The Associated Press printed a scant article on Sept. 24 chronicling the malicious cruelty bestowed upon William Teeters, a homeless man, by three members of our nation's youth, all at the tender age of 15.
The trio of juveniles struck Teeters repeatedly with some unspecified deadly weapon, then after their ""fun"" had run its course, they merely sauntered away, leaving Teeters a bloody, discombobulated mess.
Why is this not a source of national outrage? Does the valor of the story really rest on the economic status of the victim? If the victim was, say, some Wall Street well-to-do chap or a porcelain-skinned cheerleader, people would be infuriated.
The senseless brutality committed by mere minors should be a great matter of national and local concern and the apparent lack of reaction by the press and general populous is disturbing because of the violent nature of the crime.
Although these youth are being charged for their crime, they are not being treated for their obvious mental disturbances. For starters, the three high school kids' behavior is clearly indicative of anti-social tendencies.
Last time behavioral scientists checked, antisocial behavior—which is marked by acts of cruelty without remorse and controlling manipulative tendencies, among other aspects—only escalates with time absent of adequate treatment.
Additionally, for individuals with such inclinations, the main driving factor behind these acts of callousness is the desire for power over an individual. This desire for power functions like a drug, so it takes more ruthlessness over time to achieve the much craved ""high.""
If these kids are beating a stranger now, imagine what they could be doing in 10 or 15 years. Scary right? These youngsters having ""nearly victimless"" fun are tomorrow's spousal abusers, serial killers and rapists.
Another disturbing aspect of this story is that it is only glossed over by the AP, which is considered to be one of the most reliable and comprehensive news sources in the United States. If there is only a tiny mention of the incident in the AP, it is hard to believe the story even surfaced in other publications.
There is a perfectly understandable and logical explanation for this: the media want to make a profit. It prints the stories that people are most interested in reading, which is perfectly understandable. The newspapers need to make a profit, the reporters need to support themselves and people naturally want to be informed about riveting happenings.
However, what is completely abhorrent is that people obviously have so little interest in stories such as these that the news media only prints meager articles to fill up whatever space is left. This is concerning because apathy to violence and poverty is a skeleton key that opens the doors leading to unparalleled acts of utmost depravity.
Apathy to this violent beating is also reflective of how homelessness in general is treated by the public and press. We think ignoring it is the best way to deal with it. But this line of thinking is completely senseless because homelessness and its effects have a striking impact on society as a whole.
Being that there are greater societal costs than individual costs, people have the propensity to join the ""not my problem"" brigade and ignore the plight of fellow individuals.
Everyone could actually benefit if homelessness was effectively addressed. Greater economic efficiency would ensue due to more people working legitimate jobs, spending their own money and paying taxes.
Moreover, social problems strongly correlated with homelessness such as crime and drug use could be lessened being that these problems are a function of poverty and desperation.
Nonetheless the most salient point is that every homeless person is someone's son, daughter, parent, best friend and/or spouse, and their fundamental value as human beings is not diminished or negated by their unfortunate circumstances.
Homelessness, as well as the violence inherent in our youth, are both issues that are largely glossed over in the press. Only by giving these issues the coverage they merit can awareness be raised. Maybe then something can be done. Until then, do your part to inform yourself and those around you.
