The more I observe human behaviour the more it is obvious that there is a correlation between self-centredness and outright aggression, captured so perfectly by the phrase “I’m all right, f…. you Jack”. It is like a sliding scale of anti-social behaviour, which increases in degrees if the person is never reined in by others. Once that person is out of control he crosses the line between being merely unpleasant, to being a menace.
The intrinsic problem for the rest of us is that those who are loud and reckless and break the law and run roughshod over other people, generally also tend to be arrogant, violent bullies.
So if I (to use a hypothetical example) tap on my neighbour’s door and gently suggest that he needs to do something about his constantly barking dog which is keeping me up all night, nine times out of 10 this neighbour will regale me with a mouthful of obscenities which includes a specific reference to the Virgin Mary’s anatomy.
If I’m lucky the incident might end there, but if I live next door to a particularly nasty piece of work I can also expect (a) a punch in the nose (b) slashed tyres (c) the dog to be spitefully joined by another three barking dogs, just for the hell of it or (d) all of the above.
Isn’t disturbing the peace against the law? And more importantly, would the police back me up if I called them? Blasphemy is supposedly against the law too, but I don’t remember the last time anyone was brought before the court on this charge.
What has become extremely worrying in this country is that law-abiding citizens, who do things by the book and don’t bother others, are being overwhelmed by those who are thugs and lawbreakers. Even if you are completely within your rights, you will find yourself backing down when faced by an aggressive type because you just don’t want that kind of trouble. Speaking for myself, I’m basically a chicken who tries to avoid being beaten up as much as possible. If it’s a verbal argument, I can usually hold my ground, but this depends on the person and the circumstances. Most of the time if the situation looks like it’s going to escalate into an embarrassing public scene I just leave. And if the other person looks like the type who enjoys getting into fights then, frankly, I run.
So where does that leave us? I don’t think it’s just my imagination that hooligans seem to have taken over the country and are in the majority. Or maybe it just seems that way because they tend to make themselves heard more. All I know is that we may have a zillion laws written in our statute books making it illegal to do this or that, but after the initial flurry of PR and perhaps a token number of people being charged, the law ceases to be enforced.
Scooping up after your dog? Our pavements are full of poo and I have never seen a warden fining anyone for this.
Over-speeding and reckless driving? Just this week I saw policemen chatting on the side of the road as someone shot out onto a roundabout when it was my right of way. I just managed to swerve before he crashed into me and not one of them batted an eyelid. Because they were there to direct traffic you see, not to admonish dangerous drivers.
Disturbing the peace? I know of a bar in Mosta where customers start drinking from early Sunday morning. By the time 6pm rolls around, they are seriously drunk, and hot-headed arguments invariably spill out into the street. The shouting can be heard even when the windows are closed as girlfriends and wives valiantly try to keep the men from coming to blows. You know, just your nice, normal family Sunday afternoon.
The police are often called but by the time they arrive (from less than a mile away) the fight has dispersed. Then everyone revs their engine and drives off in fumes of black smoke, in Schumacher mode.
And speaking of vehicles belching black smoke, well we now have it on record that the whole exercise encouraging us to report this was just one huge joke.
Smoking in bars and restaurants? They might clamp down on the occasional teenager with a hefty fine, but what’s the point of that when you also see policemen in uniform nonchalantly puffing on a cigarette?
The country seems to be verging on anarchy where lawlessness rules, and if you try and abide by the law, you’re thought a fool.
And these are just the “little” civic-minded laws, never mind the heavy stuff such as theft, armed robbery, drug trafficking, paedophilia, prostitution and murder.
No wonder so many people think they can get away with it, no matter what “it” happens to be.
Let’s get smashed
Remember the introduction of breathalyser tests and the public outcry because we would not be able to drink as much as we like when we go to Paceville or when we attend weddings? Well, we needn’t have worried. Cyclist Cliff Micallef was the victim of a hit and run driver who was allegedly drunk when he got behind the wheel.
It was, of course, a time bomb waiting to go off. For all we know there have been other accidents where the cause was drinking and driving but this fact was not made public.
It is common knowledge that binge drinking is part of the culture of “going out” in Malta. and the phrases “ejja nsiru zibel” or “naghmlu ziblata” or “sirna h**a” are the colloquial equivalent of “let’s get smashed” or “plastered” or “pissed”.
This isn’t a recent phenomenon either – it was the prevalent culture in my Paceville days too, almost 30 years ago. Only today the kids are younger, their drinking is far heavier and most of them have cars. If you stumble home drunk when you’re on foot, you are risking your own life, but once you start driving your car it becomes a potential lethal weapon against others.
The breathalyser test needs to be enforced seriously, and we need to encourage the habit of pooling for a taxi or else having a “designated driver”. At this point, if no real action is taken this will mean that all the sympathy being shown towards Mr Micallef’s family is just empty, meaningless talk. He will just be another statistic. Just another victim of our roads for whom flowers are left on the spot where he lost his life.
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