Why Vandalism? Life of a teenage outsider; what makes him that way and how his anger flares into violence. Description of the life of an adolescent outsider. He feels that everyone is against him. But wherever it happens, vandalism maybe the symptom of a sickness. An outward expression of feelings which have become twisted and warped in an unfriendly world. Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure, a symbol or anything else that goes against the will of the owner/governing body, and usually constitutes a crime. Private citizens commit vandalism when they wilfully damage or deface the property of others or the commons. Some vandalism qualifies as culture jamming or sniggling — it is artistic in nature as well as being carried out illegally or without the property owner's permission. Examples include at least some graffiti art, billboard liberation and possibly crop circles. Criminal vandalism has many forms, graffiti on public property is common in many inner cities as part of a gang culture, however other more devastating forms such as those involved with public unrest, such as rioting, involve the wilful destruction of public and private property. Vandalism per se is often considered one of the least serious common crimes, but it can become quite serious when committed extensively, violently or as an expression of hatred and intimidation. In the case of vandalism to private property, the owner — the victim, may feel that they were specifically targeted by the perpetrator(s) — this is not necessarily the case. An example of such a crime would be the wilful destruction of a car window for no obvious purpose save to give the perpetrator(s) possibly a few seconds of entertainment, with no consideration, or empathy for the detriment to the state of mind or inconvenience of the victim. Reasoning for such actions can be attributed to anger, envy or spontaneous, opportunistic behaviour — possibly for peer acceptance or bravado in gang cultures, or disgruntlement with the target (victim) person or society. Opportunistic vandalism of this nature may also be filmed, the mentality of which can be akin to happy slapping. The large scale prevalence of gang graffiti in some inner cities has almost made it acceptable to the societies based there — so much so that it may go unnoticed, or not be removed, possibly because it may be a fruitless endeavour, to be graffitied on once again. Producer: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films. Keywords: Juvenile delinquency; Psychology; Crime and criminals; Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Tags: vandalism vandals destruction schools school youth juveniles juvenile delinquency criminal acts physical aggression JD
