fix them", but if none of that is reinforced in the home, it doesn't matter. I remember it used to be maybe once per year there would be a fight at school. Now it is weekly if not daily. Of course back then people didn't have so many distractions and for the majority of people being a parent was something that actually took priority over finding your next partner or having a good time on a Friday night.
Yes it does for sure. The problem is, the "home" is no longer a place for real nurture it seems - just another space to sit and be entertained.
We see images of metal detectors at schools - is that common?
We don't have them at our school, but we are a pretty small country district. That being said, we have had one or two instances where a gun was brought to school. The problem with metal detectors is you spend a bunch of money to give a false sense of security. They aren't fool proof. I think in bigger city districts they probably catch a lot of stuff.
My friend @tarazkp, your reflection on the global rise in youth crime and the need to address the systemic causes, beyond superficial solutions such as laws or policing, is both lucid and urgent. I fully agree that the ‘upstream’ approach -identifying and transforming the roots of the problem-, is essential to prevent more people from falling down the cascade. The parable you mention, attributed to Saul Alinsky, perfectly encapsulates this principle: without questioning why the current is dragging so many towards the precipice, any effort to rescue those already in the water will be insufficient.
His analysis of the erosion of human relationships at the heart of the crisis is particularly relevant. The commodification of individuality -driven by industries that prioritise profit over wellbeing-, has generated a profound disconnection. Platforms such as social media, designed to capture attention rather than foster authentic connections, act as ‘competitive social artefacts’ (a term that, as you point out, deserves greater attention). These not only replace meaningful interactions with simulacra, but also model unrealistic expectations, exacerbating loneliness and escape-seeking (drugs, compulsive drinking, violence).
However, I would like to add that the challenge is not only to reverse this dynamic, but to re-imagine systems that integrate collective well-being at their core. For example:
Your critique of the ‘meta’ of profit seems to me to be right: as long as profit continues to drive social structures, solutions will be patchwork solutions. Changing this will require a collective movement that questions current incentives and promotes policies that value the quality of relationships -in families, schools and public spaces- as a pillar of progress.
However, it is crucial to recognise that this change will not be linear. Resistance from those who benefit from the status quo, coupled with cultural inertia, will make the process slow. But, as you imply, even small adjustments in the flow -such as prioritising early prevention over repression-, can alter its course over time.
This is my humble view, the view of a retired teacher now working in research.
I am not sure about this one, because I reckon centralized education systems do a terrible job of this kind of training. They are fine for mathematics basics, but social engineering is incredibly poor. I think this has to come through environmental experience, and the current environment is conditioning them not to experience much past their screen.
There has to be a ground up reworking of what we value. It has shifted over time to the point it is now unrecognisable from what it was, and works against humanity, not for it.
Since I started studying at university, my world has expanded and I find both reflections, that of Mr. @tarazkp and yours @amigoponc, relevant to world events. We are beings of cycles and perhaps we are literally returning to the caves.
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The youth crime also rise here in the Philippines, not just an ordinary crime, some commit murder, rape, stabbing, theif and the like. These is a result of the law pass by politicians who doesn't think of it's consequences. The protect a youth under 18 years old. If commit a crime, to case should be file.
Yeah, it is happening everywhere similarly. It is terrible for everyone. The law can't do much about it. The law is also looking out for profit, not wellbeing.
I feel due to exposure from use of electronic devices, social media and then peer pressure. Back then every child is everyone's responsibility but not people tend to overact when someone is trying to discipline their child.
It used to take a village to raise a child - now it has been outsourced to a 5 inch screen.
True
Because of weak law enforcement, the criminal has no fair of consequences, there are many factors why these criminals commit crimes the major problem here in Philippines is about using drugs, those drug addicts often commit theft, robbery, rape, assaults, violence and even murder, it is very scary what if our children would become a victim of these drug addicts. This problem requires strong enforcement, rehabilitation programs and public awareness.
But, why are they drug addicts in the first place? putting them all in jail doesn't solve the problem of where they are coming from.
I think access to easy internet and world news my be of the reason for the same
It is part of it, but it isn't the cause. The way the internet is used is a symptom of the cause.
Yes agreed
I strongly agree with you that our relationships' qualities matter and that we do not find treatment for the symptoms alone but find a cure for the root cause. As for me, I still believe in the saying, "No man is an island". We need each other.
We need each other at so many levels, that if we were able to mature completely alone, we would be pretty useless.
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Today's society pushes individualism a lot even though it’s tearing apart the connections that keep us grounded. When we get too caught up in convenience and profit, we lose sight of the simple stuff like just being there for each other
It is unbelievable how the rate of femicides has risen worldwide.
The primary cause is a deliberate push to destroy the nuclear family.
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