A Little Thing Called Common Sense™
Introduction:
Introduction:
Hello, everyone. My name is toxictaipan here on PokeBeach. After reading various topics and having various experiences in real life, I have decided to make a topic to discuss common sense. I don't plan on making this very short, because I have many points and topics to cover. I've also aimed this at a more mature audience, but I don't mean mature by age. I mean mature by attitude. I don't expect a 9 year old to care for this topic, but all ages are free to read and share their thoughts if they wish. (Not that I can stop you, I'm just letting you know that you're welcome to speak your mind here without negative thought toward your age in regards to the maturity of this topic. Example: "Oh, you're way too young to know anything about that." These posts are not welcome here!) For the record, I'm only 14. I know how immature some of my peers can be, so I feel this is a very mature topic coming from someone my age. Maybe I won't word it as maturely as I'd like, but oh well. Here goes nothin'.
If you don't like reading or deep discussions/debates, this is your stop.
Please note: This thread is to debate. That means point, counter-point arguments. Once this gets to the point of personal flaming, the only thing you will have accomplished is proving what I'm about to say.
If the moderators find this too deep or don't like the idea of this, please close or delete this thread, I thought this would be a very interesting topic, ant I don't think it's breaking any rules. I just have a bad feeling they wont like it.
Let's Begin the Discussion
Okay, let's get to it. As stated above, I plan to cover multiple topics here, and I'm writing this in text editing software because I want this to be really clear and understandable with good points made, not rushed and incomplete.
I really want everyone to read the whole thing if you're going to be a part of this discussion, but feel free to skip around as you wish. Are you ready? Don't worry, I'm not either.
*Turns on iTunes and begins playing "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne* What?! It seems fitting. Hey, smart-aleck. Yeah, you. You, in the corner! Shut up! That's my job. Plus, Mr. Ozzy even plays a role in this a little bit down the road, as well. Oh yes, this is going to be a fun ride.
The Way We Treat Other People
Okay, I wanted to start this off with a simple and easy to understand topic that wouldn't scare anyone away right from the get-go. So let's talk about something we've all experienced: Jerks.
One day at a small Pokemon Trading Card Game tournament, a Pre-Releases I believe, we all went to go see the next round pairings. Being held in a small hobby shop, it's kinda crammed getting to and from the parings sheet when all three divisions are trying to fit between two rows of tables, so we all inch our way up. I find my name on the list and find my table number. I see my oppenent is the crowd and call him over. As soon as he gets to me, we're still trying to inch ourselves away. With people in front of me, I can only move so fast. So, he gets behind me and tells me to, "Move faster," and then shoves me. It wasn't a violent shove or anything, but the fact that he did it at all is sad. Anyway, I lose some of my balance and bump into the person in front of me, a Junior player (Juniors are the youngest age division. It is the ages 10 and under division.) mind you. So I quickly apologize and get to my table. I expressed my feeling about to the person who shoved me before we began our match. I just don't understand how someone could be like that. We're all trying to get out, we're all moving slow. So, he has to go shoving people? I just don't get it. What's the point? What does he gain from shoving me into other people? Creative name calling before a match? I just don't see the motivation.
Disclaimer: We have since then made up and are now friends. I realize that holding a grudge over something so stupid is pointless. He's not really a bad person. This just shows that he doesn't really care that much.
That's just a personal experience I've had. I know how silly that must sound, but this topic covers everything from the everyday jerk from the schoolyard bully to that racist, sexist, and homophobic people. I just chose to write about something I had first hand experience in. I think that's a little bit better than me rambling on with something I don't know about.
I'll end this topic now. You get the point that I'm trying to make, don't you? Why do people act so rude to everyone, even to people who have done nothing to them? What do they gain from this? It's just so wrong the way we treat each other sometimes.
The Way Parents Raise Their Kids
So, now that we've talked about people acting rude. Let's get to the problem: The way they're raised.
As a parent, your most import job in life is to raise your child correctly. Nothing else is a first priority until this task is completed. So how could you make a mistake in this? No, wait, I take that back. Everyone makes mistakes, but why must you make so many? Did you not learn from the first? The second? The fourth? The tenth!? (I'm not talking about little errors. I mean like serious, like affecting mistakes.) What excuse do you have to raise someone to be a careless jerk, mindless idiot, or other generally unpleasant person? How could you let yourself be a failure? I just couldn't imagine not raising my kids right. You are the authority in their lives, they do as you say. You tell them what's right, and what's wrong. When they break the rules, or do something against your wishes, you correct them. What else could be easier? It's not rocket science.
