The Cause and Effect of Male Juvenile Delinquency.

12/9/2007 1:38:04 AM

John Nyberg
 GE 374.
February 2007

2
 To the men of the congregation of XXXXXXX XXX Shalom Synagogue. This

respectfully submitted regarding the general topic of male juvenile delinquency in our

community and our nation. A topical essay written in causal format; for the consideration

and discussion of this body. Please pass along to the ladies of the congregation for

further discussion and insight.

It is this authors contention that there are four major and clearly definable causes for

male juvenile delinquency. It is also my contention that there are 5 major effects of

abhorrent behavior observable in all societies throughout the world; as well as

throughout history. Next there are several effects that may be grouped collectively into a

category of less clearly definable effects of male juvenile delinquency Finally I intend to

propose a short, easily perusable course of correction for any individual man and all men

collectively, This course, if followed with fervent zeal may begin to reduce male juvenile

delinquency in as little as one decade.

1
Introduction:

Let us agree upon some basic assumptions. These are to be the basis for my

treatise, and without these primary assumptions there can be no beginning in

addressing the topic. These assumptions, or premises, will lead the reader,

hopefully, to the same conclusions arrived at by the author. The vast majority of

my presentation will consist of my own personal experiences and conclusions.

Many, if not most of the concepts are arrived at non-scientifically, as well as

through inductive reasoning. In this way I encourage debate and sincere criticism

of the content. My goal is not to manufacture a scholarly work on the subject, but

to enter in to the social conversation with a valid personal perspective; one which

I hope will be a positive catalyst for study and discussion.

It is my honest and sincere contention that this subject is one of the gravest

challenges faced by western societies at this time. Further more, I firmly believe

that specialists in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and sociology, are ill

equipped to render any meaningful help to society in dealing with the problems of

delinquency and abhorrent behavior. I say this, not to insult these august bodies of

professionals, but to avoid falling into their counter intuitive modes of analyzing

problems until they are no longer considered problematic. Simply said, these are

bodies of people, whose very vocations depend upon solving a given problem.

2
When they find the issue to be unsolvable they simply redefine the behavior as

non

deviant, and thereby redefine normal modes of social control as the problem. I like

to call this "blaming the rape victim for her own rape, because she was wearing

revealing clothing". Redefining deviant behavior as normalcy; blaming the society

at large for individual abhorrent behavior is, to say the least unconscionable.

(Savage M. Page 91-117, summarized)

The Specific Effects:

The five effects I observe and the assumptions subsequently made about these

observations are thus:

1) It is common knowledge, and somewhat obvious; that most people in any

given society, regard non normative behavior as a problem. The

sociological patterns that are used to weigh behavior are vastly different

from one culture to the next, however, the occurrence of deviant behavior

from any given set of norms is axiomatic. So, deviance occurs in all

societies.

2) The effect of deviant behavior is generally held to be detrimental to any

society. This attitude is apparently latent in societies where the set of

normal behaviors are broader. Thus, much more latitude is given to

individuals in their daily life. It appears to this author that in these "open"

3
 societies, there is a higher saturation point for deviance. Effects of

deviance in open societies are far more damaging to societal

cohesiveness, and longer lasting. In other terms, a troubled child will grow

up to be a troubled adult. Troubled adults are detrimental to the society at

large. Thus, all societies feel the negative results of deviance.

3) The foundational causes of these behaviors are relatively common, and

homogeneous; regardless of the culture being observed. The root causes of

these anomalies are attributable to a desire, not just to be nonconforming; but

destructive to the societal construct. The individual feels alienated and

powerless; thus by being destructive to ones self and ones society; these

individuals achieve a type of power over their environment.

4) If left uncorrected, patterns of deviant behavior can become effectively

"normalized"; and affect permanent change upon a culture. The change in

societal norms is negative on balance because they are brought about by the

negative behavior. Then we may say that, there is a trend to live with the

problem. Rather than deal with it.

5) Normalizing deviant behavior can destroy a society, its culture, and its people.

