1. I do not totally agree. It is true that friends have the most influence on a teenager's life and that hanging out with the wrong friends CAN really take you down. But when your friends do stupid things that doesn't necessaryly mean that you HAVE TO do that. You can be friends with persons who do some stupid things without doing the same stupid stuff.

1. Rameck just wanted to be cool and wanted his friends to think he was cool . So he always wanted to impress them by doing bad stuff and always acting the strong man. So he chose to impress his friends by pulling a knife in front of the crackhead. He didin't want to stab him, but after he pulled his knife he had no choice because pulling the knife and then doing nothing would look very embarassing. So the thing what made him do these things was simplt peer pressure.

2. Of cousre was he responsible for his choices although his parents were addicted to drugs. Nothing and nobody forced him to do anything, except of peer pressure. He didn't have to follow the peer pressure, he could have resisted, but he chose to follow. His parents were not there to help him or give him advice, but especially because of that it was his own choice.

3. Of course are young people responsible for their choices and their way of life, even if there is no good model around them. In school they get prepared for a "normal life". If they chose not to go to school or not to care about it, then it's their own fault.

4. The biggest influence in my life until now were my parents. From 2nd to 4th grade I was really bad at school, but my parents helped me all the time to help me getting good. Without that help I would probably not be what I am today. I would be on a worse school and would not be in the USA for an exchange year now. Of cause my friends are an influence, too, but I don't have friends like Rameck.