It's time to end this one, too. My point here is simply just that no matter what you do, parenting isn't something you can afford to do half way, or just outright stop half-way through. You have to stick with it for at least 18 years, if not more. Don't take on the challenge if you can't handle to pressure. Are we going to have to start passing out tests to see if people are suitable for parenting? That would be absolutely pathetic.
Disclaimer: I know that it's not always to parents' fault. There will always be the rebellious problem child, but a lot of the times this just isn't the case. There's no excuse for bad parenting. Having a hardheaded child who won't listen to what you say is a quite a bit different.
TV and Video Game Ratings and Censorship
Ratings are a good thing. They help us decide what to let our children watch based on the content inside. This is definitely a plus, but why are they so strict? I understand why they include sexual and violence ratings, but why do we need one for language? Better yet, why do we have "language" at all? (I'll explain further in the next section.)
There are parents who don't want their children to get the wrong idea from watching TV and playing games. I can respect that, but between you and me, I've been playing video games since I was about, ummmm, like, born. I remember playing Mortal Kombat when I was 4 years old. That's kinda young to be playing video games, much less M rated ones. But take a look at me, even though I've been playing violent video games since I was 4 years old, I still don't walk around beating people up. I've never had the urge to shoot someone. I've never tried to rip someone's head off. I've never hijacked a car. I've never even been in a fight. Do you know why? I was raised with a little bit of common sense. If parents raised their kids with some common sense like my parents did, we wouldn't have kids taking guns to school, or kids steeling cars because they saw it on a video game. Or at least, not as many. I know there's always going to be that one kid, but I feel like some of this could be prevented with some decent parenting. All I'm saying is, relying on someone else to tell you what's suitable for kids to watch is just lazy. Be proactive, tell them what's right and what's wrong.
I can understand ratings for heavily violent scenes involving lots of blood and gore, guns and sexual scenes, etc. But a show being rated, "TV-Y7 for Mild Fantasy Violence," what's up with that? I know plenty of little kids who eat "Mild Fantasy Violence" like Halloween candy. I know DBZ is a little hardcore for really little kids, but come on, ain't nothin' wrong with the Power Rangers! We're just a little bit over censored sometimes. That's all I'm trying to say.
Language
They're just words after all. I mean, if someone were to say, "Holy Crap!" what's the difference if they say, "Holy *that word*!"? It's the same exact message, but yet everyone views the second phrase much more offensive. Is it just me, or have we lost our minds? It's just a word, a made up word. ALL words are made up, believe it or not. What's the problem? We view any of the seven (And a few more not on that list) as very inappropriate, and sure, some of them are when used incorrectly. But what about the one above? "Crap/poop/dung/turd/etc" over "*that word*"? I just don't get it. They're the same to me. Let me put it this way: If you were to put a picture next to both words in the dictionary, you'd use the same picture. Simple enough, right?
So why does everyone view them as, "bad words"? We image what things look like as we speak and hear, our brains are an amazing thing. So when you say, "Crap" or when you say the other word, you instantly think of the same thing. What makes the other one so much worse? This doesn't just go for crap and its other word, this goes for all "bad words" and their synonyms.
This one's done as well. My point should be crystal clear. They're just words that mean the same thing, but yet one is so much worse than the other. No, I don't get it either.
Nudity
Okay, this is a touchy subject, but I'm going to see if I can't handle this sensitively.
First off, before I say anything here I'm going to bring religion into the mix. I normally don't do this, and I really don't like to add religion into discussions where unnecessary because everyone has their own views and opinions, and perhaps the strongest are in this area, but anyway.... When God created Adam and Eve, he created them, you guessed it, naked. When Eve ate the Fruit, they learned about good and evil, and eventually realized they were, naked. Also, for some strange reason, they were ashamed. I don't really know why, that's just what the Big Book says.
If God created us nude, he obviously didn't have a problem with it, right? Okay, you're not religious. We evolved naked. Happy? Either way, we aren't born with clothes on. Why do we view nudity the way we do? Nudity is just not acceptable in public, that's what society tells us. But why, why does society tell us this? God didn't mind, we surely didn't (But do now), yet it's almost taboo today. People just think it's bad. I mean, I'm not against clothes or anything, I love the idea of clothes. I can't stand being cold. I'm just saying we view nudity like it shouldn't even exist. It's a private matter between you and yourself, but you're born naked for the world to see. What made us feel this way? I know we've been wearing clothes for thousands of years, but that's besides the point. Why are we so ashamed of our own bodies, and why are we so offended by other people's? What if it was impossible to make clothes, would we walk around covering ourselves with our hands like you see on cartoons? And what about animals? Why don't they fret over things like this? My dog could care less about being naked as long as he has food and a good belly rub every now and then, and that's the truth.
