Belly sin...

[General Woundwort]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
If your child wanted to become a mermaid after reading H.C.A. no matter how hard they tried they could never be a mermaid. On the other hand it is entirely possible that an inquisitive child wanting to find out more about witchcraft could find some more detailed sources on the subject and could potentially get into some very serious, and very bad stuff. There is a significant difference between fantasy and the occult. Even if you believe that "serious" occultism is all a bunch of superstitious garbage, there are some very odd people that take it very seriously. Probably not the kind of people you want your kids hanging around.

Then again, how many people have really become Satanists by reading Tolkien or Rawlings?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
Then again, how many people have really become Satanists by reading Tolkien or Rawlings?

Well none if you believe like I do that simply reading a book or watching a show makes you into something. And it's not at all what I said anyway so I am not sure why you quoted me GW.

But what you read does have an influence on you. Everyone of us is the sum of all our experiences after all. And it's not totally irrational for parents to be concerned about what their children read. But there are better ways to guide your child then banning books. Perhaps *gasp* read the book with your child and use it as a lesson in the differences between fantasy and reality. But that's more work.

[ September 12, 2003, 13:51: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[Loser]

[this post is not serious]

But is the solution to this 'occult threat' vilification? I don't think so. I also don't think the solution is to teach the children to regard it as fantastic or utterly harmless dallying.

If something is to be done about it, it must be Education. Teach your children what is, and is not, possible, why some people think they possess powers beyond those of normal humans and what kind of trouble they can get in.

Teach them what role 'magic' and superstition play in human culture, and how different these roles are from those portrayed in fantasy settings. Tech them the nature of fiction and escapism.

Of course, if you've already taught you kids that there is a Santa Claus, you might have some credibility issues on the subject of magic, either way you take it.

[General Woundwort]

I would agree. I was "reading off" what you were saying rather than responding directly to it. But the underlying assumption of the site that started this discussion is that *any* exposure to "bad" things will be instantly corruptive. At least that's how they come across....

[Erax]

No Geo, you missed the point entirely. The point is that children understand the difference between fact and fiction. Or, in other words, the inability to distinguish fact from fiction does not depend on age.

'Real-life' magic, whether actuallly 'real' or not, is not like the fantasy-book variety. I knew that when I read Tolkien (at age 10) and I believe a 10-year-old reading Harry Potter today does too (excepting, of course, the occasional individual who can't distinguish fact from fiction).

To be fair, there aren't many 'creepy occult types' in my country, although they are starting to show up as our religious demographic slowly shifts from Catholic to Catholic/Protestant. The way I see it, it is mostly a teen rebellion / forbidden fruit issue.

Protestant teen wants to shock parents : gets into the occult.
Catholic teen wants to shock parents : becomes an atheist.

Edit : I took too long to answer, so you've already covered some of this ground yourself. Helping your children understand the difference between fact and fiction is certainly a very good start.

[ September 12, 2003, 14:25: Message edited by: Erax ]

[dogscoff]

Something that struck me a few years ago... it was when South Park was all the rage, and people were criticising it for the corruptive influence it was having on their children, asking why their kids were being exposed to this kind of program.

Well duh...

Because you let them watch it, you stupid wankers. It's never shown on UK TV before 10 or 11 O clock at night. The film in the cinema had an 18 certificate. Anyone with even half a functioning brain and has seen more than 3 minutes of SP content will be well aware that it IS NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY SUITABLE FOR KIDS. But no, they see that it's a cartoon and that all the other kids are talking about it so they assume it's ok then go out and blindly buy their own little Cartman-wannabes the plushies that swear profusely when you squeeze them and the "hundred deaths of Kenny" posters and suddenly the penny drops and their up in arms about it...

Stupid stupid stupid people.

Not sure where I'm going with this, but it really made me angry at the time. Sorry. I'll shut up now...

[/rant]

[CEO TROLL]

Originally posted by Erax:

Schoolteacher - "By your logic, then, if he reads Hans Christian Andersen, he might want to become a mermaid ?"

But, there are little boys who want to become mermaids.