Daniel MacIntyre

I thought the following was an interesting blog - it suggests that
entertainment (no matter what form of entertainment - even violent
types) is useful for children to learn more about themselves and the
world.

http://padki.blogspot.com/2005/09/killing-monsters.html

quote:

I am on Chapter 3 of "Killing Monsters: Why children need fantasy,
super heroes, and make-believe violence" by Gerard Jones. It's very
well written and makes a lot of sense to me. Here's a paragraph on
page 18 that gives the gist of the thesis:

When we consider children in relation to mass media and pop
culture, we tend to define them as consumers, watchers, recipients,
victims. But they are also users of that media and culture: they are
choosers, interpreters, shapers, fellow players, participants, and
storytellers. Viewing children as passive recipients of the media's
power puts us at odds with the fantasies they've chosen, and thus with
the children themselves. Viewing them as active users enables us to
work with their entertainment - any entertainment - to help them grow.
Shooter games, gangsta rap, Pokemon all become tools for parents and
teachers to help young people feel stronger, calm their fears, and
learn more about themselves.

The book is very thought-provoking and jibes with everything we have
noticed about our kids. Manisha remembers the incident when Supriya
used the milk-bottle of her doll as a gun. That was when the only gun
Supriya knew about was a squirt-gun. So she'd point it at Manisha,
make a shooting motion and ask her, "Did you get wet?" Supriya has
recently been fascinated by Pokemon, but we have not seen much violent
fantasy-play from either of the kids.
--
Daniel
(Amy is doing a half marathon for Team in Training
Anyone who wants to help can do so by going to:
http://www.active.com/donate/fundraise/tntgmoAMacint )