Keith, I share you personal concern. I hope everything works out for your son.
On the reportage front: - the BBC reported 80 fires; - the charged were as young as 9 and I've been told local kids nor your marauding bands of inner-city welfare hoodlums as you reported What sociological theory are you talking about? Bruce Leier -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Keith Hudson Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 2:55 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Yet more fires My son's house is now in danger of being burned to the ground by yet another outbreak of new fires a lot closer to the centre of Sydney, so FutureWorkers must excuse my concern. The police have arrested 15 teenagers and young adults, but consider that many more have been involved. No doubt the first few fires had natural causes such as lightning strikes, but the tally of well over 100 more must bespeak human origins in most of the subsequent ones -- as, indeed, the authorities believe. At the risk of being attacked again, I want to ask a question: "In a civilised country such as Australia, what could provoke such criminality?" Just what explanation can anybody have other than there is obviously such a lack of any feeling of responsibility and community among what seems to be a significiant number of young males? According to orthodox sociology theory, this is something that simply could not happen in one of the most prosperous countries in the world with the most generous welfare state. Keith Hudson __________________________________________________________ "Writers used to write because they had something to say; now they write in order to discover if they have something to say." John D. Barrow _________________________________________________ Keith Hudson, Bath, England; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________
