Day four on the floor

Okay so the day count thing is getting kind of old...I think today will be the last of the day counts.

Ooooh I’m gonna’ ramble a lot today. It's day four (last time I swear) of my newfound smoke-free lifestyle and I am inspired to just partake in a little stream of consciousness rant. It may not make much sense…but that is how I roll. Like a rock star.

I’m with you guys when it comes to the ideas of parents regulating the media their kids take in. I am so not a supporter of organizations (private or governmental) or people trying to impose their belief system on the general populace. I am happy for people who feel that video games are morally reprehensible and they will never play them…that is fine with me. But when they try to push their own belief system on everyone I think it is truly a sign of our de-evolution. Jack Thompson is another in a long series of poster boys (and girls) for the downfall of our free thought and expression. I mean you Have Tipper gore, Sen. Lieberman, Jack Thompson…and so on. These are just sad little people trying to gain favor of the majority by pushing the blame to the creators of media and entertainment.

Now…I am no media lover when it comes to the news. But I don’t blame the media for stupid people. I mean there are so many uninformed people that are products of the “If it bleeds it leads” news media…but in the end it is because they are too lazy too seek out other sources of research to truly understand something. It is not the fault of the news…they are trying to gain a market share and stay profitable. So they forgo real journalism and focus on the big money headline stories about Brad and Jennifer and all that other drivel. But again…they are not to blame for stupid people.

The same is true for movies/TV/games. Are the makers of the entertainment responsible for what your kids watch? I can’t see how. Just as the makers of fast food are not responsible for you kid eating cheeseburgers every day. It is the parents who should bear the burden of talking about these movies/TV/games with their kids. When you hide, censor or otherwise attempt to prevent your children from seeing something…they will seek it out…and they will do so without the guidance and open discussion they should have from their parents. If they do not understand the difference between fantasy and reality…then the makers of the fantasy are not to blame. That is something that must be instilled by the parents. That would be like blaming those who wrote the bible because little jimmy, who can’t swim, decided to try walking on water out in the family pool. Well never mind the idea that if little jimmy can’t swim, so he probably can’t read…so that analogy is pretty shaky…but you get the point.

That isn’t to say that there are not things that kids should not see….but that is what a ratings system is for. I am totally behind the idea of the ratings system, when it works. This allows parents to make an informed purchase and gives them an understanding of what exactly they are allowing their kids to play. But if the parents are not involved with their kids life…if they do not communicate with them about the movies/TV/games they play…then we have the righteous Jack Thompson’s of the world riding in on their political white horse ready to blame everyone but the parents for the actions of the child. That is just lame.

Should we blame the classic gangster movies for the rise of organized crime? I definitely thought about becoming a mobster with a therapist after I saw sopranos…it was so appealing. Actually I did not think of becoming a mobster. And I have never played a game and then thought…I am going to go out and do that. This is because I was given a good foundation as to what is right and what is wrong.

In the end…it is all just a scape-goat. Blame whatever you can to explain something that you do not understand or something so horrible you don’t want to understand. Rock on…lets all do that. I mean human beings have been doing it since the dawn of man anyway. Hell that is how most religions were founded. Well that and fear I guess. But that is another story entirely.

Most likely I am totally off base here...but that is how I roll. All your base...are belong to us.