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Reminds me of this exchange when the Hogfather gives a sword to a little girl: http://m.imgur.com/gallery/DXDvM http://m.imgur.com/gallery/DXDvM You learned tw

by Swizec 11y ago

Reminds me of this exchange when the Hogfather gives a sword to a little girl: http://m.imgur.com/gallery/DXDvM http://m.imgur.com/gallery/DXDvM You learned two valuable lessons that day on Diablo. 1) don't be too trusting, 2) crying does not fix things in real life I think kids should be exposed to experiences like that. They should be given guidance, not bans. Take alcohol for instance: in Europe people start drinking very young (illegally). It's socially accepted as the norm that everyone knows happens. But for kids this is very hard to do of course. As a result, college is a lot less ... shall we say exciting? By the time we have easy access to alcohol (money+legal) we already know how to treat it with some amount of respect.

cjslep 11y ago
I also think these experiences are important for people to learn. It is why I am enjoying the current discussions around the Dark Zone in The Division. It is a PvP enabled zone in an otherwise PvE game, with a harsh absense of repurcussions meaning personal resposibility is all that stands in the way of losing everything. Many people cannot handle that and want to blame others for their "bad" behavior. It is very similar to EvE but in a genre that is more popular with younger, more ideal folk.
dspillett 11y ago
> in Europe people start drinking very young (illegally).... > By the time we have easy access to alcohol (money+legal) we already know how to treat it with some amount of respect. I would suggest that early illegal drinking is a dangerous thing. It works as you say for the majority, but for a sizeable minority it causes serious problems both then and in the future. Overall it is a bad risk/reward situation IMO. Legal early drinking while young more reliably has the effect you describe in my experience though. I don't know about elsewhere in Europe, but in the UK while it is illegal to sell alcohol directly to anyone under 18 under any circumstances, or those 18+ if you have any reason to believe they are buying in order to supply a minor except under specific conditions, you can (at your discretion) knowingly sell it to a "responsible adult" who is buying for a minor (IIRC the cut-off here is 14+) if the drink is part of a sit-down meal in a properly licensed premises. This covers having wine or beer with a meal in a restaurant. Furthermore, in your private residence you can give alcohol (again at your discretion) to anyone older than 5. The "at your discretion" part is vitally important here, it is the caveat through which the seller/giver is liable for prosecution under child protection laws if they are seen to allow anything that might be dangerous to a minor or get the "responsible adult" judgement wrong, and is also the caveat that allows the seller/giver to say "no" for any reason (which they do not have any legal obligation to explain, and if the customer gets angry about the situation that is adequate reason for refusal on its own in addition to any other considerations).
- maxerickson 11y ago
  10 US states have parental consent exceptions for service in a bar or restaurant: http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591 http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=0... (It's an interesting mix, including Massachusetts and Texas) A good deal more let parents give their kids a drink at home. I guess social attitudes contribute at least as much to college age binge drinking as legal regimes.
johnchristopher 11y ago
> 2) crying does not fix things in real life Of course, but just to be clear : crying is an essential mechanism to recognize, manage and cope with emotions. Children should be allowed to cry.
- Swizec 11y ago
  Of course. Crying helps. Hell, I cry plenty of times when watching sappy movies. But while crying helps, it doesn't solve. At least not outside your immediate social circle. And even inside, only in passing as a request for help and support. Eventually you have to do something, or decide you don't care enough to solve the problem. Children (maybe people in general?) should learn that doing is better than crying. In the case of Diablo, parents might do better to ask "So what are you going to do now? How are you rebuilding your character? Can you do it faster now that you have experience?" than to say "Oh you poor baby, that bully was super mean to you!" One is empowering. The other is victimizing. Important difference.
  - johnchristopher 11y ago
    Exactly. Have you seen "Inside out" the animated movie ? I thought it depicted the need to consider emotions and how they fit in the bigger picture quite well. I would recommend it for children and adults.
kuschku 11y ago
Especially the ability to get access to, say, beer legally earlier means you can drink lower percentage things, be accepted in the social circle, and test your limits.

by Swizec 11y ago

cjslep 11y ago

I also think these experiences are important for people to learn. It is why I am enjoying the current discussions around the Dark Zone in The Division. It is a PvP enabled zone in an otherwise PvE game, with a harsh absense of repurcussions meaning personal resposibility is all that stands in the way of losing everything. Many people cannot handle that and want to blame others for their "bad" behavior. It is very similar to EvE but in a genre that is more popular with younger, more ideal folk.

dspillett 11y ago

> in Europe people start drinking very young (illegally).... > By the time we have easy access to alcohol (money+legal) we already know how to treat it with some amount of respect. I would suggest that early illegal drinking is a dangerous thing. It works as you say for the majority, but for a sizeable minority it causes serious problems both then and in the future. Overall it is a bad risk/reward situation IMO. Legal early drinking while young more reliably has the effect you describe in my experience though. I don't know about elsewhere in Europe, but in the UK while it is illegal to sell alcohol directly to anyone under 18 under any circumstances, or those 18+ if you have any reason to believe they are buying in order to supply a minor except under specific conditions, you can (at your discretion) knowingly sell it to a "responsible adult" who is buying for a minor (IIRC the cut-off here is 14+) if the drink is part of a sit-down meal in a properly licensed premises. This covers having wine or beer with a meal in a restaurant. Furthermore, in your private residence you can give alcohol (again at your discretion) to anyone older than 5. The "at your discretion" part is vitally important here, it is the caveat through which the seller/giver is liable for prosecution under child protection laws if they are seen to allow anything that might be dangerous to a minor or get the "responsible adult" judgement wrong, and is also the caveat that allows the seller/giver to say "no" for any reason (which they do not have any legal obligation to explain, and if the customer gets angry about the situation that is adequate reason for refusal on its own in addition to any other considerations).

maxerickson 11y ago
10 US states have parental consent exceptions for service in a bar or restaurant: http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591 http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=0... (It's an interesting mix, including Massachusetts and Texas) A good deal more let parents give their kids a drink at home. I guess social attitudes contribute at least as much to college age binge drinking as legal regimes.

johnchristopher 11y ago

> 2) crying does not fix things in real life Of course, but just to be clear : crying is an essential mechanism to recognize, manage and cope with emotions. Children should be allowed to cry.

Swizec 11y ago
Of course. Crying helps. Hell, I cry plenty of times when watching sappy movies. But while crying helps, it doesn't solve. At least not outside your immediate social circle. And even inside, only in passing as a request for help and support. Eventually you have to do something, or decide you don't care enough to solve the problem. Children (maybe people in general?) should learn that doing is better than crying. In the case of Diablo, parents might do better to ask "So what are you going to do now? How are you rebuilding your character? Can you do it faster now that you have experience?" than to say "Oh you poor baby, that bully was super mean to you!" One is empowering. The other is victimizing. Important difference.
- johnchristopher 11y ago
  Exactly. Have you seen "Inside out" the animated movie ? I thought it depicted the need to consider emotions and how they fit in the bigger picture quite well. I would recommend it for children and adults.

kuschku 11y ago

Especially the ability to get access to, say, beer legally earlier means you can drink lower percentage things, be accepted in the social circle, and test your limits.