I don't expect many of you to care too much about this, but this is just infuriating to me. In case you don't know, I'm of Afghan descent but never have actually stepped foot on Afghan soil. The war of the late '80s found my family fleeing to safer places. After 9/11, the country finally started to fix itself up thanks to U.S.-backed aid.
Everything for the most part was looking fine, but this recent bill submission has me extremely worried. This bill looks to mimic the iron fist control towards freedom that the former "government" that was in control had, by taking away people's basic rights. The bill still needs to be approved by both chambers of the Islamist parliament and President Hamid Karzai, but I have a bad feeling this may actually get passed. The bill looks to take away freedoms that were given back to women (such as being able to wear makeup and dresses), taking away TV shows that promote dancing, and various pastimes like videogames. There are many more restrictions being proposed, all of which you can read in the Daily Times article.
For anyone that breaks these potential new laws, violators will be fined $10 to $100 American dollars. Granted, that doesn't sound like a lot to you and me perhaps, but if you have any idea of the economic situation over there, then you'd know those numbers would sound like a fortune to an Afghan.
I sincerely hope that this doesn't take effect. This goes beyond just videogames. This makes it look like the government is taking some giant steps backwards towards a darker time in the country's history. Why even think taking videogames is a good idea? These kids got stuck in the middle of a few wars and have seen some horrible shit. Videogames are a great distraction from life's bullshit and simply taking away videogames isn't going to help anyone.
Hamza Aziz, Destructoid's Community Director, has been here since day one. He was born when a tiger coughed up a hairball into a pool of ooze. He was one of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before budget cuts. Hamza works as a previews editor and manages a team in San Francisco. To date he has given away tens of thousands of dollars in prizes to readers. What a dick. Actually, Hamza is as kind as he is hairy.
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Contest:
11:16 PM on 04.16.2008
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You know how some of us are always saying that we can't wait 'til the old generation die out so that we'll have people in power who have an ounce of sense? I bet that's exactly what some people over there are thinking.
...I mean, that's all I really can say. It's just fucked up.
granted they do it well at times. Then stuff like this make the happy sex go away with people on both sides.
Seriously though, that's a major setback over there to have that bill pass, not just for gaming, but for everyone. Let's hope it doesn't get passed, but the way government works over there, I wouldn't be surprised if it does pass.
Could cause some new fighting over there as well..... I know if I lived there, I wouldn't just stand by and let my newly acquired freedom get taken away.
Definitely sucks.
There are more important matters that should be taking up parliament's time. Such as, you know, the low social status of women, the terrible economic status, the Taliban, the wave of refugees, the insane poverty rate, educating the citizens, etc...
Someday...
How can anybody even remotely see this as reasonable? I feel terrible for the continued abuse of your average afghans, having to deal with these nutcases in power.
So...I donno. I can't say I dislike their life stay cause it their form of "freedom". Just the way it is. The middle east is still a budding culture in our modern global economy. There will come a time when they can no longer live in their own little world. Its because of their meager economic status that they can afford to be backward thinking. In 50-100 years they might break out of it. Just like China is or more like attempting to.
Muslims, Christians...The ones in power, and even a large portion of followers...Really do not care about "freedoms". They only care about what their books say. They'd deny a man water if he was dying of thirst if the Bible/Qur'an said it was okay.
I'm sure the Islamic government there will pass this and praise it as a victory for "Allah".
Welcome to the reason why the religious folk can't be allowed to win. :P
all that aside.. youre wrong about the videogame bit.
there arent enough ppl there with tvs inside there houses let a lone ppl with video game consoles. the videogames they are talkin about is in arcades. ill give you that this seems backward, the taliban had a similar ban in place for a while. the reason your wrong, and why i dont think it so bad is because of all the other things that happen around the arcades there. theres truiency, thee
back to my point
it was done then, and im assuming now, because there is a lot of gamblin, truancy, and drug abuse. and no... this isnt the scare tactic used here in america during its aracde decline.
and to all you loonies who also posted.. i wish you would open you mind to understanding other cultures and there reasons, or other laws of governance and there jurisprudence instead of immediately jumpin on some xenophobic/jingoistic bs.
who am i kidding! is the internet! RICK ROLL 'EM ALL!
That means no "Dancing With the Stars"! Oh the humanity.
OH SNAP YOU FIXED IT! typos! there fun!
Removing the rest of the rights, though? No sense at all! It's a step backwards from a capitalist system...though afghanistan seems like the last place to become a unified country and a unified democracy (case in point: tribes' attitude to soviet invasion. The didn't care if they killed their neighboring tribes, but the second they came to their doorstep they were like 'o shit!').
Let's hope that some good ends up coming out of this.
you might want to try using some respect the next time you write something... it's just the money-loving fakingly-religious people in power that do this crap. they're the ones that are really backwards, not the people who live there.
BUT NO DANCING???
America is indirectly to blame for this shit...
1stly they help the taliban when they were in power, heck they even let em into Texas for some meeting with Halliburton or Unocal or sumthin..
And then when they didn't wanna give up Bin Laden, they invaded Afganistan, bringing freedoms and democracy, allegedly.
