Politician Foams At Mouth, Rants, Authorities Fear Rabies Outbreak
Boris Johnson, that adorably cranky outspoken weirdo who somehow got elected to British Parliament, has joined the ever-annoying legions of politicians who blame video games for the decline of Western Civilization. In a recent editorial for The Telegraph, he touted that games are responsible for the decline in British teenagers’ literacy:
...millions of seven- to 15-year-olds are hooked, especially boys, and it is time someone had the guts to stand up, cross the room and just say no to Nintendo. It is time to garrote the Game Boy and paralyze the PlayStation, and it is about time, as a society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy and the prospects of young males.
(Why is it just “young males” that are losing their grasp on literacy? I know plenty of girls in that age range who play video games, what makes boys so special?)
Johnson, who is obviously a student of Bill O’Reilly when it comes to grasps on reality, ranted and raved without presenting any hard facts that supported his argument. His final words of wisdom were particularly disturbing:
Summon up all your strength, all your courage. Steel yourself for the screams and yank out that plug.
And if they still kick up a fuss, then get out the sledgehammer and strike a blow for literacy.
Readers missed out though, as Johnson’s first draft blamed rock and roll music for contributing to the increase of hip-gyration, Communists for sewing the seeds of rebellion amongs the youth of Britain, Chuck Norris for the rise in violence, and Batman and Robin for turning good Christian children into damn dirty homos.
[via GamesIndustry.biz]
Boy of Tomorrow
Posted to on 8 January 2007
· Comments (5)
Other stuff like this: boris johnson, britain, dumbass, literacy, politician, video games
Boris Johnson, the Light of London!!
This guy really needs to watch V for Vendetta, then possibly kill his speech writer :D
Fight, Boris Johnson! Fight for everlasting justice!
For some reason, that quote seemed appropriate.
Blasted Gizmos? Is this guy from the 20s? I love it.
Someone should make a game with him in it.
Unlike Jack Thompson, Boris Johnson is putting an emphasis on parental responsibility and not banning the games from existance.
That being said… he’s a sensationalist bastard. So, nyeh. ::raspberry::
”(Why is it just “young males” that are losing their grasp on literacy? I know plenty of girls in that age range who play video games, what makes boys so special?)”
What makes boys so special? With the majority of games still aimed towards males, it’s not surprising that someone not familiar with the gaming world would leave girls out of the equation. Plenty of game developers still do.
Lets have equality in the number of games geared to please girls and boys before we demand equality in the detrimental effects of games on gamer literacy. I’m sure as females become more equally represented in the gaming world consciousness, the articles will be about ‘kids these days’ instead of ‘boys these days’.