C‘is a common denominator in the majority of crimes, small or very serious, committed by younger people. Give it to him rapes in Palermo and Caivano which tragically marked the news of the summer with thefts, acts of vandalism, kids who commit crimes almost always act in groups. In packs they foment themselves, they galvanize each other, they commit actions that they probably wouldn’t even imagine on their own. We therefore tried to better understand what the “taste” of the pack is, with an expert. Ivano Zoppi is General Secretary of Carolina Foundation (dedicated to Carolina Picchio, the first victim of cyberbullying recognized in Europe).
The “taste” of the pack. From petty thefts to rapes, because young people act in groups
In Palermo there were seven of them, on the body of a nineteen-year-old. The abusers were Caivano’s two cousins aged 10 and 12, 6 of them. But the boys – three of whom were minors – also acted as a group and robbed and savagely beat them on Thursday night. an engaged couple in Piazzale Gambara in Milan to steal two cell phones, a sweatshirt and 40 euros. In packs, young and very young people carry out petty thefts, beatings and attacks against peers and others. They call them baby gangs, an expression used to define South American youth gangs. But the differences are notable (we explain them here). The common point, however, remains: group action, the pack.
What happens to individuals when the pack decides to act?
«The creation of groups is experiencing a real escalation», admits Zoppi. «But they are groups with they don’t look like baby gangs at all: the bandillas of young Latin Americans have very rigid rules, lifestyles and codes.” The actions of these groups of young people are instead extemporaneous, sporadic, as if by chance: they might not happen, but instead they do happen. The pack leaders direct them and the other members of the group follow. «For young people who experience boredom in their bodies and who do not feel they have a future, as so many young people are today, the action of the pack is a way of making oneself heard, of expressing oneself». Violence is a tool of expression to which the group gives consistency and structure. Without any sense of individual responsibility.
«The kids come together for the fear of being alone, to deal with themselves and their lack of prospects.” Then the group cements itself: through the sharing strong emotions. From those that derive from pornography to the one unleashed by violent actions. «Once upon a time the porn magazine passed under the counter», recalls Zoppi. «Today there is an enormous quantity of products, an undergrowth of pornographic content which on social networks, such as Telegram, are shared in a flash and contribute to “herding”». Even kids watch them, even 7/8 year olds.
The adrenaline, shared by the pack, rises quickly and also those who have a wingman role, when they participate in collective action, «it is seen by the group, it exists. Often, more than he feels he exists within his family”, continues Zoppi.
Individuals therefore act to satisfy an impulse that becomes collective. Everyone plays a role to fulfill it. «And if a gang needs someone to stand guard, the pack instead designates its directorwho films the action with his cell phone to spread it on social networks.”
Parents’ fears
Unfortunately, they are not bad movie plots but dynamics that our young people act or suffer every day. But if, as parents and adults, we feel helpless, Zoppi warns: «We are not. However, we must, as an educating community, take on a complex cultural journey.”
Advice for parents? The list could be long but Zoppi summarizes it in one question. “”How are you?”. We need to really understand how our young people are doing, and without putting ourselves in the shoes of friends, of “equals”. A parent must dictate the rules and transmit values: respect for oneself and others, first and foremost.”
Only by opening your eyes and ears very well is it possible to grasp the signs of discomfort: nervousness, fear, sudden withdrawal from social media. The first challenge is to intercept this discomfort: at the right time, before the boy tries to resolve it elsewhere and otherwise. But the second challenge is not to let the moment pass. «Never think that a child can mind his own business. Otherwise another family will take care of giving value, restoring importance, seeing.”
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