The Bolivar Savior Rescues Venezuela from Violent Crime

[So fist]

Venezuela to outlaw violent video games, toys A.P.

CARACAS, Venezuela – Shouts of "Kill him! Kill him!" ring out as the preteens train their virtual assault rifles on the last remaining terrorist and spray him with bullets. Blood splatters. The enemy collapses. And they cheerfully wrap up another game of "Counter-Strike."

he most popular video games among kids often imitate life outside this Internet cafe in San Augustin — one of the many crime-ridden slums in Venezuela's capital, where residents say too many of the young players easily trade joysticks for guns.

In a bid to curb that trend, Venezuela's National Assembly is on track to prohibit violent video games and toys. The proposed legislation, which received initial approval in September, is expected to get a final vote in the coming weeks.

Parents applaud the proposed ban. But critics argue the bill is little more than a public relations stunt by supporters of President Hugo Chavez to camouflage his government's inability to deal with Venezuela's rampant violent crime — the country's most pressing problem according to public opinion polls.

Nonsense its clear that the capitalists are fermenting crime with their subversive discs of death.

Chavez's government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005 amid rising concerns. But last year, the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for the year. That's more than five times the murder rate in Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.

To put this in perspective Coalition casualties in both Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning of both operations combine for roughly the same number. Though it took eight years to get to that total.

"Video games aren't the problem, criminals are the problem. Why don't they go after them?" asked Arny Gonzalez, a 17-year-old high school student.

Amy is asking an astute but naive question since it assumes that Chavez hopes to stop criminals with this. The true purpose of this legislation is to make the public feel better about the Chavez's continued policy of doing nothing about crime. And why would he when many of the rackets that run through his country internationally benefit leftist militias and paramilitaries such as the FARC. What is a blight to all of the working folks in the barrio is welfare for the last vestiges of world socialist revolution. Cracking down would also be uncomfortable since many of the useful thugs for the regime moonlight as gangsters at night.

Lawmaker Jose Albornoz concedes that fighting crime requires a multifaceted approach. But he's convinced that authorities can reduce the murder rate by breaking what he says is a direct link between video games and crime — though most studies find no evidence that such games prompt violent behavior in youngsters.

"Some believe they actually can serve as a substitute, kids get rid of their rage through the game instead of acting out," said criminologist Roberto Briceno, who tracks crime at the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, an academic think-tank in Caracas.

DUH.

The Venezuelan bill would mandate crime prevention classes in public schools and force the media to "implement permanent campaigns" to warn against the dangers of violent games. Another provision requires the government "to promote the production, distribution, sales and use" of games that teach kids "respect for an adversary."

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH Wildman says resolve your differences through peaceful dialogue, and always respect the authority of the Bolivar Revolution!"

The law could shutter some retailers, arcades and Internet cafes. But the country's thriving market for pirated video games will likely be untouched by the law — another irony pinpointed by Chavez critics. Most vendors of pirated goods are from the working class, Chavez's core constituency, and they ply their illegal yet tolerated trade on street corners in cities and towns across the country.

Albornoz said such vendors should start thinking about exchanging the likes of "Grand Theft Auto" for non-aggressive games, saying: "There are alternatives that can be just as fun."

At the same time, the understaffed consumer-protection agency would be hard pressed to effectively enforce the ban. Its 163 inspectors spend most of their time struggling to ensure that grocery stores don't flout food price controls aimed at stemming another huge Venezuelan problem — double-digit inflation.

"It's a facade that allows them to say they are doing something to lower the crime rate," Sanchez said, "while hiding the fact that existing policies have failed."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091004/ap_ ... ideo_games

 

[rey meustrus]

So basically, the new law doesn't make sense for enforcement and rather than being a last resort or the closing of a gap in existing anti-crime legislation, is supposed to be the only means of curtailing crime. Assuming that video games convert a certain number of children into criminals every year, what is being done about the existing criminals? At best this is a long-term solution to a short-term problem, so even those that would advocate for stronger regulations and possibly banning violent games should be able to recognize that this cannot be a serious move to reduce crime.

I doubt it will even make people think Chavez is really trying to do anything about crime. I just worry a bit about advocates looking at this and deciding to try it at home, but hopefully the crime statistics in a few years (unless faked) will show how futile and stupid this law really is.

 

[Venetia]

lolvenezuela

"no it's not the drug cartels which run rampant and unchecked, nor is it the incredible lack of non-militarized law enforcement! Nor is it the fact that businesses only pay their workers chicken scratch next to what they could get by working with the cartels! It's all them damn vidya games! Grrrr, GTA! You're glamorizing shoving condoms full of smack up the anus and making all our kids into coke mules!"