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Videogames may get banned in Afghanistan photo

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.  


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58 comments | showing # 51 to 58

king3vbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 10:53
king3vbo
Damn, that sucks
David Quinn Carder's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 13:51
David Quinn Carder
@ ajay42

I haven't read all these comments but I wanted to reply to your second point.

I'm agnostic (adamantly *not* atheist), so on an absolute level I agree with you. I also tend towards nihilism philosophically (which does not mean, as you know, that I'm necessarily a heartless bastard), so I certainly agree in sentiment, at least, with your comparison of non-religious ideologies and religious ideologies.

The big difference, I think, is that all these pseudoskeptic atheists, misguided or not, can't be wrong about more than one religion/ideology (because they are not claiming one ideology, but rather denying many). If they're wrong about this religion causing problems in one place or circumstance, surely in many other places and circumstances (with a different religion or slightly different following thereof) they will be right. Their positive assertions have a fair chance of being wrong, but their negative assertions, which they place emphasis on, can't be total bullshit.

Furthermore, the burden of proof is on the religious extremists.

So, at a philosophical level I agree with you, and I definitely agree that simply saying "fuck religion" isn't constructive and ofttimes denotes someone who may be right only by chance and not by superior intelligence or wisdom — *however*, I certainly agree with those people when it comes to my subjective sentiments, the logic of which I'm not about to get into here because I have work to get back to!

Do you agree?
Spartacus's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 17:22
Spartacus
facepalm @ dark ages government
FreePablo's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 18:10
FreePablo
Look at all the pseudo-righteous people in this thread try to bash me for calling Afghanistan a backwards country run by backwards people. Do you deny this? I'm a liberal. Don't pull this pompous BS after decrying what their government does.

White-man's burden doesn't work for people not white, shitbrain.
Aziel13's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 18:11
Aziel13
ass hats complete ass hats if that shit passes
Hamsizzla's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/17/2008 18:46
Hamsizzla
well Pablo, please expand on your points on calling it a backwards country run by backwards people. No wikipedia please.
Necros's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/20/2008 05:09
Necros
Wow, that really fucking sucks. Fuck them if they pass it.
The Unforgivable's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/21/2008 00:38
The Unforgivable
to put my two cents. it sucks.

but I have to argue that video games is a media that can be seen as a threat of culture. I dunno that's why they're doing it. Old people who's running the country are threatened by this. So yeah I could see the reason of banning.
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