There is no question that I am getting older. Not just in years but in thought. In fact, I continue to be more like Red Foreman from That '70's Show every day. I guess I have really moved on to the "next generation" because I can't see the value in the latest Grand Theft Auto video game. In fact, I think that the game is a sign of the Apocalypse. By the way, the "latest" Grand Theft Auto is version "4" because the first 3 were so damn popular. There is nothing like blowing a prostitute away for a few points - right?
Go ahead and call me a fossil or an old fuddy duddy. I guess that I've earned that. Back before I was born, the "older generation" used to think that the Beatles singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or Elvis shaking his hips were signs of Armageddon. What would those people think of a "game" that begins with a S & M sex scene and degenerates into graphic scenes of killing innocent bystanders and prostitutes? Or a video game that allows the player to receive a lap dance that causes the "joy stick" to vibrate? People - we've gone insane.
Now, I can trace my "new way of thinking" back to September 21st, 1995. That is the day I became a father. Before that date, I was your typical guy. Anything goes. Freedom of Speech no matter how ridiculous , etc. I always thought I could handle whatever came my way. But on 9/21/95, I had a son and the world looked different to me all of a sudden. Now, I was responsible to protect another person, not just myself. I believed in freedom of speech (and still do), but The Wing Nuts and Ass Holes that put this kind of stuff out that were funny to me before were not so humorous anymore. I started to notice that more and more violent movies and violent video games were being released. For God sakes, Saw I, II, III, IV are some of most popular movies of all time. How many ways are there to torture a person for entertainment? Then, folks started flying planes into buildings and my thinking about the world changed for good. I guess the human race is pretty violent - always has been. Does this mean this type of violence has to be made into a video game?
Katherine Kersten wrote a very interesting article in today's Star Tribune on the subject. Here it is for your reading pleasure:
http://www.startribune.com/local/18538584.html
I can't put into words what I feel about Grand Theft Auto any better than Kersten in that article. Now don't get me wrong. Because I believe in freedom of speech, I don't think this game should be banned. I just cannot understand the popularity of the game. Is this what it has come to? I this how we entertain ourselves? I really don't consider myself as an uptight person, but this really bugs me. Obviously, there are people that disagree with me. Check out this letter to the editor from Saturday's StarTribune:
GRAND THEFT AUTO IV
Silly fears
Another "Grand Theft Auto" release, another round of calls for censorship. We should hardly be surprised. After all, in 1816, the Times of London found a new dance called the waltz so shocking that it felt "a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion." A century later, we were told that a new medium called the motion picture would corrupt society beyond repair. Somehow, we have managed to survive dancing and movies.
As for video games? This, too, shall pass.
IAN TURNER, ST. PAUL
Let me guess. Ian is 19 and lives in his parents basement. No kids. I was there once and I understand his logic. Ian hasn't had his "9/21/95" yet. And he is correct that the Waltz, and dancing for that matter, was considered indecent at one time. We've moved well beyond the Waltz, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Elvis shaking his hips with Grand Theft Auto 4, however. We're talking about murder sprees here. When do you get to the point as a society when you say - Enough? I remember having a conversation with my mom back when I was in college about right and wrong, moral and immoral. Back then, I was of the belief that "anything goes." She looked at me and asked "Do you ever get to a point where you know in your heart that something is just wrong?" I knew that she was right, even as a sophomore in college.
Perhaps determining right and wrong is not society's job, however. Maybe it is the job of a parent. Maybe that is why, on 9/21/95, I felt something change within myself. Even the makers of GTF4 state that it is the parents job to guard their kids against the very games that they sell:
"Video game representatives... insist that parents are the gatekeepers for their children's play."
Well, I guess that is what I'll do. This kind of crap will not make it into my house. We'll stick with MLB 2008 and Madden Football. My kids can make up their own minds when they are old enough, and I hope that they will think games like GTF4 are crap too. I shudder to think what might be available at that time that makes GTF4 look mild, however. I know one thing - we're a long way from Pong.
