Sunday 9 March 2008

Why Christopher Pyne is Dangerous / R18+ Games - Opinion Beats Evidence Again

In a somewhat biased report from the ABC's 7:30 Report a few years back, the comments from Christopher Pyne show exactly why research based polices need to be implemented. Pyne dictates policies based on his own moral beliefs along with misgivings that marijuana is evil but alcohol is somehow OK . Dr. Alex Wodak who has spent his life dealing with drug and alcohol addiction has the qualifications needed to give genuine advice. Christopher Pyne on the other hand, is as thick as a piece of 4"2 redwood pine who's only term of reference is the flawed zero tolerance strategy. The statement below would have to go down as the most hypocritical gaff I have ever read.

ALEX WODAK: 

"Under the current system, of course, all the most vulnerable people in the country can roll up to any criminal and corrupt policeman that they know of and buy the drug and no questions asked about age or are you pregnant, or do you have a mental illness or whatever. If we had a taxed and regulated system, not only would we be able to have warnings on the packages, but we'd also be able to regulate the people who obtain cannabis from the regulated outlets". 

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

"I don't accept that. I don't think you should regulate poison because it would be easier to manage it if you did. This is a poison and it's destroying our young people. It's affecting their mental health and the idea that governments should somehow get involved in it, regulate it, tax it, control the strength of it and then spend that money that's raised in taxation as though it was any other kind of revenue raising tool, I think, is an abomination".

Isn't this how the government treats alcohol regulation now? Incredible!

R18+ Games - Opinion Beat Evidence Again

First of all, I am not a gamer. I am though, an adult. This gives me the right to watch and do what I please within the law and when someone decides for me what I can't watch or do, I need a reason. It seems so often now the reason is because someone with the power doesn't think it's appropriate because of their opinion ... facts, evidence and research de damned.

South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson is opposed to R18+ ratings for games because he wants to 

"protect children from harmful material"

Amazingly his opinion is not wavering even though research has found that the average age of Australian gamers is 28 and over 50 per cent of gamers are over 18. Also in 2005, a survey found 88 per cent of Australians supported an R18+ classification for games.

I am sure even the tonks from the right would agree considering they hate governments telling them what they can & can't do and that violence is such a part of their ideology.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who in their right mind would ever listen to Christopher Pyne in opposition?

No one listened to him when he was the minister.

Anonymous said...

he he he he
The exact regulation of alcohol is the very model he(Pyne) vows never to use.
WANKER

Anonymous said...

Obviously the mental midget that is Christopher Pyne has never heard of the pharmaceutical poison's schedule.
"I don't think you should regulate poison because it would be easier to manage it if you did".
I hate to tell you Chris you buffoon, but we ALREADY DO!!!
In every state and territory in Australia!!
It's one of the essential premises of the whole pharmaceutical trade.
Virtually every medicine IS poisonous, as a matter of necessity it is regulated.
Clearly this guy isn't fit to run a model train set much less a country.

Anonymous said...

I'm a gamer and I think there is a definite need to have ratings on some of them.
I really don't think they should be subject to censorship beyond that (unless some sicko designs a game where the object is to molest as many kiddies as possible or re-enact a school shooting or something equally vile).
I also think most games could benefit from a difficulty rating.
I think a lot of the problems with video games come about as a result of the gamer becoming frustrated much more so than the actual content.
I think there is some room to moderate the difficulty level on "easy" settings in a good many cases too. In a lot of cases "easy" just aint.

Terry Wright said...

Krypto: Clearly this guy isn't fit to run a model train set much less a country

Very good Krypto.

I got so wrapped up in the alcohol regulation argument, I completely missed your point. Likewise Pyne is so brain fucked with zero tolerance he completely missed 2 points.

Terry: 1
Pyne: 2

He wins.

Anonymous said...

you don't seem to understand the difference between the Religious Right, which is pro-censorship, and the libertarian right, which is anti-government control and anti-censorship, and is with you all the way on this.

Terry Wright said...

Thanks Daddy Dave

I'm not following?
Where's the reference to the religious right and censorship?

Anonymous said...

I think you guys need to realise that you represent a tiny minority. Parents are afraid of illegal drugs and do not want their children taking them. Pyne, and for that matter Kevin Rudd - a self proclaimed social conservative - will never shift one iota on drug policy. And comparing alcohol and drugs is absurd when you can have one drink of red wine which research suggests is actually beneficial? Compared to a hit of meth? Why do you think politicians keep mentioning "working families" during the campaign - because working families decide elections, not junkies. I’d say Pyne is a very clever politician as the quote above demonstrates.

Terry Wright said...

Thanks Anonymous.

"Pyne is a very clever politician as the quote above demonstrates"

Isn't that the problem at it's core. Political gain at the expense of common sense and people's lives. I don't get the connection between parents being afraid of illegal drugs/not wanting their children taking them and putting illegal drugs into the hands of the government to manage. Pyne missed the point altogether. Dr. Wodak was explaining that kids will get drugs now whether parents want them to or not. Drug dealers manage the illicit drug market and have no regulation except the "give me the cash". If the government manages it, the dealers go away and the government can stop drugs going to children. The only barrier is what you said ... political interests.

BTW, the argument about one drink is OK and doesn't effect you vs. one hit of a drug is instant is bullshit. One glass of alcohol effects your brain and gives you a mild sedation or a mild 'high'. The more you have the greater the mind altering effects. The same with drugs. One puff on a joint gives you a mild sedation or high as well. The more you have the greater the mind altering effects. Nixon put this theory up in the 1970s and was part of his "War on Drugs" argument. It was quickly dismissed. One glass of alcohol is beneficial to your physical health but still you get a mind altering effect ... just like drugs.

Anonymous said...

Christopher Pyne is a wanker, he sees the world through his own stupid ideals, and is surrounded by people who are just as incapable as he is. How scary it is that this idiot is now a minister in government