Censorship

[Tony P.]

Washington State may get a bill passed that would ban the sale of
video games, with violence against police officers, to minors. It's
censorship. Read it at http://komotv.com/stories/24346.htm . I
seriously hope it doesn't pass. It would be better to ban all rated M
games being sold to minors, rather than banning some with
questionable content regarding going against government authority.

[Jason Wharton]

> Washington State may get a bill passed that would ban the sale of
> video games, with violence against police officers, to minors. It's
> censorship. Read it at http://komotv.com/stories/24346.htm . I
> seriously hope it doesn't pass. It would be better to ban all rated M
> games being sold to minors, rather than banning some with
> questionable content regarding going against government authority.

There is always a trade-off between rights and responsibility. Cause and
effect is an eternal principle. I believe Censorship is necessary in some
circumstances, this being one of them. The problem comes in when you try and
get consensus on what should and should not be censored.

Isn't it true people on this list are frequently referring to higher
intelligence beings reaping huge karmic/concern issues because they have
divulged too much information too soon? Obviously, censorship is a huge
issue that pervades many aspects of our life and being. Some of the most
difficult decisions about the progress of mankind are no doubt, how much are
they ready for (knowledge) and will it serve a greater good or cause a huge
problem.

There is a general desire for people to have peace, prosperity, freedom and
so on. That's part of being human and having more opportunity for growth and
experience. If you think bringing up a significant portion of the rising
generation to view police officers as someone to fear and attack, rather
than someone who is serving to protect you and your above said rights
granted by this government, then you shall most likely reap the consequences
of them being removed from power and after that we will have mob rule. Try
and imagine the magnitude of injustices that will run wild in this nation if
our law and order are defeated. Then ask yourself at this time, was it worth
it to allow all the little video games and the other factors which
contributed to this undermining.

A country would quickly degenerate to the likes of all the areas of unrest
in Africa and other 3rd world environs. Women and children raped right and
left, property (like entire households, farms, etc.) stolen and taken over.
South Africa is a total mess. People are leaving that area in droves. I've
met a good number of them personally and heard the horrific stories.

Perhaps you think there is no such thing as a path to sub-humanity... That
seems to be the attitude taking over these days. I hope the day doesn't come
when people in the USA don't wake up and realize they have taken for granted
just what we still have to enjoy. The slide of moral decay needs to stop
before we pass the point of no return.

Our men of law and order deserve the respect and appreciation of all
generations in our society, especially the rising youth. I support this
censorship. People will simply make games that leave our officers with the
dignity they (collectively) deserve. Certainly they are of no shortage of
alternatives for entertainment. Anyone who really wants it is going to get
it anyway, BTW. There's always the seedy little places where people can
imbibe in their vices.

The very ability we have to use this internet to share information and
ideas, etc. is because a society rose up with enough civility and prosperity
long enough for these advances to come about. Let's not be so much in a
hurry to destroy this moral foundation that made this all possible. Police
officers have been and are an essential part of this. God bless them all and
shame on anyone who supports having them become a target of senseless
violence and ridicule.

Regards,
Jason Wharton
CPS - Computer Programming Solutions
Mesa Arizona
http://www.ibobjects.com

-- We may not have it all together --
-- But together we have it all --

[bob_dunham]

> shame on anyone who supports having them become a target of
senseless
> violence and ridicule.
>
> Regards,
> Jason Wharton

__________________________________________________
I dont know if this is really a case of censorship anyway, it just
prevents minors from buying the game(not everyone). Nevertheless it
seems as though based on Jason's rational that no law biding citizens
would be able to use technology in order to role play certain real
life events should they involve violent acts. There are various
stages of action, first there is thought, then physical
manifestation. Role playing is somewhere in between thought and
action. Often times we deal with our occasional violent thoughts
through fanticies, in order to come to the eventual conclusion that
we are not comfortable with these thoughts. Role playing can be a
form of expression in order to play out ones thoughts without a
serious level of harm to come about(maybe just like 3d reality as we
know it in a way!). Thoughts are things, certainly, that is why I
beleive these role playing games could be part of the eventual path
to making these violent thoughts a reality. But in the right hands
these "games" could be used constructively just as your imagination
can be used to play out certain real life scenarios to see what they
would be like. Then monitoring your reactions. Just another way of
getting to know your self, but in a less harmfull way than expressing
it in real life. To make a long story short, if an older kid wants
to play GTA3 and run over a bunch of old ladies and shoot cops, I
dont have a problem with that, its your eventual emmotions and
reactions to the cartoon violence that really matter. You can learn
through movies and games about violence without making it a reality.
It should be expected that eventually on some level one would out
grow the exersize and make the "right" decisions. People have the
freedom to think violent thoughts without expressing them physically,
and people should have the freedom to role play violently without
expressing it physically........... Its a slippery slope: movies,
games, news, war .......just leave it up to the parents and adults
who choose to express them selves in this maner.
__________________________________________________ ___________

[Tony P.]

It's up to the parents to control what there kids do. Cause if they
ban a game being sold to kids based on violence against government
authority, the kids will get it another way. And the parents still
retain the responsibility of watching what their kids are playing.
They should either ban all rated M games, or none at all. This is
targetting something the government doesn't like doing this.

[Tony E. P.]

http://www.komotv.com/news/story_m.asp?ID=24931