one more...
I just thought of another book that had a big impact on me - Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.

I picked it up because of the cool pictures when I was about 10 and it began a 21 year obsession with painting miniatures, building scenery and (occassionally) playing games - which brings me on to something else: Kids who grew up in the late 80s early 90s had more imagination than todays' kids because computer games were expensive and, basically, crap. We rode our bikes, played role-playing games, played with toys and more importantly, played with other kids.

Nowadays, kids live in little bubbles where they are either over-protected couch potatos whose parents read the Daily Mail and keep them locked in the house with an Xbox in case a paedo gets them, or they are happy-slapping little pikeys whose parents can't read and who expect the state to take all responsibility for the fact they were too thick to use a condom properly and the resultant fanny-effluent is allowed to run rampant. Gah.

I feel sorry for kids now, though - if they run around and laugh they are accused of terrorising the neighbourhood, so the alternative is to sit indoors doing sod all but play on the XBox. Now wonder they turn to crime - if you're going to get ostracised, you might as well get a new ipod out of it...
(Chance, Wed 21 May 2008, 15:53, 5 replies)

Erm...
sweeping statement - (n) A phrase or sentence put forward as a fact or the truth. Designed to wind up people on internet message boards.


;-)


Mind you the world is a much safer place since I gave up reading newspapers and refused to allow my kids out.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Wed 21 May 2008, 16:48, closed)

The Daily Mail and Guardian have doomed us all...
I agree, it is a sweeping statement, but unfortunately it's a reflection of our society.

On one side you have the Daily Mail parents who want to lock up the kids for their own safety as everyone is either an immigrant, a murderer or a paedophile. This leads to fat kids with no social skills.

On the other side we have the Guardian parents who believe every thuggish little bastard needs a hug and that it's always society's fault, not the parents' or the kids'. This leads to adults being terrified of 12 year olds and gangs of knife-wielding happy-slappers.

God bless the tabloid press....

When I was a kid the most important factor in choosing a newspaper was whether it would hold all your fish and chips... :-)
(Chance, Wed 21 May 2008, 17:08, closed)

Yep,
bring back the good old fish and chip press!

You're right though, there is this total polarisation of childhood in the media - all fat chavs hiding from paedophiles or else misunderstood thugs who simply need a hug and a trip to somewhere nice to raise their self-esteem.

Fortunately I think most of the public tend to carry on being relatively normal - my kids play outside when the weather is good, they clear off down the lane to the churchyard with their mate from next door. Hopefully while down there they're not having too many crafty fags or swilling too much beer.

Actually I know the worst they get up to is calling each other wankers
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Wed 21 May 2008, 17:15, closed)

Lack of imagination?
I have to disagree with you on that point - some of the people with the most vivid imaginations I've had the pleasure to experience are people I play World of Warcraft with - artists, writers, musicains, just generally people who think and can roll out a good story (I play on a role playing server, which might explain it)
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Wed 21 May 2008, 19:13, closed)

My nephew,
like me before him.... is obsessed with two things: Football and Computer games.

Through the day when its light, during gaps in School, it is football 24/7. By yourself, with mates, with clubs whatever.

Then at night you can retire to your bedroom to play 8 hours straight of ummmmmmm well in my day a good old RPG like Zelda, Story of Thor, or maybe a FPS like Exhumed.
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Thu 22 May 2008, 9:21, closed)