Exploring the child's world III Psychological profile
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Occasionally we meet a person who has strong competitive drives. He wants to succeed.
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He wants to be out in front with dogged determination and more than moderate
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ability. Such a person may beat others out. He may get out in front of the
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group. Occasionally such a person not merely gets out in front but he gets lost.
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The opposite also works equally often. A person may not have sufficient drive nor sufficient
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ability he dressed so long to need falls behind the group he falls so far
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behind that he too gets lost. No one is close to him. Likewise he is not
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close to anyone like the man in the Bible from whom the Devils were cast out. He
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tries to return to normal living but he finds that there is no one who wants to be near him. So he
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looks about for individuals who are worse than himself and he associates with them.
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One problem faced by delinquent children especially if they are retired or disturbed
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emotionally is that they find no companionship with normal children. I
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believe you can see why they don't. Good parents do not want their good children to associate with bad ones.
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This is the working out of the bad apples theory. As a result of this bad children have no one to
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associate with except bad children. The same effect is seen operating when delinquent
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children are removed from the community in which there are good and bad children. If
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institutionalized the delinquent is placed where there are no good children by
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necessity. All his friends and associates are like himself the best he can hope
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for is to be the best of the bad ones here to conduct an interview with a
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typical mixed up and disturbed child his father Duffy Professor of Sociology education
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university. He will speak from the detention facilities of Allegheny County Juvenile Court in
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Pittsburgh. Father Duffy.
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We're about to hear Jack 12 year old child who is in the
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fifth grade of public school at the age of eight he stole a car. At
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9 he ran away from home and since then he has been involved in a series of petty
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thefts. He recently beat up a child in school and intimidated some other ones
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with a knife he held the police to a stand off temporarily by threatening to jump
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out a school window and when cornered pulled a razor on them. He says
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he's not afraid of cops and whatever state law he has no intention of going back to school again.
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Jack's mother divorced his father and married another man. The boy hates the
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stepfather and is rather determined to have him put in jail. Father mother and
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stepfather are heavy drinkers after having been placed on probation
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several times. Jack was institutionalized in a training school after about
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two years he absconded. He associates with 17 and 18 year old boys
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and I'm sure he learns nothing good from them. He's a peculiar bizarre
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emotionally disturbed child who was unwelcome at home. He senses this of
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course and reaction a variety of interesting and somewhat dangerous ways.
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On her. Record when
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you get like that at school you are like how many times right.
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What do you think that was for.
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Making up gigs wasn't the right track record.
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Otherwise it was behavior it wasn't that you were done you don't think.
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How come you're here this time. Meet up get you and before the
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last time.
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Last time this is the last time this is the first time you've been here
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this is my. Fourth time what was it the third time you.
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Stole some still some stock $20 bill. From a store person.
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She called her back. What
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about the second time you're here what was that store for cigarettes. What
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about the first time the first time. How old were you then.
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And what grade we. Remember. Second.
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You don't really like squabbling.
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No. Is it because of the teachers or is it because of the material
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that you study them because material and that you don't like the stuff that they teach you
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now like a teacher so you know they were actually happy.
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Well you may say. One might just. I pushed again you know you.
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Might have a crack swarms of talking for me. So you are starting to get asked
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about sex.
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About home uses to not be home or rather be home.
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Well. If you have a big family or know your lifetime of no matter
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what and where you fit.
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In. The last you know maybe there. Are any of them all
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not to be married. Are they out of the house.
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What's the big problem at home do you think.
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I want to get my stuff in you know what. Why when you
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just.
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Can't. Get in without your help.
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This.
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Happened to us.
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What happened to you.
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My mother. When she drinks too much. So he was
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a drinker. And she drinks. That right.
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I'm.
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Are these your ass just brother
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you know. You know not. So
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much pressure but
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so what.
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The stuff. So he takes off her starts one.
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Star swatting. One in your room. So each
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one on a Mac. Mr household.
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Sister. Even the girl.
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How does that make you feel. Live in a house like that.
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You know.
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What.
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I think in her way you kind of like her. You think
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about the first one you ever liked. Then you're like anybody else.
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Haven't you found anybody likable.
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I mean do you like them as well.
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Yeah yeah.
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Yeah. Yeah. And you have friends here for the first time.
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They start I start.
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How much do you weigh.
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So you have a lot of fight for your side.
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What do you like.
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Do you think you'll ever.
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Now I'm done with you.
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Why have you ever been a reformatory place like I've been there for two
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years but for three weeks vacation you back.
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This is when she's just like you do.
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From different. Have you done any stealing outside the home.
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And what do you do with a smile.
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And when you do for money your dad does is very generous with
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her money.
