...by women!
It is clear that Great Britain has an increasing
problem contending with yob
culture and general juvenile misbehaviour. It is also clear that the
abuse of drugs and
alcohol is at the heart of this problem. The government mentions this issue and the challenge to deal with it as often as they can and various groups and societies are scratching their heads to come up with a workable solution. While the need for immediate results cannot be underestimated, De Luca holds the view that time spent on a critical analysis of the factors that brought society to this point is crucial in order to ensure the long term rectification of this dilemma.
For the sake of brief analysis we will specifically consider alcohol abuse.
The term women's lib most surely belongs to the history books, but De Luca holds that it is this idea that kickstarted the mess. Let's consider the situation in the workplace only: One of the side effects that resulted from
women now enjoying (almost!) equal rights and competing with men in the corporate world is their adoption of lads culture. In Britain, they now refer to this as "ladettes culture" in its own right. This came in existence because, in order to network and close deals in the traditional way that men have been doing for centuries, it is required of women to drink. "Going down the pub" with clients and
work colleagues is a prerequisite if you want to exceed and excel.
The inherent problem with this is twofold. Firstly, one must bear in mind that men won't stop spending work hours (or after hours) in the pub or in the bar simply because the women have joined in their game. Secondly, women find themselves out of their natural environment, exposed and vulnerable.
If you take a family, with kids, where both the husband and the wife work in a corporate environment (or even work anywhere, fulltime), who remains to look after the kids? Sure, someone else can take care of the kids (e.g. a day care centre, or family) but it is commonly accepted that parents still have the greatest influence on their children's character development and their set of values. This assumption has a knock on effect on the argument from this point on, as follows:
If stability is taken out of family homes and both parents spend more and more time away from their children, and in some cases indulge in spending this time consuming alcohol, there is a grave danger that some will develop alcohol dependence tendencies. With this as an example, there is an equally grave danger that some
children will start to accept regular use of (excessive amounts of) alcohol as the norm. What follows from this scenario is a result of the tragic existence of group and peer pressure - The point is made that it is much easier for easily influenced teenagers to go with the flow and to abuse alcohol than it is for responsible adults to throw caution in the wind.
A woman, as the mother of her child, is (generally) best equipped to look after that child and instil the required values. Spending most of her time anywhere else would be unnatural and would border on negligence. This problem of yob culture in this society is therefore a direct result of parents, and specifically mothers, neglecting their children. It should finally be noted that this current catalyst of alcohol abuse is merely a specific disorder that could, in another era, easily be replaced by a different disorder.
Come back home, mums!!
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