> You’re correct that a “dysfunctional society” failed this kid. But society that’s missing here is the society of people who are supposed to keep an eye on thi

> You’re correct that a “dysfunctional society” failed this kid. But society that’s missing here is the society of people who are supposed to keep an eye on this kid. That social infrastructure has been destroyed—for a variety of reasons, from mass incarceration to social normalization of single parenthood. There is no replacement for this society. A federal bureaucracy with standards and metrics can’t fix this problem, because it doesn’t operate at that level. Very, very well-said, particularly as your example articulates how one of the most fundamental elements of society -- the immediate community -- should work. This loss of society as community (as opposed to society as formalized bureaucracy), affects everyone in myriad ways that I'm sure we fail to appreciate. Unfortunately, the effects are disproportionately felt by the less privileged: a wealthier parent would simply have sent her son to a better school.