4
The general effect upon society:

The effects of delinquent behavior in juvenile males are all too obvious to

even the most casual observer. It is valid to catalog some of these effects, if

only to reinforce our resolve as men to work for positive changes when and

where we can. Some of these effects are barely definable as well as nearly

unquantifiable. Others can be stated clearly and concisely. Among them are:

Boys, and men, who have no specific goals. They drift through life without

any solid foundational, emotional need to belong to a family, clan, tribe, or

nation. They produce the next generation of illegitimate children, whom they

do not intend to father in any civilized sense of the word. They, and their

progeny become a financial load upon an already straining society in terms of

direct financial aid, medical care, and penal institution costs. They often have

no solid bonds to their nation or its culture, so they may immigrate to other

nations, where they become undue burdens there, thus straining

relationships between nations. The unfathered boy, grows to physical

maturity only to produce unaccounted for children; all too many of which wind

up being murdered, either in abortion factories or outright as infants, through

neglect and abuse. Those children who do survive are more often liable to

have life long psychological and physical problems. Problems that can not be

addressed by an insufficient family. Boys without correct father figures are far

5
 more likely to become members of street gangs, perpetrating waves of crime

on the society. Promiscuous sexual behavior among badly raised boys is

axiomatic, this leads to horrific disease problems such as AIDS and Hepatitis.

Juvenile prostitution in the United States was a problem at the turn of the

twentieth century, now it seems to be a burgeoning crime again. Severe mental

illness graces many street corners in every city. Exhibitions of schizophrenic

self hatred and depression, sociopathic destructiveness and even the

frightening psychotic episodes of those who have sought refuge from their

misery in crack cocaine and methamphetamines. Cities, once deemed to be

relatively "safe", such as Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota; are now

veritable crime bazaars. General disillusion, both of the subject group and the

society they are helping to destroy is rampant. A sense of loss of place,

powerlessness, and helpless desperation is beginning to descend on this

country. All due to the "do your own thing" attitude that prevails in so called pop

culture. This is the very same culture promulgated by unfathered boys grown to

so called manhood. This causes a continual lowering of standards in order to

assuage the conscience of a morally bankrupt social order that rewards errant

behavior; because its individual members feel personal guilt over their lack of

moral strength A case in point; in 1960 homosexuality was considered a mild

psychological disorder. Today the same governing body that defended this

diagnosis (APA), insists that pedophilia is normal. The endemic moral turpitude

in worst case extends to legally enforceable codes of misconduct. In the

1930's, breaking into a house in Minnesota would get you shot, no questions

6
asked. Today, the home owner, defending his or her family from home invasion

is likely to go to prison if one or more of the perpetrators is killed in the

commission of the crime. Chalk all this up to poor parenting from generation

to generation. And because fathers are the leaders of the home and the

home is the basis for all that happens in a society, men are culpable.

The causes:

1. The breaking away of ones self image and the subsequent

schizophrenic depression of "anchorless life". If a boy is left to his own ,

without any meaningful male contact, several things will happen. First,

and best case, he will find a suitable adult male mentor, or "chieftain".

Lacking this input , he will find, and settle for the closest image of

leadership he can find. Sadly this role is often filled by gang leaders,

pimps and narcotics traffickers. Thirdly, he may simply turn to the semi

filial bonds of his contemporaries; however this pressure on piers often

lasts only a short while. Last, he may simply begin to turn in upon himself.

Looking within for that which he is refused in all other venues of his life. I

would do well to note here that this situation where the young boy is

bereft of male leadership isn't always a case of abandonment. Contrary

to intuition, many "fatherless" boys do in fact have a father, some of

which live at home. For one fallacious reason or another these adult men

see fit to eschew meaningful and loving leadership roles in their sons

lives. Another case of the missing father component, is the father who is

7
 overtly hostile to his son(s). He may see them as a disappointment, in

light of his own expectations, or he may not realize (or even care) about

his critical responsibilities as a father.

In any case a lack of strong, ethical, daily, male leadership in any boys life

will begin to cause a cycle of depression. The boy seeks that which he can

not define, and fails to find it. He the turns to placebos, such as narcotics,

alcohol, sex, vandalism, arson, etc. He understands implicitly, that these are

errant behaviors, but, he attempts to justify them as he has no other means

by which he can grasp for control over his world. Seeing that he is on the

"wrong side" of society, he begins to psychologically harden himself against

reproach. This "hardening of the heart" causes him to despise himself.

Sometimes this self hatred is camouflaged, sometimes not. The net effect is

a boy, waiting to become a man in chronological terms; who has been

emotionally frozen in place; to a time and level in which he last felt that he

was part of the world of honorable men. For those who never felt the

overwhelming joy of dawning manhood, this is an almost insurmountable

situation.

2) The loss of familial maternity and the fracturing away from society.

