https://www.npr.org/2023/09/28...

This tree was made famous in Kevin Costner's Robin Hood movie and was a big tourist spot for photos. It's one thing when nature is the cause, but to just have a 16 year old idiot cut it down is just heartbreaking.

Unbelievable!
Why?!?!?!

Yeah, that's my feeling, completely confused as to why in the world would he do it.

Very sad.

How sad...

I don't mean to sound like one of those people that just talk about "kids these days", but it really is a predicament in the society of today. I mean, I can hardly think of another generation where a 16-year-old boy (supposed to be a "young adult") would just go and do something like that! The lack of responsibility is just shocking.

With great respect for your own obvious maturity, Johannian, 16-year-old boys committing vandalism is as old as civilization.

Of course, but when I said "generation" I was speaking of American generations. And also, one of the big differences is that we have so many young people acting this way. In the 40s (just as an example), there of course were miscreant teenagers doing bad things, but it was far less common. In my opinion, the biggest reason for this is that parents have ceased to teach their kids about respect and common courtesy for others; and thus the kids simply act as though they are the only people on the planet.

I think we're all used to a certain amount of vandalism through all the generations, but why a 300 year old tree? I could have accepted graffiti on the wall before cutting down an old tree as a kid's way of acting out.

Yeah. I don't understand vandalism for the sole purpose of destruction. Breaking a window to steal what's behind it makes more sense to me than just breaking the window. Seems like there must be a lot of anger behind such meaningless acts.

That is so incredibly sad