NY Politicians Can't Resist: Still Want To Pass Law Banning Sale Of Violent Video Games

from the why-bother-defending-the-constitution-when-we-can-suck-up-to-special-interests? dept

Tue, Aug 21st 2007 10:12pm — Mike Masnick

Despite the fact that yet another state's attempt at passing a law banning the sale of certain video games to children was just tossed out as unconstitutional (as have seven other similar laws), politicians in NY insist on moving forward with their own attempt at passing the same kind of law. Once again, it will do absolutely nothing but waste taxpayer money as it goes to the courts and gets tossed out as being unconstitutional again. As the article notes, politicians don't care about that. They simply want to have something they can point to as showing that they're working hard to "protect the children." People vote for that and ignore the fact that the laws are unconstitutional and a total waste of time and taxpayer money for both the politicians and the courts.

Meanwhile, as Slashdot highlights in a similar story, there's a fantastic quote from Judge Richard Posner concerning this issue: "Violence has always been and remains a central interest of humankind and a recurrent, even obsessive theme of culture both high and low ... It engages the interest of children from an early age, as anyone familiar with the classic fairy tales collected by Grimm, Andersen, and Perrault are aware. To shield children right up to the age of 18 from exposure to violent descriptions and images would not only be quixotic, but deforming; it would leave them unequipped to cope with the world as we know it." That seems worth remembering.

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Filed Under: new york, politicians, video games

16 Comments

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buckykat, 21 Aug 2007 @ 11:29pm

at least someone has his head out of his a**
first becoming aware of world issues during the bush administration can cause cynicism. thank goodness that at least one of the people in charge can get past the "protect the children" BS and see the real issue.
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GoblinJuice, 22 Aug 2007 @ 12:00am

Will this bullshit ever end?
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Dan, 22 Aug 2007 @ 12:33am

Replay to second post

With video games, eventually, then it will just switch to another medium
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Peter, 22 Aug 2007 @ 12:58am

Ban video games and let Violent criminals go free. Sorry my mistake the are all ready doing it.
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August West, 22 Aug 2007 @ 2:43am

Talk about grandiose...
So the politicians know how to raise all the kids in N.Y. Better than all those kids' parents?

Typical, take the responsibility away from the parents. Parental authority for kids, not government authority. Duh....
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Sanguine Dream, 22 Aug 2007 @ 5:58am

Checklist...
Things the government must pitch a fit about in order to "protect the children".

1. Movies - Check
2. Musics - Check
3. Books - Check
4. Videogames - Check
5. ???

I wonder what medium will be the next victim?
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Overcast, 22 Aug 2007 @ 6:05am

Yes, I agree with the above - only if violent movies, books, music, magazine, and the like fall under this law too.

Oh and Violent politicians too.

You know - we could just burn the books, movies, video games and everything the government says is bad to protect our children - what a GREAT idea!!!
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Neverhood, 22 Aug 2007 @ 6:41am

A clever judge
Very well said Judge Richard Posner. Couldn't agree more.
Here in Denmark (North Europe), we have a good laugh every time the Americans, with all their weapons, goes ape shit over a few pixels showing blood or knifes or whatever.
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Overcast, 22 Aug 2007 @ 6:56am

BAN THE GAMES BAN THE GAMES!!

And let the pedophiles go free!!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294004,00.html

F'in "justice" system
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Eric James, 22 Aug 2007 @ 8:11am

Banning The Sale Of Violent Video Games
As the judge states in the quote in the article it is not in our best interest to completely shield children from violence. When kids were watching the GI Joe cartoons in the 80's got the impression that violent acts didn't lead to death because the censors insisted that no one actually gets killed if it was going to be shown to children. So they kept the violence but removed any consequences of the violence. When a car exploded the occupants would just walk away. Kids thought that this was what happened in the real world and that they could just jump away out of the path of bullets and explosions and survive. Violence is a part of life and shouldn't be hidden but explained and examined so that our children understand the price of violence and cause and effects of violent acts so that they learn to avoid them.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2007 @ 9:18am

Forget it
Don't ban the games, movies, etc. Just ban children, then we can really have some good stuff.

Come on won't somebody think of the adults!
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nipseyrussell, 22 Aug 2007 @ 9:37am

Re: Checklist...
i think we all know # 5 is ....well, heres a hint, you're using it right now
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GoblinJuice, 22 Aug 2007 @ 9:43am

Maaan, you wanna ban violent crap? Go watch Hostel 2. The bathroom / shower scene was sick. (The one where the chic is hung upside-down.)

I ain't never seen anything like that GTA:SA! =( And I thought the media had desensitized me!
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Mr. Ridiculous, 22 Aug 2007 @ 1:18pm

Banning Video Games
Maybe we should focus on the games that can help instead of the games which "hurt" (although I still don't see how they hurt children, if children are not supposed to be playing them due to ESRB and Retailers enforcing these steps). With 60% of Americans considered obese and 13% of all American children considered obese shouldn't we focus more on this issue and promote games which include/stress physical movement, such as games for the Nintendo Wii?
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Hilston, 14 Dec 2007 @ 4:10pm

Video Game Banners... Go to hell!!!!!!
This is fucking bullshit! If the public wants to limit how much violence kids are exposed to they will, so that fucking dumb politician in NY can stick his head up his fucking retarded ass. Give me Video Games or Give Me Death!!!
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kevin, 11 Nov 2008 @ 10:33am

im in class
im in my class
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