Add me to that list because I think this is an excellent discussion and one that I think NEEDS to be had on FF and the Movie Board every single year
because FF's primary users ARE teens as well as those slightly older and younger.
I'm about to get up on my personal soapbox for a moment and preach/rant, so at least you're all being warned if you care to read on
But seriously...
1) I do think parent's AREN'T as involved with their kids and what they're doing (not just what they're watching, playing or listening too) these days, no matter what anybody says.
It's sad, but it's true.
And I'm not soley pinning this on the parents because I know how hard it is to have to have two incomes to barely survive (month to month) the way this economy and the world we live in has gotten.
However, even with all those hardships, parent's have got to take the time, that is MAKE THE TIME, to get involved in what their kids are into at the moment... And if their kids aren't willing to include them, well, use THEIR RIGHT AS A PARENT to find out by any means possible.
This might surprise many of you that I would condone such methods considering my parents gave me carte blanche privacy when I was growing up... BUT, again, that is because they TRUSTED me and knew I wasn't planning to go on a shooting ramapage at my high school or something.
The times we live in and the access to just... Well, EVERYTHING (mail order weapons; how to make home made boms off the internet; etc.)... HAS changed from when I and others my age were growing up... And we're talking only 30 years ago, folks. I'm not in my 60s if you're wondering (I'm also not a parent, but I feel very strongly about what's going on).
Therefore, I strongly believe that as a parent, you have the right to "snoop" or "spy" on your kids and do whatever you have to do make sure they are safe from what's going on out there... Or more importantly, from themselves.
I think what really cemeted my own personal view on this was the Collumbine High School massacre. I am astounded that to this day Eric Harris and Dynal Kleebold's parents didn't know thet were building bombs and stockpiling weapons IN ERICS HOUSE for Pete's sake. In the family garage if all reports are accurate.
To me, that is just pure negligance and I do wish the parents of the boys -- as nasty as this sounds -- Were charged with manslaughter and or gross negligence for NOT knowing that their kids were arming themselves and planning something of that magnitude IN the family garage of all places. That is just a clear sign, in my book, that parent's just aren't that involved and what bothers me MORE than just that aspect alone is...
Do parents even CARE to be involved?
I ask this because, while unpleasant to think about, I think all of us have known parents of friends, or might even have (had) parents who just did NOT care about the lives of their children... Which is just sad and is only compounded by what I said about them being forced to concentrate on putting food on the table with the bad economy.
2) There IS evidence that young kids (6,7, pre-teen) who are continually exposed to violence (real or fictional), or violent images (video games or movies) DO develop more violent tendancies than other children who aren't.
Everyone hates to admit that the studies that DO show a correlation between violence and the media and violence in (young) children actually ARE proving what they set out to do... Because, obstebsibly, what this is saying (or putting the onus of responsiblity on) are those who not only produce the entertainment, but moreso, the PARENTS of the children who apparently aren't doing their job and are instead letting TV, movies, music and video games "raise" their kids instead of them.
As a perfect example of this -- Which I've used countless times in similar discussions we've had on this board in fact -- I had a friend of mine who had a 10 year old son whom she allowed to watch extremely violent movies when she was not home.
Well, every week she'd get a call from the principal's office complaining that her son had either gotten into a fight, assaulted another child or was just disruptive in a violent manner to other kids on the playground. Gees. I wonder why, huh?
And while you can argue maybe it was just this kids disposition to be negative and not behave... The fact is you DON"T just let a 10 year old watch films like "Rambo" and movies with Steven Segal in them because that is ALL those kinds of films are about: Violence. Ergo, her son was "tought" that violence was an acceptable solution to his problems or an acceptable way to deal with things that were bothering him -- Basically, what someone said above about it warping a child's cognitive reasoning abilities.
Consequently, he eventually outgrew the phase...
BUT, my own mother even warned his mother that what she was doing -- Basically, letting the TV and VCR be his after-school supervision -- Wasn't "cutting it" as they say and his behavior was a direct result of that... Which I firmly believe because as I stated earlier, I too was allowed to watch whatever I wanted after school before my parents got home which included violent movies and cartoons... Yet I was an "A" student and NEVER got into a single fight in my entire grammar or high school career. Maybe I'm the rare execption, but that's evidence enough for me from my own perspective to lend credence to these studies that DO prove a link between violent shows/movies and violent behavior in younger kids... Regardless if they are considered "politically correct" or not.
3) The ratings system (for movies, video games and even music) just doesn't do what it tries to set out to do because ironically, is to geared toward the PARENTS to let THEM know what the game/movie/lyrics contains... Yet WHO actually buys and plays/watches/listens to these things: Yup, you guessed it. The KIDS do (and they don't even heed the warnings; In fact, the more bad stuff a rating has in it the MORE the kids want it; it's human nature).
Talk about closing the barn door after the horses have fled the barn.
In addition, the very rating systems themselves jsut aren't very well structured (as we discussed with movies above) and often times, the big producers of these things (games, music, movies) can find "loopholes" to get around them -- Like our PG-13 discussion.
*sigh*
Anyway...
Like I said, I'm not a parent, and I know there ARE good kids out there... But I really feel that this country is in trouble because a vast majority of kids DO have a warped sense of values when asked about certain issues.
For instance, my father is a teacher at a predominately "inner city" (aka poor and Black) school and he observes his students behaviors and attitudes everyday in like they truly believe that they have the right to kill someone just because they "dis" (disrespect) them in front of their friend -- Something that usually would just cause most kids to not associate with those whom offended them. Not these days. And this goes for students of ALL races by the way. That's what he finds disturbing most of all.
Another example is that some students feel cheating is perfectly acceptable as long as you don't get caught.
Hello?
Silly me, but I thought cheating -- even just the intent to cheat -- Was considered bad? Well, it was when I was growing up... But I guess not now.
This is the reality of the world we are living in and with what's going on with the President's behavior (or lackthereof depending on your POV), Enron, Martha Stewart, etc, these images/icons/examples only re-inforce it in these kids minds that they can do whatever they want as long as it benefits THEM and as long as none THEY know gets hurt (it doesn't matter if they rob a bank, just as long as THEIR fellow bank robbers don't get hurt; it doesn't matter how many innocent people are killed).
It is truly a scary world out there and to bring this back to our original discussion... Movies and other entertainment DO have a responsilbity to their primary audience(s) -- the coveted teen demographic -- As well as the parents of those teens, and in fact, most important of all ARE the parents and how they fit into all of this.
:lol: