An article from www.straitstimes.com (Friday, 19 November 2010)
Teen slashed in AMK
by Brian Huang
POLICE have arrested a teenager who was involved in an attack on another youth in Ang Mo Kio on Thursday.
In yet another incident of youth violence, a 17-year old , who was acquainted with the alleged attacker, also 17, was slashed on the right shoulder at Block 448, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 at about 7pm.
The victim, who left a blood trail from outside a 24-hour restaurant, where the attack took place, was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The New Paper reported on Friday that the two youths had got into a loud dispute and a shoving match before the victim was knifed.
A police spokesman told straitstimes.com on Friday morning that the incident had nothing to do with gang activities, and investigations are ongoing.
The latest incident comes after a teen was slashed to death at Downtown East and seven others were attacked in Bukit Panjang.
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Task
Comment on the above article. What are your thoughts on youth violence in Singapore? Why do you think more of such cases are surfacing? How will this affect the future of Singapore?
Deadline: 26 November 2010, Friday, 2359 hours SGT
I think youths nowadays act more rashly and act on impulse without thinking of the consequnces of his/her actions. Youth violence is very dangerous.
ReplyDeleteMore cases of youth violence are surfacing because of the fact that teenagers are playing more computer games that are violent, for example, war craft. These games would affect their mind set and makes them think that violence is okay in the real world. Some of them may have family problems and their family neglects them. Therefore, if anyone is willing to give him/her attention, he/she would be very happy, Even if the person giving the teenager the attention is a gangster. so the teenager would follow their new friends and do violent things together.
If these things continue to happen more frequently, it would affect Singapore's reputation of being a safe country and lesser foreign investers would come to invest in Singapore, Causing great financial problems for Singapore.
Youth violence is unnecessary. As the saying goes, violence is not the best option to problems solving. Instead of calming the situation and solving problems, more troubles will take place because during the fights, most probably the innocence and the fighters will be injured. If someone is killed when the fight took place, killer may also be sentenced to death penalty. Nowadays, youth violence has been a hot topic among people since the death of Darren Ng took place at Downtown East.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, youth violence is caused my many factors. One of which is due to family background. Take for example a family with violent members in it. Every day, fights and quarrel takes place in the house. Eventually, the youths living in the house will be influenced by the scenes that they witness every day. This is no wonder why the trend of youth violence is getting popular among youths.
Unfortunately, if youth violence continues to happen to Singapore, Singapore will be infamous, a name which no Singaporean will want as a name for his country. Moreover, Singapore tourism will also be affected. Foreigners who want to visit Singapore for a holiday will think thrice because they may be afraid to get killed anytime die to youth violence. Also, the economy of Singapore will also be affected due to the fall in the number of tourists visiting Singapore. Hence, it is favourable if youth violence is eliminated from Singapore as it will do all of us good.
It is very shocking to see more and more cases of youth violence are increasing in Singapore. I think why youths are resorting to violence are signs of recklessness and immaturity. Youths nowadays are very recklessin their actions, they are not willing to settle down and reason the problem with the other people involved, they prefer to use violence. They do not think of the consequences of their actions. They feel that by reasoning using their mouths are deemed as " sissy" and by resorting to violence they are then known as " strong and brave man". Moreover if they are in a gang or secret society, they have their gang members as a backing and support. So in such a circle, youths are unable to see what is right or wrong. They think by letting weapons or their fists speak, it is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI too feel that most singaporeans take the peace and security in Singapore for granted. So much so that most people let down their guard thinking that nothing will happen in Singapore. And now, when cases like this occurs, people are shocked and starts to blame schools for not teaching students well etc etc. But I feel that people should change their mindset. " Low crime doesnt means no crime" and we should stay vigilant at all times wherever we are.
