Behaving Badly: BBC Learning English Weekender

BBC Learning English
Weekender
Behaving badly
Jackie: Hello, welcome to Weekender! Today we'll look an issue which is getting a lot
of attention in the British media at the moment.
It's something which the media and government call 'anti-social behaviour'.
Anti-social behaviour is rather a complicated way of saying 'people causing
trouble'... fighting, being noisy, making a mess in the streets, damaging
buildings…all these kinds of things form part of what's called 'anti-social
behaviour'.
There has recently been a rather disappointing report, which says that Britain is
seen across Europe as the country with the worst problem with anti-social
behaviour. Our Europe correspondent Tim Franks has been looking at the
research. As you listen to him, try to answer this question. What do people
think is the main cause of anti-social behaviour in Britain?
Tim Franks
Three quarters of those questioned said that Britain had a problem with anti-social behaviour.
France follows close behind - perhaps a result of the riots there. In contrast, the cause in
Britain is seen, in large part, as alcohol.
Jackie: Well, according to the report, alcohol is the main cause of antisocial behaviour
in Britain. France is seen as the country with the second biggest problem of
anti-social behaviour. The report says people might think this because of the
recent riots. Rioting is when a large crowd of people get together and behave
violently, often because they are angry about something.
So how to people in Britain feel about all this? We're about to hear from Elena,
who lives in London. A few words to listen out for:
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Gangs of teenagers – groups of young people who stay together and sometimes
cause trouble
To feel intimidated – to feel scared or nervous
To be rowdy – is to be loud and badly behaved
Let's listen to Elena. Is she worried about anti-social behaviour?
Elena
My name is Elena and I life in North West London. I think in certain areas there are problems
with anti-social behaviour…noisy neighbours and gangs of mainly teenagers hanging around
with nothing much to do, especially in the evenings and late at night and I feel a little bit
intimidated when I have to walk past them. I think some of the problems are when just as the
pubs are closing and a lot of people come out it's a bit rowdy.
Jackie: Did you get the answer? Well Elena is a bit worried about people being rowdy,
including gangs of teenagers, who make her feel intimidated.
Why do gangs of teenagers hang around causing trouble though? Here are the
theories of a couple of residents in the town of Rochdale. Don't worry if you
can't understand everything. We'll hear their views again afterwards.
Residents
Discipline has gone out the window. There's nothing for them to do, nowhere for them to go
or anything.
Jackie: The first resident says 'discipline has gone out the window'. Discipline is about
controlling behaviour and obeying rules. It can be both a verb and a noun.
Listen to it used in these phrases.
Voice: Parents don't know who to discipline their children any more.
The level of discipline in that school is awful. The kids are really badly
behaved.

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Jackie: So the resident we heard earlier said discipline has 'gone out the window',
which is a way of saying it has disappeared. Another resident said the problem
with teenagers is 'there's nothing for them to do, nowhere for them to go'. Listen
again.
Residents
There's nothing for them to do, nowhere for them to go or anything.
Jackie: So how can the problems be solved? In a moment we'll here the views of some
politicians. First, some phrases that will come up:
CCTV – is short for 'closed circuit television' - video cameras filming what
goes on in an area.
A bobby – is a slang word for policeman. We'll hear the phrase 'bobbies on the
beat', which means policemen who are out in communities.
And we'll hear the term 'Asbo'. This is quite a new word. It's short for
'antisocial behaviour order', which is meant to stop bad behaviour. If a
troublemaker gets an Asbo, he or she might be banned from going to a
particular place and could end up in prison if they don't respect the rule. 'Asbo'
only came into English dictionaries in the last year or so, but it's a word you're
quite likely to come across in the British media today.
So let’s listen to local politicians talking about how they think anti-social
behaviour can be reduced. What do they think?
Politicians
Get CCTV and of course, most of all, more police. More bobbies on the beat. Asbos are part
of the answer, but there not the whole answer. I think there's got to be more respect.
Jackie: Well, CCTV, more bobbies on the beat and Asbos are all possible solutions,
according to those politicians. And more respect. People should think about the
needs of others more.

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BBC Learning English

Weekender © BBC Learning English

To feel intimidated – to feel scared or nervous

To be rowdy – is to be loud and badly behaved

Let's listen to Elena. Is she worried about anti-social behaviour?

Weekender © BBC Learning English

Weekender © BBC Learning English

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