I agree that the parents and retail store are probably at fault but, from a personal level I notice differences in people wiwho have been influenced by different things. One friend of mine listened to Rock and made friends with drug addicts and drop outs. He was a realy intelligent, good looking boy with great prospects. By 16 he was being treated for mental health issues and had a real problem with society. Now he is almost 17 and moved back into my circle of friends he is becoming kind, sensitive and kind again. Perhaps in the USA you never had social divisions like we did and sort of still do. We also were a lot more conservative until quite recently. In Britain the difference between my generation and the generation of my parents is amazing. Admittedly my parents were quite well bred in an upper middle class environment but still the same class now is racked with drug abuse and alcoholism.
My school for example has a veneer of respectability and excellence which is unrivalled in our area. Underneath the veneer though is a seething bed of drugs and drink, it is a growing problem amongst the richer members of the youth. Is this brought about by parental influence? I dont think so as their parents are all well off, well bred, well educated and quite posh. Is it their friends? Perhaps, but what starts of this peer pressure? I think it is the image given off in the media, For many girls it is this peer pressure image of the perfect girl with poker straight hair and ample breast, for boys it is this tough gansta character straight out of the ghetto. What else drives white middle class teenagers with no need for anything more to resort to gun crime and violence?
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