And now... look at the country... Opium growth is at an ALL TIME HIGH, the Taliban at least made sure it was eradicated as much as possible, and also the banning of video games...
America you need to stop fucking the pussies and concentrate on invading more real assholes like Kim Jong Il and North Korea with REAL NUKES and REAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS, NOT defenseless, downtrodden and weak countries that you've placed under 10 year food, and oil embargoes and previously propped up with YOUR OWN CIA selected DICTATORS..
TEAM AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!!!
I can't speak from an afghan perspective but I'll tell you what I think without offence. o be very much like Superman
Religion i see to be very much like Superman. The people just want peace and an easy life, worshipping and going about their business. However, the real agenda of most religion is to control the people, what they see, think and hear. With this in force, you can never question the will or word of god/allah etc.
Such a Superman, needs people to save from everything. When or if the people ever realise that they can sometimes save themselves, Superman is out on his arse, cape and all. In time people forget who he is and his religion takes a back seat.
Anything is capable of corrupting man, even religion (this looks like a job for The Spanish Inquisition...lol). That's the big problem many fail to admit to themselves.
Had the russians ever won the war in afghanistan, things might have not been much better, because communism is the same kind of crap with a different name. Keep the people dumb, scared and underfoot. American intervention or not (as much as they like to intervein, in everyone elses pie), it might still be a mess because of heavy religious tribal and extreme influences. For another angle, you only have to look as far as Africa, to see how tribalism at its most extreme can level a nation to ashes. This could easily happen elsewhere.
In truth all societal ruling ideals are not perfect, but they are all we have, you just have to select the best parts to use. You'd have to look at a place like Dubai, which thrives not just because of its oil and royal family( and yank dealings), but also because it is forward thinking and embraces change, while keeping its core values and culture.
I doubt the bill will pass anyway, especially when more women want equal rights and the oppurtunity to teach others and educate themselves. Without education, they'll unfortunately always be in the dark ages. Kids need something to occupy them, be it games, books or whatever.
As for this story, I don’t even know what to say. It’s unbelievably depressing that the Afghan government is considering repressing freedoms that their people were given after the Taliban’s ouster. Video games are such a great form of escapism.
@samit
I think what he was trying to say was the governemnt there is messed up, he never said anything about how we have a duty to help them. Personally, I agree with him. Things are extremely fucked up there, but I don't think America has to act like a police force in the world and stop every problem. I think you took that a little too sensitively.
It's very dismaying to see a country wanting to drag itself back into the dark ages as if it's afraid of the light, but what can ya do? I really hope the bill doesn't go through, but that it was even drawn up shows that the old, Taliban-led mindset is still way too prevalent.
Sad.
Never. Because no matter what kind of government is running the country, it will never allow the people to live for themselves. The mentality has always been "We know whats best, because we regulate religion, or the economy, etc"
Sadly the Middle East isnt the only place where freedoms are limited or are rules by a strict government. Although the idea of banning video games sounds terrible, its really a drop in the bucket as far as whatmost countries should be worrying about.
Religion still dictates how this world works, no matter what anyone believes. And as long as the old generation stays in power, it will always be run by the fear of GOD or BUDDAH or ALLAH or any other deity you care to think of.
I got the feeling that most of Afghanistan was pretty much ready to rid itself of the former Taliban and post-Islamic revolution moral codes though.. Maybe I should re-watch Persepolis.
Also lol@solarmystic and Kim Jung Il being a real threat. That's the funniest thing I've read all day.
Look at the Berlin wall... People wanted change and in the end it's the people that brought it down, yes by force, but they also fought for what they wanted and went against the powers that suppressed them.
Video games may be a small part of this particular movement, but the point is still the same... They are going to take away what you want and rightfully should have... Are you going to sit there and bend over? Or are you going to fight for what's right and what you deserve.
Who you blame?
b.) Everyone blaming "religion" (the new boogy man that has replaced communism): I know this will be VERY unpopular to say on a video games site but you do understand that there is formally little difference logically or philosophically between positing your system of politics on non-empirical notions of universal rights, human dignity and human equality (which particularly is in fact a bold face -- although perfectly legitimate-- imposition of ideology over fact) and positing your system of politics of a belief in an inherent power which you can God and that everyone has a soul, etc, etc.
I'm NOT saying these things are neccesairily equally justifiable or useful. What I am saying is that the attempt to marginalize them by just saying "Ahh! Religion!!! Run Away!" is the equivalent of saying, in an ironically fundementalist way, "ok my unprovable ideology is INHERENTLY SUPERIOR to your unprovable ideology and we're not even going to talk about it." The idea that religions are these fixed entities in time which have always been the same and never change is a very modern one and it makes idiots of many religious people (who adopt a european enlightenment notion of what religion is all while professing to be holding true to tradition-- this applies here and abroad) and of critics of religion who are essentially trying to marginalize religious voices without actually engaging in, you know, CRITICAL conversation.
As for video games while on a personal level it sucks, it ranks at about #1289 on Afghanistan's list of imminent problems.
sorry to go and on but it is kinda my day job to work on this shit
@Hamza,39Cents: Dari fahmidi?