The back of the bus…

Saturday, 1st November, 2008

I have a wee bit of a theory knocking about my head at the moment.

I’m not old (I’m fucking not, right) — but I can still remember a time when children (youth) respected (and dare I say, feared) their elders.

I also trained (albeit briefly) as a Primary School teacher, so I know what you are (and more importantly what you’re not) allowed to do or say to children to keep them in line. (Is this perhaps the post with the most parenthesis in the world ever? </digression>)

So, anyway, back to my theory. We hear all the time about how there is no longer any respect shown to the elder generation; there’s little respect for authority from the youth of today, be it towards parents, teachers, or even the law.

Yet, get onto any bus and if there is a youth element travelling on it, chances are they are all sitting right at the back of the bus. As far away from the driver (and by extension the authoritarian presence) of the bus. Having travelled frequently by bus, I know that the basis of this distance between driver and youth is so that they are as free as they can be to be an annoyance to other passengers.

My theory is that somewhere in the youth of today there is still an acknowledgement of authority, otherwise why don’t you find the kids sitting all over the bus causing their annoyances? Whether they realise it or not, they are actually showing some respect to the driver of the bus by making sure they are as far away from him as possible to allow for misbehaviour.

All we need to do is find a way to bring that respect back up to the surface and make them apply it to all aspects of their lives.

Bring back National Service I say.

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Nov

The back of the bus…

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