Aggressive youths

NeedsTraining

Out running tonight in the local park/gaa pitch doing intervals.
Near the end of my session, some youths (14 or 15 years old) came into the park.
When passing them, one of them pushes me. I decide to carry on my merry way to the calls of ******, he's afraid, come back here and we'll give you a reason to run etc etc etc.

Seriously, what has come of the youth today.
Is this what we have to look forward to at mid-term?
It is a crazy world when one can't go out for a run/walk/cycle without getting confronted by the likes of these 'brave' souls.

Anypoint informing local resident association relating to anti-social behaviour or is that just venting for the sake of it (similar to what I am doing here I suppose)

Anyway, rant over. Hope none of you encounter similar.

robinph

NeedsTraining wrote: »

Seriously, what has come of the youth today.

It's not the youth of today, it's just youths. It's always been like that and always will be.

NeedsTraining

You reckon?

When I was a youth (all those years ago), I most definitely did not harass runners/cyclist/walkers. I was more interested in kicking a football or playing hurling or similar.

robinph

You didn't, and neither did I, but there most definately was other kids giving exactly the same abuse as you encountered today to other people.

boatbuilder

robinph wrote: »

You didn't, and neither did I, but there most definately was other kids giving exactly the same abuse as you encountered today to other people.

I totally disagree. A lot of youths today are definately more aggressive and they don't give a damn about anything. I'd say they make up a much larger proportion of youths today than they did even 10 years ago.

I work with "challenging" young people every day so I can see the changes happening.

CelticSpirit

NeedsTraining wrote: »

Out running tonight in the local park/gaa pitch doing intervals.
Near the end of my session, some youths (14 or 15 years old) came into the park.
When passing them, one of them pushes me. I decide to carry on my merry way to the calls of ******, he's afraid, come back here and we'll give you a reason to run etc etc etc.

Seriously, what has come of the youth today.
Is this what we have to look forward to at mid-term?
It is a crazy world when one can't go out for a run/walk/cycle without getting confronted by the likes of these 'brave' souls.

Anypoint informing local resident association relating to anti-social behaviour or is that just venting for the sake of it (similar to what I am doing here I suppose)

Anyway, rant over. Hope none of you encounter similar.

Fair play to you for keeping your head. If somebody pushed me like that I'd lose it, especially if I was fired up doing intervals.

PCPhoto

CelticSpirit wrote: »

Fair play to you for keeping your head. If somebody pushed me like that I'd lose it, especially if I was fired up doing intervals.

yer better off to ignore them.... if you:

a) confront them and hit one of them.... they sue you for assault

b) confront them and get attacked....you get injured

I do find that the youth of today are not so much ignorant but more they lack respect.....due to the crazy PC world that we live in (not the computer shop ....political correctness) ......majority of kids today have little or no respect for anything

- when I was growing up there was always the threat that yer parents would smack ya....it was only a threat but it was the fear which stopped you from "messing" ...these days - if someone hits a kid - even its own parent...people are up in arms ....solicitors and called and social services...

FFS kids today have solicitors on speed dial

Krusty_Clown

Call into the local Garda station and mention it to them. They might do nothing about it, but they might send a Garda patrol the odd night to the park to keep the scobies at bay. You shouldn't have to put up with that.

Which park was it?

shotgunmcos

ha this reminds me of my lunchtime run yesterday. I was running across the bridge from the treaty stone to king john's castle and saw about 8 youths up ahead ranging in ages from 10-16 ish boys and girls. Busy road on my left handside and me on the footpath. As I approach one of the younger lads threw a stone quite literally at me which whizzed by my right ear. I steered into their path and looked straight at him whererupon he exclaimed apologetically...

... "sorry bud I wasn't trying to hit you, I was trying to hit the car"..... !!

robinph

Those rose tinted specs really do distort people memories of the past. :cool:

boatbuilder wrote: »

I totally disagree. A lot of youths today are definately more aggressive and they don't give a damn about anything. I'd say they make up a much larger proportion of youths today than they did even 10 years ago.

I work with "challenging" young people every day so I can see the changes happening.

That does put you more in a position where you are likely to encounter it though.

Kids have always hung around in groups harassing other people in order to make themselves seem tough to their group of mates. I've not noticed any real difference in the numbers of them or what they do as you run past them over the years, other than I'm now bigger and older and can spot potential trouble from further away maybe, when compared to when I was a kid myself.

The only differences are that they may now have mobile phones to video themselves looking tough which they can then go and stick up on Be-Space-Book, and the media reports on things become more sensationalist making people think bad things happen far more than they actually do. Not saying there are not bad people out there.


As mcos says though, show a slight bit of retaliation, or standing up to them, and they will usually back down and run away scared themselves.

T runner

I have actually noticed aggression from a wide variety of people while out running.

Some of the incidents including full plastic water bottles thrown at me from passing cars. People screaming into my face as I pass. The inevitable run forest run comment, freak etc etc.