Yep, I done here. I don't want to come across like I want the whole world to become a nudist community or anything like that. I'm just saying it's natural, and there's nothing wrong with it, and that it's not such a big deal. I'm not saying you shouldn't wear clothes, I'm just trying to figure out why we just can't accept being naked. We as humans are (Supposed to be) more intelligent than that.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about nudity in a sexual manner. I'm just talking about nudity. There is a difference between sexuality and nudity, that's why they're two different words.
People, is it just me, or have we lost our common sense?
I just don't get it. What has the world come to? You see, Japan has the right idea, or at least they're closer to it than us. They don't care if their kids hear a few, "bad words," in their cartoons, they don't freak out about the smaller things like we do. From what I understand, the very popular anime Sailor Moon even contained partial nudity at times! Why are we so worried about things like this? Are we that focused on trying to be perfect? I know we're not the worst, other countries are even stricter, but we're the "free nation" right? (Also, if you haven't already noticed, this is coming from an American's perspective) I'm just lost for words as to how stupid we all really are. (I sure do type a lot to be lost for words, don't? Oh you just wait, I'm not even done yet. I had your hopes up with this little section here, didn't I?)
Religion
Okay, I want to talk about religion now. I'm going to tell you a little story that happened to me and my mom in the grocery store one day. Well, like any day you go to the grocery store, we were buying food. My mom was wearing some rock tour t-shirt for the band Black Sabbath.
For those of you who don't know, they are a metal band. One of the first and most influential metal bands, actually. And a rockin' one at that. *Devil horns*
But anyway, let's get back to the story. So, this person walked up to us and started basically preaching to us about how if we listen to that music we won't get into Heaven and all that nonsense. Also, obviously liking Pokemon, you know I've heard I'll go to heck for it, too. So, basically I can't do anything I want to without going to heck. How lucky am I?
Now I'm not trying to attack religious people here. I can respect your beliefs, but I expect you to respect mine in return. I understand that in the Bible it tells you to spread the name of the Lord, but there is a limit on this. You can't just force your beliefs on someone like that. They can ask me anything they want, invite me to their church, or anything else because I respect their beliefs and I'm not a rude person and I'm not going to jump down their throat. But when you tell me I'm not going to Heaven because I listen to a noise (because that's all music is: A sound) you've crossed the line. You have no right to say something like that.
Reader's Challenge: I ask of you to find me one verse in the Bible that says I'll go to heck for listening to rock music. Find one, just one. When you find that, let me know.
But until then, they shouldn't threaten me on assumptions. God didn't give them that right. No one did.
So my question is: Where do they get off? What gives them the right to threaten someone like that? What makes them better than me? If they truly believe I'll go to heck for listening to rock music, then why do they care? I want to listen to it and I'm going to listen to it. I've made my choice. Let's say I will go to heck for it. Good, let me go. I obviously knew the risk. I'm not going to change my beliefs just because you approach me in a grocery store. Just because you don't like my music doesn't mean it's bad. Moreover, what about the metal genre of religious songs? Those aren't bad, now are they?
I just don't understand how people who claim to follow God, the person whose, love is unconditional, can be so rude to fellow human beings at times.
I'll end this one here. Now, like I said, I'm not against religion. I respect it. All I want is a little respect in return. Is that too much to ask for? I can guarantee you that if I told a religious person that their bodies will rot away in the Earth after they die because they preach about the Lord that isn't real, they'd be highly offended. Well, if you tell me I'm going to burn in heck, guess what. I'll be offended, too.
I've come to the conclusion that we've lost all common sense.
Alright everyone, I've said enough and I'm tired of typing. I'm sure I've managed to offend numerous people with this thread (Probably with the religious part more than anything), and I'm sorry. I just couldn't take it any more. I had to say something.
If anyone would like to add a topic to discuss, feel free to do so, because this isn't just about how I feel. Thank you for taking the time to read this huge post.
Oh, and after reading this you'll probably think that I'm crazy. Well, you're probably right. But I never claimed to be sane, now did I?
Thank you for reading,
toxictaipan
Also, I would like to ask of you to NOT use this without my permission.
