You all seem to have missed a lot of pertinent points.

Things were not always this way, and it's not all gangster crap either. Several things have shifted over time to reveal in the UK: as families get moer affluent, the children are given more, spoiled a lot more. Also, to give them this, their parents work more, and the raising of the child is left more to itself, and kids can be impressionable. This isn't always the case, I know a lot of parents can provide and teach at the same time, but there will always be those who just can't juggle it, or just don't give a ****.

In the UK at least, this is a poor problem. Most of the stabbings occur in inner city estates and tower blocks, or in run down satellite towns (I'm speaking for my own town here). In Scotland, the story's different: our stabbings are linked directly to drink and stupidity, and kids are less involved. However, where they are involved is mostly in the shithouses of Glasgow; Easterhouse, Maryhill. Stabbing up here is nearly always linked to poverty, by what means I cannot be bothered to define, but let's get back to England.

In England, again, it's mostly a poor problem; but I can't really say, as I don't live there. But I know a lot of it is young black kids in big cities. I wish to God I could say why, but it's so many things all wrapped up together. Race, class, education, alcohol, parents...it all ties in.

The person who mentioned natural selection has already been refuted as an idiot. The person who mentioned the government's health and safety (which is, if you had the brain cells to notice, nothing but them protecting themselves and teachers against trigger happy lawsuits), is also talking bull. This thread has angered me, save a few good posts.

I'd also like to be the shocking first to say;

RIP Ben, and all the luck in the world to his family.