China Cracks Down on Video Games

Just this past week, China released new rules regulating how much time minors are allowed to play video games. People under the age of 18 need to log off their game by 10 p.m. Gamers can play 90 minutes on weekdays, and a maximum of 3 hours on the weekends and holidays. 

In addition to time restrictions, minors are restricted to purchases of up to $28 through $57 a month depending on age. The New York Times featured several articles this week related to China's new regulations. [CLICK HERE to read the latest story.]

China claims that playing video games is to "blame for a rise in nearsightedness and poor academic performance across a broad swath of society." They also want to censor any games that are too violent or explicit. In additions professional gamers are being censored for speaking out against the Chinese government. 

We recently read a story about people who are dissenters. The term "dissent" means "to hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed." The New York Times article noted that Chung Ng Wai, a professional gamer, was recently suspended for voicing support of "antigovernment demonstrations in Hong Kong." This reflects being a dissenter since he is going against the Chinese government who is known to suppress peoples' views.

The issue at stake is not simply a crackdown on video gaming but potentially a crackdown on individual rights. Should a government set limits on how many minutes one can spend on a video game? Is this an infringement of rights or simply a preventive measure to move minors away from addictive video games? 

Get out the timers . . .

Time For Change

Just a few days ago, on October 12th, Atatiana Jefferson was murdered in her mother’s home by a police officer. Aaron Dean shot one time through Ms. Jefferson’s window killing her. She was inside her home playing with her young nephew. Jefferson was African American, Police officer Dean is white. We seem to read about these types of terrible tragedies regarding African American injustice in the news so often. 

As Frederick Douglass wrote close to a hundred and seventy five years ago, discrimination against black people has a long and troubled history in our country. 

The tragedy in Ft. Worth occurred after a concerned neighbor called a non emergency line when he saw the doors to Jefferson’s home had been open for many hours. When officers arrived, they neither knocked on the door nor rang the doorbell. Instead the two officers went around back, called out, and then Office Dean shot and killed Ms. Jefferson. Aaron Dean decided to quit hours before he was going to be fired. He did not cooperate with police and was released pending investigation. The New York Times article (Click Here) tells of how the police station said the officer acted very inappropriately. This story is being updated daily. 

This shooting brings up yet another example of a white police officer killing an African American who was merely in their own home. Just weeks earlier, Amber Guyger, a former police officer in nearby Dallas, was convicted of murder for shooting a man in his home. Former Officer Guyger mistakenly thought the man was an intruder in her home.  

The police are concerned about upcoming protests and further lack of trust between police and African Americans. Many communities are very worried that Dean will be given a light sentence because of similar events that have happened in the Dallas area and across the country.

How do you think these kind of tragedies should be prevented? Do officers need further training? Is this just one example of ongoing stereotypes and fear in our country? What can we do to create change?  

O’Halloran

I’ve been fortunate to visit Ireland a few times and have always appreciated meeting my aunts, uncles and cousins who live there now. For this assignment, I was glad to learn more about my mom’s family and where we originated. I asked my mom to sit down with me and tell me more about when and from where our family emigrated and how they settled in the United States. 

My grandmother used to tell me how she arrived in New York City from London on St. Patrick’s Day in 1954. She was thrilled to see that people in the United States celebrated the Irish. It was her first time on an airplane too. Both my grandparents were from farmlands in the west of Ireland. My grandmother was from Co. Mayo and my grandfather from Co. Clare. They met in London as there was little work in Ireland during the 1940s. Then they emigrated to Chicago in 1954 and married here. They picked Chicago as they had some family members already living here and they were looking for more opportunities. Also, while they felt fortunate to find jobs in London, the Irish were often not welcome there and were called “Paddies.” There was tension between the Irish and English as the English had colonized the Irish for centuries. A long history of struggle existed between the two countries. 

My mom told me how my parents always felt very welcome in the United States. My grandfather set up Emerald Plumbing Co. on the northwest side of Chicago and they built a successful business. My mom and her family are very proud to be Irish-Americans. My mom studied in Ireland for a long time and worked there too. We have been back to Ireland several times to meet our relatives there and to visit all the places important to our family history. On every holiday, my mom and aunts make Irish coffees and invite everyone over to share soda bread too.