'...so why don't the Microsofts and Sonys of the world just implement it in future consoles, if only to shut up the cries of "won't someone think of the children?!"'
Good question, and the answer is that all of the big three have already announced that there will be parental controls for their systems. In the case of the X360 it is supposedly even backwards-compatible to X-Box games although I don't know if that's been thoroughly tested yet. For reference:
Unfortunately I doubt this will shut anyone up. Remember, we have an election next year and so far almost all of the biggest supporters of these bills (both the state bills and Clinton's FEPA) have announced that they are 'considering' a run for the democratic presidential nomination in '08.
A question and a suggestion for you to consider. First, where in the US are you, and how much have you traveled within the US? I ask because in my experience there are dramatic differences in culture and sub-culture between regions, states, and even individual cities. I'll be the first to admit that there are places in the US where I would not live for any money (parts of western Louisiana and eastern Texas come to mind off the top of my head), but those places are hardly representative of the whole. To use a single example from the state I'm currently living in look at the city of Boulder, Colorado and compare it to Colorado Springs. The latter is the home of Focus on the Family and several other evangelical groups and is generally very politically and socially conservative, while the former is liberal (some might say eccentric) enough to support a university called the Naropa Institute that offers majors like 'Environmental Leadership' and 'Transpersonal Counseling'. If you find the community where you're living in execrable, consider moving to a different community rather than writing off the country as a whole. It would be cheaper, and you -might- find that whatever qualities prompted you to immigrate to the United States in the first place are still around.
That said, I have to wonder about some of the things you've said. "Cannibalism is not too much to expect in another generation."? Even if you're trying to make your point by hyperbole that statement combines with your other comments to make you sound just as hate-filled as the hypothetical American you describe, especially your dehumanizing use of 'it'. There -seem- to be some cogent points in your post, such as the tendency of many Americans to defend our country reflexively regardless of the circumstances, or the issue of consumerism, but you'd do better to present them without the emotional baggage. Finally I wonder why, despite your stated desire to emigrate, you still used 'We' in reference to America as a country?
Slashdot Mirror
'...so why don't the Microsofts and Sonys of the world just implement it in future consoles, if only to shut up the cries of "won't someone think of the children?!"'
2
Good question, and the answer is that all of the big three have already announced that there will be parental controls for their systems. In the case of the X360 it is supposedly even backwards-compatible to X-Box games although I don't know if that's been thoroughly tested yet. For reference:
X360: http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000283051379/
PS3: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/700121501
Revolution: http://www.physorg.com/news8644.html
Unfortunately I doubt this will shut anyone up. Remember, we have an election next year and so far almost all of the biggest supporters of these bills (both the state bills and Clinton's FEPA) have announced that they are 'considering' a run for the democratic presidential nomination in '08.
A question and a suggestion for you to consider. First, where in the US are you, and how much have you traveled within the US? I ask because in my experience there are dramatic differences in culture and sub-culture between regions, states, and even individual cities. I'll be the first to admit that there are places in the US where I would not live for any money (parts of western Louisiana and eastern Texas come to mind off the top of my head), but those places are hardly representative of the whole. To use a single example from the state I'm currently living in look at the city of Boulder, Colorado and compare it to Colorado Springs. The latter is the home of Focus on the Family and several other evangelical groups and is generally very politically and socially conservative, while the former is liberal (some might say eccentric) enough to support a university called the Naropa Institute that offers majors like 'Environmental Leadership' and 'Transpersonal Counseling'. If you find the community where you're living in execrable, consider moving to a different community rather than writing off the country as a whole. It would be cheaper, and you -might- find that whatever qualities prompted you to immigrate to the United States in the first place are still around.
That said, I have to wonder about some of the things you've said. "Cannibalism is not too much to expect in another generation."? Even if you're trying to make your point by hyperbole that statement combines with your other comments to make you sound just as hate-filled as the hypothetical American you describe, especially your dehumanizing use of 'it'. There -seem- to be some cogent points in your post, such as the tendency of many Americans to defend our country reflexively regardless of the circumstances, or the issue of consumerism, but you'd do better to present them without the emotional baggage. Finally I wonder why, despite your stated desire to emigrate, you still used 'We' in reference to America as a country?