While the moral scaremongers would have you believe that isolating children from any and all violent media is the only way to adjust them to our perfect and violence-free society, one writer has boldly suggested the opposite. Peg Tyre, author of The Trouble With Boys, has shared her theory that young males should be allowed a little indulgence in what comes naturally to them so that they can develop properly.
"It doesn't matter whether Mormons in Utah or lesbians in Cambridge are raising boys. Many of them play and think around violence," states Tyre. "We might see them as doing something potentially dangerous. But actually what they're doing is playing around with ideas of courage and valor, good versus evil, and teamwork. These are ideas we want to inculcate in our culture."
When it comes to videogames, Tyre freely admits that she too was something of a "game hater" and found the violence prevalent in them disturbing. However, after talking to her children and playing Halo with them, she admits that she was buying into the hysteria, and now feels that the condensed violence of gaming is benign. She even criticized noted game critic Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, stating that his assertion that videogames breed violent killers is simply wrong.
Humans are a naturally violent species -- our history of bloodshed proves that. Tyre echoes a sentiment that I've had myself for many years, that violent media is probably the healthiest way that humans can indulge their naturally violent sides. As Tyre says, "It's perfectly normal for little boys to think and talk around violence; it doesn't mean they're going to be violent."
Repression is one of the most dangerous elements in society, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm pleased that at least one person agrees. Of course, don't expect the gaggle of hysterical game haters out there to even acknowledge this woman's existence. After all, it's not like them to face up to something that doesn't agree with them.
Contest:
1:20 PM on 02.17.2009
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Interesting stuff.
Let's hear it for smart people.
However I still have to make the argument that young children should just simply not be playing extremely violent or, for lack of a better term adult, games. That being ones with a lot of drug usage and language. The argument some will make to this is that eventually they will hear this shit anyway so let them hear it now. But that is the point of childhood....innnocence. Something that a video game or movie or CD for that matter shouldnt take away from a young child.
I hope more parents take the time to see what their children are playing and than make a decision about it....not just blindly following someone else.
Bravo Jim, Bravo.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Learning that fantasy violence in games or movie is fine, but real life violence is bad is a good thing to teach your teen kid.
Parents have to choose the right time for everything though. I went to see the new Friday the 13th movie on the weekend and two preteens were sitting with their parents in the row behind me. They were educated on hardcore violence, drugs, alcohol, swearing and frontal nudity. Those parents should have been shot for bring those kids to that movie.
Children growing up shouldn't be choked and restrained to act out things in able to learn, nor should they really be encouraged to focus on some parts of 'violence' in an already violent-heavy media culture. I'm just hoping that some more productive middle ground will eventually be reached for us silly human civilizations.
And that just makes me wonder how long it would take the Dalai Llama to teabag someone when starting to play Halo...
look at high school - anyone who partied in high school will be fine when they get to college. kids who had never seen alcohol became complete train wrecks in college.
lulz
a parent did this? mind-blowing.
It's too bad your last paragraph rings true. She will sadly go ignored.