Two teens repeatedly punched carolers in the head in Dorchester, police say

We live in a terrible world. A world so terrible that the world has never been this terrible. Right?

First this is not exactly something new. There always have been and always will be people - including teenagers - who have grown up learning that violence is okay. There is no society going wrong. There have always and will always be people who commit violence for the sake of violence. Just look at Donald Trump. He doesn't throw literal punches. He is too much a coward. But he does his best to encourage violence.

The absurdity act of violence against people who are just singing hides both the fact that violence against innocent people is nothing new. Any Gay man who has been assaulted can testify to that.

So what might create an environment that frees two teenagers to hit people who are just singing? And I do mean to use the word frees, as in releases these teenagers from what might have been boundaries the would stop them to instead just being chaotic creatures that get some pleasure out of hitting others?

Another way of asking the question. If violence is part of human nature - but not always erupting like this - what keeps the violent part of individuals from being what they do? What removes the boundaries and limitations that otherwise would prevent any given person from committing violence?

Several things can be part of that answer. Familial environments that teach violence is okay for starters. Media - as in movies and television, but also music, that project messages that violence is acceptable, including violence for the sake of violence. A culture that removes the constraints that can lead individuals away from the violent parts of their natures to non-violent parts of their nature. And by culture I mean technologies that contribute to dissolving the social institutions, such as extended families and even neighborhoods which contributed to turning children and teens into adults that at the least are not violent instead of being violent.

What technologies? Cars. Cars contribute to the dissolution of neighborhoods by making it easy to "escape from the limits" of neighborhoods. In other words to get away from neighbors who would encourage (whether by positive or negative encouragement) conduct that is considered to be good. Television. One of the greatest technologies ever created for dissolving the bonds of family and community.

The technology of computers that turn kids into social media/computer game playing zombies.

Another way to phrase this. Human nature does not change. The nature of human beings in ancient Egypt is the same nature of human beings today. Shakespeare would be meaningless today if human nature changed. So if human nature does not change, but specific problems seems to be worse (such as violence for the sake of violence) then something is different from say today than 50, 100 or more years ago.

These teens remind me of the book and movie, "A Clockwork Orange." The novel was published in 1962. Burgess, the author, is using a fictional novel to report on the same exact situation as with these two teens.

There's a good chance that they will be punished (again) with physical violence which will only further reinforce their view that this is how the world is supposed to work.

Probably a TikTok challenge type thing

This would be credible if anyone were filming. Was anyone filming?

There was outrage about things like this "back in the day" and there should be outrage now.

(This is not to say you aren't outraged, but rather to note why it's newsworthy.)