Delinquent Quote by Paul Goodman
““Positively, the delinquent behavior seems to speak clearly enough. It asks for what we can’t give, but it is in this direction we must go. It asks for manly opportunities to work, make a little money, and have self-esteem; to have some space to bang around in, that is not always somebody’s property; to have better schools to open for them horizons of interest; to have more and better sex without fear or shame; to share somehow in the symbolic goods (like the cars) that are made so much of; to have a community and a country to be loyal to; to claim attention and have a voice. These are not outlandish demands. Certainly they cannot be satisfied directly in our present system; they are baffling. That is why the problem is baffling, and the final recourse is to a curfew, to ordinances against carrying knives, to threatening the parents, to reformatories with newfangled names, and to 1,100 more police on the street.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Growing Up in the New Age, 1964
People demand basic dignity, work, and community, but the system fails to meet these needs, leading to punitive measures.
In simple terms: Society ignores essential human needs, causing social control.
Key Takeaway
Address fundamental needs to reduce repression.
Themes
social justice
human needs
systemic failure
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
social
reform
When to use this quote
- urban neighborhoods
- low‑income communities
- youth programs
Key Concepts
economic security
self-esteem
community belonging
education
sexual freedom
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies can fulfill these basic demands?
- How can communities self‑organize to meet them?
A Different Perspective
Needs may be unmet due to resource constraints.
![“You do not know me, but I am a juvenile delinquent. I do not trust authority figures, I probably will not graduate from high school, and statistics say my present rowdiness and vandalism will likely lead to more serious crimes. I am a dangerous fellow, and I am causing mayhem in this store. [...]…” quote by Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/66a/katherine-applegate-3304_authority_you-do-not-know-me-but-i-am-a-juvenile-d_787802.jpg)
![“The Sexual plight of these children [those adolescents experimenting sexually] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser, did not succeed this far. Is it an eccentric opinion that an important part of the kids' restiveness in school from the…” quote by Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b5b/paul-goodman-7755_american-society_the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-thos_88140.jpg)
