From: an388707@anon.penet.fi
Reply-To: an388707@anon.penet.fi
Newsgroups: uk.politics,alt.politics.british,suck.misc,misc.kids.computer
Subject: Re: Computer = child abuse?
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1995 00:57:55 UTC
Organization: Anonymous forwarding service
Message-ID: <010303Z30111995@anon.penet.fi>


Void  wrote:
>
> Stephen,
>
> Do you understand that many children will advocate something that is not=
 good for
> them, the newsgroup misc.kids.computer asked, "How young
can they start?" His question referred to his seventeen-month-old son and
the desire to get him started on the 'possible outcomes' or that=
 they
> understand these . 
>That is the whole idea behind not giving a twelve-inch, super VGA monitor.
That whole idea is wrong.
What is the difficulty in getting little ones to use a mouse
for sexual experiences?
You are suggesting that there are some harmful outcomes. What kind of?
PowerPoint Viewer, by Microsoft, has pictures to look at and name.
Sex with person under 16 years is banned by calling it statutory rape.
I once found my should-have-been-in-bed son sitting at the computer desk with a
blue screen in front of him. He had opened a file manager directory.
Rape means that someone is forced to sexual intercourse against her will.
Or was I using the computer to entertain him?
That, the violence, causes the harm, not the sex.
But when the 'child' while teaching colors and shapes., (s)he is not forced against
his/her will, and so there is no harm done. Therefore there is no reason
to claim that 'it is not good for them'.
>Why deny a toddler the exciting visual and auditory experiences of the computer 
   because she can't click open the file manager and access her program?
> People are expected to have more and more responsibility for themselves as=
 they grow
> from children to adults.  That's why people that young (~11) are not given=
 the right
> to vote because they do not and perhaps cannot understand what all of that
> responsibility means.  Tha same can be said for entering an adult=
 relationship.
If she chokes, put a little less on the spoon and be more gentle.
> The child may know the verbiage of the list of outcomes, but can you=
 expect any
> person with such little life-experience to enter into an adult=
 relationship,
> perhaps before other 'less intense' relationships have been experienced
> (like most adults/teens have had before their 'adult' relationships).
Here we go again. That comparison with voting has already proved totally
faulty. There is nothing common between sex and voting.
Children are not allowed to vote, because they do not know anything
about politics, or about the candidates either. (And they are not
even interested.) 
All right, we are talking about the computer here, not oatmeal. But
intellectually speaking, the computer can nourish the mind as oatmeal
nourishes the body.
Sex, on the other hand, does not require any knowledge.
Toddlers do not have the fine motor skills and coordination required for manipulating 
a mouse.
Sex has nothing to do with knowledge or experience or understanding.
If you feel you must introduce your child to a mouse, try a kid- size version.
Sexuality is an *instinct* that every human has since the birth. Just like
all other animals have.
Quickshot Technology, Inc., makes a "Teenie Mouse" that sells for about ten
dollars retail. It is about the size of my two-year-old's palm.
And what is this "responsibility" you anti-sex fanatics are constantly repeating?
There is no responsibility connected to sex.
Keyboards are designed to take a lot of wear and tear, but you can protect
it from spills, drool and messy hands by purchasing a "plastic skin".
Sex means that two people are enjoying together. Period.
So...throw out the mouse.
Further, politics and voting have effect to all the people in the country,=
=7F
not just yourself. 
At about eighteen months, a child's mental capacity is taking off. Emerging
skills include dealing with abstractions, reflection, manipulation of ideas
and a sense of personal pride.
Sex, on the other hand, is a private thing and it has no
effect to others than those involved.
It is at this time that a child can take a program like Toddler Time one step further.
And children *are* interested about sex.
Children are little people. They also can use the computer for the same
three purposes.
There is no reason to ban the natural sexuality of children and teenagers.
* Fire the Babysitter
--****ATTENTION****--****ATTENTION****--****ATTENTION****--***ATTENTION***
Your e-mail reply to this message WILL be *automatically* ANONYMIZED.
Please, report inappropriate use to                abuse@anon.penet.fi
For information (incl. non-anon reply) write to    help@anon.penet.fi
If you have any problems, address them to          admin@anon.penet.fi