Lastly, I feel that schools do have a part to play to help educate students , help them see what is the right thing to do. Like resorting to violence is not a right thing to do. Show them the consequences and let them know that a single violent action from a single person will cause hurt and misery to many others. Also, family members should keep an eye on their children and constantly remind them not to use violence to resolve matters, cool down and reason out for there is not a problem that cannot be solved. Otherwise, approach an adult that the youths can trust to help. I believe with proper education, such cases of youth violences will decrease.
Nowadays, we would have seen lots of cases involved in youth volience. It have struck the awareness of the police and the governament to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, i feel that some what pressurised after the case. This is because you might never know what will happen to you. You would not realise that you are caught starring at people and the next moment you became a victim of this issue.
The soceity is lacking security now and which every Singaporean took it for granted. It is very dangerous for people to go out alone,especially out at night. In addition, we have to make sure that our action do not evoke anything. For example, making sure that we do not constantly stare at people with big tattoo engrave on their body.
In actual case, I feel that the police and the government should not only use the hard method to teach and punish these youngster. But also to use soft approach to inculcate them the right values.
Parents have been blamed from not teaching the child well when they are young. True, but only to a certain extent. When such youngsters lack of family love, they decided to seek upon the bad company so as to attract more attention towards them.
In my own opinion, inculcating the right values and morality since young is the right way to bridge a civilised person and hence able to contribute towards the soceity. The government should increased more civil and moral lessons during the primary and secondary school days. I believed that whether a person's future is good or not, highly depends on their upbringing. Thus, what i suggest is that, we can help these people realise their mistakes and also to teach the young ones to value everything and not do things in a wrong way just to attract attention.
Being a youth , relating to these incidents isn't too hard. Most youths are simply to easily provoked ,and without proper self control , these cases can occur.
ReplyDeleteThe recent teen stabbings is most probably a result of a simple act : staring. Most of the youths are are in gangs are usually short tempered , and when provoked by a simple act like staring , they will not hesitate to blow up and act rashly.
There are two main factors that play an crucial part in these cases. The first factor is the upbringing of these youths. If they are brought up in a broken environment , without proper discipline , the mindset when they grow up will be one that encourages unpropitious behaviour , and thus the person will be an advocate for youth violence. Another factor is the mental stability of the youth. Some teenagers are very unstable , and with the slightest provokation will cause them to explode , which often results in unpleasant outcomes.
However , i strongly believe that the personal responsiblity and the morals of the youths have a very big role to play too. These factors are under the teen's control, ensuring that the teen would not have the excuse of blaming external influences and circumstances. However ,These constituents are molded by our daily activities , which will result in our moral compass being adjusted. However , we do have control over what information we allow to change our values. For example , playing a violent game . If you allow the violence of that game to infiltrate you minds and shape your morals , your actions too will be influenced by that game. However , if your just play that game without taking in any of the violence , it would not affect your morals at all. Thus , the need of discipline from parents is very important. If parents fail to discipline their children properly , a single wrongdoing could have severe consequences.
I feel that this would not have any profound impact on Singaporeans . Most of us will eventually forget about this incident ,as we are too busy cooped up with our daily activities of a typical Singaporeans. Eevntually we will forget about it , and this incident will probably occur once more. However , no matter how much sadness this incident has caused , it will surely serve as an important warning to our generation of youths , which is something to be thankful for.
i think that the teens involved in such cases of violence ,don't think using their heads when they are doing all of this violence,without thinking what will happen to them if they get caught and how will their family feel when they do such things.it is ridiculous to see people slashing one another just for simple trivia matters such as accidentally bumping into one another.they should ask themselves, Is it worth it?For such violence , they can get sentenced to jail for a few months maybe but if the victim of violence dies, it would become a murder case and it would be a death sentence for that person.
