Has the use of the word “teenager” by the old media given criminal teens a sense of immunity? You see it again and again. Trayvon Martin is constantly referred to as a just a teenager, as though that somehow absolved him of his crimes. Most male children who are brought up in intact families, do not become predatory creatures in their teens. But for those who do not have strong moral, male role models in their lives, especially if this is the default position in their community, predation is common . . .
In a recent home invasion in Georgia, the homeowner grabbed his gun when his door was broken down. As he confronted the three invaders, they begged for mercy.
“The first thing he hollered, we is teenagers, don’t shoot me,” Green said.
Green said he didn’t care what age they were, they were breaking into his home.
“If you are old enough to do a crime, age doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a teenager, you’re grown. If you can do the crime, your punishment, it shouldn’t matter. I had my gun in my hand and I just started firing at them,” Green said.
A six foot plus 17-year-old can be every bit as dangerous as an older criminal, maybe more. As I read media reports, it seems the belief is that being 17 should give some special sort of invulnerability to ballistic responses and incarceration. And while the juvenile justice system may provide some invulnerability to jail for a time, words do not stop bullets.
The “progressive” position seems to be that “children” are inherently good. That is not true. Children are inherently selfish and amoral. In Christianity, this state of being is recognized as original sin. Each child is a wild animal that must be civilized and taught moral virtues. That is much harder to accomplish in a single-parent home. If teenagers are told that they’ll be excused when breaking the law — as many media reports seem to imply — and that get special consideration if they’re only teenagers, we should not be surprised when large percentages of them become actual criminals.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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