Another case of a group of teens hurting another.  A sad and pathetic commentary, of course, but this has a twist that may change the perspective.

According to this report (with AP video),  a gang of six teenage girls lured another teenage girl to a house for the purpose of beating her so that they could record a video, put it on You Tube and become famous.  Unbelievable.

There are a handful of normal motivations that drive crime and violence in this business.  Money and passion are the big two.  Fame is also a known motivator, such as those deluded individuals who murder the famous in the hope that they, by their notorious connection, will rise to be somebody. 

But are these teenage girls whose grand aspiration is You Tube infamy as deluded as, say, a Charles Manson or a Mark David Chapman?  While something is quite obviously very wrong for these teenage girls to want to beat another, the idea that the motivation is mini-stardom is just too hard to swallow.

The father of the young girl who was beaten is, for obvious reasons, most unhappy with You Tube.

“I want stiffer punishments for these shock Web sites that entice kids to make these videos so they can be famous on the Internet,” Lindsay’s father, who declined to give his name, told The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla. “That is the motive, I am sure of it. It’s crazy and it’s terrible and they’re gonna pay.”

Not only won’t there be “stiffer punishments,” but there won’t be any punishment at all.  While the popularity of a You Tube may make it the perfect venue for disturbed children to show the world just how horrible their conduct can be, it remains just a medium rather than a cause. 

That said, perhaps You Tube can do a better job of vetting submissions to eliminate videos such as this as quickly as possible, and thereby remove any hope of these teenagers of obtaining misbegotten fame by airing these videos.  No, not because You Tube is responsible, but because it would be a laboring oar in stopping these shocking and horrific beatings.

And to the parents of these teenage girls, something went very wrong in the raising your children.  If you were unaware before, you’re not now.  Deal with it.