Youth think they can behave with impunity – why is that?

Sir,
I write in reference to the astute observations of Mr Clark from Achna, regarding the sate of our society here in Cyprus. I agree wholeheartedly with his comments and fear for the future as there is no solution in sight.

The behaviour of younger generations is often bemoaned by the previous generations; but here in Cyprus we are witnessing a complete breakdown of all moral values; a casual disregard for common sense and a youth culture totally void of respect.

We witness countless examples of this oafish behaviour day and night. Just last Sunday, while stopped at traffic lights on the Limassol seafront, I saw six youths passing through the red light – no helmets of course – and almost running into a pedestrian gent who seemed about 70.

The old man was shocked and raised his arm in protest. The youths stopped their mopeds and began harassing the old man (also Cypriot). One of them actually spat in his face and started pushing him to the ground.

I sped my car ahead and confronted them; they backed away screaming insults and threatening to call their fathers. Thankfully another concerned citizen also stopped to stand by me.

The passing police patrol car who happened on the scene said “what can we do?”

I don’t know about anybody else; but if my father got a call that I had done anything like the above, he would have probably died from shame and taken me with him. These young men felt assured that their fathers would protect them!

It seems the parents are as vulgar and cowardly as the kids here. Which of course is exactly what you would expect, as respect, morality and common decency start in the home.

I do not pretend to know the solution, although I am sure I could come up with a few answers that my fellow Cypriots may find slightly excessive.

M. Evgeniou,
Limassol

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.