Jeff
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9 comments:
I have a little four year old. he does not even watch tv. he loves watching mr magoo cartoons on youtube on my laptop. other than that, it is thomas the train, and he juggles two little neighborhood girls that compete for his attention. maybe if we lay a good foundation as parents, we have a chance to keep them away from that junk when they get older. our society keeps pushing the limits. there has to be a breaking point. right?
Good thoughts Jeff. Although I have a 7th grader and 9th grader, I can't seem to muster the same level of outrage that you do.
First let me say that in no way will GTA4 or any other version be purchased or played in our house. Thankfully the kids know this and don't seem to show in any interest in the game.
However, I do recognize that GTA is a game for adults. May not be something I would play, but there are lots of activities that others are interested in that I am not and likewise I am sure.
Do games like GTA make society coarser? Probably. But doesn't songs like F**k School, Gary's Got a Boner, and Need a Goddamn job by the Replacements also?
I guess my point is I don't need to judge what is good or bad for society. I can judge what is good and bad for myself and my family and stay away from those I deem hurtful or destructive.
free-you make some good points. but at what point does some of this begin to creep into what the little folks are watching? your comment about you not needing to judge what is good or bad for society sounds a bit moral relavatistic( is that a word?) to me. as members of society, is it wrong to demand certain levels of decency to function on a certain level? this is not intended to turn into a political argument. I just don't see a problem with people saying enough is enough, and maintaining a certain "bar" that is set so we don't go under it. like that supreme court justice once said, I can't define pornography, but I know it when I see it.
Tony. Good points. It's definitely not an easy topic. The bottom line is where do you draw the line? I would draw it one place, you another, Jeff another, etc. What if a bunch of crazed feminists start to go off on CSI-type shows that show violence toward women? Or if football was considered too violent for TV or if music with swear words or certain images was banned or strictly regulated?
I'd rather leave those decisions up to me as a parent. The flip side is, something is inevitably going to leak through and my kids are going to be exposed to something I wish they hadn't. Hopefully I raise them right so that the damage is at a minimum.
good stuff. every once in awhile the bill for free speech comes due, and this is one of those times. I bet you are a great dad, free.
You guys are both making great points, and I guess the bottom line is that everyone has a different definition for what is "moral, immoral, etc." That is why I do not believe it is up to the government or any other "agency" to define it for the pubic.
I guess my "hot button" issue is gratuitous violence. I do not understand why people get off seeing that. That is why the songs that you mentioned, Free, don't have the same emotional impact on me. In fact, I love that Replacements album. But, i am sure it wouldn't be hard to find someone who is appalled by the swearing more than the violence.
No easy answers to this one....
I was thinkling about that later Jeff, of course Gary's Got a Boner is not in the same league as video representation of shooting hookers, but both contribute to the coarseness of the culture. I (we)just happen to like one a lot more than the other
That is a good point Free. When it comes to "morality" there is rarely black and white - just many shades of grey. Until a person is old enough to decide what is right or wrong for themselves, it is up to family to help them define that along the way. We seem, as a society, to be moving that line farther and farther away. Even with myself. For instance, there is no way my parents would have liked a song called "Fuck School."
Personally, I have a much lower threshold for violence (and have set more boundries) than many people. Oddly enough, however, my two favorite movies are Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan. Pretty violent, I know. While I don't "enjoy" the violence, I understand that is rooted in history and has significance. I have a hard time understanding what I define to be "gratuitous violence" like Hostel, Saw, etc., and games like GTF4. Personally, it scares me that people enjoy this as entertainment. And then again, some people say the same thing about hockey and football.
Once again, shades of grey. The older I get, the more confused I become...
Surprise, surprise. The Kersten article you mention in your post had a quote that was edited to remove nuance that didn't fit KK's ideology. Here's the link:
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/05/katherine_kerst.php
Doesn't take away from your broader point but is interesting nonetheless.
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