Senators target 'graphic' video games

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Virtual Reality can become reality for some?

Plague #1 we studied so long ago when I rec'd my Journalism degree was "Censorship." I have always been opposed to any restrictions on free speech (even in the form of video games,) AS LONG AS there were no universally recognized "dangerous to people or society" threats included.

For example, there is no absolute free speech in American society. It is highly illegal to falsely yell "Fire!" in a public area, and "fighting words," those that incense another beyond reason into violence, are also illegal. There are hundreds of similar examples, and they can vary from state to state, regardless of the Constitution.

I have had a wild life, from 12 years of touring with the biggest rock groups around and all the insane behavior thereof, to political activism at county, state and federal levels involving issues such as these. Now I am 38, with a 5 yr old and a 9 yr old boy pretty much addicted to video games as much as we allow. I myself am also pretty much the same, from the time I helped my uncle install the very first Space Invaders stand-up video game in the world, in a little bar in Tuscaloosa, Al. Right now, I easily have 60 hrs of Unreal2004 Tournament under my belt. I'm open-minded to just about anything.

Here's the BUT...

BUT - when you have a child, and they grow older, you discover all those little "I-just-know-that's-the-Reality-of-dealing-with-your-own-children" thoughts go out the window very quickly, and you discover that everything you thought you knew about parenting, especially other people's kids, was a bunch of ignorant crap you created over your pre-kid lifetime. You discover that you, nor anyone, can EVER EVER EVER watch any other human, much less a child, every moment of every day. Quite the opposite, because you DO have children, you have less than zero time.

Kids don't buy bad games; their friend's parents do. In the box of 30-40 games, discerning game number 31, much less knowing what the hell it is. Grand Theft is EASY "evil" to spot, if you consider shootin' cops, sellin' drugs, poppin' enemies, beatin' Ho's and finding the sneaky Virtual Sex portion of the program that your 13 yr old just loves, as it's his first exposure into the world of relationships and making love--if you consider that evil, that is. EVERYONE knows to watch for Grand Theft. It's the bare-boob-in-the-middle-of-the-Superbowl that gets you. It's the other 3243 titles that you cannot KNOW unless you PLAY the game, and most parents simply cannot do that for all the obvious reasons. So they depend on entity #247 in their lives, like, say, people who make laws that are the ONLY thing CEO's even THINK about listening to, to help battle the oh-so-child-friendly MARKET (right) FORCES utilizing the latest in technology, graphics, psychology, massive massive media exposure and peer pressure to constantly conteract parental influence and parental "control," what little there is, for much more of a child's day than their own.

Mega-corporations these days, groomed by a government where ALL things corporate are allowed, will do ANYTHING that they think they can get away with to get your child's money, gotten from you usually, and go on to the next Project "Amass Fortune via infinite #'s Lost Innocence." Bigger, better, and with the cheapest, easiest, sleaziest, loudest most outrageous concepts necessary to capture the eye of the average teen. Anyone who's played any Teen or Mature video games, and has children, has to wonder how this is so easy to obtain. R movies? Nope. Smut? Nope. Rent a video game and have Johnny the 17 yr old min wage I-could-care-less employee let MY NINE YEAR OLD RENT A MATURE GAME, LIKE LAST WEEK? Priceless. No, I wasn't there; he was there with a friend's family, lotsa kids and the mom missed it. For every scenario a non-parent or one not having to deal with this can imagine to JUDGE (lest ye be judge yourself,) there's a thousand NOT considered. Yet still judged...

I could go on forever, but even with my progressive butt, I can see oh so easily how damaging early exposure to this stuff is. Who gives a damn if it's some of the parents fault-would we abandon a child being otherwise abused cause of the blame the parent game? That's not just faulty, short-sighted and plain mean thinking, it's what got us into this mess to begin with.

ANYTHING that is harmful and destructive to children should be investigated, discussed, decided, and dealt with as a society with GREAT interest in a future a little less F'ed Up than today. Looking at teens today, imagine them all loosened up even more tomorrow. They'll be supporting your country and anyone on any social security. Hope they work hard....not dealing.

Thousands of studies indicate very precisely the huge link between PRETENDING to be violent and immoral and the odds of BECOMING such so much easier because of it. You don't believe that, check out the U.S. Army's FREE FREE FREE to any kid with a computer online (most of them) awesomely manufactured and marketed "Become an Army Guy" video game, truly glorifying violence while pre-programming for recruitment. These guys know their stuff-they wouldn't have invested tens of millions otherwise.

As a side note, did you know a little known sideline in the unfunded government mandate No Child Left Untested program FORCES all public high schools to release personal information on all children to MILITARY RECRUITERS? Forget that Dubya broke his promise to Conress and never funded it, now HIS (not ours) fighting force will have your child's name, address, phone number and some other little goodies, even if he's a 14 yr old freshman in high school. Small noninvasive government, Family Values, all over the place, right? Wrong.

By the way, "not understanding the problem with kids NOT walking into stores and buying this stuff" is the same lack of knowledge of widespread corporate practice, down to the individual retail store, that is so similar to the cigarette industry caring so much about lessening their largest market into the future, teenagers. Yet SOMEHOW teenagers get cigarettes.
HOW COULD THEIR PARENTS HAVE BEEN AT WORK? HOW COULD THEY BE AT THAT SECOND OR THIRD JOB? HOW COULD THEY HAVE BEEN COMPUTER ILLITERATE? IF ONLY THEIR TENS OF MILLIONS OF PARENTS THAT ARE ALL SO OBVIOUSLY PARENTALLY IMPAIRED EVER BOTHERED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT....THEY COULD'VE STOOD RIGHT UP TO THOSE MEGA-POWERFUL CIGARETTE LOBBYISTS AND SAID "HEY, STOP. NO, REALLY. PLEASE?"

When Your kid starts smoking, then think about blaming the massive politico-corporate system, and not the 1 or 2 parents/KID struggling to work 60 hr weeks doing the job of 2.5 people now, again thanks to politics and massive corporate power.

Funny how "Family Values" and massive Govt/Political Corporate Corruption just don't seem to add up as much as one side of the political spectrum would have you believe.

Of course, when you've already destroyed most of their future anyway, and put every single child (every single American) into national debt to the tune of $37,500 EACH, in just 5 yrs, while raping any resource they MAY have had left, why, who would expect any less? Unfortunately, there's more LESS coming...

Posted by: manicirishwriter   Posted on: 11/29/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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