Why are the kids in NE so terrible?

Submitted by schmillischnede_dad t3_11dy2r8 in washingtondc

I've lived roughly along Wisconsin Ave for a couple of years, all the way in Chevy Chase to Glover Park. I went to a public high school and am only a few years removed from being a teen, which is why I feel like I've gone crazy with this whole situation.

Is there something in the water? What is wrong with the high schoolers in NW DC? It's like they're all sociopaths. I've lived near Georgetown Day/ Sidwell/ St. Albans/ a bunch of preppy schools on Wisconsin Ave. and the way I see them behave is insane to me. The kids in preppy school uniforms sit in the elderly/disabled parts of the bus wearing headphones and don't get up when people who need them come on. I've been on the 31/33 buses (RIP 30S and 30N, which went straight to my workplace from my apartment...) basically every day for several years, and these students act like snooty kids from bad movies.

I've seen numerous kids wearing expensive clothes and headphones walk straight through grocery store checkout lines without paying. I'm pretty short and look ~16 even though I'm 23 (or so say the bouncers), so I get suspicious looks from security guards on their behalf. The Giant and Target didn't used to have security guards like they do now-- I've heard it's just because of the shoplifting students.

I overheard a very exasperated worker at the GT Safeway talk about how when they get out of school, the younger teens wander around the store without getting stuff or just steal. He sounded incredibly tired, and explained to a 12 year old drinking Starbucks that she needs to get something or leave. I grew up bussing tables for my mexican mom's restaurant and she would have hit and/or disowned me if I acted anything like this.

My old city had fancy private schools too, but they weren't remotely this bad. Does NW DC/ Chevy Chase somehow breed America's snottiest teens, or am I just losing it? It feels like proof that money can't buy good parenting. If anything, it seems like a negative correlation.

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Camdc1234 t1_jabgnet wrote

Do you mean NW?

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jabgsme wrote

Yes I do, I spent all day working with a NE address and muscle memory kicked in lol.

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dualjobs t1_jaco5o8 wrote

Well the kids in NE aren't saints either, so the title made a lot of sense none the less.

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oxtailplanning t1_jaf4blr wrote

Yeah I was really confused because preppy was not how I would describe the kids in NE

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alizadk t1_jabias5 wrote

Affluenza

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disownedpear t1_jaeymta wrote

Is that it though? I went to school in moco right next to a Giant and never saw anything like this. There were three twins, and their dad bought them all matching jeeps.

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alizadk t1_jaezhpv wrote

If you're talking about Wootton, there was a ton of shoplifting there. I'm an alum.

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AUBlazin t1_jac6bpz wrote

Man you wanna see something wild hangout at the CVS in Tenleytown between 2:30-3:30. I’ve seen kids flash mob the store, run down the aisles hands out just knocking everything off the shelf. It’s mostly the Deal middle schoolers. They use to not allow students in but then DC said that was illegal. I only worked in that area for ~8 months and I’d never seen anything like it. Then a freshman at Willson broke a work van window with a butt slam right after school; got it all on video. Kids are reckless

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celj1234 t1_jacbz3f wrote

Kids have always been reckless. Shit is just recorded on iPhones now

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tossawaynsfw9 t1_jadh7cl wrote

This is a fallacy. People have always been shitty, true. But there wasn't a time when this type of stuff was egged on and continuously allowed.

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celj1234 t1_jadrcwf wrote

There was? When?

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[deleted] t1_jadu0nv wrote

[deleted]

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celj1234 t1_jaduw5e wrote

I do. Kids and teens were wild as fuck then 2

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[deleted] t1_jadvblg wrote

[deleted]

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celj1234 t1_jadwj1a wrote

Agree to disagree there. All the petty shit I’m seeing now seems pretty similar to what I remember growing up in this city. It’s just caught on camera now

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[deleted] t1_jadyeul wrote

[deleted]

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celj1234 t1_jadz0q7 wrote

Covid wasn’t around in the 90s and we were stealing shit from stores and smashing windows of cars.

Didn’t have Bluetooth speakers to play on the metro tho

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tossawaynsfw9 t1_jae0xyk wrote

Not necessarily talking about the 90's. I'm aware DC is known for being an absolute shit show during the 90's.

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An_exasperated_couch t1_jadpkaa wrote

The Wawa in Tenlytown started limiting the number of school kids that could be in the store at the time, I think because theft was becoming such an issue lol. I don’t live in the area anymore so I don’t see it as often but seeing the line stretch out the door never fails to elicit a chuckle from me

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9throwaway2 t1_jaeio1h wrote

why are the rich kids so much worse than the middle class kids in rougher parts of town?

