Juarez Ban Call is Gross Politicking
Mexican politicians confuse real action with games
The Washington Post is reporting that - in what can only be seen as low-rent politicking - two Mexican politicians are calling for Ubisoft's less than highly anticipated game Call of Juarez: The Cartel to be banned from their country.
Why "low politicking"? Well, the game is set in the town of Ciudad Juarez, where, according to The Post, "About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 and 2010, making the city, located across from El Paso, Texas, one of the deadliest in the world."
But it's Ubisoft's game that has lead Ricardo Boone Salmon, a congressman for Chihuahua state, to ask for a ban, stating that, "It is true there is a serious crime situation, which we are not trying to hide. But we also should not expose children to this kind of scenarios so that they are going to grow up with this kind of image and lack of values."
The congressman is joined in his demand by State congress leader Enrique Serrano who claims that "Children wind up being easily involved in criminal acts over time, because among other things, during their childhood not enough care has been taken about what they see on television and playing video games.
"They believe so much blood and death is normal."
With 6,000 drug-related deaths in a year, you might expect the evening news to have conveyed that sentiment slightly more forcefully than a video game.
Why "low politicking"? Well, the game is set in the town of Ciudad Juarez, where, according to The Post, "About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 and 2010, making the city, located across from El Paso, Texas, one of the deadliest in the world."
But it's Ubisoft's game that has lead Ricardo Boone Salmon, a congressman for Chihuahua state, to ask for a ban, stating that, "It is true there is a serious crime situation, which we are not trying to hide. But we also should not expose children to this kind of scenarios so that they are going to grow up with this kind of image and lack of values."
The congressman is joined in his demand by State congress leader Enrique Serrano who claims that "Children wind up being easily involved in criminal acts over time, because among other things, during their childhood not enough care has been taken about what they see on television and playing video games.
"They believe so much blood and death is normal."
With 6,000 drug-related deaths in a year, you might expect the evening news to have conveyed that sentiment slightly more forcefully than a video game.
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Comments
DrkStr 22 Feb 2011 14:08
1/2
About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 and 2010
Isn't that 3,000 a year, not 6,000 a year?
config 22 Feb 2011 15:30
2/2
Of course, the game is PEGI 18+ rated here and will likely be M in the US. So, yeah, think of the the poor little children, and all that.
On a more mature note, does anyone else find this Salmon bloke would be better serving his community by lobbying for the state to be renamed? I mean, FFS, what sort of patriot lets the most stupidest animal in the world (ok, maybe 2nd after the duck-billed platypus) be named after their state? Hmm. Ok. I guess there is the Yorkshire Terrier. Where's my coat?
On a more mature note, does anyone else find this Salmon bloke would be better serving his community by lobbying for the state to be renamed? I mean, FFS, what sort of patriot lets the most stupidest animal in the world (ok, maybe 2nd after the duck-billed platypus) be named after their state? Hmm. Ok. I guess there is the Yorkshire Terrier. Where's my coat?