The loss of honorable place for women, and the disregard for the traditional

role of women as a civilizing influence. The single most important part of any

young mans life is the active role he takes in societal God worship. By this I

mean he may in fact be an agnostic, or atheist; but he does have a firm grip

8
on his own view of God in society. For the purposes of this discussion, it

doesn't matter how any individual young man approaches God. It does,

however, matter immensely that he does. Any man who is ambivalent about

the "whole issue" is leaving a part of growing up undone. The next most

important part of growing up is the relationship you have to family. The

primary; and critical concept for any young man is that, family means women.

Women in all human society, for all time, have been the corner stone, means,

and purpose of family. Family must never be taken as simple procreation by

the young man. Even the lower primates actively participate in familial fealty.

This isn't just a matter of survival, but a matter of social cohesiveness. What

ever role a given society assigns to its women, it can never be a

psychologically balanced society unless and until it grants women a place of

honor. Making of women something they are not, or misrepresenting them in

any way throws a social structure out of balance. The ancient Vikings

worshiped their women, and often paid a heavy price for putting too large a

load on them in terms of societal balance and productiveness. The continual

violence experienced by the southern tribal Vikings can be easily attributable

to a significant lack of self respect by the majority of men. This balance

between love and respect has been a misunderstood equation for six

millennia. Conversely, the utter lack of respect for, or love for women, has left

the Islamic societies of the world in a similar situation. In the majority of

Islamic societies, women are little more than breeding stock. Men, who in

their inmost psyche know that they are errant and despotic toward women;

9
 become schizophrenic and sociopathic. This is made worse by societal

sanctions against change in this relationship. Thus men tend toward self hate

and violent behavior. The violent behavior is a negative adaptation of the

honorable role of societies' protector, turned upon the social structure it was

meant to defend. (Stern.D.1998 [ The appreciation canto]). Summarized.

3) The loss of familial paternity and the consequent breaking of all other

familial bonds. Contrary to modern psychological theory, there is no more

important bond for a boy after the age of three than that of his father. Mothers

are still in the young boys memory as the "safe and warm place"; however at

the age of three children begin to explore the world around them in ways they

wouldn't before this time. At three, a child wishes to see what is making that

strange noise around the corner. Of course there is trepidation in these

explorations, but they will investigate. Girls, if left in the company of men at

this age tend to become bold and unpredictable, boys who are left to their

mothers side exclusively at this age tend to become passive and inwardly

fretful. This is because there is a mismatch in thought processes between the

two. Males process information at varying rates of speed in accordance with

the stress level of a given situation. Men also do their thinking serially, (that is

to say one thing at a time). Granted, men can process information more

quickly, however in extreme situations he will revert to "automatic mode". Men

tend to be more inductive in their reasoning and can in best cases filter out

prodigious amounts of intellectual noise. A very good case for this is the door

10
gunner on the Army UH1 helicopter. I have seen video footage taken in 1968

of one such gunner carefully recharging his gun and firing it at an enemy while

the lower half of his legs were falling to the ground from a high explosive blast.

The marvel of women is their natural ability to process information in parallel

fashion, and do so accurately. Stress has little to do with how a woman

processes information, given the assurance of a satisfactory outcome. It was

widely known throughout the Air Force that female Air Traffic Controllers were

in fact a rare and sought after commodity; this for the way they could handle as

many as half a dozen flights at a time!

It is a genuine reality that young boys need to spend as much time with their

fathers as possible from the age of three to about age thirteen. Inversely, girls

learn to become women from their mothers in this age span. All children

require both paternal and maternal psychological input well into early

adulthood, but imbalance in these inputs makes for imbalance in the child. The

fracturing of families is the surest way to guarantee that children have

problems with relationships in their adult lives. The sense of belonging is

damaged or even destroyed at a basic level and at a time in which a child can

not apply intellectual "band aids" to the situation. Fathers must be there, and

strive to perfect the role of familial leader. Mothers must be there and attend

to the role of familial anchor. While fathers are the commanders, mothers are

the all important executive officers. This, of course, doesn't preclude fathers

being the at home component of a parental pair. It takes some self

examination for men to begin the process of prime care giver. The industrial

11
 age brought the artificial norm of "dad's away at work". In ancient times

fathers work places weren't inaccessible places, many miles from home.

