Originally Posted by Mario F.
> It doesn't specifically exonerate anyone from responsibility, but a little bit of common sense should play into the mix a bit, don't you think?
Yes. But let us remove one myth... forget about wrestling for a second, this is just generally speaking... The myth that needs to be clearly removed (at least from where I stand) is:
The media doesn't influence behaviors.
That simply isn't true. The media influences behavior. Can we agree on this? If not, I can do some research on the matter and present here evidence it does... However I'm sure common sense will lead most to agree that won't be necessary.
> And where are the parents during this whole thing? Are they not explaining things to their children?
At this point we'd better start a new thread and discuss how our societies have effectively impaired responsible parents from doing what they are expected from. We might discuss their working hours, the demands of today jobs, extra-hours. We might discuss public schools and the loss on the last 20 years of their responsibility on citizenship education and social tutoring.
We may even discuss some countries relatively recent laws based solely on ethical issues that have effectively restrained parents from correctly raising their kids. We may discuss pseudo-psychologists with novel approaches to education in which slapping your kid in the buttocks is a thing worth jail sentence, and that your 15 year old daughter closes herself in her bedroom you shouldn't intrude on her privacy...
And we may even discuss what my wife heard just last week from one of my daughter teacher when she told her Vanessa was already helping a little around the house. For the record it was "A child under 18 shouldn't help around the house."
> Such ignorant people simply shouldn't be allowed to have children in the first place.
Some people shouldn't, I agree entirely. But some people can't do any better. It is easy to stand on other side of the fence and think we raise our kids better than anyone else. However, some people are battlers. They work to survive. They count pennies at the end of the month and see their lives becoming more complicated every time. And they work more to try and solve the problem.
Some people simply don't have the life they had hoped for.
I'm usually much more critical of people that live comfortably and spoil their kids with a car at the age of 16, a playstation at the age of 10, a TV set on their bedrooms at the age of 8, an internet-ready computer on their bedroom at the age of 12... and a lock and a key on their bedrooms.