"What's The Matter With Kids Today?"

 

(What's The Matter With Kids Today)

So this past weekend there were a number of teens downtown and some of them got rowdy and cause some property damage and a few shots were fired. 

First I will start with Mayor Elect Brandon Johnson's statement which was really reasonable:

And I was really surprised by how much anger people had against Brandon Johnson and this statement. This afternoon I was walking and I realized why so many people saying what should we do with (fill in some negative term or comment) teens felt so familiar. It is just them repackaging Bye Bye Birdy. 

Now I am sure anyone caught in the middle of the crowds were stressed but I really wonder if it was any worst than every St Patrick Day, or anytime one of our sports teams wins their championship. I have also been caught on the red line when it is a cubs game and I have felt pretty uncomfortable too.

I guess I am a bit confused because many people are acting like the fact that teens were outside on a warm sunny day is wild and shows we have to ban teenagers from going anywhere. I grew up in a small town in upstate NY and Even I knew of friends who had siblings who threw big parties and basically ended up trashing there parents house even if I never did so myself. 

Should teens get rowdy in the loop? Nope.

Are we providing them enough alternative places to hang out? Nope

Are these teens radically different from teens going back centuries? NOPE

I hope Chicago is able to create more safe spaces for teens to hang out so they are less likely to have so much time on their hands they can get rowdy. And we don't want anyone to feel unsafe here in Chicago but blaming teens is not going to solve any of these problems.