ReplyDeletei think that more and more of such cases are surfacing as they just want attention , they could be deprived of childhood attention or are just too spoiled by their parents letting them have their way.As the old saying goes it takes 3 years to learn to be good but it takes only 3 days to learn to be bad.
i think it will affect Singapore economically as i might reduce the number of tourist coming to Singapore at the same time affecting Singapore's tourism economy
Singapore being one of the safest country in the world, is slowly deproving due to the recent slashings cases happening around in this country. The people who are involved in these cases are teenagers. All these started with a stare. The first victim was attacked as the gang members thought the victim was staring at them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, teenagers nowadays do not have self control due to certain reasons. Family problems can be one of them. Parents may neglect them due to busy working life, hence teenagers mixed around with bad influence and get into their activities. Family background is one of them too. If the family members are violent, the teenagers may also get influenced. Another factor is teenagers are addicted to violent online games, which influence their mindsets and lead to such cases.
These cases will have a certain impact on singapore's reputation and economy. Tourists may not trust singapore's safety as much, hence not coming for tour, leading in the fall of economy and reputation.
In my opinion, youth violence is dangerous and will be a treat to the security of the society. It may happen any time and any where, and would also cause harm to people even those who are not involved.
ReplyDeleteThe recent cases of teen slashings are examples of youth violence. The causes of these cases, in my opinion, are considered immature and totally unnecessary. Teenagers nowadays are very easily provoked over small and unneccesary matters. They can be angered by people who just simply stared at them. Their short temper and immature behaviour are some of the causes of the increasing trend of youth violence in Singapore.
The surroundings they are exposed to is another factor. Family plays an important role in the upbringing of a teenager. Their family would be the first to influence them. If the youth is brought up without any proper guidance, there is a higher possility that the youth might develop some unwanted characteristics that might contribute to the causes of youth violence. Other than their family, the people they are exposed to are also a factor. Even if they are brought up with proper guidance, other people around them could also influence them and affect their character.
Youth nowadays are also exposed to violence at a younger age through the media. Most of them are viewing more violent shows at a tender age as they think that it is more thrilling.They are also playing violent computer games because they enjoy the thrill thay experienced while playing the games. These are easily accessible. Although they might not seem to be serious, these violent media and games could affect the mindset of the youths. These could lead to such cases.
If more cases of youth violence continue to surface, it will have a great impact on Singapore's reputation and security. The number of tourist and investers interested in Singapore would soon decrease as they would lose their trust in Singapore's security. The future of Singapore might also be at risk as it would be in the hands of the youths today. If the youths continue to show such behaviour, there might not be anyone to lead the nation and the morality of society would also change. This would cause Singapore to fall
After reading this article, I feel that youth violence is getting very common nowadays, especially gang fights and murder cases are increasing even in this low crime rate country Singapore. This is definitely a bad sign.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I think that more of these cases are surfacing because these youths are getting very rebellious at their ages. This is then worsened by the generation gap between their parents and them. Their parents’ over- protectiveness also prevented their teachers and even themselves from educating them.
These recent cases have tarnished Singapore’s reputation as a low crime rate city and therefore may affect Singapore in certain area such as tourism. If these cases keep increasing, nobody will dare to come to Singapore as they may be afraid of being a victim of these violent cases. This will in turn act as a barrier for Singapore to scale new heights.
Youth violence is dangerous and should be dealt with seriously and effectively. In recent months, we can see the increase in cases of violence in youth that leads to death. This problem has caused worries among the society. The reason why there is a sudden increase in cases of youth violence is probably because youths these days tend to be more impulsive. Violence will break out easily between them just because of trival incidents.
ReplyDeleteEveryone in singapore should start to take action against this matter. Not only the police. The police's job is to ensure the that the citizens of the country are save. However, without the help of every singaporean, the police would not be able to achieve it.
Firstly, parents of teens should start to advice their teens; They should be taught how to handle problems without using violence. Next, youths themselves should try to stay out of trouble. Other citizens can also join patrol teams at their own housing estate to ensure safetyness.
Singapore's reputation of a safe country would be affected if this problem is not dealt with properly. In a long run, it would also affect Singapore's economy. This is because many tourists would be afraid of coming to Singapore as it is no longer as safe as it used to be.
