Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: violent video games in CH

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Nov 30, 2016, at 8:27 AM, Catya Belfer <catya [at] pobox.com> wrote:

> Put a curtain on the door?
> 
> Do you disallow R rated movies?

I’m also wondering about what is defined as “violent”. I’m not familiar with 
these games but I’m sure there must be a range of what is considered violent. 
And when do teens and preteens register violence? These are fantasy games and 
have been found to increase cognitive abilities as well as physical perception. 
Assuming that the teen sees what an adult sees is not always true.

When American folk musician Joan Baez, the great anti-war crusader of the 
1970s, allowed her son to play with toy guns a whole generation went into 
shock.Her response was that her  son knew full well the difference between 
fantasy play, aggression, and murder.

It’s a hard line. Same with R rated movies. Do women have a right to disallow R 
rated movies that trivialize and advocate abuse of women? Who decides which 
demean women and which are just good fun?

I think this my be a good area for actively sharing feelings in an 
intergenerational group, and not having a policy unless everyone thinks it is 
appropriate and workable. The kids in the realm of violent games and the 
watchers in the case of R-rated movies might be the ones who can define this 
most clearly. But a conversation may be all you need to calm fears on both 
sides.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org