Subject:
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Re: Is Bionicle violence?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sat, 10 Mar 2001 18:38:39 GMT
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Viewed:
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361 times
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I don't think boys are wired for violence. It's just that boys are bigger,
so they're better at it (those teenage years, maybe, are a bit chaotic,
though). These days, though, women have access to guns, military, etc., and
often can be quite bigger than guys. Here at the university I look kinda
puny and oft am intimidated by these girls. So, I think it's all cultural.
Is that what you mean by wired?
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Daniel Jassim writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, James Simpson writes:
>
> > There is too much graphic exposure to violence nowadays (i.e.,
> > videogames), and kids who grow up with a taste for that sort of thing won't
> > easily be persuaded by benign Lego. Lego may not have even wanted to go down
> > the Castle path back in '78, and today, market-cultural forces in that direction
> > are exponentially stronger.
>
> Very well said, James. Violence has certainly become a marketing tool to
> attract little and big "boys." This leads to your next comment:
>
> > Ok: Here goes - its the old nature vs. nurture debate. Are boys
> > wired toward conflict-play, or do we learn it because it's cultural? Quite a
> > bit of both, I'd say.
>
> Biologically speaking, yes, males are wired for conflict (i.e.
> testosterone). Ironically, I truly feel it is has been a necessary part of
> our biology. The problem is that our technology advanced before our biology
> did. Humans remain extremely territorial but have much more sophisticated
> weapons than the sticks and stones of long ago. In my opinion, people are
> naturally violent but we LEARN how to be treacherous. On the same note, we
> are capable of peace but need to be taught how...leading to your next great
> point:
>
> > Basically, my point is that violent-play reaches a point where it can be
> > psychologically damaging for a child.
>
> YES! As Americans, many of us don't realize how desensitized we've become to
> violence, regardless of our age. We can be a very a violent culture. Most of
> us were raised by the TV and the gun, there's no question of that. Boys are
> attracted to conflict because it is socially expected and often permitted,
> which makes sense to me since what we're essentially doing is marking our
> territory. All living beings do it.
>
> However, at the same time, the lines for kids start to blur as to how far
> the violence can go. What role can a knife play in a young man's bid for
> social positioning amoung other males? How about a gun? Hell, why not a
> bomb? Is it a socio-economic thing? Were the teen gunmen in Colombine
> (spelling?) rich or poor? Why do kids REALLY LIKE movies and TV shows that
> involve heroes and villians using weapons like swords, guns and bombs?
>
> Do weapons make a guy (or a car, airplane, or spaceship) cooler? To a kid,
> the answer is always yes because they have not learned to separate reality
> from fantasy (i.e. monsters in the dark disappear when lights come on). I
> wouldn't say government should censor violent stuff, parents should. But I
> truly feel that violence is shamefully over-marketed in our country.
> Unfortunately, there are a lot of desensitized people out there.
>
> Dan
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Is Bionicle violence?
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| (...) Marvin Harris has an interesting theory for why human culture has cultured men to be warriors and women to stay home and watch the kids. His theory is that it's ultimately a population control measure, not because wars kill people off (they (...) (24 years ago, 11-Mar-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Is Bionicle violence?
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| (...) Very well said, James. Violence has certainly become a marketing tool to attract little and big "boys." This leads to your next comment: (...) Biologically speaking, yes, males are wired for conflict (i.e. testosterone). Ironically, I truly (...) (24 years ago, 17-Feb-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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