Mosquito: revisited

Remember this?

[Media:http://www.freemosquitoringtone.org/tones/8000.mp3]

Well, following on from a recent comment, I felt I should revise my opinions on this outrageous invention, after my circumstances have changed. My conclusion is still the same: the mosquito should buzz off. However, I can further appreciate the anxieties of many shop owners and residents.

Within your local communities, you can always recognise the same old faces: there’s the local tramp, the local druggies, the local drunks, and so on. Twydall is no different, and working in a convenience store as I do, you quickly get used to regular customers, regular routines and regular nuisances.

Without much difficulty, I could reel off a list of regular (and semi-regular) customers. I’m not going to, as that would probably be a step too far, but I will say this: amongst our regular, semi-regular and one-off customers are a diverse range of ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. I’ve even served a couple of Medway Councillors over the past couple of weeks (not from the same party, I might add, but both with interests in Twydall).

The customs are simple: many regular customers will always ask for the same thing (20 Raffles, half a bottle of Scotch, 10 Hamlet Miniatures, a bottle of Captain Morgan etc.) and you know exactly what you are going to have to reach for before the customer asks. Then there’s the No ID No Sale policy – which is strictly enforced! Working on a Saturday evening as I do, there is nothing unusual about people buying alcohol. If someone looks under 21, we ask for ID, if they can’t show any, we refuse the sale. The usual excuse is “I’ve left it in the car”, before darting down the road to the other convenience store, where they know they stand a better chance of being served alcohol or tobacco products.

In his comment, matt said about the parents who ” who give [the teenagers] the booze”. Almost opposite me is a park, and we are friends with the family which has the misfortune of backing on to the park. Even tonight we were discussing age-related sales, and how teenagers who are obviously underage have alcohol in bags which have been supplied by the other convenience store (big hint as to where they got them!). Then the police come along and pour the alcohol away, yet little action is taken against said convenience store, which is one thing which angers me a lot.

The other regular thing you get used to are the local youths, hanging around the Green because there is “nothing else to do”. For a start, that’s a load of rubbish – there are actually many great facilities in Medway, yet many kids would rather hang around in gangs, intimidating people and being a nuisance (after all, they can’t get fags and booze from their youth club, can they?!).

I’ll agree: something needs to be done! Gangs of youths cannot be allowed to rule the streets and commit such crimes so openly and get away with them so easily. However, I reiterate: the Mosquito is not the answer!

The mosquito not only torments the unruly kids, but also violates the human rights of law-abiding youths such as myself and a vast majority of the teenage population and even babies and small children. It is immoral and should be illegal! There is no excuse for subjecting the majority to such a tortuous deterrent for the sake of keeping away a minority! Even the inventor is concerned by the way the device is currently used.

I’m not going to deny that there is a problem – I have seen first-hand that there is a problem – but the Mosquito is an abomination and should not even be considered as a possible solution, yet alone utilised as such!