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Subject: 
Re: LEGO sells "violent" toys?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.mediawatch
Date: 
Thu, 18 Nov 2004 16:03:44 GMT
Viewed: 
5370 times
  
I first saw this thread almost as a troll - an article that had legitimate
concerns over violent toys mentioned Lego and all the Lego fans rushed blindly
to the defense of their favorite toy.

But I think two very important discussion points have come of it.  I was
impressed with Jake's thinking on the difference between conflict and violence:

> Many tend to confuse the terms/concepts of "violence" and "conflict". These
> two cannot and should not be used interchangably.
> 
> Conflict is simply showing a struggle between two sides. Conflict has been a
> significant part of play for as far back as play patterns have been tracked.
> Think cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, etc. Conflict based play is not
> only normal and natural, it's an important part of a child's (especially
> boys) growth. Think about the important lessons that are learned when
> conflict is shown and then resolved in a positive way.

I think this is an important point and I am very glad that people at Lego are
thinking about it.  I also liked Christian's comparison analysis of the Lego and
Playmobil catalogs:

> Therefor I actually think about abandoning Lego as a toy for my kid (not
> as my building toy, though). Not an easy or light-hearted step for a
> die-hard AFOL. Have a look e.g. at the Playmobil range of toys: Yes,
> they have a police theme. But it is not an action movie police. They
> have a speeding cam set, traffic wardens, policemen who help kids
> crossing the streets, policemen who run a traffic school, and even a set
> where a policeman catches a burgler. No "Action Trikes", no
> "Surveillance Trucks", no "Armoured Car Action". So which toy is more
> suitable to re-play real life for a kid?

I would like to see if Jake could actually present Christian's point, along with
the original article criticizing violent toys and see if a productive debate
could happen within the Lego company.

That would be one way that the compnay could strengthen its values, I think.
Question, re-evaluate, perhaps change.

Jake, would you be willing to present this argument, article and Playmobil
catalog in hand?

--
Thomas Main
thomasmain@myrealbox.com



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: LEGO sells "violent" toys?
 
(...) Hello Thomas, As the one who posted the link and started this thread I can assure you that it was in no way meant to be a troll of any kind. I hope my past postings on LUGNET are proof enough that I'm just not that kind of person. However, I (...) (22 years ago, 19-Nov-04, to lugnet.mediawatch)
  European vs American Market and Values (Was: LEGO sells "violent" toys?)
 
(...) Thank you very much! As I said, I very much prefer Lego for the creativity values it once represented (and which it tries to regain), but the current set design is very unattractive to me and other adults I talked to. Kids might like Bionicle (...) (22 years ago, 19-Nov-04, to lugnet.mediawatch)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: LEGO sells "violent" toys?
 
(...) Not to add fuel to the debate fires, but I would like to throw out one point in this discussion. Nothing like starting my return to posting after vacation with a debate! :) Many tend to confuse the terms/concepts of "violence" and "conflict". (...) (22 years ago, 15-Nov-04, to lugnet.mediawatch, FTX)  

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