No Explanation (Or Excuse) For Sheer Stupidity

Three teenage boys have been charged with affray after being arrested in connection with yet another rock throwing incident. On Wednesday afternoon a four wheel drive vehicle, traveling on the M7 in Sydney, was struck by a rock the size of a cricket ball. It hit and cracked the windscreen. Fortunately, there was no injury involved, and the driver safely pulled over and contacted police.

How many more times is this sort of incident going to occur before people realize just how reckless, irresponsible, and criminally dangerous this activity is? There might be some appeal, some thrill, in the idea of throwing rocks at a moving target that motivates young boys to do this. But surely after all the publicity surrounding similar incidents, which have in some cases had much more tragic results, even the most immature young thugs would get the message that this is serious. What’s even more disturbing is the fact that some of these events have involved people of adult age. There is absolutely no possible excuse for such people, who clearly should know better.

Throwing rocks at moving vehicles is such a wanton act of chaos that it goes beyond being merely anti-social. It is indiscriminate, anonymous, and callous. It demonstrates not only a complete lack of regard for the safety of others, but a failure to grasp the basic principles of actions leading to consequences. A person would have to be of doubtful mental capacity to even think such a thing might be fun. The fact that this kind of social disconnect seems to be happening again and again is even more alarming.

Perhaps affray just isn’t a strong enough charge. Really it should be considered to be attempted murder.