I find that teens are now very irresponsible for their own actions. They don't think before they act, and thus resulting in many negative impacts.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, what they did will sadden his or her families. People will blame their parents for not raising them properly, for not keeping an eye on them. Resulting in their parents taking the blame for them to protect their own children.
Secondly if the problem worsens, tourists will be too scared to visit Singapore, thereby affecting our economy. Furthermore, Singapore will no longer be a safe country for foreigners and Singaporeans alike.
So what can we do to do our part to prevent these incidents from occuring?
Schools can warn students about the dangers that gang fights can bring about, as well as the consequences. Students who need help can approach school counselors, teachers, parents or any adult they can trust.
Parents can do their part by advising their own children on what to do. They can also check on their child everyday to see what their up to. Parents should control their children in anyway possible to protect. Children may dislike this, but its a way for their parents to protect them and show them how much they care.
Teens can also help my giving their own friends advice if they are in need. They can give them their own views of the problem and provide ways to solve them. Most important of all, give them support.
Teenagers... nowadays... are inadequate of putting themselves in other's shoes. They simply fail to see perspectives offered by other people around them, and therefore are totally immune to the harm they inflict. In other words, they don't care anymore.
ReplyDeleteWith a generation of such uncaring, sadistic youngsters being nurtured in Singapore, what sort of message are we sending to tourists, or people who want to migrate here? We are saying "Do live in Singapore and become part of the large dangerous community that could slash you up anytime of the day". Who in the right mind would be eager to reside here?!
This issue of teenage violence is also causing much unrest and uneasiness amongst the citizens of Singapore. Now, parents are much more strict with their children on staying out late. Walking home at night is suddenly scary as hell. All because of the ruckus a bunch of youngsters are causing, with their parangs and knives. It's terribly indecent of them, isn't it?!
The best way to deal with all this is to round the lot of them up and lock them away for a good half a lifetime or so. And those involved in murder will obviously just go hang la. the end.
Youth violence is disturbing, unnecessary and puzzling to me. It is truly sad to see that the next generation of Singapore consists short tempered, short sighted people.
ReplyDeletePeople that flare up and demand an explanation - just because someone else is curious and wants to take a look, not a glance. People that jump into fights without thinking for its consequences and how it might affect others. People that can work together in groups or alone to kill another person, that is truly disturbing.
It is also a wonder why there are even youths that are in gangs. Did they not have proper education that teaches them to know better? Did they not have a proper upbringing to teach them not to go astray? Or are all these particular youths coming from families with connection to gangs in the first place?
Questions swarm my mind, making me so puzzled.
Such cases are surfacing because Teenagers and youths in Singapore are all too easily influenced. The first case, would probably be known as the ‘pioneer’ case as it is the first of its kind. How the staring led to slashing is only because there was a single member of the gang that was short tempered and the rest followed suit just because they were influenced by his wrath and wanted to help him.
The other cases after this were probably because other gangs of teenagers were influenced/inspired by the pioneer case. I can imagine that the other gangs were impressed by this one act of extreme violence and favoured the attention that the media gave and the fear it struck into the hearts of many Singaporean citizens. Thus leading to several other acts of slashing.
As I mentioned above, helping a friend might lead one to frightening consequences if one does not think before acting. It is similar to doing what another tells you without thinking. An exaggerated example would be if Friend A Asks Friend B to jump off a building. Obviously Friend B would not do so as it would mean killing himself! However if Friend A asks Friend B to join him in bullying someone else and Friend B doesn’t use his brain – he might actually agree to do so.
Singapore’s name will be tarnished no doubt about that. However the past will remain in the past if everyone in Singapore steps up to help stop it. For parents to educate their children better, for teenagers themselves to be aware of the distinct line between right and wrong. For the police to deal out worthy punishments that will serve as a deterrent to others that may want to commit the same crime.
(LATE! SORRY!)