to wonder why anyone would do this...

[wineoclockthanks]

We have a lovely local park, big field and in the playground area they planted some beautiful apple trees about 4 years ago. They have grown (obviously!) and this year they bore fruit for the first time.

Yesterday evening, a group of teenagers destroyed every single tree . They either snapped the trunk or the main branches and kicked them out of the ground. A friend whose house overlooks the park saw the and called 101 but by the time the Police arrived, they'd scarpered.

I just don't get it, what's the point? What possible pleasure can they get from destroying things, living thing, that we're so beautiful. I did some silly things as a teenager, but something like that would never have crossed my mind.

I despair, I really do

So sad.

Little shits.

So sad. Some teenagers in our area smashed up a community defibrillator that had just been installed.

I can only think that approval of their peers is more important to them than approval from society. They also get some kind of group mentality in which they all do things they would never do alone. No chance one teenager is going to randomly start uprooting plants alone.

We need to do some kind of civic responsibility work with them in schools I think.

did your neighbour video them?

The thought gives me the rage.

Dh and I have just had to go out and sort out a teenage couple arguing, the boy was being very abusive. Not sure if I'm just old but kids do seem worse these days.

I don't think there are words to say how horrible this is.
I would be devastated if my teenagers behaved like this.

So sad this is how our young people behave.

I don't think there are words to say how horrible this is.
I would be devastated if my teenagers behaved like this.

You would but so many parents just jump to defend their little darlings and this I feel is the problem.

I don't think she thought of videoing.

It's obviously not all teenagers, DS15 was visibly shocked when I told him and said he and his mates wouldn't dream of doing this, but there were about 6 of them who thought this was 'fun'

There is no point. They obviously don't see a value things, but would probably be the first to shout if someone damaged something of theirs.

I hope they manage to catch them.

Not just teenagers either. Our local park has had no swings for months, when I emailed the council I was told they keep replacing them and they just get vandalised again. Saw two adult men letting their dog chew the toddler swings last time we had any.

This used to happen on our estate years ago, I could never fathom it. Obviously little has changed in terms of what teenagers 'enjoy' doing

I think they know that those trees give a lot of joy to people...that there are people who connect with them and love them. And I think that is what these thugs rage against...they hate that so many get pleasure from simple things when they have NO JOY AT ALL within them!! So what do they do? Well, they can't hurt the people without being jailed, so they attack the things that bring the people pleasure and joy.

That's so awful. It will mean the council won't bother again and the appearance of places will suffer. I really think some teenagers just have not one single thought for other people or property when they so something like that, all they can think of is the funniness of it.
Not tree related but the amount of teenagers who sit in the bus stop outside our house in the evenings and hit the plastic/glass over and over is crazy! They look/sound like a monkey who has been in a cage too long. They are sometimes alone and punch it a few times or with mates and it goes on the whole time they're waiting.. Why are they so angry?

Good post lastgirl, surely a normal, happy teenager wouldn't think to destroy things. These types love ruining things for other people because their own lives are shit.

This happened in a park near me just the very day after the trees were planted. They never planted any more after that. I really can't understand the mentality.

Horrible little shits What pleasure do they get out of doing that?! Disgusting behaviour.

Saw two adult men letting their dog chew the toddler swings last time we had any.
And as for this ^^ Equally disgusting behaviour. Why would you let your dog chew a child's swing??

That's awful and so sad. But in terms of why they are so angry acehole, some children live such horrible lives that they grow up to be angry horrible teenagers and angry horrible people. We need to sort out the inequalities in our society that are causing this. (Not being patronising, btw, although it may sound it.)

Mindless valdalism. There has always been kids who do this. I don't know why either. I think it's their way of being rebels

Our first home, nearly 25 years ago backed onto woods. Kids used to sit in the woods. One day about a dozen of them decided to pull down our garden fence, which was about six foot high, to use it as fire wood. Whilst I stood at patio doors watching them. Nothing I did made them stop.

They were like monkeys on the fence. I was home alone and called the police, they came fast, the little fuckers ran as fast as their chicken shit little legs could take them, but the police still got some of them. Doubt it made a difference. Sigh,

Too much to hope they'll be caught and given community service in the form of planting and tending some new trees?

Similar happened when I was a child. Trees were planted all along a road we used to travel along. One time some local yobs went along and broke down each one except one. The council decided there was no point replanting them. :-(

Not quite the same but about 12 years ago there was an incident where some teenagers walked through the village slashing 2 tyres on every car they passed, well over 100 cars. They stopped 2 cars away from mine.

And the question everyone was asking was why. What on earth did they get from it?! To this day I still cannot get my head around that mentality.