Original Comment by: Tom Rhodes
Dana:
You're still missing an important point I made. Yes, kids are inventive, and can convince people of things. But parents are not absentee landlords everywhere, now are they? If parents aren't monitoring their children's viewing habits (both on television, online, and on game systems), then that's bad parenting, that is, but doesn't reach the level to require legislation.
But, again, the question arises of necessity. I'm of the opinion that there need to be a clear a definite need for a law before it's just put on the book, not just theoretical claptrap or punditry. Now let's examine your example:
I could convince my parents to give me money on perfectly innocent grounds, even if my intentions were not equally innocent. For example, I used to travel to the corner store to rent movies. My parents would give me the six dollars I needed, but they had no control over content. That store would let me rent whatever I wanted.
And did you, in fact, turn into a violent killer? No? Well there you go. I know, I know, anecdotal, but I remain citing the statistics I did before. Violent crime, gun-related deaths, and youth-related violence are all at the lowest levels they've been in years (sometimes at all-time lows). So let's not bring the government into this little equation onto the fear of (a) bad parenting, or (b) that little Timmy might rent Alien 6: The Crappening or Grand Theft Auto: Fargo.
Again, there doesn't seem to be a real need of any kind for regulation here. Theaters weren't regulated, neither were video stores, nor rap music, and yet civilization didn't collapse around us. Parents managed to find ways to deal with all these things on their own. How? Most forced stores into adopting policies they wanted (like not selling R-rated films to minors), and would reprimand or fire those who disobeyed such policy. They wouldn't be fined or arrested or jailed, and is that really the path we want for people? Over games?
Dana:
You're still missing an important point I made. Yes, kids are inventive, and can convince people of things. But parents are not absentee landlords everywhere, now are they? If parents aren't monitoring their children's viewing habits (both on television, online, and on game systems), then that's bad parenting, that is, but doesn't reach the level to require legislation.
But, again, the question arises of necessity. I'm of the opinion that there need to be a clear a definite need for a law before it's just put on the book, not just theoretical claptrap or punditry. Now let's examine your example:
I could convince my parents to give me money on perfectly innocent grounds, even if my intentions were not equally innocent. For example, I used to travel to the corner store to rent movies. My parents would give me the six dollars I needed, but they had no control over content. That store would let me rent whatever I wanted.
And did you, in fact, turn into a violent killer? No? Well there you go. I know, I know, anecdotal, but I remain citing the statistics I did before. Violent crime, gun-related deaths, and youth-related violence are all at the lowest levels they've been in years (sometimes at all-time lows). So let's not bring the government into this little equation onto the fear of (a) bad parenting, or (b) that little Timmy might rent Alien 6: The Crappening or Grand Theft Auto: Fargo.
Again, there doesn't seem to be a real need of any kind for regulation here. Theaters weren't regulated, neither were video stores, nor rap music, and yet civilization didn't collapse around us. Parents managed to find ways to deal with all these things on their own. How? Most forced stores into adopting policies they wanted (like not selling R-rated films to minors), and would reprimand or fire those who disobeyed such policy. They wouldn't be fined or arrested or jailed, and is that really the path we want for people? Over games?