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tossawaynsfw9 t1_jabjrwp wrote

Not limited to them in general. The newest influx of teenagers are riddled with social media brain rot and being mentally stunted from being locked inside for 2 years. Also they have terrible parents who blame everyone but themselves for doing a bad job raising them.

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Professional-Tailor2 t1_jac0rsh wrote

Yeah. As someone who's at the oldest age group of generation z, I'll say the younger ones of this generation either are pretty entitled and seriously lack social skills/common courtesy...orrr they're pretty great. Either or but I'm noticing a lot more of entitlement with them.

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callouscomic t1_jaccl4i wrote

This has been said about every generation.

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obvious_bot t1_jacdsfb wrote

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers. - Socrates

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ruskiytroll t1_jacni66 wrote

... if only kids these days would cross their legs. /s

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wandering_engineer t1_jacod1j wrote

True, but the social-media bubbles and COVID lockdowns really are a new phenomenon that did not exist a decade ago. And I'm older than many folks here (late Gen Xer/early Millennial) so I've been saying "kids these days" for a while now.

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cyanpineapple t1_jacicc3 wrote

You're way too young to be doing the "kids today are disrespectful" thing. You're four seconds older than these people. Your cohort was no different.

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lc1138 t1_jacsypq wrote

I’m an elder Gen Z I guess; born at the end of 96. The ones born after 2006 are all of a different breed. It’s the rapid pace of technological advancement every decade imo. These dumb rectangles we’ve had since 2007 made a dent. I barely escaped college without having to deal with Covid having graduated in 2019, and that’s definitely had an impact as well.

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cyanpineapple t1_jadp7nl wrote

I dunno, I'm 10 years older than you and I think you just sound out of touch.

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lc1138 t1_jadvr7x wrote

I have multiple family members who are younger Gen Z lol idk how you even have the authority to be making claims like this. Like how would you even know. You sound like a grumpy old fart

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hereforsomepancakes t1_jaek72w wrote

>born at the end of 96...

Bruh that's definitely a Millennial. At the very end of it by some accounts

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GeezusLizard t1_jacdf1t wrote

You’re just an adult now doesn’t matter where you are teenagers are a menace

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GreatStateOfSadness t1_jad5jqv wrote

Teenagers exist in that dangerous zone between "realizing that all the rules you grew up with were made up" and "realizing that all the rules you grew up with were made up for a reason."

And some never reach that second point.

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jaecfmp wrote

In my hometown it was way less like this. That was probably the result of workers seeing a kid and knowing who their parents were/ where to direct their complaints. The anonymity of crowds is too protective, I guess.

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PRESIDENT_WHEELS t1_jac9l7o wrote

The Wilson high school kids are a menace in Tenleytown. They used to film each other breaking and stealing stuff from Ace, including spraying the hummingbird liquid all over product and the store.

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88138813 t1_jad7hmx wrote

Wilson literally sticks somebody from the school at the Chick Fil A in the morning so they can turn away students who are late for school lol

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PRESIDENT_WHEELS t1_jad7uzb wrote

That seems ineffective at best. I see the students lounging around tenleytown all hours of the morning.

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Oldbayistheshit t1_jadi387 wrote

We used to sit at guapos deck, drinking margaritas, watching the Wilson kids fight and raising holy hell! It was amazing

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GMarius- t1_jae41ws wrote

Lol. I was born and spent my first six year of my life at my grandparents two block from Wilson and they’ve been like that forever.

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BrightThru2014 t1_jacgmom wrote

While I whole heartedly endorse the message underlying the OP, I will note that if it was made about the actions of teenagers in NE/SE rather than NW, it likely would have been a far more controversial statement (possibly locked/removed by mods) and have much more push back.

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jae9yke wrote

Well, when I was 18 a group of kids in SE threw a big gulp full of sprite at my head on the way to a job interview and soaked me. But I'm going to sympathize more with kids who have like real struggles in life than snotty ones who do it because their parents taught them they're too special to be nice.

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BrightThru2014 t1_jaekrx6 wrote

Yeah but I don’t think the snotty ones (statistically) are committing the same level of violent crimes…

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coolfuzzylemur t1_jacjqmy wrote

Something about a white gentrifier criticizing black children just hits a little different, ya know?

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Opinion-Feisty t1_jacz142 wrote

Being white doesn't make you a "gentrifier" any more than skin color determines bad behavior. Your assumption says a lot about YOU.

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jaco1001 t1_jad2pg6 wrote

they didn't say that being white made them a gentrifier, they said that they were white AND a gentrifier . basic grammar. Presumptuous still, but very likely correct. Describes me, that's for sure.

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BigLeagueBanker69 t1_jacqd2j wrote

Grew up in Loudoun County, VA. Can confirm, rich prep school kids from DC / Great Falls are indeed the snottiest kids in America.

