Where did it all go wrong?
Girl, 12, slashed by classmate
The headmaster has confirmed that a knife was not involved. Maybe I’m just being naïve but I should hope the hell not - no-one needs to carry a knife. And now Jacqui Smith, schools minister, has said that we need new laws to give teachers the power to deal with these thugs.
Now, I know nostalgia ain’t what it used to be, but this kind of thing never happened when I was at school… which, in the scheme of things, isn’t really that long ago. Sure, there were playground scraps and even some run-ins with other schools, but it was all good ol’ fisticuffs. Very gentlemanly, really.
Personally, I believe that things have never been the same since corporal punishment was abolished. The threat of the cane was enough to make you think twice. Not to mention that fact that the local, community bobby (remember them? They normally did your school disco, for some strange reason) knew who you were, where you lived, and your parents. Who always sided with the police instead of retaliating.
When I read stories like this I really worry about the world that will greet our new-born.
Well, I’m very sorry to say that that sort of thing did go on where I grew up, when I was school-age. I grew up in a rough-as-fuck mining town, and quite a few of my old school comrades ended up having their collars felt - and I usually knew about it because my mum worked in the local probation office.
There was a large gang called “The Stanley Gang” (no prizes for guessing their favorite weapon). Several people ran foul of that gang, including someone who was attacked in the (then) Safeway’s car park, for no reason.
The Police tried to make the victim admit that he’d tried to commit suicide, rather than have an unsolved crime on the books.