Exploring the child's world III You got to be violent
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I am.
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Exploring.
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When a story breaks in the newspaper about a juvenile getting into trouble some ask with heat and
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hostility. What is the juvenile court doing if one observes the
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operations of such a service. He will see what it is trying to do. It tries to
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change attitudes and provide motivation to children and adults. This is a difficult
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job even for psychologists. Juvenile Court tries to tighten
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renew or revive emotional and social ties between children and their parents siblings
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church school and community to discover facts on which to base treatment
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treatment that may be remedial supplemental enriching corrective and at
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times custody or the court can only act in the fall to the parents by trying to put
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personal and social nerve blocks into operation by developing inhibitions in children
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by utilizing control or by encouraging self-control which we call discipline.
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It tries to remove occasions and opportunities for trouble from children's paths. In some
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cases it removes that child from poisonous atmospheres that defy improvement and
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places him in a protective. Finally it offers probation service
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including observation critique and encouragement. A sort of warm hand on the
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shoulder or interest. We must keep in mind that the court rarely deals with
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children in advance of failure here to interview a fairly
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typical male delinquent child his father Duffy a professor of sociology at Duquesne University.
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Professor Dima is correct in saying that the juvenile authorities do not get children in advance of
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failure. It should be pointed out that 19 out of 20 children never get into serious
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trouble. That is serious enough to call for police action. The boy in this
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interview was Danny a 15 year old white Catholic boy who was a dropout from school.
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He says that he's a Catholic but this does not curtail any of his misbehavior.
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One way to look at this boy is to regard him as a product. He became violent because of a
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series of experiences and because he reacted to them in a particular way.
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But you're about to hear a.
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Homecoming a little bit. Home.
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And family. Was take my mothers she said.
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I think my grandmother hears six of us all year
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where you don't see my dad he killed or.
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Did she get married again when. She got married again and married for four years
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and they got separated. We can get along you know you can get along can you get
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along. Yes or. How old were you when you first got in trouble.
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For it and I got your question. What was a legend of first.
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Come a time when.
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I was asked with so for for my friends. I don't mention a
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name now. We would rather not after it. My friend he said I think you're chicken a rock I'm
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such a lay person I said and I said no I'm not I'm logic and he said Go and do
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it for just one of those legit.
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Make you free important time. Please drop me down in juvenile court
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memos next bus and avoid him for doing his years.
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Let's remember. It was pretty rough up there.
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And then what happened you go out of your bank school again.
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It went to 11 grade English guy I know it's an
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age of Mischa's year language eat your day free you're actually doing nine hours a
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week if they come on down I drive I'll ride you down. He wrote me down.
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And you got how you get in trouble.
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I went out I had a couple bottles of beer in it with a little cafe
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his guy gave it beer wine I drink and I came home and I don't feel too good.
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Well go study and I mean I got mad. My grandmother she jumped into it she had
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me marching in the blood and I want to defend myself from him in
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an area.
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You're very much media interest and they
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probably don't even know already this one award.
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Two times been in trouble for the personality of your grandmother. What else in between.
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Not enough. About tell me something happened when your real little.
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Was really the earliest remembrances I got I got hit by a car and I had an
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operation on your hand if there. Was your brain damage you didn't you know
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fractured skull you know what happened after that.
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Then I went I went home I got in a little
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bit I wanted to read to children for you guys and the children
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in the Bradley back.
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What was it for you find out.
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Not only were they familiar for you my grandfather he was good Norma mother she still with her
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friends has been you know. And. I don't order of them he had
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relatives some trusted my going there is me as if I was a baby.
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First husband when you find.
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Somebody you. Know her first cousin was my father. Now he I don't know
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that he didn't like me but he had because I don't I don't know
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how or.
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I regret is not remembered. But how do you think it was now when you think back on.
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I don't know. I think my real father here want me
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he didn't he didn't want other children if they got adopted.
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Do you have any been adopted now. Your frame are adopted already but if
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they don't with you you know. I don't really care. And how do you happen
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how did you happen to pick you out and make you.
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My grandmother she said that she will never hear me the clothes every fifteen years my
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grandfather and him at my grandfather passed away my grandmother she kept me
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my mother she got married to this man and they were out there live and they can get along here and they always fight
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a much bigger man one day and said she will divorce.
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As she would record. We're getting a divorce and was he nice to you. He was
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very nice to me.
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When I was happy when you really know you Camembert.
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When I say that children from one time they had taken to the hospital
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because I had a strange day I think I felt I got to hear it you know just
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going down. Convulsions here. Had the doctor ever a serious
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test.
