Generation Doom! Should we be scared of our youth?

[Lekan]

Generation Doom! Should we be scared of our youth?

NewsRescue- From the Nigerian kid who recently set his pants on fire trying to detonate a bomb aboard the Detroit headed Delta airliner, to the riots in Iran, the Somalian Pirate captured at sea and brought to the US for justice{MSNBC, April 21 2009}.

Through the five United States citizens captured last week in Pakistan, attempting to attack Pakistan Nuclear reactors{Yahoo News, Dec 26 2009}, the several youth in Richmond California who stood by and/or participated in the rape of a fellow student{CNN Oct 28, 2009}, to the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

There is one significant denominator that can be seen in all these dangerous, wild cases,- Age.

The Nigerian, Mutallab was just 23. The Americans caught in Pakistan ranged from 19-24, the Somalian kid was just 18. Of course the rapists at Richmond, California were all teenagers. Similar ages also are most of the US kids heading off to Somalia and Afghanistan to join the radical wars there.
abdulmutallab

Abdul Mutallab, 23

Have we raised, as my friend fondly calls it, a Generation of Doom?

Usually when cases of terror are scrutinized, religious, social and ethnic affiliations are quickly brought to the notice. But has it escaped our observation that the crazy actions…people ever ready to get engaged in all types of horrific crimes, previously unimagined, are all youth.

Have we failed in raising our youth and can we expect more radical behavior from this generation, brought up without love, real faith and hope and the yet younger age groups?

Single parenthood is rampant these days,  Planned parenthood.org describes children of single parents as less likely to succeed in life and more likely to engage in all types of violent anti-social behavior. Even with both parents present, are they living up to their obligation in raising their children? Has the family failed? And to a larger extent, is the society failing at raising a safe generation of youth to carry on the peaceful successful continued existence of humanity?

Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, 18, grins as he is led into a federal building in New York City
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, 22, suspect in Mumbai attack

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Related- NewsRescue-Why did US security ignore Mutallab warning and allow attack?

Fathered by Rap, kids now up for easy hire?

A recent article in NewsWeek, ‘Girls gone bad’, described this upcoming generation as possibly a generation of prostitutes. What they called ‘prosti-tots‘, the result of kids being fed with the media coverage of morally bankrupt celebrities like Beyonce, Paris Hilton and the like. Ambassadors of degraded standards to the entire world.

Rap music has become global and the degrading and violent messages of rap are fathering kids all over the world where parents, too busy trying to sustain themselves in recession times and pursuing their own wealth and happiness have left a void in training their children. Now in the female generation we see increased sexuality and in the male we see an increased tendency to violent, criminal behavior. Basically the kids are up for hire. Lacking good role models, any kid can be hired to do anything with the little incentive and motivation.

    NewsWeek, Feb 12, 2007- Girls Gone Bad

    Paris, Britney, Lindsay & Nicole: They seem to be everywhere and they may not be wearing underwear. Tweens adore them and teens envy them. But are we raising a generation of ‘prosti-tots’?

I bet, we are yet to see the worst this generation has to offer. 2010 will bring no less surprises than 2009 has, unless we act fast to reconnect with the youth generation and restore faith, love and human culture in them. Else this machinized generation, this facebook generation of children of celebrity shows and Reality TV will surely end human existence.