Sensitive school district nixes Tsunami fund raiser
Puyallup School District Pulls Plug On Halo 2 Fundraiser
The Puyallup School District, previously profiled for cancelling the anti-Wiccan celebration of Halloween, has put the kibosh on a student organized game tournament meant to raise funds for Tsunami relief.
The game [Halo 2] 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.
The school seems to be mired in the myth that video games cause violence and also pull out the traditional and predictable administrative mantra of “Columbine”.
“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. [Hanson is the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent.]
Halo 2 is a violent game, there is no doubt about it. It is also fantastically popular and its selection guarantees a successful fundraiser. Parental permission is required for students to participate in the Puyallup athletic programs where actual physical violence and injury can and do happen. That same parental permission is deemed unsatisfactory where imaginary violence is concerned.
(Tip credit to Thief)
” That same parental permission is deemed unsatisfactory where imaginary violence is concerned.”
Good point.
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Also here is a nice site on the myths and facts on Juvenile crime and violence.
http://www.cjcj.org/jjic/myths_facts.php
There is a religious principal that says you may not do evil that good may come of it. It’s a sound pricipal. I think people on both sides can site studies to support or oppose that violent video games have a negative impact on the behavior and or social development of children. Personaly I cant see how exposure to such intense depersonalized violence as is rampant in todays popular media particularly video games, movies and certain musical genres, could NOT have an effect. The school was right in this case in not giving it’s tacit endorsement to this game even though the cause for which the money was to be raised was certainly a good one. If the students are serious about raising money for tsunamie victims and not just trying to force acceptance of this game as appropriate there are plenty of ways in which to do it.
Mike
Here’s a good article on video games as they relate to school violence:
Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked
There are other ways the students could have raised money for the cause, but the point here is that they shouldn’t have to. It does seem hypocritical for the school to permit sports programs—which, as the admin of this site noted, are far more violent in a very real and pragmatic sense—while banning a video game that simulates violence in a very unrealistic manner. Given that parents even signed a waiver for the activity, it’s not clear why the school felt it had to exercise power over the students in this way.
Some parents allow keg parties and sexual activity by their children and their friends in their homes under the insipid notion that as long as they know their kids are in a safe environment rather than out on a streeet corner or worse then they are acting responsably as parents. The fact that some parents signed a waiver giving their ok for this event does not mean all that much. As the article that Mateo cites indicates, most M rated games are being bought by parents for their children. I am not sure which is worse, whether the parents are buying this stuff out of ignorance because they are too lazy to check out and censor the garbage thrown at their kids or if they are aware and simply don’t care.
Mike
Here’s a silly thought… rather than the government or psychologists or anyone else deciding on what is okay for a child, how about the child’s parents do it?
Just a wacky thought… the government isn’t here to raise your kids. Do it yourself. If you say that playing a video game is okay, then perhaps, it actually IS okay.
Garret makes a good point - if parents want to make poor decisions for their kids, that’s their right. However, the school doesn’t have to facilitate it. I say, if the parents want it to happen, find a way to do it without support from the school. The school has a right not to lend their support and endorsement to a non-curricular activity.
As for those 8 myths, #6 is the only point that doesn’t have major fallacies. While the mere depiction of violence per se does not cause violent behavior, its depiction in certain contexts does. Studies have shown that if the violence is portrayed as justified, and parallel justification is perceived in real life, imitation is likely. The problem is when media distorts the criteria justifying violence, e.g. when the “bad guy” is the protagonist and criminal behavior is portrayed as good. My understanding is that Halo doesn’t necessarily fit in this category, that it depicts violence in a military combat context, but I’m not sure.
HALO 2 is the best game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!