I have just passed a newsagents and noticed that the headline for the local paper is – ‘NOISE WAR ON GANGS’. After reading the associated article it appears that high frequency sound is being transmitted in certain public areas to stop young people from congregating there and creating noise. The paper suggests this works because teenagers have more sensitive hearing than the over 20s and find the sound irritating. Apart from the ethical issues involved in this situationI have been rather amazed at the use of the term ‘war’. It seems as if there are wars against all sorts of things at present. Crime, drugs, terror, obesity and poverty are all participants in wars against……. who exactly? Perhaps the use of the term is to generate some sense of community spirit through fear. Are we all involved in such wars, or can we subscribe to certain ones that our friends and neighbours may not have even heard of?

I feel that this is a misuse of language, which in turn influences thinking and behaviour. Wikipedia defines war as ‘A prolonged state of violent, large scale conflict’. I am not convinced that the case above actually constitutes a state of war. It also states that ‘If a peaceable resolution fails, is not sought, or is thwarted, war often results’. Using the term ‘war’ may suggest that there is no point in engaging in dialogue to find a more positive solution to problems. The newspaper article does not contain any comments from the teenagers who are the target of this strategy. Perhaps an initial dialogue between all involved would have led to a different approach. If young people find that war has been declared to them who are they likely to turn to? I would be surprised if they reached out to the older generations in the search for mutual understanding.