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And who's a bad one. Family. Me. What kind of boy
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are you really good boy. You
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likeable. Young likeable I got lots of friends but a girlfriend
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whispering. Don't you think you're a little far
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from the get in my closet.
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Secondly or something of our little room think your leader the bigger ones
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the bigger ones like a leader to class put away before they start a new life
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that every good idea of the rest when you know it felt like ages old and that when you put
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away to an institution when you come out or you can be. Among your kids.
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Do they regard you as worldly wise smart and.
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Sophisticated in a measure only you know what label on everything that ever
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were or were just the same friend because they were in the same place I've been before.
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So my friend they were in a place before two nice kids seem to want to buy
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with you have you will go with you do things to get. Here.
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I nation of. And you couldn't stick it up for another
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year in school graduate.
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Just wanted you shit on bugging me he got real I got real mad at he got me real mad one
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day he slapped me and I got my last lap and that he took me to the principal's office and I said
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115 I quit anyway and it walked out
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when I was here a few I do went on the shelf I kill lots of kids they got rich and.
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Established around me that they thought mention me.
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How about in the home. Too much criticism out there like you friends like
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you.
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You're a lot like my friends like you to.
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Hear. From a Brit how are you considering we're just around Christmas.
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Well they're mean much. They're just a bunch of it are a bunch of mean kids
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you get you're not handle yourself if you really get anything out of them.
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What I mean. More your family.
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How in a tree that you really are in a play like you.
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Yeah they like me. How they show that. They should
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love and appreciation.
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You if you're wanted there and you're welcome here but there was a time when you weren't
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wanted. I don't most of whether or not when you're finally followed it
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much later want me out all around him.
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If you don't care much about him. Well I love my father.
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And he loves me but only here. He'll be round here like kids.
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That's kind of strange for a man with war here.
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Do you have difficulty liking people too.
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No I don't and if a clerk and people said it make up will mean different than me I was friends
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with them. Do you live in a very nice neighborhood or.
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Similar in a snit ridden Maritzburg.
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Would you say are high class people or middle or average or working class or low class.
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I think you're high class and you tell me what I thought
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of you know how do you distinguish high class from middle class home over.
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There. They're OK toward me but I don't write ordinary don't let you know
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when I get around to the people who know it I question everything.
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What was the worst fight you ever had.
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Skiers were scared like cars coming in we don't
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have trash which cannot let it stand in the middle road came around I knew I think and you're
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thinner than me not me afterward the guy next door to the guys
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thought.
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Do you think the kids who get in trouble like you build trouble have in here you
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think they're different from other kids like tradition.
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What do you think they would need to make the more you feel will be better.
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Yeah I think. What would you be better
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for. Or maybe better you know.
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If I go home the A's have got a guide and go to church
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every Sunday we go recently. And will for a long time and we start
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I want to go because I came here as it
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helped it's helped you something here coming and you're not too worried
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about how you can turn up. Whatever did Judge get me and.
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Take my shit and when I get out of the wagon or she jump to Georgia to net.
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I'm literally for you just let me know she really or do a twenty second
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to I have my hearing and I think they're in let me go home with her to me today
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in a travel size yours.
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Will you travel this time was losing your temper and he and he saw me.
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She hit me first. And she she had me in her cell.
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He rushed at me in a rush I mean different it mother. He started swearing at me.
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I get I try to push my hand back my girl as she got away and I hear you who deliberately
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I won't even try to hit her.
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I just truck after I get out the door but I. Had a friend of you know
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up against.
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My wall. One of the things that happened you weren't really fear. Like that
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was unfair or to argue with that.
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And I wasn't sure what was really just a just a piece of you know handcuffs on
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you with handcuffs on you. Can You don't seem scary or
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take advantage of you. Yeah. I was not.
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Sure if this is you know big devil's going to get you.
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The interview you have just heard took place when Danny was 15 years old. Now he's
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16. He has joined a gang he has begun to drink with an adult who is trying to
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persuade him to rob a bank. Danny has become more aggressive and violent.
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Of course he doesn't recall a total contents of the previous interview which you just heard. So in
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this one he adds information he contradicts some of his previous statements and he
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gives evidence of following a new pattern in his life. Here is Danny again at the age of
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16.
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Your name is Danny. Yeah how would you do it. Sixteen.
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YOU STILL IN SCHOOL AND I COULDN'T 12 grade and what happened that you quit
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when I graduated. Caribbean for quitting for three I'm
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either up for it. It is just the first time you've been here
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you know how many times we hear you think.
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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.