This is a serious question that I'm having difficulty with.
It seems like lately there's a lot of teens having a grand ole time just breaking things, stealing kias, etc. Generally causing monetary distress to the communities they live in without actually stealing anything of value or use.
Like its not crimes of desperation, they're not selling anything they steal, just having a good time breaking car windows and doing general mischief.
I know news media will amplify these for copaganda purposes. Hogs will go wild shouting for public executions of these teens, etc.
But like, what causes this and what can be done to help communities not have dangerously bored teens just absolutely fucking up people's month or year by destroying their budget car they need to get to work, breaking windows which is expensive to fix, and just happens again, and generally just being dicks breaking things.
Not all the victims of crime are annoying SF tech bloggers which are easy to write off and laugh at.
if my simple mind has been completely taken advantage of, please let me know. I just don't get the young chaos agents. I can defend people stealing from walgreens but I just don't get breaking your neighbors shit.
EDIT: Since the real likely answer is sad and doomery, I want to invite folks to offer ideas of what could be done to strengthen these communities and give these kids an outlet.
I work with kids, and also smashed shit as a kid.
I don't believe there is a meaningful increase in this beviour.
I think this is what happens if you remove all agency to a group of people who desperately want it - they will take it even if it's not "productive" to do so. It is productive to them if it means they get to feel a little bit of control, even for a moment.
Societies around the globe have had deeply established rituals to allow adolescents to transcend into adulthood and participate in society. The west infantilizes them until their early 20s, which is fine if you're rich because your family can afford to enrich your life and give you opportunities to develop yourself in ways you're proud of. If you're poor you just get nothing, excluded from society. So yeah kids break shit.
"Invite your young to sit around the village fire, or they'll burn your village to the ground for the warmth."
I appreciate the response.
I don't think what is happening is a broader trend, more so a fat blip on the general day to day.
As someone who works with kids, what do you think kids would want, agency wise or otherwise?
They want dignity, to be respected and treated as entire human beings, and they want to control over decisions that affect their lives. Just normal things most people want.
If you're rich and your parents can pay for you to get really good at something you're into, you have access to that dignity without actually having true agency.