[RAB]

Surely you would not hold the youths responsible for there actions. There much to young.
I say .....HOLD THE PARENTS RESPONSIBLE......if you can find them.

[margejacobs]

If you don't hold these kids responsible and accountable now, there will be another time, another such incident. Part of what's wrong with our society is that it's always someone else's fault. While the parents may have failed in their parenting, it is not going to make these kids, at their ages, become caring adults to make the parents pay the price of what they did. You can't convince me at the ages of these kids that they didn't know if was wrong to beat someone up and to show you how wrong they knew it was, they had two lookout guys watching for anyone who might come around that they didn't want to catch them at this ugly game. Maybe you think the punishment will be too severe, but let's think of the little innocent girl with hearing loss; vision loss and who knows what else.

[redwitch]

Having a daughter who is relatively young (21 next month), I think I can safely chime in. The parents do bear teh brunt of the responsibility. Many parents today are so busy being a friend to their child, they forget that their job is to be a parent. Friends don't discipline. Friends don't guide. Many parents are too willing to abrogate their role in their children's life.

The children also need to bear some of the responsibility. These are not girls who had no moral teachings. These are girls who chose to ignore what they knew was right in favor of being part of the new in crowd.

I do not blame YouTube, anymore than I blame movies or television for the behavior of youth. No matter how much parents may try to stop it, kids watch things that are not appropriate. It is up to the parents to teach their children why those things are not appropriate. Open discussions about morality, ethics, sexuality, responsibility should be part of every household. Sadly, they're not.

That being said, not all bad behavior can be blamed on bad parenting. I know parents who have done everything right and still have kids turn out badly. I also parents who did eveything wrong who had children who turned out wonderfully. I've seen siblings treated equally and one child went on to college and the other chose drugs. Sometimes it really is the child -- either by choice or by neurological, chemical or behavorial issues. Sometimes the blame does lie at society's door by refusing to help those parents who have done everything in their power to help their child yet have had door after door slammed shut.

I don't know if these girls have any mental disorders, but I doubt it. At least not so severe that they didn't know right from wrong or could not control themselves. This was not an impulsive act. It was planned. It was done so that a video could be made and posted on a public forum.

The one good thing I have found in the midst of this particular tragedy are the kids on YouTube who have spoken up and said how very wrong the behavior of these girls was. Some of the language used by these kids is rather graphic but the viewpoints are very definite. The vast majority of comments to these videos are in total agreement.

Maybe this incident will get some parents to open their eyes and being willing to talk to their kids about right and wrong. We can but dream.