The family of a schoolboy stabbed to death in Gateshead have been left 'devastated beyond belief', a police chief said today, as a teenager was arrested on suspicion of his murder.Victim and suspect are both 14. So what makes one a 'schoolboy' and the other a 'teenager'..?
Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said today: 'A teenage boy has sadly died and his family have been left devastated beyond belief. 'The police don't seem to have such qualms, do they?
6 comments:
The suspect might not be attending school ?
Jaded
Why do we have the shedding of (crocodile?) tears by the police at every such incident? It adds nothing to the investigation and future prevention of these crimes which are the sole functions of the police. Yes we can all imagine the distress caused. We don't need the police to give a rote insincere commentary on the effect of the crime on the victim's family/friends/community.
Umbongo-there's a good reason....even when the police know that the victim is a scummy gangster they still shed crocodile tears. If they immediately announce it was a gangland or well-deserved then witnesses won't come forward.
For example the black kid who was ran over in Slough earlier this week. Sounded like a road-rage initially but the only pictures the media could publish were of him making gang signs. Turns out he was targeted by another gang. Oh dear never mind,another great loss to the world of rapping,architecture or football.
Jaded.
I can think of two reasons for the distinction. Firstly, have we caught the American habit of using the word 'teen' to subtly indicate the ethnic identity of the attacker?
Secondly, and I think most likely, the choice of words is intentional. Words like 'child' and 'schoolboy' trigger our natural instinct to nurture and protect the vulnerable.
Some time ago I watched a BBC news broadcast, two back to back items about youngsters. The first refered to them as children, it was about their vulnerability to online harm. The second refered to the same demographic as kids, it was about a project to better their lives through rap music. We all do it, we all choose our words to better convey our message. We just need to analyse others' words to understand their message and respond appropriately.
Jaded
. . and when the witness realises that this is a gang-related killing and s/he's a possible target for the gang(s) involved, s/he would be nuts to turn up in court or even attend an identity parade or, in any event, be known to help the police.
When I lived in Chicago in the late 60s the police were content to let the thugs kill each other (as long as civilians were, more or less left, alone). It saved police time and court time and lowered the criminal population: there were no tear-stained press conferences by Chicago's finest: what's not to like?
"The suspect might not be attending school ?"
A possibility. But do you think the media had time to look into that before publication?
"Why do we have the shedding of (crocodile?) tears by the police at every such incident?"
Well, yes. It's cut-n-paste boilerplate presumably designed to show 'solidarity with the community', or some such rubbish.
"For example the black kid who was ran over in Slough earlier this week. Sounded like a road-rage initially but the only pictures the media could publish were of him making gang signs."
Yup! I certainly noticed! But no matter what they say, it won't work with this particular 'community'...
"Firstly, have we caught the American habit of using the word 'teen' to subtly indicate the ethnic identity of the attacker?"
The victim is Polish. No word - even on social media - of the attacker. So you could well be right. But will we ever know?
"When I lived in Chicago in the late 60s the police were content to let the thugs kill each other (as long as civilians were, more or less left, alone). It saved police time and court time..."
So long as they stick to knifing each other, I'm content.
Post a Comment