[rapeWhistle]

Good.

[invertigo]

Seriously guys?
Do you not remember what it was like to be 13? The need to fit in, the peer pressure, the desire to prove you're no longer a baby.etc

13 year olds want to be 'cool', so they act like the older kids do. And when you look at the kind of role models these older kids have, it's easy to tell where they're getting this attitude & glorification of money, sex and drugs. They have a name for this;
Blaxploitation

Not trying to lecture, but It bums me out to see so many people judge this kid as lost cause without ever trying help in the first place. Not with money, but by being a positive role model without prejudice and regardless of race
If 'It takes a village to raise a child'- we're failing miserably.

[rapeWhistle]

Originally Posted by invertigo ↗

Seriously guys?
Do you not remember what it was like to be 13? The need to fit in, the peer pressure, the desire to prove you're no longer a baby.etc

13 year olds want to be 'cool', so they act like the older kids do. And when you look at the kind of role models these older kids have, it's easy to tell where they're getting this attitude & glorification of money, sex and drugs. They have a name for this;
Blaxploitation

Not trying to lecture, but It bums me out to see so many people judge this kid as lost cause without ever trying help in the first place. Not with money, but by being a positive role model without prejudice and regardless of race
If 'It takes a village to raise a child'- we're failing miserably.

Boo fuckin' hoo...

He wanted to be 'gangsta' and he ended up with a cap in his ass.

*pours some drank out*

[St. Geno]

Bunch of idiots listening to garbage boasting about a bullshit lifestyle what do you expect? Where's Wu tang when ya need em

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

Originally Posted by invertigo ↗

Seriously guys?
Do you not remember what it was like to be 13? The need to fit in, the peer pressure, the desire to prove you're no longer a baby.etc

13 year olds want to be 'cool', so they act like the older kids do. And when you look at the kind of role models these older kids have, it's easy to tell where they're getting this attitude & glorification of money, sex and drugs. They have a name for this;
Blaxploitation

Not trying to lecture, but It bums me out to see so many people judge this kid as lost cause without ever trying help in the first place. Not with money, but by being a positive role model without prejudice and regardless of race
If 'It takes a village to raise a child'- we're failing miserably.

Role models are one thing, but the simple fact that some things are just plain illegal is usually a deterrent for people who actually give a fuck about society. These kids know that gangbanging and drug dealing are against the law, and if nothing else find that as further motivation to engage in such activities. Within the very same "culture" that glamorizes thug life are countless lines of lyrics that outline the death, destruction, and criminality inherent to such a lifestyle. They can't plead ignorance once they're as deep into it as this kid was.

They all know that for the majority of those who follow that path, the only outcomes are death or imprisonment. Some of them may have some half-brained hope that they'll be the next Jay-Z or 50 Cent, but the slim nature of the odds of something like that happening are fairly self-evident. What it amounts to is anti-social behavior for the most selfish of reasons, and it's really hard for some law-abiding or productive members of society to feel any genuine sympathy for anyone who pursues such a lifestyle knowing full well the potential consequences involved.

The kid wanted to be gangsta, and he died a gangsta death. I'm sure his likeness is gracing a number of screen-printed t-shirts in the ghetto as we speak. Even a minimum-wage existence is preferable to that kind of fate to anyone with a brain, but some people would rather just shut their brains off and let their pride and ego lead them by the nose into an early grave.

[DRZrider]

live by the gun die by the gun

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by Metal Mike ↗

Role models are one thing, but the simple fact that some things are just plain illegal is usually a deterrent for people who actually give a fuck about society. These kids know that gangbanging and drug dealing are against the law, and if nothing else find that as further motivation to engage in such activities. Within the very same "culture" that glamorizes thug life are countless lines of lyrics that outline the death, destruction, and criminality inherent to such a lifestyle. They can't plead ignorance once they're as deep into it as this kid was.

They all know that for the majority of those who follow that path, the only outcomes are death or imprisonment. Some of them may have some half-brained hope that they'll be the next Jay-Z or 50 Cent, but the slim nature of the odds of something like that happening are fairly self-evident. What it amounts to is anti-social behavior for the most selfish of reasons, and it's really hard for some law-abiding or productive members of society to feel any genuine sympathy for anyone who pursues such a lifestyle knowing full well the potential consequences involved.

The kid wanted to be gangsta, and he died a gangsta death. I'm sure his likeness is gracing a number of screen-printed t-shirts in the ghetto as we speak. Even a minimum-wage existence is preferable to that kind of fate to anyone with a brain, but some people would rather just shut their brains off and let their pride and ego lead them by the nose into an early grave.

A 13 year old can't just 'turn off' their brain- because parts of it aren't on to begin with. The prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain responsible for a judgement and reasoning skills) enters a second stage of physiological growth right before puberty that continues until a person is out of their teens. It's unrealistic to expect a developing adolescent to demonstrate the same thinking skills and characteristics they will have as adults. It's just not how the human brain works

[Megamel29]

It's too bad he didn't have better role models. For all we know, whatever parent or guardian was in his life in any way probably supported this kid's actions. He is probably from a depressed, violent area where they think the only way out is getting a contract with the NBA. I bet no one ever told him he could do better than he was doing. They were probably impressed that he could accumulate that much money.

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by rapeWhistle ↗

Boo fuckin' hoo...

He wanted to be 'gangsta' and he ended up with a cap in his ass.

*pours some drank out*

Settle down over there, Chocolate.

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

Originally Posted by invertigo ↗

A 13 year old can't just 'turn off' their brain- because parts of it aren't on to begin with. The prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain responsible for a judgement and reasoning skills) enters a second stage of physiological growth right before puberty that continues until a person is out of their teens. It's unrealistic to expect a developing adolescent to demonstrate the same thinking skills and characteristics they will have as adults. It's just not how the human brain works

Believe what you want, but there's a lot of kids his age and even younger that know the difference between legal and illegal. They also know the difference between stupid and not stupid. Some of it's nature, some of it's nurture, and some of it is just plain being informed.

Hell, I started smoking weed when I was around his age; but I knew better than to deal it. I didn't need my parents to tell me that because any basic entry-level exposure to pop culture tells a person that dealing drugs is risky business.

The same goes for when I found my stepdad's .22 rifle in the closet when I was 12 and at home unsupervised. I didn't know if it was loaded or not, so I didn't dare pull the trigger; and I nearly had a heart attack when I racked the bolt and a round fell out. I scooped up the round, put the rifle back where I found it, and never touched it again. It didn't require a gun-conscious upbringing -- which I never had -- because it was a combination of simple common sense and actually giving a fuck that prevented me from pulling that trigger.