No thank you nanny Blagojevich
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is currently proposing a ban on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors. I would agree with the Governor that there are some materials unsuitable for minors. It is the parents, however, not the government, who should make these kinds of decisions. Parents are smart and have access to information about the content of the games their children play. The video game industry has provided a ratings system to aid parents in making these decisions. There are other organizations that publish independent game recommendations.
If your child purchases and plays video games you don't approve of and you do nothing, shame on you. Take that game and sell it on EBay. But for goodness sake don't abdicate your rights and responsibility to the government. You will end up with a one-size-fits-all solution that caters to the most conservative, most easily offended group of citizens in your community.
For the record, I do not live in Illinois. This issue is important to me because I see a trend in our society where one segment of the population is trying to dictate moral values to the rest of the country. This movement in Illinois is a symptom of a greater problem.
posted by James at
3:47 PM
4 Comments:
Speaking on behalf of all the pacifists who gleefully jack cars and whack hookers on their Playstation 2s, I wholeheartedly agree.
Having said that, I also think it's worth noting that efforts to ban material, whether it be because it's violent or 'sexually explicit' or 'morally offensive' or 'inappropriate' or whatever almost always seem to be initiated by people who have no substantive arguments to support the ban other than the fact that they're 'offended'.
To that end, I would suggest that Governor Blagojevich conduct a lengthy, detailed and scientifically valid study of the effects of video games on children of various ages, and THEN decide whether or not some sort of action needs to be taken.
By
Thomas McBride, at 12/23/2004 4:49 PM
By your argument, kids should be allowed to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, guns and pornography, with parents policing their kids AFTER the fact. In your words, if a parent doesn't approve, they should simply sell the shotgun and Jack Daniels on EBay.
Well, I just have one thing to say to that - shame on YOU.
For the same reason that the sale of pornography is restricted, so should violent, sexually explicit material be regulated.
The point is not to legislate morality, nor is it to practice censorship. Indeed, it is to empower the parent to make these choices for their children.
If you as a parent want your children to play these games, you have the CHOICE of purchasing and providing them for your children - however irresponsible the moral majority might think you are.
This bill helps put parents back in control of morality within their homes. It's a useful and important tool.
By
Cliff McQuirter, at 12/23/2004 10:01 PM
Cliff McQuirter wrote:
>By your argument, kids should be allowed to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, guns and pornography, with parents policing their kids AFTER the fact. In your words, if a parent doesn't approve, they should simply sell the shotgun and Jack Daniels on EBay.
Cliff, if we are talking about things known to cause harm, then alcohol, cigarettes, guns would certainly fall under that category. If we arbitrarily lump video games into the mix we could (just as arbitrarily) add in say...
- Harry Potter books because we don't want our kids practicing witchcraft
- Hershey's chocolate because they might get a tummy ache
- Wile E. Coyote (nuff said)
and so on. Should the government regulate these things as well?
As for pornography, that is an excellent example of a value judgement. That is a holdover from our Puritan roots. I consider it normal for children to be curious about sexuality. The same goes for violent play acting. As boys we played cops and robbers, cowboys and indians. As far as I can tell, this is normal, universal human behavior. But some folks don't like it so lets ban it.
The point is, what role should we expect the government to play in our lives? Should we be required to show our id for every item we buy? How far should we go in allowing it to regulate every decision we make?
By
James, at 12/24/2004 12:31 PM
Wile E. Coyote is the perfect example of how video games should be regulated.
Every television set 13 inches or larger manufactured after January 2000, and some sets sold after July 1, 1999, contain a V-Chip.
That means that parents can control exactly what their children can and cannot view. If Wile E. Coyote is rated as having mild fantasy violence, then parents can decide whether that is appropriate for their toddler, adolescent, pre-teen or teenager.
The V-Chip is the result of FCC regulations requiring features to block the display of television programming based upon its rating.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 gave the broadcasting industry the first opportunity to establish voluntary ratings. Shortly thereafter, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable Television Association and the Motion Picture Association of America established the TV Parental Guidelines rating system.
I personally think it's a brilliant system that puts the control in the parents' hands while not restricting freedom, legislating morality or practicing censorship.
By
Cliff McQuirter, at 12/24/2004 2:33 PM
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