That's why when I heard that Brett Kavanaugh went to Georgetown Prep, it literally all clicked for me. Of course he did all of that shit and thought it was funny, that's classic Prep behavior.

Some grow out of it, some become Brett Kavanaugh.

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DTW2DCA t1_jacd5p4 wrote

Wait until OP finds out about the teens playing their own real life version of grand theft auto in other parts of the city.

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1800TurdFerguson t1_jachx3u wrote

Those prep school kids grow up to be Brett Kavanaugh. That should explain everything.

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Ok_Culture_3621 t1_jac9f4g wrote

This is funny on a lot of levels

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drblocktagon t1_jadvrcb wrote

My question is who tf is upvoting this garbage. You know you’ve lived a blessed life if this is the kind of thing bothering you.

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LoganSquire t1_jacal75 wrote

Agreed. The projection on this thread is wild.

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KenyaviousJames t1_jacbkr8 wrote

Do kids drink Starbucks at 12? I was always told it would stunt my growth

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iamcarlgauss t1_jacec79 wrote

Plenty of super sugary drinks with little to no caffeine at Starbucks. Essentially milkshakes.

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Tahh t1_jad56og wrote

They do now that Starbucks realized they could make bank because parents will always and forever buy their kids what they want.

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dry_zooplankton t1_jad5wnv wrote

I think grocery stores near middle/high schools just become like thunder road for bored kids when school lets out. When I was in college on the west coast, there was a middle school right near the grocery store I went to & every time I made the mistake of going around the time school let out, it was terrible. Groups of kids that age just make me feel insanely insecure, like they’re looking for someone to laugh at. It comforted me to know that when I was that age, I acted similarly out of sheer insecurity & trying to cling to any social power I had. I think everyone that age is just kind of a shit head for at least a few years.

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ExpertComfortable761 t1_jac8ujv wrote

The prep school kids are entitled brats who have never been told no. The kids are probably hoping they will get caught and their parents will be forced to actually interact with them. That type of parent spends a lot of money on a private school that will raise their kid so they don't have to.

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damnatio_memoriae t1_jadwaob wrote

Like with anything it's a small but vocal percentage that are the shit heads.

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walkallover1991 t1_jacnpx8 wrote

Reminds me of the 20-somethings who shoplift lunch and food from the hot bar at the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods because they don't want to wait in line.

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damnatio_memoriae t1_jadwsh4 wrote

shitty teenagers in [insert arbitrary boundary]? I couldn't have imagined such a terror would exist.

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Free_Dog_6837 t1_jadyt8n wrote

so we've got... sitting in the disabled seat, loitering, and shoplifting.... ok.

i grew up poor as shit in the middle of nowhere and we got up to way more than that

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jaeazrh wrote

Man, I went to high school in a rural town with 800 people. I count setting off firecrackers and unsafe sex as less anti-social than staring down a frail old lady standing while you're lying across a row of bus seats (another thing I see them do frequently). That's so personal and so uncaring?

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ihatefrenchppl t1_jaeqagt wrote

it’s teenagers. personal, uncaring, checks out a bit, right?

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gothenburgpig t1_jacgcp7 wrote

To your rhetorical “is there something in the water”, there literally was lead in the water not that long ago

“The presence of lead in the placenta is an environmental hazard for a person's future. Due to hormonal changes, lead is released during pregnancy into the bloodstream of the mother from deposits in the bones and in the teeth, where it has accumulated for years as a result of a contaminated environment”

I’m not a scientist, so someone else will have to explain if the DC water problem could be related. Put that together with other pollution based on where you live plus other social issues and it’s a pretty bad situation

EDIT: OP meant to say NW.

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Soggy-Yogurt6906 t1_jactajz wrote

The issue wasn't lead contamination in water it was because people used leaded gasoline and lead in household paints in the 1970s. DC still has 1200+ sections of lead service lines. Generally, they don't result in lead contamination. A study was released that stated that, obviously, the risk of contamination is higher than a different pipe material.

I think lead contamination, while a contributing factor to neurological damage, is more of a red herring when it comes to behavioral issues of juveniles. Otherwise we would see a correlation with juvenile crime and lead exposure.

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turnip-taker t1_jaetv1m wrote

laughs nervously

“Haha, why no—honey—I certainly am not making a trip to Home Depot to construct a hyper-realistic 16th century-style pillory so I can publicly shame and throw overripe tomatoes at teenagers.”

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ThurgreatMarshall t1_jachq4w wrote

Looking forward to your next post in 10 years on how bad the youths in their 20s are.

