Dear Editor,
One psychological and physical attribute of adolescence is a crush. Nothing is alien about it. As a matter of fact, it is a normal part of growing up and we can all attest to the pleasurable waves of sensation derived from the knowing that you have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
During my time in secondary school, such encounters were displayed in a discreet manner which ranged from exchanging notes, glances, rational conversations, etc. And understandably, closure to any of these adolescent relationships evoked excruciating pain but was handled civilly and in a childlike manner. Fast forward a decade later and to my chagrin, it seems that some adolescent relationships in schools have transformed immensely for the worse and seem to be spiralling out of control.
I want to make special reference to an altercation which I saw on an uploaded video on one of the popular social networking sites on February 8, involving two beautiful young ladies uniformed in school attire, in the vicinity of Brickdam area. From the raucousness, it seemed that the feud hinged on a triangular relationship involving these young ladies and a guy. For those of us who saw the video, we can confess that raucous is a euphemism. These young ladies were hurling expletives in unbridled fashion at each other with wanton disregard for anyone in their presence. And their tones were definitely beyond the threshold of audibility.
If the intention was to attract attention from the viewing public, they certainly accomplished that goal, as was evident from the presence of a myriad of other children all attired in school uniform as well as passers-by. They had their smart phones out capturing every bit of the inappropriate behaviour display.
Had it not been for the presence of a security guard who stood between these two young ladies, one shudders to think what may have happened as there was a deluge of swearing, finger pointing and even swipes taken at each other.
This behaviour was simply reprehensible and these young ladies have not only managed to make themselves objects of caricature but they also succeeded in tarnishing the image of their school and humiliating their parents or guardians. As a result they should be dealt with condignly for this unforgivably destructive behaviour.
Yours faithfully
Raul Khan
