I am a libertarian in most ways. What does this mean? It means I prefer that authorities of all types stay out of their subjects' lives. Governments should stay out of people's pockets, teachers and professors should stay out of their students' public lives, and parents should (for the most part) stay out of their children's business.
A few hours after I started this blog and posted for the first time, I got an email from my mother:
David,
I just noticed you started a blog. I assume it will be about sports. If it is going to be about anything else, I suggest you ask your Rabbis whether they think it is permissible. Remember, everything you ever do on the internet is trackable by future employers, friends and colleagues....
Love, Mommy
Tell me this wouldn't make you angry if you got the same email from your mother. I am 18 years old, a full adult by the law. I love both my parents very much, and I respect them fully, but please, I don't need to get these friendly reminders anymore. Parental control has become such an immense part of our society that it exists even from 6,000 miles away.
Interestingly, with the development of - bluntly put - crime video games, the national crime rate for the US has gone down. In the early 1990s, the national crime rate was at its highest ever, at almost 15 million crimes per year. It began to drop very slowly throughout the mid-90s. Yet in 1997, there were still over 13 million crimes. This is where it all began to change. Grand Theft Auto was released for the first time that very year. By 1999, the number of crimes had dropped to 11.6 million. Then, in 2003, Call of Duty was first released. Today the majority of my friends (as well as the majority of the US without a doubt) play these games all the time. How many crimes were there in 2010? Just over 10 million. Even more shocking is the fact that in 1997, there were 5,997 crimes per 100,000 US residents. Today? 3,345.
What do all these incredible statistics show? I can guarantee you one thing: THEY DON'T SHOW THAT PARENTAL CONTROL IS A POSITIVE THING. The more our society, especially the children, plays violent games, the less it wants to be violent. Players of these video games realize how bloody our society would be if it looked like the scene in Call of Duty. A common mistaken belief is that by playing these video games, people (especially children) will want to go out onto the street and repeat these crimes in real life. WRONG, as shown by these statistics.
Mommy and Daddy- if you're reading this, I love you, and deeply care about you. I realize you care about me too, and that's why you sent me that email. But next time you want to send me a similar email, just remember this blog post.
I hope everyone has a great day. Remember to read my daily posts and follow...see ya!
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