Parents Just Don't Understand
Today I turned on the radio on the way home from work, and the morning DJ (I work overnight) was talking about a new game entitled "Bully." The reason he was talking about it was because a bunch of parents got together and went to New York to protest the game at the developers' headquarters. This is something that really bothers the shit out of me. What is it about pushing out a rugrat or two that makes people completely forget their logic and reason?
This game, which is being developed by a company called "Rockstar," who are also responsible for the Grand Theft Auto series, is about a kid who is picked on and the game puts players into his shoes on his quest for revenge. Whether the game is in poor taste is a relative matter, and furthermore not at all the real issue here. The real issue here is the fallacy that passes for parenting in this country.
These are the same people you went to high school with, the same people you went to college with, y'know, the ones who would get drunk as a skunk and bang anything that moves, literally or figuratively. And now that they've grown up and had a kid or two, they expect the whole world to turn into "Sesame Street." Well I got news for ya: it's STILL the same world YOU grew up in, and nobody else has or will change just because you got your procreation on. The fact is, parents are the most irrational, unreasonable, subjective, logic-less people on the fucking planet. They lose ALL sense of reality in the name of "the children." Well you know what? FUCK your children.
I know this is the LAST thing parents want to hear, but Rockstar and similar companies are PRIVATE businesses, and they have the right to produce WHATEVER product they choose, as long as it's not cocaine. It's up to YOU, the parents, to decide whether you buy it for your children or not. And really, this game is not even designed with your child in mind. Research by the video game industry, along with all sorts of independant organizations, have ALL clearly demonstrated that the VAST majority of people who buy and play video games are 20 to 30-year-old males. I'm talking like 90% here. So it's no mystery at all why companies like Rockstar would make games like "Grand Theft Auto" or the aforementioned "Bully." They are simply making games for the people who buy and play those games. THAT'S IT. It's called "supply and demand," look it up, morons.
The point is, no matter how much parents would like it to be, it is NOT up to video game companies, the media, retail outlets, television, or even the schools to teach your children right from wrong. It's up to YOU, as the parents, to do it. If you don't want your kids to see sex or violence on TV, DON'T LET THEM WATCH IT. That's what that fuckin' V-Chip bullshit is for. If you don't want your kids to listen to death metal or gangsta rap, DON'T BUY IT. If you don't want your kids to play violent video games, DON'T BUY THEM. It's THAT FUCKING SIMPLE. And I don't wanna hear any shit about, "We have to work, we can't watch them 24-7," that's complete and total bullshit. If you aren't responsible enough to take care of your children, DON'T FUCKING HAVE THEM. Use a condom, they're cheap. And I also don't wanna hear any shit about, "They'll just end up playing it at a friends' house, anyway," that's complete and total bullshit as well. It all comes down to a theme that permeates almost every post on this blog, and it's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. NO ONE is going to love, care, and guide your children like YOU can, no one is even CAPABLE of loving, caring, and guiding your children but you. The world is a fucked-up, twisted place, and yes, you can only protect them for so long, but THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS. Furthermore, that's just how IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. Personally, my own generation grew up in the crack-inated 80's. EVERY evening news started with "Today's Body Count." We saw and experienced violence and depravity like NO ONE has since the Dark Ages, and with my own exception, we turned out just fine.
So STOP trying to turn the world into "Sesame Street," just do the best you can to love, care, and teach your OWN children the RIGHT way to live, and they'll be alright. But trying to change the entire human race just so YOUR CHILDREN won't see the bad things, that's arrogant, illogical, and just PLAIN CRAZY.
This game, which is being developed by a company called "Rockstar," who are also responsible for the Grand Theft Auto series, is about a kid who is picked on and the game puts players into his shoes on his quest for revenge. Whether the game is in poor taste is a relative matter, and furthermore not at all the real issue here. The real issue here is the fallacy that passes for parenting in this country.
These are the same people you went to high school with, the same people you went to college with, y'know, the ones who would get drunk as a skunk and bang anything that moves, literally or figuratively. And now that they've grown up and had a kid or two, they expect the whole world to turn into "Sesame Street." Well I got news for ya: it's STILL the same world YOU grew up in, and nobody else has or will change just because you got your procreation on. The fact is, parents are the most irrational, unreasonable, subjective, logic-less people on the fucking planet. They lose ALL sense of reality in the name of "the children." Well you know what? FUCK your children.
I know this is the LAST thing parents want to hear, but Rockstar and similar companies are PRIVATE businesses, and they have the right to produce WHATEVER product they choose, as long as it's not cocaine. It's up to YOU, the parents, to decide whether you buy it for your children or not. And really, this game is not even designed with your child in mind. Research by the video game industry, along with all sorts of independant organizations, have ALL clearly demonstrated that the VAST majority of people who buy and play video games are 20 to 30-year-old males. I'm talking like 90% here. So it's no mystery at all why companies like Rockstar would make games like "Grand Theft Auto" or the aforementioned "Bully." They are simply making games for the people who buy and play those games. THAT'S IT. It's called "supply and demand," look it up, morons.
The point is, no matter how much parents would like it to be, it is NOT up to video game companies, the media, retail outlets, television, or even the schools to teach your children right from wrong. It's up to YOU, as the parents, to do it. If you don't want your kids to see sex or violence on TV, DON'T LET THEM WATCH IT. That's what that fuckin' V-Chip bullshit is for. If you don't want your kids to listen to death metal or gangsta rap, DON'T BUY IT. If you don't want your kids to play violent video games, DON'T BUY THEM. It's THAT FUCKING SIMPLE. And I don't wanna hear any shit about, "We have to work, we can't watch them 24-7," that's complete and total bullshit. If you aren't responsible enough to take care of your children, DON'T FUCKING HAVE THEM. Use a condom, they're cheap. And I also don't wanna hear any shit about, "They'll just end up playing it at a friends' house, anyway," that's complete and total bullshit as well. It all comes down to a theme that permeates almost every post on this blog, and it's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. NO ONE is going to love, care, and guide your children like YOU can, no one is even CAPABLE of loving, caring, and guiding your children but you. The world is a fucked-up, twisted place, and yes, you can only protect them for so long, but THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS. Furthermore, that's just how IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. Personally, my own generation grew up in the crack-inated 80's. EVERY evening news started with "Today's Body Count." We saw and experienced violence and depravity like NO ONE has since the Dark Ages, and with my own exception, we turned out just fine.
So STOP trying to turn the world into "Sesame Street," just do the best you can to love, care, and teach your OWN children the RIGHT way to live, and they'll be alright. But trying to change the entire human race just so YOUR CHILDREN won't see the bad things, that's arrogant, illogical, and just PLAIN CRAZY.
