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by
Joe - jgand@pcfootball.net
1-23-05
As
everyone knows by now, the tsunami that hit
Indonesia
last year was one of the most devastating natural disasters
that the world has seen in a very long time. There have been
many relief efforts springing up to render aid to those still
in need and the response has been overwhelming.
Unfortunately,
so has the amount of stupidity associated with such efforts.
In
Portland
,
Oregon
there was an effort by some High School students to conduct a
fund-raiser to raise money for the Red Cross Tsunami fund.
Read the entire story as reported by katu.com.com:
School district pulls plug on Halo 2 tsunami fundraiser
January 21, 2005
- by komotv.com
PUYALLUP
,
Wash.
- Students in
Puyallup
hoped to use a video game tournament to raise money for
tsunami victims. Parents signed off on the idea, but the
school district suddenly said, "game over!"
The controversy surrounds the students' choice for the video
game: Halo 2.
It's a game with space soldiers, guns, aliens, swords... And
plenty of death.
The game is so popular,
Rogers
High School
seniors Mike Alston and Joshua Shake figured a Halo 2
tournament would be the perfect way to raise money for tsunami
victims.
"$380 we were thinking was going to go straight into the
Red Cross Tsunami fund," Alston said.
As a precaution, the boys even got parents to sign waivers
acknowledging the graphic nature of the game.
But the
Puyallup
School District
canceled the fundraiser, saying the game goes against its
anti-violence policy.
"They never really talked to us and told us where they've
seen that violent video games encourage violent behavior so I
don't really believe it," Alston said.
But the school district says they don't think it's too
sensitive.
"When you look at what happened with Columbine, when you
look at acts of violence against young people, I think
anything we do that even looks like we're endorsing violence
is not appropriate," said Karen Hanson with the Puyallup
School District.
The district is backing one tsunami effort at all schools.
Students are packing 10,000 health kits destined for
tsunami-torn countries.
But the boys remind us that the district canceled Halloween
celebrations because they were insensitive to the Wiccan
religion.
"It's just a question now of when do they stop?"
Alston said.
The district says that question will be answered one case at a
time. They also said it will support the students' fundraiser
if they simply switch to a less violent video game.
OK,
so let me see if I’ve got this right…
The
kids want to have a gaming tournament to raise money for
tsunami victims…
They
get one of the most popular games on the market to ensure a
huge turnout and a huge donation…
They
get their parents to sign off on it, to say that it’s ok to
use this game…
But
the school district cancels the event because the game chosen
is not politically correct?!?
The
kids in
Portland
wanted to do the right thing. They wanted to raise money for a
worthy cause, a cause that most of the rest of the world has
gotten behind. They were smart in choosing a game like Halo 2
to use for their tournament because not only is it one of the
best-selling games on the market today, but its multi-player
mode allows up to 16 to be playing at the same time thus
allowing a kick-ass tournament.
The
real idiots here are the cowardly members of the school board
who are afraid that after the tournament, these same kids are
going to be running through the halls of the high schools in
their district re-enacting the game by shooting up the
hallways. After all, what else are we supposed to think by Ms.
Hanson’s Columbine remark?
The
myth that first-person shooters like Halo, Halo 2, Half-Life
or Doom influence people to commit violent acts is just that
people – a myth. It has been making the rounds ever since
April 20, 1999 when Harris and Kleibold entered the halls of
Columbine High and started shooting up the place. That myth
has done more to damage the reputation of gaming then any
actual game could ever do. That fact that people still believe
it and are willing to act on that belief doesn’t scare me
however, it just infuriates me.
Just
because you and I play video games does not make us evil!!!
It
does not mean that immediately after we finish our latest
round of playing Doom 3 with all the lights turned out that we
are going to go out into our schools and neighborhoods
shooting at anything that moves. More likely after playing a
scary game like Doom 3 we’ll be checking our closets for
monsters and sleeping with the lights on for a while!
More
importantly, now that the school district has canceled the
event, what kind of message does that send to the rest of the
world about how charitable we are, or to be precise, how
charitable they are?
Now
the event is not going to happen. Now no money will be going
to the relief fund. Sure every school has its own drive, but
with this bad publicity how many people are going to be in the
spirit of giving now that the school board has told people
that they can only donate in a politically correct fashion?
Since when should political correctness dictate how or when
you should get involved with a charitable cause like this?
Give me a break!
Doesn’t
the school board realize what has happened half-way around the
world? Over 250,000 have died! Every donation is a welcome one
whether it’s materially or monetary, they will take it. But
no, because the school board doesn’t want to appear to
promote violence in the schools, the kids can’t have their
Halo 2 Tournament. Sure it was only $380, but every little bit
helps!
It’s
bad enough that Ms. Hanson’s Columbine remark puts all of us
gamers in a bad light again, but to take away relief from
disaster victims no matter how small it may be?!? That does
not strike me as being a responsible member of the community
madam. If you thought that you would look bad if you let the
tournament go on as scheduled, what do you think you and your
fellow school board members look like now that there will be
no donation to the relief fund?
How
do you think that makes you look in your community? How do you
think it makes not only you, but the
United States
look in the eyes of the world at this juncture? It makes you
look damn selfish, that’s what!
You
know, I can understand a time for wanting to be cautious and
not offend people, but this was not the way to accomplish that
goal. Instead it has had the opposite effect. I would think
that plenty of people would be offended by this story, even if
they were opposed to the playing of Halo 2 or any other video
game. The game is not the issue for me, the issue for me is
the fact that there will be no donation made because the
tournament will not take place.
I
have seen the video of the tsunami. I have seen the specials
that have aired on TLC, Discovery Channel and National
Geographic Network, and I am here to tell you the video
footage of the actual wave was frightening. And I was sitting
in the comfort of my own home warm and dry, imagine how those
people holding the cameras felt!
Obviously,
the
Puyallup
School District
does not have much faith in the kids who attend their schools;
otherwise they would not be so afraid of what would come after
the tournament. But if they have this much distrust for the
kids in their district, then why should the kids, or their
parents for that matter, have any kind of faith in them?
Until
next time…
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