Personal Response to Current Affairs

This is my fifth response to current affairs, which is on issues regarding teenagers. The article was taken from The Straits Times, 1 August 2007. The author of the article is Elena Chong.



Student stabbed youth in break-in attempt

Background

The article talks about a Seconday Four student, Syafiq Hussin who had attempted housebreaking and theft, as well as severely injuring a resident of the house. According to the article, Syafiq attempted to theft to get money to feed his online gaming addiction after his parents had refused him money. He had regretted his decision to resort to crime.


Response

Syafiq has committed many crimes since the start of his gaming addiction. The severity of the problem is not to be underestimated, as it can lead to terrible consequences. The fact that Syafiq could even resort to theft, as well as stabbing the occupant of the house resulting in life-threatening injuries, shows that his addiction has led him to become so fearless that even committing these major crimes means nothing compared to him. Furthermore, he actually relates his theft attempt to his gaming experiences, saying that he got a kick out of doing it! Syafiq’s liking for games involving weapons and fighting has apparently influenced his thinking to a certain extent. His obsession with online games has made him oblivious to any consequences of these crimes, with only the aim of getting money to buy accessories and the like for his games in his mind. He admits that due to a mere moment’s folly, he had wasted his future and is now in remorse.

This problem has not been a first. Reports of teenagers robbing, stealing or housebreaking to take money are common. It is an indication of the severity of this problem that cannot be ignored. Not only are teenagers putting disregard for the laws, they are also being heavily influenced by these games. For a mere game, they can rob, steal, and possibly even kill. The psychology of teens nowadays seems to be that committing crimes is all right, as long as they are not caught, and they achieve their aim—in the case of this article, to get money. This wrong psychology is extremely harmful and damaging to society. How will these people, with their wrong frame of mind, possibly be able to lead the country in the future?

From any elder’s point of view, these actions are surely not condoned as they are extremely immoral as well as foolish. Stealing, robbing and injuring people are definitely not methods that anyone would define as moral.

However, from the teenager’s point of view, things are very different. They view it as something justifiable, and something that others can empathise with, and understand their rationale for their actions. It is possible that teenagers do so much to maintain their game status, because the game allows them to forget about their academics and their worries, allowing them to escape from the harshness of the real world, and giving them immense pleasure. Thus, they feel that in sustaining it, they have something to look forward to in the otherwise boring, and seemingly meaningless life.

Though this rationale appears innocent and harmless, but the methods the teenagers employ to achieve it are definitely not. I can relate well to his thoughts and reasoning, being a relatively avid gamer myself, and having experienced the pleasures of gaming personally. However, I do not think that supporting one’s gaming addiction can ever be sufficient to justify one’s committing serious crimes. Whatever the reason, committing crimes is never and will never be correct.