From the Scotsman, "Not tough enough on the causes of yobbery"

Anyone not living under a rock understands how life in many major American cities has deteriorated. The problems where I work in the Bronx have become the stuff of legend. Apparently, this urban problem is not only an American one. Scotland has it's own problem

The Catholic Archbishop of Glascow weighs in:

The rising concern about yobbishness is also being taken up by moral leaders. Mario Conti, the Catholic archbishop of Glasgow, declared himself shocked by the low-level crime he discovered in the city when he first moved there from Aberdeen.

"It is wrong to equate anti-social behaviour with poverty," Conti says. "Clearly material deprivation can lead to resentment and a sense of injustice, but I believe the real source of anti-social behaviour is cultural poverty. By that I mean ignorance of the basic ground rules of our culture: the dignity of the human person; respect for property - one's own and others'; respect for education as a means of self-improvement; respect for family; a sense of the nobility of work.

"All of these, combined with low self- esteem, lack of economic means and living in a society which vaunts wealth, success and beauty can create in certain individuals a time-bomb of resentment and anger."

I think he's dead on. Unfortunately, addressing the cultural desert that reigns in cities doesn't conveniently catagorize into Post-modern Marxist grievences. It also may not keep activists gainfully employed by more futile government spending. Therefore, those that have secured the most influence with neighborhoods, schools and the like have the least incentive to address these cultural concerns.

The answer is to take subsidiarity seriously. Governments should do all they can to support the smaller associations and organizations that address life as close to the people as possible. Local civic groups, churches, neighborhood associations, and organizations that specialize in youth need to work together to instill the value of civility to all the young.

These local associations, together with other cities and the larger society, need to demand the kind of media that supports their values. We are the consumers of their advertisers' goods and services. If the cultural media industry won't support us, why should we support their advertisers?

The internet has obviously become the most effective communications media for action. Boycotters of CBS' hatchet job on Ronald Reagan forced the network to abandon it's primetime debut. The web allowed that boycott to happen. The examples could go on and on. We're not nearly as powerless as we're told we are.

And, of course, we Fools must continue to evangelize by any means moral and practical. Ultimately, Christ heals the dark hearts of those that plague the world's inner cities like a cancer. If we bring Christ to the kids, He'll bring the kids to the light.