Schools, when there were schools, weren't virtual government prison camps

for children, and mothers did work, sometimes right beside father. The

logistics of an in tact family matter little if all in the house understand their role

in producing healthy, happy children.(Cohen,A. Page 159-236) Summarized.

4) The loss of honorable manhood and tribal knighthood.

Breakdown of male ties and the elimination of men as the tribal guardians

of the social order, occurs when men haven't had reasonable foundation in

understanding human needs. The pizzeria Freud of today will expound at

length about the things "people need". Among their list are sundries such as

shelter, food, clothing, a sense of community, etcetera. They are too clever by

half. All of human endeavor revolves around three simple truths. 1. All people

need to serve somebody or something. Whether it be an ideal, a God, a

nation, a family, or simply ones self. 2. Women need love and respect, in that

order, in appropriate proportions. 3. Men need respect and love, in that order,

in appropriate proportions. The young mans need to belong to the tribe of

knight sages called men is founded in the most basic desire to serve , to be

respected and to be loved. Similarly older men need to be needed by their

younger counterparts. It is part of the cycle of being and belonging to that

which is greater than yourself. Children without men, regardless of their gender

are at risk in many ways, some are apparent, and some are not. If you doubt

12
this statement, observe a school playground full of children. Watch those

furthest from the expected norms of behavior, (i.e. introverted, fearful, overtly

aggressive, violent); you will have identified the children who have family lives

that are out of normal balance. It is grown men's responsibility in any society to

render iconic role modeling for good social behavior. How often have we all

heard professional athletes complaint that they aren't to be made role models?

It is this authors considered and correct opinion that; all men, in any society,

have the responsibility to be role models. It is part of being a man, and a

significant part of belonging to any social structure. Those who avoid this task,

are usually men who themselves have been betrayed by their elders, and

haven't yet grown to manhood in order to see past their own grief. A short

lesson in grief management goes thus: Years ago, as a young supervisor, I

was forced to take a harsh and unyielding tone with a subordinate. I was, in

fact, far too callous with this young man and managed to grieve him greatly. I

found him later with tears in his eyes and ready to give up on his career. It was

then that I apologized to him and explained myself in tactful terms. Rather than

cheer up he burst into sobbing and hugged me. When all had settled down he

told me of his father; and how the rare times he had gotten to spend with him

were filled with beatings and other harrowing treatment. Then he told me that

at first he felt useless and worthless when I had reprimanded him. I had

become a stand in for his father. When I then apologized; I had broken the

spell of self doubt. I let this young man know that I firmly believed in him and

that I knew he was a great asset to our shop. This is the way that broken

13
 men, even those such as myself can begin to heal other men, and support

the boys of our society. ( Bly.R,Page 56-122, 92-122,146-179,Summarized)

(Stern, Proverbs Page 941-992)

The treatment:

To heal the self, men must find a place, not just a place in geographic

terms, though this is important. Each man must have a mental vision of

himself, being the good man. Each and every day we must remind ourselves

that the entire civilized world rests on our deportment and bearing. Each of us

must create a self of honor and recreate the heroic self image; cast out of the

better parts of the societies past. We must reconnect with other men to seek

the Golden Fleece of fraternal support. Fathers and brothers must work at

being there, young boys need "thereness". Just letting your seven year old

sleep curled up next to you can give him the sense that he is a valid addition

to company of men. Make it a practice to wear a nice warm jacket, not an

expensive one. Then the next time you see a wino shivering in the cold

autumn wind, take it off and give it to him. Treat the skinny guy with the big

mouth as if he was a heavy weight boxer, and let the big "tough guy" know

when your unhappy with his behavior (in a civil way). If you have children that

live in another city, move to be close to them. You can get a new job, the

children are for ever. Each man must seek the higher power that created you,

regardless if you think He exists or not. You might be surprised!

14
 Tribal healing starts with the family and goes outward. Make amends

with those who are estranged from you. Even if it doesn't work the first time,

you have to be the lead hero. Forgive all that has gone before. Bitterness

over the past has destroyed many families, friendships and organizations.

Make a sincere effort to think of those at work, in your neighborhood, and

place of worship as distant relatives, especially the men. Keep in mind that

you don't have to like you relatives, you do have to love them. Remember,

sometimes loving them means no more than putting up with them. Be patient

with women, it makes a good lesson for the boys that are invariably watching.

