Shetland's broken society.

[crofter]

^^^

 

[Ghostrider]

well atleast shetland is becoming more like south , maybe we will get a propper cinema and KFC next

 

It won't be properly like sooth until the cinema closes down and is turned into a discount carpet warehouse.

 

But of course, that couldn't possibly happen...

 

Opportunity for the Home Furnishing to move from Garthspool and consolidate all their shops together in one place.

[vadger]

well atleast shetland is becoming more like south , maybe we will get a propper cinema and KFC next

 

wey hey cant wait , all that dog clatch n broken glass

[OP8S]

In all my years in Shetland I had never seen a fight but now it seens to be a common and acceptable event to happen.

 

Fighting was just as common in the past, whether it be at a country dance, the Cross, at a football match or outside the Planets.

 

I think the difference is that then the police didn't get involved except possibly to break things up. Nowadays, arrests would be made and events much more widely reported.

I think that could be said about a lot of criminal activity, especially crimes of abuse whether it was violent or sexual in nature. Possibly both.

I can't believe that somebody has gone out in the town on a Saturday night even just a handful of times & not seen some kind of alcohol induced friction ? When I used to go out ( many moons ago ) you would usually see somebody taking things a bit too far with the enevitable punch being swung, often the same people so you just kept your distance. Most pubs down my way have a resident drunk who gets regularily thrown out for some reason or other, normally when they run out of cash & start bothering other customers.

Alcohol is the number one reason for acts of violence if court statistics are anything to go by.

[Owdnick]

The problem drug addicts have is an addidtive personality, and were you and i would say no! They tend to go ahead and experiment. And there's no help for addicts, unless they admit they have a problem, and that goes for all addictions. In this world there needs to be compassion for other people, they are not a lost cause and thier lives can be turned around, with a little help from society. .

I am not preaching to you, 'but there by the grace of God go i'

 

Regards

 

Owdnick

[shetlandpeat]

It depends what you call a fight. There are always scuffles that end as soon as they start but I have never seen a full blown fight. The closest was an incident in the street out side the then Turkish take away. This involved the shop attendant and another guy.

 

Drug taking is a big problem with crime stats. Although there will be many "minor" crimes and some with violence, one opiate addict can commit several a day.

 

This is why there is a need to remove the stigma that goes with it and give some of the individuals a light to head for and steer away from that sorta life.

 

The attitude towards folk who have taken to drugs is an odd one. While absolutely bladdered I have heard folk condemn those who take drugs. You then may see them sitting in their own wee and vomit being attended by a paramedic and an ambulance. There are also folk who do not understand why folk take drugs. It is all about creating a condition in society that will allow this matter to be openly addressed and discussed.

Many European countries are adopting a drug policy that allows this to happen. Even Norway, will adopt many EU directives without full membership.

The use of Street Pastors is a great help here. They tend to go into areas and work with the folk who may need the help. Perhaps this could be the answer.

[George.]

The trouble with Street Pastors is that they are christians. The percentage of believers, I believe, is shrinking and there then is a possible problem, namely, christian attempting to assist an agnostic or an athiest and problems being raised by the difference in belief.

[OP8S]

Admirable work, a street pastor & a lot of people living on the streets aren't bothered who is offering a helping hand. As long as they don't get any religion rammed down their throats as some sort of payment.

Last thing I read 250,000 ( probably an underestimate ) people will take ecstacy on a Saturday night out, I wonder how many people attend a religious service on the sabbath ? Obviously not the ones out on Saturday night, or I would hope not. Talk about happy clappers

I know it's a niave view but to improve society then we all have to be show more acceptance to others & their lifestyles, not judge people on the Daily Mail's stance. Hundreds of thousands of the population of the UK are criminalised just because they enjoy taking substances other than the ones already legal. The Government need to take control of the situation, laws haven't been changed in 40 years & in that 40 years of prohabition the problems have just grown every year. That's got to say something ?

[NewMagnie]

The trouble with Street Pastors is that they are christians. The percentage of believers, I believe, is shrinking and there then is a possible problem, namely, christian attempting to assist an agnostic or an athiest and problems being raised by the difference in belief.

