Japanese teens arrested for killing swans
This blog is not going to just become a list of crimes that occur in Japan, but I have just read this story which was shocking and worth reporting to others.
Two teenagers detained over killing 8 swans in Ibaraki lake
Thursday 15th May, 10:17 AM JST
Police on Wednesday detained two teenagers for killing eight swans at a park lake in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on April 28. According to police, the two boys, aged 15 and 13, beat the swans to death with wooden sticks at the park from 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on April 28.
The 15-year-old boy was sent to prosecutors, while the 13-year-old boy - who cannot be prosecuted because he is too young - was sent to a child consultation center.
The two were quoted by police as saying, gIt was fun to kill the swans, especially when they tried to swim away.h
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Now is it just me, or is anyone else a little disturbed that these kids will be out of their “consultation center” in no time at all? Are they gonna get bored again and look for more fun. Maybe other animals or people will be even more fun when they try to get away from being killed. What the kids were doing out between 1:00 and 2:30 in the morning is another matter (I know the following day was a Japanese public holiday but even so…). Is it right to question what kind of family background they came from? Maybe the kids came from warm families whose parents had all the time in the world for them, but the kids just had this evil streak in them. Maybe (as happens in many Japanese families), the kids grew up hardly seeing their father due to long working hours & the attraction of snack and hostess bars, they were spoilt by their mother who never saw them do wrong, and so when they hit their teens they thought they could do anything they like to anything/anyone they like. Who knows.
This violent kid trait is not limited to Japan though; it seems to be happening all over the world and in all levels of society. Video games are getting blamed, movies are getting blamed, fatty foods are getting blamed, even a lack of youth centres is getting blamed. The thing is, nobody will ever take responsibility for their own actions, as that would mean admitting they have done something wrong. The buck ultimately stops with the children and (to a lesser extent and depending on their circumstances) on the parents. In the UK, if this story had happened, they likely excuse would be that they didn’t know it was wrong. That excuse is, frankly, pathetic. By the age of 8 or 9, kids should have a strong idea of what is right and what is wrong, as it should have been given to them by their parents showing respect for them and others around them. If the child does something wrong, they should know that there are consequences that have to be paid. That sounds a little sinister but what I mean is a set punishment for certain actions, used as part of a carrot-and-stick system.
But hey, what do I know. I have played video games far too much which means in reality I should have killed at least 10 people I think. I like action and horror movies and so have obviously dreamt about stabbing people to death, if the media and hype is to be believed. But the fact of the matter is, I haven’t done these things because I’m not inherently crazy! At this point I should ask anyone who is related to me or knows me not to argue the opposite, because I am good crazy and not bad crazy!!!
But there we go… as you can tell it’s a quiet day at work so I have time to read these stories and think up these silly rants about them. A slight postscript about the kids who get spoiled by their parents. Was in a department store a couple of weeks ago going up an escelators. Felt something on the back of my leg to find a small Japanese boy (about 6-8 years old I would say) kicking at my ankle because he wanted to get by. The mother was just stood next to him looking disgustedly at me as I was blocking her maniacal child’s path. Despite having a good chance of removing this child’s head clean off his shoulders with a swift knee, I moved to the side at the top of the escelator. Child goes flying past and I make sure that I just clip his heels as he does so. Cue child careering off into a mannequin in the clothing department, mother now looking all embarrassed and me continuing my shopping trip. Fun times…
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