Thoughtprints: What Can We Do?

Monday, February 3, 2003

What Can We Do?

Be prepared -- this is going to be one helluva rant, and probably disjointed, at best. There are very few things that completely and utterly shock and disgust me anymore, but I have to say that this did just that! Even more than shock and disgust, I found it downright nauseating, leaving me in total disbelief. I found the link here, which led me here, finally taking me to the above linked article. You should probably go and read it for yourself before continuing on, so that what I say makes any kind of sense.

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In reflecting on this, my thoughts took me back to conversations I've had with my son, David, about the desensitization which occurs from continued exposure to death and violence, i.e.: video games, computer games, movies. He and I are on opposite sides of the fence on this issue. He says one must be "unbalanced" to begin with in order for things like that to cause one to do "warped" things. I disagree. Especially with regard to teens and pre-teens. After all, those are called the formative years for a reason, right? Those are the years in which we form our opinions, belief systems, personal and moral values. How can constant and continued exposure to such things NOT desensitize someone?? While it may be a bad analogy, consider soldiers and what they are trained to do. Could you jump right into their shoes on the front line and do it as well? Could you do it at all?? I couldn't! And consider, also, that they use video games as part of their training protocol when training new soldiers. Isn't that a form of brainwashing?? But, we are supposed to believe that kids who continually play extremely violent video games and watch violent, blood and guts movies aren't being brainwashed?? I don't think so!

So the big question is this: What are we prepared to do as a society to stop this from happening? No, I don't believe that they should cease making said movies and video games. I do not possess a "book burning" mentality. What I DO possess is a mentality which dictates to my reasoning that the responsibility for this falls squarely in the laps of PARENTS. I recently saw a news report which profiled some of these video games, in which they interviewed a video rental store owner, asking him how kids get their hands on these games, considering they are rated M for mature. Know what he said? He answered that the majority of the games were being rented by the parents, who go home and place them in the hands of their kids! And why? Because they want their kids to have everything the other kids have. Now how sickening is that!!

Also, going hand-in-hand with that, is what I consider to be another issue: the perceived sense of anonymity the internet gives people. But then, is it really that? Or is that it is perceived to be just another "game" on a screen?? I don't know the answer to that, and I don't know how these perceptions can be changed. Do you?? What can we do to make it an absolute fact in the minds of everyone who logs on that it is a real live person they are interacting with? Whether it be live chat, or leaving comments in a forum or on a blog, it is a living, breathing person on the other side who reads what they say. And how can we make people realize that the person they're talking to might not be as stable as they think, and to take care with what they say? How do we enlighten this society of ours?? Can we?? I don't know. But what I do know is that what I read in that article scares the hell out of me!!

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Print left by Leigh on February 3, 2003 04:03 PM | TrackBack [0] | Mail It

Thoughts from others

this was one of the msot frightening articles i have read in ages:/ i have no answers but i will think on this some more...i think i have soemthing to say on this.

one thing i have noticed in the news the last two days...the many comments from ppl both radio, tv some palces on line... aobut how the tragedy saturday is viewed very much teh same was...our society is becoming as a whole desensitized to these types of tragedies and horrors. our view on world events etc...we watch on the news such horror..and it is jsut "another news report" that has no impact.

i do agree..it is a parental responsibility as are msot things taht are issues in this world.. the ultimate responsibility resides on the parents.

Thoughtfully shared by: fae poet on February 3, 2003 06:18 PM

I think all people have to take some responsibility for what they put out there...not just parents. There seem to be fewer and fewer people interested in the subject of ethics anymore. There is more interest in money than what is ethical. There is also less common sense. Of course if we feed children on a violent diet of video games and entertainment, and then neglect to instill in them a value for life and the reasons to value it...then we have failed. Also, if we are producers and create violent, pornographic and destructive things, then we will live in an unkind society where people feel nothing about injuring one another. No one seems to be accountable anymore for what they put out there.

People need to act collectively as well as individually to promote values that embrace love, kindness, respect for self and others, as well as encouraging in all people to value depth versus the glib superficiality which seems to be currently in vogue. These values must first be embraced by those who are raising and influencing children in order for these values to trickle down to them. After all, children largely learn by example. If children fail to absorb and adopt a value system which is life affirming...perhaps we should make certain that we actually possess these values ourselves. “Do as I say not as I do”…doesn’t really work now does it. As for parents being responsible…everyone over 25 is a parent whether they have children or not. It’s not good enough for people to be interested in the well being of their own children, simply for the fact that children grow up together and influence each other. Also, for those people who don’t have children, it’s not good enough if they remain indifferent to the needs of children. We all must all be concerned about the children and the world they are growing up in. Environment has a very large impact on how human beings develop…So are we as a society creating the right environment for all children to thrive in? I think not. There are too much violence and not nearly enough tenderness.

Leigh, I completely agree with you…I am equally mortified by what happened to this young man. And you are absolutely right…there are real people on the other end of each internet connection, and teenagers need to realize it’s not just another video game. Objectification of human beings should be seen as a deep violation of what is right and humane. How about some education on these issue and others in the schools? Also, this article speaks volumes about where our society is going and we as adults need to be paying more attention. There are a lot of warning signs, big and small, none of which can be solved with a glib superficiality or sticking our heads in the sand ostrich style. People need to get more deeply involved in their societies or else we all will suffer the consequences.

Thoughtfully shared by: thatmark on February 3, 2003 08:19 PM

mark... you are much more clear on this issue... thank you for making your thoughts so clear. i am still at a loss to express myself very clearly on this.

Thoughtfully shared by: fae poet on February 3, 2003 08:44 PM

I appreciate so much your replies. They incorporate both rational thought and common sense. Something has to be done ... I just don't know what -- yet. But I do feel compelled to take some kind of action to see that something this horrific can never happen again. It's beyond belief that it even happened once.

Much thanks to both of you.

Thoughtfully shared by: Leigh on February 3, 2003 09:12 PM

I agree with those that say we should act collectively as a society. Anything goes these days. As for parental responsibility - of course parents should instill morality and ethics but it is too harh to blame the parents solely for such things. Can you imagine the misery of those parents. Do you really think it is fair to impart more guilt on them?

Also Thanks for the visit :)

Thoughtfully shared by: Jazz on February 4, 2003 09:16 PM

Hi Jazz :)

No, of course I don't solely blame parents. But I do think it is up to parents to monitor what their children are watching, playing and listening to. Maybe there would be less young people in our country so full of rage. I'm speaking here as a parent, of course, and as one, I do take responsibility for teaching my children morality, and hopefully instilling in them the ability to use their conscience when making choices and decisions. Believe me, my kids have been plenty mad at me for being "so strict" (in their eyes), but I'd rather have them mad at me than running wild.

Anyway, just a few thoughts out of many. I don't want to bore you too much. ;) Thank you for the visit and for taking the time to leave your thoughts. :)

Thoughtfully shared by: Leigh on February 4, 2003 09:24 PM

I don't even know what to say. What has happened to some people in our generation, and what are we teaching our kids, and what kind of a role model are we being for them?

Thoughtfully shared by: Kelly on February 7, 2003 11:02 PM

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