Tuesday 12 February 2008

Buzz Off

Reading this article about mosquito devices reminded me that I've been meaning to blog on this issue for a while. I feel deeply uncomfortable about them. These devices aim to disperse young people from areas by emitting a high frequency noise only discernible to those under the age of 25. There is no means of discriminating between young people who are causing trouble, or those who are just going about their business. It affects all young people who can hear, from 25 year olds with jobs and responsibilities right down to babies

The article claims that there are more than 3,500 devices around the country (not sure if they mean the UK or England and Wales), which seems excessive. That surely means that there are 3,500 no-go areas for young people. Punishing all young people for the bad behaviour of a few is extreme and unjust.

The Children's Commissioners for England, for Scotland and Liberty have started a campaign against this, and I hope it's widely publicised and supported. I intend to write today to Kathleen Marshall to give my support, and would encourage everyone reading this to do likewise (email: Kathleen Marshall and Professor Sir Albert Aynsley-Green)

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty and a public figure I have a great deal of time for, says in the article:

"What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids"


She's completely right.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think they would work on real mosquitoes though Alison? If so, ship some over please!!

Anonymous said...

' Punishing all young people for the bad behaviour of a few is extreme and unjust.'

Should punishment be all fluffy and bunnies and mints and comfy cozy jumpers???????

The bad behaviour of ( much more than ) a few is a sad result of the current young generation that seems to have the mindset that the world owes them something, or perhaps everything....and instead of mucking in and putting their collective nose to the grindstone when the going gets tough, they opt for the easier things, like drink or drugs, to escape their sad lives.

Wake up, kiddies!!! The world owes you nothing!! Anything you achieve, you will have to work and sweat to arrive at those goals.

From CNN article...."The Mosquito has no place in a country that values its children and seeks to instill them with dignity and respect."

Having dignity bestowed on people goes without saying ( treat others as you would wish to be treated ). Respect, in order to have value and verity, must be earned....

Perhaps the 'many' of the well behaved young people should mete out the punishments to the badly behaved 'few'.........

Of course, that's just my opinion......I could be terribly wrong.

BellgroveBelle said...

Punishment should be fair and meaningful; it should not be a constant buzz in the ears of everyone under 25!

You can punish people and work on changing their behaviour in ways that are much more sophisticated than the blanket coverage of the mosquito device.

BellgroveBelle said...

I think the mosquito just refers to the sound it makes Anne! Sorry!

Anonymous said...

sigh.......it seems to me, much like the occurances at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were a 'last resort', that if more sophisticated ways of changing the behaviours of the targets of this mosquito device exist, they are somewhat innefective ( try throwing some rasins at a lorry and record, in detail, the results).

One can post a 'sophisticated', elegant sign in the garden, indicating that 'slugs are not welcome at all, under any circumstances, thank you' and hope for the best, or one can employ blanket coverage of a pesticide and expect quite good results.

( btw, slugs can't read.....and the young people that this mosquito device is targeted at could care less also, i suspect, leading them to congregate in areas that make life uncomfortable for others, leading to the necessity of the device and so on, ad nauseum.........)


Once the slugs have left the garden is it necessary to continue spraying the pesticide?..........

Anonymous said...

swayve you sure are some sour individual! You say "the current young generation that seems to have the mindset that the world owes them something, or perhaps everything". If that's true it's your generation that produced them to think that way.

Personally I suspect it's you that actually thinks that way, because I just do not recognise what you say as true about the many many young people I deal with. I don't think I have ever come across any young person, no matter how 'wild' or 'troublemaking' who is stupid enough to think they are going to get anyone in this world to give them a free ride.

But I think you really are in trouble if you are capable of thinking that an 'easier thing' is to opt for things "like drink or drugs, to escape their sad lives".

Sounds to me like you should get out more... but there again your probably 'too feart awe the weans to go oot intae the streets' :)

Anonymous said...

Generation i - tales for an accelerated future

COMING SOON…

Anonymous said...

Ted, seems as though you have me pegged.....well done.

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I think it's a mark of the desperation that some people feel that they resorted to these. God knows that this might have stopped my car getting its window smashed by the 'Tongs' of the area the other week, but it's definitely not the way forward. Perhaps, shockingly, more police on the beat and more to ensure that kids have something productive to do, would be better.