Explain This To Me Because I Don’t Get It.

On the FAU down town Fort Lauderdale campus, two young kids went on a three night “spree” beating the crap, and the death, out of homeless people. The two have been identified after one of their victims died from the beating. An acquaintance of the boys said that they liked to get drunk and brag about how they beat the crap out of homeless people:

“We go to school with those kids. We know those kids from the neighborhood. They brag about how they beat up homeless people all the time.”

There must be something wrong with me because I don’t get how this could be “entertainment” or fun. I can almost understand “cow tipping,” although I don’t support it. Maybe it is just the phrase that sounds funny to me . . . “cow tipping,” rather than the act. But “beating the death out of a homeless person” has no funny ring to it at all. Banana is a funny word and even enema but, then again, bananas are enjoyable to eat whereas enemas are unpleasant and not edible in any way shape or form. What possesses a person to wakeup in the morning and say: “hey, I am bored. I have a great idea, let’s have some fun and beat the hell out of someone who has already been beaten down by life!” Whoo-ah, Yippi-ay. And I wonder about the parents of these boys. Where they really bad parents or just out of touch? Did they stop communicating with their kids or actually offer advice on the best way to kill a homeless guy on a Friday night? Or, is it not the parents at all? I have known some great parents who, no matter what, couldn’t help their kids walk the right path. If this is the case, I cry for the parents who now have to re-evaluate their children. I also wonder about the other kids who listened to the stories about how the boys went out and beat up homeless people. Why did they not say anything to anyone before now? Why would they keep silent about such bragging and violence? Did they just not believe it or did they think, at the time, that it was funny? Were they scared? Are these the type of people who like enemas? It is not that I think I live in a world of saints and sinners. But I do question where the idea of entertainment comes into this picture. When I hear things like this, I am always stunned. I wish there was a “why” here.