LET'S ARGUE ABOUT VIDEO GAMES

[Fathom Zero]

Don't worry about your English, man. It's excellent. And that second bit was just an aside, going along with the whole obsession theme. We make friends through our interests, then they transcend those interests, if they're good friends. If not, then... they're single-purpose friends. I mean, not someone who's like your best friend. Most of the friends I have, I've met through video games, one way or another.

And it appears we will disagree forever on how to raise a kid. Thankfully, you don't have to raise mine and I don't have to yours. That's what makes the world an amazing place with all sorts of debate and thought, n'est pas?

I don't believe it matters what a child is exposed to. I'm a pretty good example, I guess. I've seen a number of dead guys in my day. (I have a pretty good joke about my uncle - "My uncle's favorite candy bar was those Whatchamacallit bars, yeh. But he can't have them anymore." "Why not?" "Because he shot himself.")

I don't think it matters, to expose a spongey mind to something. Logically, that'd be the best time to teach them about something, since kids have a better grasp of consequences the younger they are. And don't anyone twist that around to make me seem okay with child abuse and shit like that. We can split hairs all day about what abuse is, too - I'm more than ready to argue semantics. I think what's more damaging to a kid is to say they can't do something. That certain things are... verboten. () I was never limited artificially by my parents. Even my father, whom is a complete asshole. I found what I was good at and what my limits were. I think it's child abuse to tell a kid that they can't be wrong, that there's no such thing as a mistake, and that everyone has to get a medal.

In the end, it's all parenting. Let people legislate rights away and pawn off responsibility? If you advance that, then you're a cunt. I hate you from the bottom of my heart and I hope nothing but the worst for you, because you're less than nothing.

Not that I'm aiming my vitriol at you, Ox. You seem to be a perceptive fellow. If you believe in such things, then I'm sorry.

[OxBlood]

Originally Posted by Fathom Zero

I think it's child abuse to tell a kid that they can't be wrong, that there's no such thing as a mistake, and that everyone has to get a medal.

In the end, it's all parenting. Let people legislate rights away and pawn off responsibility? If you advance that, then you're a cunt. I hate you from the bottom of my heart and I hope nothing but the worst for you, because you're less than nothing.

Oh we do seem to agree on that first paragraph. Of course I´d tell my kid it´s...verboten to play on a construction site for example but at the same time I know it will run around there anyway. Just because I don´t want my kid to do something officially it doesn´t mean that I´ll go yell at it because it just because it behaved like a kid. It´s just growing up, it makes mistakes, it HAS to make mistakes, has to test out certain limits, that´s only natural, otherwise it will most likely have problems later on. One reason why I don´t like overly protective parents and uber-shelterd kids. Even their immunesystems suffer because of such behavior.

And I never said anything about giving up responsibility, as a parent, YOU´RE the one responsible for your kid, not the state, not the community, the family is, we agree on that as well it seems. What I think is okay is to prevent kids getting things not suitable for their age on their own. If your parents are cool with you playing or watching something, it´s their responsibility again. Can be good parenting, can be bad parenting, it all depends on the parents, the kids and the situation.

But Store-Clerks selling...lets say Prototype...selling that to kids? Not cool in my opinion. Ot the Yakuza-Series. Too adult-themed for kids. Again, it´s the parent´s responsibility to do the right thing for their kid. There´s almost no greater parenting-crime than letting the TV or the internet do the education of your kid. I hate people that just "park" their kids in front of the thing and then wander off. Irresponsible, but I think we both agree on that?