(Stern,D.1998. Ecclesiastes,Page 1075-1088 summarized)

The ramifications of failure are apparent in the fall of all of histories great

societies. Fail to observe and maintain that which is good; fail to weed out

that which is destructive; fail to reinvent yourself and your society on a regular

basis; fail to maintain connections that support communication with other

groups within your society; fail to survive.

References:

Bly, R (1990). Iron John, a book about men.. Cambridge MA.: Da Capo Press

Iron John (a book about men).

This book by Robert Bly. DaCapo Press C 1990. ISBN 0-306-81376-9,

epitomizes the best in recent thinking about the primary office of responsibility

that all men are given in regard to the care and upbringing of all boys within our

15
societal span of influence.

Cohen, A (1949). Everyman's Talmud. New York NY.: Shocken Books

Every Mans Talmud,Chapter4,Part3, "Children". By Abraham Cohen. Shocken

Books. C1949. ISBN. 0-8052-1032-6. This reference contains many individual

steps in the art of raising children as well as myriad invaluable concepts for

stable, healthy societies throughout the book.

Savage, M (2002). The Savage Nation. Nashville Tn.: WND Books.

The Savage Nation, By Michael Savage (AKA Dr. Michael Weiner), WND

Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7852-6353-5. I chose this particular book, out of all Dr.

Wieners work specifically to illuminate the consequences of deviant behavior

gone to adulthood. The social, intellectual, psychological and spiritual

degradation highlighted by Mr. Savage in this book; are clear indications of the

greater National Disillusion being suffered in America today. If this future looks

bleak, it is. Perhaps my attempt at resolution is a start toward reversing this

seemingly inexorable entropy.

Stern, D (Ed.). (1998). The Complete Jewish Bible. Jerusalem Israel: Jewish

New Testament Publications, INC..

Ecclesiastes; By King Shlomo Ben-Dovid, Circa 540 BCE. This is the work of

16
King Solomon the Wise. In his somewhat tormented life he was able to overcome

much of the problematic behavior that can bring all good men to disgrace. In this

slightly cynical account of his philosophy; Solomon gives us a veritable check list

of those things in life which bring no lasting joy or fulfillment. In doing so,

Solomon relates the joys of family, honor and the need to establish your

minimum goodness factor. This nebulous idea is quintessentially Hebraic in

nature and relates to the minimum behavioral standards to which one must hold

himself to be happy. This book is clearly aimed at boys and young men, this done

in an effort to ward off those errant self involved tendencies that grip a young

man and turn him into a me generation type personality. In the end useless to

himself, his family, his tribe and sadly, to his G-d. Used as a reference from

which to instruct boys, there can be a great deal of retroactive instruction for boys

where lifes ultimate goals should lay when perusing the life of a good and

honorable man.

Stern, D (Ed.). (1998). The Complete Jewish Bible. Jerusalem Israel: Jewish

New Testament Publications, INC

Proverbs; By King Shlomo Ben-Dovid, Circa 540 BCE. I chose this selection

for the painfully obvious reason that, contained in these passages are much of

the moral and ethical instruction that boys and men of all ages in the west lack.

Here in lie many of the answers to questions boys ask men, however the adult

man in question may not be able to accurately quantify the answer. This entire

text is also a genuine unfound gold mine of male wisdom for those mothers who

17
are raising boys, and dont have access to a genuine man. Chapter 31 Verse 10

starts the "appreciation canto". This is of particular interest to the subject of how

loving men view women.

Other useful texts:

Various (2004). Pirke Avot, Traditional Text; Sayings of the Jewish Fathers.

Montana: Kessenger Publishing LLC.

PIRKE AVOT, Traditional Text; Sayings of the Jewish Fathers. Kessenger

Publishing, LLC is a publisher of rare reprints. ISBN: 978-1419141713;

Compiled by several hundreds of Rabbis during the period 70 CE

approximately 300 CE. The Title is usually translated in to English as Ethics of

the Fathers, or Sayings of the Fathers. Translated in to English in its entirety by:

Joseph I. Gorfinkle in 1913. Pirque Avot (var. Pirke` Avot) is chosen here

because it represents the best of thought and intent regarding the rearing if

children to be honorable members of their society. I use these types of positive

models to measure our own society and its thorough lack of efficacy in child

rearing and social balance. It is in this way that we may chart a course for

societal rectification, by comparison and emulation of successful social orders.

18
SON:
A Fathers pride,
A Mothers joy,
A Brothers eternal friend,
A Sisters confidant.
This boy,
This man in waiting,
This future.

19