I blame alcohol for the vast majority of it. I think someone running is doing something so different to someone being drunk that the drunk person notices at some level and reacts.

groovyg

thats a real pain but I doubt complaining to any guards or local residents association will help, they are probably as frustrated with the situation as we are. Thats the one thing I like about winter and the dark evenings is that around my area most of them are either inside or hanging around their local shopping centre. I find when the evenigs get longer and they are on their summer hols they really start to pick on you. Out roaming the streets with nothing to do but throw things at passing cars or shout at pedestrians and runners. I used to run up around Marley and along the grange rd last summer - the amount of abuse I got shouted at me especially by girls in groups was just painful. If they push or even try to instigiate a fight best to get the f**K out of there - no point in fighting back you could end up in a worse state.

Oryx

Ive often had lewd comments from people when Im out running, (not always 'youths' either) and get cars honking or guys yelling from passing cars from time to time, but thats kinda harmless. I think cos Im a woman, and I may give off the 'strange crazy running woman' vibe I dont get a hell of a lot of hassle, and anyway a lot of my runs are at 8am when the yobs are asleep.

It is horrible when your running towards a group of lads and you just know they are planning to be unpleasant. You can always tell. I tend to swear back if I get abused tho, (God, all my mothers hard work raising me well was in vain) so far it hasnt escalated, probably cos they arent able to run after me.:)

nerraw1111

I think youths have always harassed people. But I think it's becoming more aggressive.

I've lost count the number of times a skanger has pretended to throw a punch at me as I run past. Happened two nights ago. Surprisingly, his mate had a go at him for doing it. 'What you doing that for? Ya knob.'

That said, I've taken to pretending to mop my brow with my forearm when approaching gangs in case some kid tries to lamp me.

Killerz

i think with verbal abuse/ slagging/ comments the best thing is to completely ignore it - all theyre waiting for is a reaction.

luckily i havent come across anything physical - dont really know how i'd react. it would be a dangerous call, coz if yer moving at speed, and did throw a retaliatory slap or other means of attack, there'd be a good chance you'd trip or get caught up in them somehow while trying to get away.

i do think that we are being further victimised in the cold, tights-wearing season , mostly brought on by wearing of said tights....

yop

Have to agree though and I think the "older generation" would also agree that youths, especially girls, have little or no heed for anyone older than them.

Last week while out running the ring road I passed by maybe 50 or so people out walking, running etc. Either I stepped onto the grass or they left a gap which was sound. Then a bunch of girlies decided to take up grass and path, 1 stepped sorta aside so I cud squeeze past and then the girl behind her decides to jump straight out in front of me and scream, probably expecting me to get a fright and jump onto the road.

Poor girly ended up take the full brunt of me into her arm and shoulder as I tried to pass. She won't be doing that again

Peterx

ahh the youth.

Slightly off topic;
When I were but a wee slip of an apprentice the abortion debate was in full flow - it was breaktime in the job and the old bitter twisted fitters were chatting and the oldest bitterest one goes "I'm voting YES, no more bleeding apprentices" looking at me and even littler first year. Yes indeed the good old days!

On topic;

Running with arms raised as you pass the youth tends to help, at least I'm prepared to "accidently" lamp the one who jumps into my path:)

NeedsTraining

Park was Hazelbury park.

Agree with a lot of the comments here, but lets hope it doesn't happen again.

longshank

I run with my dog who is quite large and mean looking and it's amazing how they all clear a path for me! Never been bothered and have often come across groups who were drinking and very boisterous, you know without the dog they would give you grief. Luckily they don't know she is a complete pet!

entropi

I've had a full can of alcohol thrown my way before but thats it really...OP, they are idiots pure and simple...a vast amount of teens are these days:mad:

mitresize5

christ I love living in the country (thats the country side not anything outside Dublin!!)

Now that the evenings are getting longer I can run/cycle around some beautiful country side and not meet another person.

Just thought I'd share that with ye

Having said that dogs are a problem - does anyone use those devices that emit a high pitched noise to ward them off - they get mixed reviews on the interwebby

Micky Dolenz

Jees, where do ye people run?. Sounds like an extreme sport.

Krusty_Clown

Myself and a buddy (neither of us very small) ran past a group of teenagers this evening, who decided to run behind us. We just ignored them completely, but they ran around us for a couple of hundred metres until one by one they got tired/bored, and fell away. I like to think we helped them shed a few calories.

toomuchdetail

Fortunately til now dodging dog crap has been the height of my problems :
I know altering the run route is not and should not be an option but if this happened me I think I would take 1-2 of them out and end up doing laps of a prison yard for a few months.
Thankfully the benefit of a mature outlook would and should mean I would ignore it.

Have seen Nunchucks few years back that fold up to the size of an i-phone as they are telescopic , these could fit in a pocket I suppose.

Worst incident was when running my 10k loop last year a farmer stepped out of a gate way and into my path and in the fuss the knotted hankerchief on his head fell off and I had to help him re-fix it , advantage of living in place hard to find on a map i suppose .

Peckham

Report on Irish Times website shows the dangers you have to face

marathonm@n

Most of my runs are on trails and off road but when I see any runners I always watch them to see how they run.
I wonder would some runners think it strange or maybe the women think I am some sort of perv?