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Different places get picked up for that. Not yet.
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Yeah. I still I got a
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new car.
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I must.
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So when you know it is trouble.
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And when you go Who are you with somebody else where you or your
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brother help you. Yeah. Is he.
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He has got to be over here the youngest one.
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Is it pretty much the same throughout the rest of your life you won't be paying for things. Yeah
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I think pretty. Everything is wrong. But it's not your fault.
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Thank you for. Stopping the shirts and I don't want
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things just.
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Oh yeah our stuff
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sucks. Well.
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So now
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I took questions. So he was
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so so so so.
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I was just reporting.
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What do you think is the worst thing you've ever done.
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You haven't told me about the worst thing.
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Still for you.
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I saw.
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What was peeling me real fast time. And you were able to do
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this.
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Greg Stone What was the scariest thing happened to you Jack.
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And what was the saddest thing. You can go.
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From here at your side because you can you know.
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But I thought you said you were going to go
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and.
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I'm going to glean what happened. This year.
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Let me be like anybody. Else. Yeah. Who.
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I like my sister. I like.
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I just got stabbed. So I come
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from but the place was copper she wanted to know.
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So I tried but didn't
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get what you.
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Sew. So most
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of. The things are things from 20 people.
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So. And so my mother.
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She. Doesn't know yet. She said she says
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it was. Rough on.
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Him but it's a pretty angry House.
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They sang. And so was I
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so I was I was getting ready for them so much.
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Observers take turning the story straight.
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I. So I don't.
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For the street sure
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you know. So.
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So what did he tell you.
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Had so many gotten.
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So if your problem was. So the start of
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just me I know Mr.
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Washington. So Mr.
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And so I just asked even Carpi she wanted and said
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Cash pressure was so so so much.
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So my step son. My sister's husband picked me up
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you know.
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So policeman seemed to play a big part in your life especially.
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Exciting. So I get a summer comes on the
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tensions and the trying to got crush
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on. Her.
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Going to church on Sunday.
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She How come. My friend Brad and.
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I never talk to the doctor psychiatrist. I want to psychiatry
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work.
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Have you ever got the ones who are just wonder what you
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think. When asked about something.
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You know she's sure she already let me go.
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There isn't much but I think it. Might be better off.
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Talking before I met my friend's ass for
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anybody ever like you or love you.
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Your viruses spells or stories. So
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yes yes.
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I.
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I went there every night Larry. Genes are wrong. We're good
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too.
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I look.
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To the every go through the motions. And have you
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tried only drinking it.
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Yes. Every car I can get you fired.
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Yeah.
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I was counted out here some Planet Money and some kid you got some money thanks to a way of
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life. Yeah some kid statues some of find out how much you think it is.
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To do and. After a lot of money.
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That any big people are scary. Besides
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cops.
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Right. Clearly not crap. I don't tell you. Crap has
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blander.
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Yeah you lost your cars. You
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ran from the upper front of darkness after
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the second time. Yeah can I just not and chose not to
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confront him.
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I. Think I have. I try.
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Thank Senora's room for what you are
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getting.
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Your Muslims in this evening.
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So. Yeah it's true I was never I wish to know.
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You were the first round I know I don't smoke.
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So so he says. So I was.
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So two years later. These were kids
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so and so sucks on the kids blowtorches. Yes
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trust when was this for.
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Sure for about cursing out a tree. First
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yours first. ST one cares tree.
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You look to your wish you were anybody else you
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know.
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I think it's about time for you to go to bed now shower and go to bed.
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Want to go out.
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About eight years ago when Jack was just 4 years old he was referred to the juvenile court on a
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petition of neglect. I thought time he was a mild timid somewhat fearful
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little boy. His father was institutionalized for alcoholism. The mother
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told the boy that his father got sick from staying out in the rain and that she had to move.
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So the two youngest children were placed temporarily in the detention home facilities.
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Subsequently the mother divorced the father and remarried. We're now going to
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listen to Jack at the age of four. You'll see how he responds to attention and
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affection. If you send out love to him he sends love back again.
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It's always a mystery to me that people can send out hostility anger fear
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hatred suspicion criticism and sarcasm and expect to get love in return.
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The point is what must have been sent out to this boy during the intervening eight years.
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He's now sending back what he receives and it's not a pretty exchange of feelings to listen
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to. As you saw he hates his stepfather and all his family. He's threatened several
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This program has been transcribed using automated software tools, made possible through a collaboration between the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and Pop Up Archive. Please note that no automated transcription is perfect nor is it intended to replace human transcription labor. If you would like to contribute corrections to this transcript, please contact MITH at mith@umd.edu.