tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post8083204115261043943..comments2024-02-11T15:29:31.409-05:00Comments on Richard's Pretension: Not Seen and Not HeardRichard Bellushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post-45509769639758021932014-07-30T11:37:35.056-04:002014-07-30T11:37:35.056-04:00There is surely something to this. I can’t dispute...There is surely something to this. I can’t dispute that there is much more attraction to the Great Indoors for kids than there once was. The exotic on-screen game worlds are pretty fascinating compared to the world of the backyard. When assaulting a castle, the virtual one is more convincing than the imaginary one in the woods. <br /><br />Modern parental overprotectiveness redoubles the effect. It is hard to see how such shielding is justified. A recent “Economist” article notes that the risk of a child dying in the US was (while still low) five times higher in the safe old 1950s than today. The odds against a child being killed by a stranger are in seven figures. (They are vastly more at risk from their own parents and trusted friends/relatives.) How these kids, having experienced this type of upbringing, will raise their own in the future is anyone’s guess.<br />Richard Bellushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post-51012825462199836932014-07-30T11:05:08.370-04:002014-07-30T11:05:08.370-04:00That may be part of it, but I think the other huge...That may be part of it, but I think the other huge impact is video games. When the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in the mid 80s, I think that pretty much changed everything as far as playing outside goes. Sure Atari came out first, but once we hit games like "Super Mario Bros" and "Legend of Zelda" where you could play level after level and with different story lines, enemies and graphics - well going outside was less appealing. I can't tell you how many times I told my parents (or my friends parents if I was my buddies' house) "just one more level" or "we are almost to the boss!" <br /><br />Combine that with the interwebs and I'm not sure kids even need to go outside anymore. If they want to see what the outdoors looks like, they can always find it on Youtube. :)Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.com