looking for input...
i have to do a commentary peice for my english class.
tell me what you think...with the exceptions of grammar issues...ill figure that out later...
David Bonin
September 17th 2008
Commentary Peice.
A majority of parents in this day in age have been lackadaisical with their parenting skills. All too often have I heard “Oh, I don’t care if he/she watches that. If he/she doesn’t watch it here, they will probably see it somewhere else.” It just seems to me that most parents don’t have any restrictions on what their children watch, play or do. Even at a young age, it starts with television
Several years ago, a television ratings system was put into place that would help parents decide what was acceptable to allow their children to watch. It is a program that ranges from TV-Y for youths of all ages, to TV-MA for the more mature adults 17 and up. I distinctively remember as a 12 year old middle school kid listening to my peers yelling a phrase from an animated show called South Park…”OH MY GOD! YOU KILLED KENNY! YOU BASTARDS!” This was foreign to me! I thought that the show was for adults, but my classmates were obviously watching it somehow. Had a parent maybe understood that there was a lot of vulgarity in this cartoon, and that it wasn’t a kid’s show, they may have thought twice on allowing this child to see it. The ratings program was specifically put into place so it was clear that certain shows were acceptable and others were not. My beloved video games are no excuse to this issue.
Just like television, there is a board of people who are in place to keep order in the gaming world. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) reviews video games of all types and deems which ones are for the youngsters, and which ones are for the mature audience. These ratings are printed very clearly on packages with 6 different and very specific ratings (eC for early childhood, to Ao for Adults Only). If this is the facts, then WHY are kids still getting their hands on games that are NOT for their age level? Parents should be well educated in the contents of the games before buying the games or letting the children play them. Parents should understand that performing a drive-by, picking up a prostitute, or even getting a head shot with a sniper rifle in a game is NOT acceptable for certain age groups.
Unfortunately, my beliefs are that the mis-education of parents, and the advances that the technological world is making day by day, are the main causes of the deterioration of our children’s youth. If parents were to be better educated with what is going on in the television industry, the video game industry, and in other pop culture industries, then they would have a fighting chance in protecting their children in this adult friendly world.
CTRL + ALT + DEL.(i added this at the end...because im a nerd)
its just the rough draft. im just looking for others thoughts.
Thanks buddies <3 .
tell me what you think...with the exceptions of grammar issues...ill figure that out later...
David Bonin
September 17th 2008
Commentary Peice.
A majority of parents in this day in age have been lackadaisical with their parenting skills. All too often have I heard “Oh, I don’t care if he/she watches that. If he/she doesn’t watch it here, they will probably see it somewhere else.” It just seems to me that most parents don’t have any restrictions on what their children watch, play or do. Even at a young age, it starts with television
Several years ago, a television ratings system was put into place that would help parents decide what was acceptable to allow their children to watch. It is a program that ranges from TV-Y for youths of all ages, to TV-MA for the more mature adults 17 and up. I distinctively remember as a 12 year old middle school kid listening to my peers yelling a phrase from an animated show called South Park…”OH MY GOD! YOU KILLED KENNY! YOU BASTARDS!” This was foreign to me! I thought that the show was for adults, but my classmates were obviously watching it somehow. Had a parent maybe understood that there was a lot of vulgarity in this cartoon, and that it wasn’t a kid’s show, they may have thought twice on allowing this child to see it. The ratings program was specifically put into place so it was clear that certain shows were acceptable and others were not. My beloved video games are no excuse to this issue.
Just like television, there is a board of people who are in place to keep order in the gaming world. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) reviews video games of all types and deems which ones are for the youngsters, and which ones are for the mature audience. These ratings are printed very clearly on packages with 6 different and very specific ratings (eC for early childhood, to Ao for Adults Only). If this is the facts, then WHY are kids still getting their hands on games that are NOT for their age level? Parents should be well educated in the contents of the games before buying the games or letting the children play them. Parents should understand that performing a drive-by, picking up a prostitute, or even getting a head shot with a sniper rifle in a game is NOT acceptable for certain age groups.
Unfortunately, my beliefs are that the mis-education of parents, and the advances that the technological world is making day by day, are the main causes of the deterioration of our children’s youth. If parents were to be better educated with what is going on in the television industry, the video game industry, and in other pop culture industries, then they would have a fighting chance in protecting their children in this adult friendly world.
CTRL + ALT + DEL.(i added this at the end...because im a nerd)
its just the rough draft. im just looking for others thoughts.
Thanks buddies <3 .