Slashdot Mirror
Prison Bans D&D For Mimicking Gang Structure
Trepidity writes "In a case that has been winding its way through the courts for a while now, a Wisconsin prison banned inmates from playing Dungeons & Dragons, using the justification that 'one player is denoted the Dungeon Master... [who] is tasked with giving directions to other players... [which] mimics the organization of a gang.' The prison also cited some sparse evidence that a handful of non-inmate D&D players once committed some crimes that allegedly were related to their D&D playing. On Monday the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the regulation (PDF) against challenges from inmates. The court appeared skeptical of the ban, sarcastically referring to it as the 'war on D&D,' but upheld it nonetheless as having a 'rational basis.' Law professor Ilya Somin suggests that the court may have had no choice, given how deferential rational-basis review usually is."
There's such a thing as cruel and unusual punishment, even in the torture loving United States of Amerika.
Prison isn't fun. But you still let the prisoners have playing cards, recreational time, access to a gym or exercise yard or television.
They still have to avoid violence from inmates and the occasional guard, a higher than normal chance of being raped/killed, isolation from their family and loved ones... it's a LONG way from being fun. Prison food isn't like the stuff that mother used to make either.
If you don't think prison is a deterrent, you haven't spent any time in there. Either as a resident or a visitor.
What we need to do, is raise the standard of living across ALL levels of society, so that the lowest levels don't see prison as a step above what they're used to.
You missed a key word. Some Christian fundamentalists believe that D&D and M:tG have a real spiritual component. Not all of us do.
For anyone who is not a Christian fundamentalist (or insane), all those things are equally stupid.
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
1 a often capitalized : a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching b : the beliefs of this movement c : adherence to such beliefs 2 : a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles
Right. A belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible is insane.
Just because fundamentalist has started to have a connotation of terrorist because of the media exposure crazy people get
I never associated fundamentalism with terrorism. I do associate it with craziness, because the belief is fundamentally flawed and rationally unsupportable. This is what I was getting at - how do you identify yourself as subscribing to a crazy belief, and not think; "wow, I'm really fucking out there" unless there is something very wrong with you?
... and then they built the supercollider.
There are a number of things in his tracts (aside from the weird stuff) that he presents as Biblical that aren't in the Bible (no matter how liberal/conservative your reading of it.
So he's Catholic?
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson