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Venezuela Bans Hostile Videogames and Toys
An anonymous reader writes "In an effort to 'help improve child education and prevent misconduct,' the Venezuelan government began enforcing a law on March 3rd banning war videogames and toys, imposing a fine and 2.5 years in prison on the production, distribution, sale, hiring and use of video games and toys inciting violent behavior. Alberto Federico Ravell, former director of opposing news network Globovision, has already come on twitter denouncing the authorities for seizing imported Gameboy, Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles, due to considering them violent."
Violence as entertainment is disgusting. If folks get their jollies committing simulated murders and worse, they are sick. The more they engage in such behavior, the more their tolerance to suffering of others increases. Militaries use similar tactics to train their murderous automatons-- in the U.S., the kids get a huge head-start on the way to a violent career murdering brown babies and children abroad in the service of their rich / corporate masters' imperial wet dreams.
Citations?
Try to avoid any crackpot sites like foxnews.
Barrack O'Chavez? :p
Chavez has more popularity than any president ever enjoyed with the US electorate.
The US spreads propaganda against him and his country. The US even staged a coup to overthrow him. All the corporate media in Venezuela were in on the coup. Those in the corporate media who were part of the coup are all still free and broadcasting. If it was the US, they would, at least, be in jail, but US has a death penalty for treason, so may even be dead. Venezuela is far more free in many ways than the US. Get informed (no excuse with the interwebs) folks have been lying to you.
There is even video of the entire coup (avail on google video), and the subsequent restoration of Chaves when the people stormed the presidential palace, and took back the government from the US backed military.
US media is all propaganda including their "best" supposedly least biased source, NPR (national propaganda radio). It is apparent from yours and others misinformed comments that the propaganda is working.
It's been said by Major General Smedly Butler that War is a Racket:
http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm
Well, another racket is the unhealthy alliance between toymakers and media makers, a racket that started with deregulation of children's media under the "family values" Reagan Administration. That racket has destroyed big chunks of healthy childhood for many young boys:
"The War Play Dilemma: What Every Parent And Teacher Needs to Know"
http://www.amazon.com/War-Play-Dilemma-Childhood-Education/dp/080774638X
One of the authors of that book suggests a similar unhealthy alliance has make a lot of money harming young girls as a racket, too:
"So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids"
http://www.amazon.com/So-Sexy-Soon-Sexualized-Childhood/dp/0345505077
Also, an indirectly related book from the time just before the first September 11th (in Chile in 1973):
"How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic"
http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Donald-Duck-Imperialist/dp/0884770230
With that said, I don't think banning is the answer. Money poured into alternatives and discussion is probably a better solution. Alfie Kohn's work is a good start for such discussion (beyond the above books):
"No Contest: The Case Against Competition"
http://www.share-international.org/archives/cooperation/co_nocontest.htm
http://www.amazon.com/No-Contest-Case-Against-Competition/dp/0395631254
"Contending that competition in all areas -- school, family, sports and business -- is destructive, and that success so achieved is at the expense of another's failure, Kohn, a correspondent for USA Today, advocates a restructuring of our institutions to replace competition with cooperation. He persuasively demonstrates how the ingrained American myth that competition is the only normal and desirable way of life -- from Little Leagues to the presidency -- is counterproductive, personally and for the national economy, and how psychologically it poisons relationships, fosters anxiety and takes the fun out of work and play. He charges that competition is a learned phenomenon and denies that it builds character and self-esteem. Kohn's measures to encourage cooperation in lieu of competition include promoting noncompetitive games, eliminating scholastic grades and substitution of mutual security for national security."
Another related book to understand how it all went so wrong:
"Supernormal Stimuli: How Primal Urges Overran Their Evolutionary Purpose"
http://www.amazon.com/Supernormal-Stimuli-Overran-Evolutionary-Purpose/dp/039306848X
Also, curing vitamin D deficiency that people get from staying indoors too much playing games or even just reading is probably more important:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/treatment.shtml
Also, kids need to learn the irony that in a world full of fancy computers and advanced manufacturing (like depicted in many such violent games), fighting over land or oil is just ironically stupid, instead of using that technology to make the world work for everyone. The unrecognized irony is more deadly than those games.
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
Whole lot of lies.
98.6% of the working population didn't show up to work the next day in protest.
WRONG. Whoever didnt show for work, was because of lazyness, depression, celebration or a mix of above. In any case, I challenge you to provide a citation for that figure.
he has done a lot for the poor in the haciendas on the mountain sides, but they don't have jobs and don't pay taxes.
FALSE. An "Hacienda" is basically a Farm, if they are there, they are the landlords or workers. And they pay taxes with every purchase they made (VAT).
in Venezuela they don't get paid, they get tickets for socialized food programs.
FALSE. The food tickets (mostly privatly run BTW) that almost any worker in Venezuela get BY LAW are a plus, you get your salary and the tickets. The reason for the tickets is that they dont count against sewerage or unemployment beneficts. Basically, is a policy targeted to improve quality of life without limiting Job creation or mobility
All the job programs are run by companies Chavez owns. All the contracts those companies "win" are also owned by Chavez.
BY ALL MEANS WRONG, Citation needed, please, give an evidence.
he owns the media outlets and fines cable operators for not airing his marathon speeches
FALSE, the STATE holds a good group of radio and tv stations (11 years ago, just one TV station, fairly broked since it was runned by, guess who? Alberto Federico Ravell, the same guy who invented about Console seizures and that ran Globovision, or as I call it, FOX Venezuela)
Take your bullshit and get of my lawn, and country.