Friday, July 10, 2009

The Censorship Tightrope

I've realised something. Parenting does not get simpler, as one would expect, as your child grows older. It gets more and more complicated and convoluted. Take the issue of censorship, for example.

As a modern-day 'liberated' parent, you recoil from the very mention of the C word. An individual should be exposed to all kinds of things. If you raise a child sensibly, then he or she should be able to sieve the good from the ugly. In keeping with this philosophy, I have never changed television channels when a snogging scene comes up, nor have I stopped Riju from watching Hindi mainstream films. My books are also unlocked and accessible. I believe that adult content implies subjects that a young mind may misinterpret, not necessarily sex and violence that society at large brands as "adult".

But, of late, my belief is wavering. The most recent trigger is a game. I have, in the course of Net trawling and conversations with knowledgeable persons, heard of a famous and addictive game called the Grand Theft Auto. Riju was exposed to this game on a visit to his cousin's. He was completely enthralled and wanted to buy it, with his own pocket money. "Okay," I agreed.

He bought Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on a recent visit to a mall. On our way home, I was looking at the purchase when I saw that there's "18" written on the cover. Now, why would a PC game be only for adults? I glanced through the booklet that came with the package, and discovered, to my consternation, that the game features, apart from the usual mayhem and murders, foul language in the conversations between the characters, a gay bar that a player can frequent and a strip club full of friendly neighbourhood strippers. And, I found out later, the cheat codes for the game include one that allows a player to have sex.

Whoa! Now that was too much even for me. When I pointed out that this game is meant for people older than 9 definitely, Riju protested loudly. Anybody would; after all, it was his money he spent on the game. He offered to let me play it to see for myself how harmless it is. I couldn't turn that down. I played. And I did not come across anything that could be labelled 18-and-above. So, I let Riju play while I hovered in the background. It seemed innocuous enough. But even then, after he was through for the evening, I locked the game CD in my wardrobe. I haven't given it to him yet, coming up with one excuse or the other.

But sooner, rather than later, I have to give it to him. I can't really ask him to wait till 18, can I? And I also can't keep a watch all the time. So, I'm in a fix. Should I let him play GTA at the risk of seeing him spout foul language and harbouring not-so-innocent thoughts at the tender age of nine? Or should I clamp "Parental Discretion Rule" ignoring my son's protests and my earlier anti-censorship philosophy? Do I protect his innocence or preserve his individuality? Aaargh!

11 comments:

Paws Awhile said...

Dahling, let him play. Just don't let him get too interested. If that happens, he will try to find out more about it. Maybe you can slowly divert his attention towards something less dangerous like Monster Trucks or Road Rash... but do take your time on that. And yes, people of Riju's generation seem to learn things faster than we did... so may be not 9 but 12, eh?

Mitul said...

@Ani, know what, I am already doing that. As in, distract him with games/stuff I like. Such as, Google Earth and Zuma. I keep trying, you know.

maxratul said...

Interestingly (naturally I mean) enough, there is no way to "win" this game unless you play your character as a psychotic thug and wallow in wanton murder and mayhem. This is the games USP- you can do every kind of crime and sleaze possible in this virtual world.

So the game becomes different things for different people - for some its acting out a fantasy, for some its letting out your frustration harmlessly and for some its just plain ol' fun. However, the problem with kids playing it is that they might interpret is an acceptable social behavior - kill somebody, jack a car and getaway from the cop.. its so simple. If you think that Riju understands that this game is a pure (twisted) fantasy bearing no connection with the real world.... its too much to expect that from a kid right?

Mitul said...

@Ratul, you've just made matters worse! :-)

I don't think I can ever gauge the impact the game can have on Riju. I'll try to distract and restrict as much as possible, and hope for the best.

misti said...

riju reads the newspaper everyday and there's a whole lot out there that i don't think you'd really want him to find out about - right now. but he still reads it all and asks you intelligent questions. he's an intelligent kid and i really doubt he's gonna think killing people and stealing cars is OK. i have more faith in dhiman and you - think you've guys have done a better job with the kid.

subhroniyogi said...

Today's kids are growing up at such a frantic pace that the 18 years rule's got to go soon. They're hitting the post-adolescence maturity at 13-14. So, not many years to keep the game closeted. Chill!

Anonymous said...

Grand Theft is never a good idea, 18 or otherwise. Rohan.

Mitul said...

@Rohan, I completely agree. At the risk of sounding like a killjoy mum, I have decided to ban GTA till as long as possible. Some things are better banned.

Anonymous said...

Short work of the game bought with months of pocket money. Tsk tsk!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Yes exactly, in some moments I can phrase that I agree with you, but you may be making allowance for other options.
to the article there is still a suspect as you did in the downgrade efflux of this request www.google.com/ie?as_q=courgette soup to freeze ?
I noticed the utter you have not used. Or you profit by the black methods of inspiriting of the resource. I have a week and do necheg