On the 57^th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence day I feel that I represent a lot of the people that come from the Caribbean with the following comments…

Years ago two individuals (young adults at the time) born in the 60’s told me about their teenage years and the problems they had with their parents then. Mothers and fathers together were strict to the point of ejecting their teenage sons or daughters from the family home for disobeying their ‘back-a-yard’ rules and ignorant mentality about raising children, some were brutalised by their parents who possibly had it done to them as children back home in Jamaica, ignoring the fact that they were now living in what they had always thought to be a civilise developed country like England.

Both individuals talked about their experiences on separate occasions, saying that when they have children they will never be that strict and cruel to them and they kept their promise.

Their children are the ones that grew-up with no boundaries no discipline and an interesting lack of respect.  They have become the present middle aged individuals who, it can be argued, are with attitude and who, as the result of that lack of a more strict code of rearing on the part of their parents, rebelled against their up-bringing. That lack of discipline and rules has been passed on to the present day children. The Government played their part in a negative way, by legislating against parents who chastise or discipline their children with the threat of prosecution. Not even schools are allowed to discipline children and they know it, hence the present situation.

Decades ago when the Government decided to abolish conscription of young teenagers into the army (for whatever reason) I said to myself that is the beginning of the end, because it is a well-known fact that the army instils discipline into young men. Some of Britain’s well known entertainers have said that the army made them better people. Now the present generation are out of control and the Government doesn’t know what to do.   I know it started from the 1960’s generation and the downward spiral has continued over the years to the present-day grand-children of those early immigrants to this country.

For anyone not aware of what’s going on in our society, in the cities around the UK, the older generation endeavour to avoid the present and future generations (school children) like the plague.  They don’t want to associate or socialise with them if it can be avoided because of how so many of them act and behave on public transport and in public places.  I dread the future state of the world, in all aspects of life.

Do you regret when you were born? I don’t.  

Rudy Morgan