The Mind of a Vandal

A question for you this morning:

What do you think causes vandalism?

We certainly have plenty of it. Everywhere, every day. From graffiti smeared walls to smashed tombstones. Scratched cars to trashed bus stops. Smashed windows to toppled trees. Some downright vicious! Broken beer bottles spread around kiddies playgrounds for example.

I don’t understand any of it.

This insane desire to smash, to damage, to cause pain to strangers for no apparent reason. Just the feeling of power I guess? Cause someone else grief?
Do you understand any of it?
Why would anyone, and there had to be more than one, smash historic tombstones in Perth?These people obviously weren’t kids. They had to understand what they were doing.

Why would anyone destroy beautiful trees in Westboro?

And it is my belief that vandalism goes beyond how we generally describe it.
It is my belief that littering our streets and sidewalks is a form of vandalism. It helps destroy the beauty of our city and costs taxpayers money to clean up. Dropping gum on sidewalks is a terrible form of vandalism. Have a look at any sidewalk in our city and it is littered with black spots almost impossible to remove. Gum, cigarette butts strewn about, garbage tossed from car windows in rural areas.

It’s all destructive, harmful, costly.

All evidence of humans who care nothing for others-selfish-often cruel-acts. Why?
What do people get from smashing tombstones, scratching cars, breaking windows and trying to injure children?
Is it just part of the growing trend among many young people today to display complete and total disrespect for others and others property?
My generation didn’t feature very many saints. We pulled plenty of stunts, but never, NEVER harmed anyone else or damage others property. The idea that we would set out to deliberately hurt someone else, cause innocent people pain or grief never entered our heads.
What’s behind all this vandalism of all kinds today? Why do people slash tires, smash windows, topple gravestones, cut down trees, smear graffiti everywhere, dump garbage on our streets and gum on our sidewalks? Destroy, damage and harm everything decent and good seems to be the mantra today and I don’t understand it.

Do you?