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Guinea-Charm t1_jad33wp wrote

Kids aren't any different today that they were when you were a kid. Kids are assholes and we were all this way when we were kids. Public schools are obviously going to have more kids with behavior problems because a private school hand selects their students. This is a fucking stupid post. Do what the rest of us do and ignore children. And btw, you want to see real annoying children? Ride the Subway in Manhattan after 3pm on a weekday. Kids individually aren't too bad but in groups unmonitored by adults, they are a menance (and to clarify, this is exactly how we acted when we were kids). Grow up and have some self awareness.

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Extreme_Qwerty t1_jadw0y1 wrote

I never acted like this.

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Guinea-Charm t1_jadwagr wrote

You think you didn’t but trust me, no one liked you when you were a teen.

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jaebfhz wrote

When I was a teen I had a stutter and terrible anxiety because my parents beat me. Not advocating for that, but I was public transportation's most socially conscious passenger lol.

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RepresentativeOk6588 t1_jadst0y wrote

how about all the public school kids who are terrible? this is not limited to private schools. Seems like you have just decided to limit your focus to one group.

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Motor_Truck9006 t1_jad9oaj wrote

This sub doesn’t care about preppy kids committing crimes. Only a certain group of people.

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AdBeneficial8592 t1_jadwogw wrote

Ugh. Reading that makes me sad and worried. My son is about to start Alice Deal next year and I definitely don’t want this kind of environment to be his daily life.

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pro-laps t1_jaccesa wrote

Lead pipes, I’m telling ya

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TravelerMSY t1_jad2xvc wrote

Largely unsupervised teenagers turned loose in the city. What could possibly go wrong?

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drblocktagon t1_jadvcru wrote

This is your idea of terrible? Bus seats and browsing stores? You realize there are kids robbing people in the city, yeah?

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x-files-theme-song t1_jae1au0 wrote

this is literally any teenager ever. i did dumb annoying things as a teenager and you did too

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schmillischnede_dad OP t1_jaecyc0 wrote

In my high school, anyone making a huge mess for janitors/ workers to clean up was yelled at for being a dick

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x-files-theme-song t1_jaedrf9 wrote

I’m not saying it’s okay but you’re acting like this is a new phenomenon. also you mentioned teens just wandering around stores after school with starbucks. that is not bad. that’s what happens when you are bored or can’t go back home.

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Quirky-Camera5124 t1_jaefhvd wrote

i was a eenager in nw dc in the 50s. we did all rhat c stuff then, roo. a part of showing yourself that you are no longer subject to the rules your parents made. by our 20s we were back to being normal human beings. and later as a parent of teenagers in nw dc, , i felt the same frustrations you mentioned. so glad i will never have to be a teenager again.

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Dorm306RecyclingBin t1_jadd11s wrote

really racist to say this. its just their culture. if you dont like it, leave

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pete1397 t1_jaeehgq wrote

Sonn they ass is the reason why ion like taking buses after 2pm , slowing up the damn bus by behaving like they had too many drinks

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fishcrow t1_jadbn6h wrote

Yep. I'm one. Born and raised. Pride! I'm better than you!

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supitsgreg t1_jadb8ts wrote

It’s that #culture

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[deleted] t1_jaca07f wrote

[deleted]

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TheDeHymenizer t1_jacnpyq wrote

dang youngsters making such a ruckus!

Nah your just getting old. People who aren't supposed to sit in the reserved bus seats is something that's been going on since the created reserved bus seats.

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celj1234 t1_jabo658 wrote

Bc they are kids

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ExpertComfortable761 t1_jac9570 wrote

No, because parents don't want to spend time parenting.

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celj1234 t1_jacbnrw wrote

In NW? Word?

You never did stupid shit as a kid in the city?

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Tahh t1_jacaax3 wrote

Nope. I know everyone has said this since the beginning of time, but the kids today are especially bad. /s

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overnighttoast t1_jadp6ct wrote

Ya idk why you're getting down voted. I grew up here and went to public school. It didn't matter what quadrant you were in, kids just go wild once they hit Jr high. Someone else said it, it's the time where you learn a lot of rules were fake and start pushing boundaries, plus for city kids it's around the time where you gain a lot of independence even though your brain is still figuring out what are good ideas and what are bad ideas. Freedom + no risk aversion + thinking you know best = messy adolescence doing crazy stuff

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celj1234 t1_jadrhhg wrote

I think a lot of people on this sub grew up as sheltered kids outside of the city

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NPRjunkieDC t1_jaclwpd wrote

These kids are misbehaving, but they aren't hurting anyone. Kids in less privileged parts of the city are involved in actual crimes

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Motor_Truck9006 t1_jadfbn5 wrote

So you had no issue when people looted stores then correct? They didn’t hurt anybody.

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NPRjunkieDC t1_jadfo2h wrote

This has probably always happened to an extent. Don't even understand why OP posted

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