Banned XBox 360 Commercial

Self-censorship sometimes takes some very strange forms, as indicated in the above 360 "ad" (if it never aired, could it really be advertising anything?) from 2007. Ostensibly, the commercial advocated violence and was stopped from being aired in the first place.

In a strictly business sense, I completely understand the reason for shelving the advertisement. Having people engage in fake gunplay makes the company more liable for unsavory outcomes attributed to video games, and it also simultaneously makes Microsoft look insensitive to those who lose family members and friends in violent situations.

However, it's a clever, essentially uncontroversial ad that pokes fun at adulthood and "play". And it contains a healthy dose of irony, something this country has been loathe to understand recently. It's a shame to me that the gaming industry need to walk on eggshells, due mostly to its perception in the eyes of parents and the media. Isn't stylized violence what gamers partake in every day? Do children not "play war" in neighborhoods across the country? Well, maybe not, but still...

That is One Tasty Burger

LA Po-po are looking for a dude - a grown man - who beat up a sixteen year old girl at a McDonald's. I couldn't figure out a way to embed the video, so below is the link.

Click Here to See the Mayhem

Communistic Grievances

Today's debate in Georgia is about the new HPV shot that the state legislature is trying to get passed for sixth-grade girls.

HPV, which is a leading cause for cervical cancer in women, now has a vaccine shot that would be mandatory, unless the parents opted out for religious reasons.

Opponents claim that it will lead to higer numbers of promiscuity in teens. Which makes sense, because anytime I got a tetanus shot growing up, I'd immediately go out and start stomping on nails. Because I was immune. Duh.

I think this boils down to controlling women's sexuality, and, since this is my blog, you better be damn well prepared to hear my opinion!

It's very subtle. Opponents are saying that, once these upcoming SIXTH graders get the shot, they're going to get hopped up on Boone's Farm and head to the nearest barn with a slew of guys. You know, I can't count on my fingers and toes the times that it happened when I was ELEVEN.

Of any profession, the medical one, I would say, has the least amount of influence over young women, especially women reaching adolescence. Unless, of course, the doctor, after giving the shot, points at the girl's crotch and says, "Now you should go test that thing out!"

Gross, but true. Look at it this way. The people who oppose this kind of legislation are the same people who think that video games cause violence in teenagers, which is an inherent fallacy. Video Games don't make kids violent. Violent kids play video games. Girls who are more likely to be promiscuous are going to be that way whether or not they have the shot. Most, I would think, would act in a rational manner about this.

And the opinion of people at my work. "I think it's 'communitic' to force all girls to take a shot," one woman claimed. "If you don't want HPV, don't be a slut," she continued.

I guess I can't argue with that logic. Maybe it's for that very reason that over 1 in 4 women have the disease.