Sir Gareth Southgate: Boys need role models, not gaming and porn
Sir Gareth Southgate: Boys need role models, not gaming and porn
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Sir Gareth Southgate: Boys need role models, not gaming and porn
52 comments
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Was going to comment something like imagine being GenZ and growing up with Mike Adriano and Trevor from GTA as your role models.
Actually as a millenial I remember spending my time getting Tommy Vercetti to use prostitutes in Vice City while the free porn sites were far less moderated and contained extremely questionable content.
Maybe these external influences are less of an issue if people realise they are "entertainment" and not reality. I could picture a kid who struggles to separate the two but they'd be a minority.
IMO parents/caregivers need to step up to ensure kids are raised properly but I think that's the main point Southgate is making.
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As a fellow millennial and Vice City alumni I agree with you and Gareth Southgate.
But I also think that the quantity of time that kids are spending online and in front of screens is playing a bigger part than we recognise. We didn't have smartphone on us 24/7. And of course content producers have gotten better at making their stuff visually stimulating and addictive.
Funnily enough though, a few weeks ago I had some late night sessions playing GTA for the first time in about 15 years and noticed afterwards that I was driving faster and accelerating much hard in the car IRL!
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We didn’t have smartphone on us 24/7. And of course content producers have gotten better at making their stuff visually stimulating and addictive.
Yeah I think both of those could be reasons why young people have problems today. Another reason could be the Covid lockdowns, which resulted in young people spending more time online, and less time in the real world.
When I was young I spent some time online, using internet forums etc. But the most fun I had was when I socialised with real people in the real world.
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The dark patterns of modern design is the biggie for me. Addictiveness is being optimised for. Back in the day it was just a happy accident (for developers).
I don't fret about the contents of what they're exposed to (oh no, nudity and violence, how outlandish, how will humans cope...) but the format it's presented being designed to screw with their brains ain't good.
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wait..... why is this just boys, and also cant we have all of that?
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True, you could argue that young women are also being negatively affected by "toxic influencers".
I guess Gareth has chosen to focus on issues facing young men though. Of course Gareth has experience mentoring young men, as the manager of England's men's football team.
Society probably should help both young women and young men, but maybe each group faces slightly different problems. E.g. according to the Samaritans, men are 3 times as likely to die from suicide as women, although women attempt suicide more than men do. So both groups clearly have problems, but they seem to deal with those problems in different ways. Maybe different approaches are needed when helping each gender.
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Amouranth is my role model
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This guy probably thinks Amicus isn't a good role model, despite being a character from a PORN VIDEO GAME.
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I think an important question here is what need refers to. Needed to become what?
That's not a leading question - I mean that I don't know what the target behaviour should be in any concrete terms. If we don't know where we're going it's hard to navigate.
What do we think we should hold up as virtues? I'm sure we all have a few ideas but something coherent and consistent would be good.
Lots of things that are currently accepted as good are really problematic, I feel. Classic example - hard work. The idea that toil is inherently noble and converselt wanting to relax is slothful. Doesn't really lead down a good road.
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I agree with him, but I think there are multiple different ways to approach this issue (in many western countries).
Part of this is starting boys one year later in school, because developmentally, boys hit puberty later than girls. Another part needs to be offline activities like camping, biking, and sailing that get boys outside and playing with each other in healthy environments. Scouting was a great example when I was a kid. It let kids blow off excess steam, while teaching them how to work together, how to safely help injured people, deal with emergencies, and experience the wonder of the outdoors. It also taught good skills like swimming, personal finance, and leadership.
I think back then, the Internet was a lot more rudimentary, and cellphones really could only be used for calling. Videogames were collaborative, in-person activities, and while it did peel people away, it wasn't the isolated, single-player experience it is now. Kids and adults have to get away from that sometimes.
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True. Jesus is a good role model.
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Someone who's alive and real would be a good start.
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Jesus is real, and that's a historical fact. Jesus is still alive, His resurrection and ascension was witnessed.
But that's besides the point; who else who is "alive and real" would you suggest is a better rolemodel? Even if Jesus was fictional, He's still a pretty good role model by what's written about Him.
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For who, subs? Even Christians don’t follow a single word that guy said.
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Can't downside because I might write hurty words. That's literal violence.
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52 comments