If we substituted the word 'paki' for the word 'chav', then hurled around the same insults and non-existant scenes, would that be considered as OK?

Are folks assuming that ALL 'chavs' would behave in the same way? That ALL are violent? That all are rude, obnoxious?

When I see gangs of kids here in Torquay, and there are many such gangs, I smile at them. 9 times out of 10 most of them smile back, you know.

Perhaps folks on here should try it. Don't wait for them to smile first, because more often than not, they won't. They've already been messed up by this harsh world, at such an early age.

Try holding out your hand to them, smiling at them first, right into their eyes, a warm, genuine smile, and see what might happen.

Round here I pick up the rubbish that so many just throw away, but it's not just the young people who do it, it's the older ones too. If I see any young people when I'm doing my daily round, looking at me strangely, I merely say "Isn't it awful what some people do, when we all should have the right to walk on clean streets"...and that's all I say. I keep my feelings of being REALLY pissed off about it inside. Sometimes, they even thank me for doing it.

Young people aren't 'the enemy', but many of them feel very left out, very separated from society. That breeds anger and resentment, which spills out into bad behaviour. We have failed as a society in this country because our children have been separated from their parents so early on in life. Many parents choose to do this, because mothers feel having a child is only part of their life. Many parents have no choice but to have both parents out working, because they cannot afford to live otherwise. That is now happening more and more.

Of course, Governments and Corporate Bastards jumped on the Mothers Working bandwagon, because two lots of taxes suddenly appeared, two lots of salaries to be spent on things that don't matter, but apparently HAVE to be had in order to prove you're a successful human being.

Meanwhile, the children get farmed out to Child Minders, Pre-School Learning Alliances and Before and After School Clubs. It's made even worse nowadays because no longer can helpers hug a distressed child, as we used to in our playgroup, treating every child like our own, kissing away the tears...

So many children no longer know what it is to be loved. And if they are fumingly angry, without even knowing why, who can blame them?

Adults have a great deal to answer for.