 

Very true. At the risk of sidetracking the debate I'm always highly suspicious of both the motivations and the ability of theologically oriented community workers. I've seen a few too many examples of predatory practice around this.

 

Not to say that manay of them don't do good work - but its work I'd rather see done by properly qualified staff without a spiritual agenda.

 

Just sayin'.

[shetlandpeat]

These guys and gals do sterling work.

 

They go to places you would not but are quite happy to comment about. Although they are church orientated, they are non judgemental and have a compassion for lives.

 

There is nothing else at the moment. In the case of our park, they are the firs call so as not to make the first action to criminalise a youngster. Many here think that the rod is the only way, hence the many reoffenders we have in our prison system.

 

Can someone give an alternative?

[OP8S]

Quite often it's these people without qualifications who are prepared to walk around areas that have learnt the most through their experiences of talking, offering help to those that others would cross the road to avoid. Rather than someone with qualifications gained from a comfortable college classroom education, who may find themselves out in the " real world " with only policies provided by the organisation that they work for to go by.

Help with no strings attached is in short supply these days.

[NewMagnie]

These guys and gals do sterling work.

 

They go to places you would not but are quite happy to comment about. Although they are church orientated, they are non judgemental and have a compassion for lives.

 

There is nothing else at the moment. In the case of our park, they are the firs call so as not to make the first action to criminalise a youngster. Many here think that the rod is the only way, hence the many reoffenders we have in our prison system.

 

Can someone give an alternative?

 

I'd be a little bit more careful in your generalisations if I were you.

 

I not only would, but I have. I've been a local authority youth worker in the crappiest parts of Paisley and Renfrew. I've worked in partnership with social work, the police and the prison system in working with young people with backgrounds that would make you weep.

 

We also worked with religious organisations whose streetwork was the standing joke of the 'industry' - I'm no stranger to the agendas of religious youth work organisations - so no, I'm not just "happy to comment".

 

I'm not having a pop at you or bigging myself up. I don't work in this area anymore - I have a swanky desk job these days - but I rarely comment unless I feel confident I know what I'm talking about and in this case I feel particularly well equipped.

 

Shetland's broken society? You guys don't know you're livin'.

[NewMagnie]

Quite often it's these people without qualifications who are prepared to walk around areas that have learnt the most through their experiences of talking, offering help to those that others would cross the road to avoid. Rather than someone with qualifications gained from a comfortable college classroom education, who may find themselves out in the " real world " with only policies provided by the organisation that they work for to go by.

 

You're not completely wrong - good youth work is, indeed, more of an art than a science but I wouldn't overstate the case for the well meaning amateur.

 

Like I said, I've worked in this space - mostly with well qualified and experienced staff, most of whom I freely admit I couldn't hold a candle to when it came to detached youth work.

 

They were, to a man (to a woman I should say, disporoportinately female work area) well qualified in youth and community or social work and could more than handle themselves in the 'real world'. They had the experience and had often come to their qualifications the hard way.

 

Its not an either/or situation and a wet behind the ears, newly qualified social/community worker could learn much from a seasoned volunteer - but at the end of the day, the people I've seen make a real difference have had both.

 

I wouldn't dismiss qualifications in the area so quickly - and I still don't trust anyone working with young people with a thinly disguised theological agenda.

[shetlandpeat]

I did not say YOU personally, you took it personally and reacted to it. This is an open forum and YOU is the reader persay. My word, I I took everything written with you in personally, I would be very busy with my responses

 

Apart from NM and a handful, perhaps I should have said that?

 

Street Pastors are trained, but not to the academic standards of you Uni bod or professional career bod.

Are you (not NM and a handful) thinking about this, it is not just folk with addiction problems, as we know they are the only cause of societies crumbling superstructure, (TIC), they are their to help folk and point them in the right direction. They don't analyze, they are similar to the Samaritans in that respect. Generally good folk doing their Gods work and helping. Not every religious person is hell bent on conversion.

 

imo

 

TIC = tongue in cheek

[soundview]

Can anyone explain why the council tend to clump all the nut jobs together in the same places (Mossbank, Toy town in Brae etc)? Surely if they were isolated from their peers they would find it easier to change their behaviour. I think some tough love is called for with these trouble makers. The softly softly holistic approach doesn't seem to be working.