I need this explained in words of one syllable

I'd rather save the knock out tablets for those who are irresponsible with fireworks

 

One day I will write a book. It's title will be, 'No ball games'.

 

You know, that might just work, if it was only for one night, these days it goes on for weeks before and weeks after and then joins up with the new year celebrations.
We only get rid of it once the idiots have totally run out of money after the new year.

 

It will be about the systematic alienation of our youth, probably starting around the 1960s with the move away from the rows of terraces to the more open plan housing estates with communal green spaces. Kids would fill these spaces and annoy the adult neighbours when their football accidentally went astray and got too close to a window. So up goes the sign, no ball games, and now a group of kids innocently passing the time with a kick about, is now a group of miscreants. All forms of fun gradually become illegal until we reach the 21st century when we even have technology, the 'mosquito device', purpose built to remind young people that society hates them and having brought them into the world, we now wish they'd just flock off, and don't come back til they're at least 30 and drive an expensive car on long term hire and have a dull job. Then with all this blatant oppression, we then wonder why it is that some of them don't show us any respect.

 

I wasn't having a dig at you FC. I agree, it is bang out of order (pun intended). My point is it is a problem largely of society in general's making. What's even worse is that we haven't even learned anything. Rather than giving kids something to do, we are still further turning the screw. For example, at our local park, for as long as I can remember, there were free to use tennis and basketball courts. They were regularly used, either for their intended purpose, or for 5 a side or general harmless games. A couple of weeks ago I took my lot there, with tennis gear, only to discover a really, really rubbish make moo poo crazy golf setup in their, and the gates padlocked. A passerby told us that now you can only get in when the new crazy golf is open, and not for ball games any more. Now me and my lot being good obedient numbers, nothing became of it. We just found an empty area of lawn in the park and played a half arsed attempt at tennis with no net and a surface that the ball won't bounce on, before going home, bored and disappointed. A group of adolescents in the same scenario might have gone on to vent their frustration and boredom in some way that would compell society to hate them even more than the default baseline of hatred reserved for the youth just for being young.

I've not become some leftist beardy. I think there should be discipline and suitable punishment for the genuinely bad, but I also think we'd have fewer idiots on the streets if we didn't automatically treat people as scum just because they're at a particular stage of their life.

One more example. The local kids aikido class. It was opened in a large village near here where there is a large population of young families and nothing to do. A top bloke opened the aikido club with a specific goal in mind. He wanted to give the local kids something fun to do, that would teach them discipline and self respect, while being fun. Aikido is a martial art. The ignorant might associate it with violence, but it has no attacking moves, and very few strikes. It's basically what coppers learn so they can restrain a thug. After a while, with absolutely no troubles from the club, they got kicked out of the hall they were using. No reason, other than the committee have decided it's not in line with the image they want for their hall. Fortunately they found another venue, but lost lots of members as people understandably didn't want to pay their annual insurance and membership renewals when they didn't know if the club was even going to be able to keep going. So actually worse than 'no ball games', these were kids that were indoors, having fun under the supervision a top bloke, and still they were moved on.