Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/20

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Subject: [Leica] guns, photography, and the american psychosis
From: walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson)
Date: Fri Oct 20 07:43:16 2006
References: <C15E52B2.17336%bd@bdcolenphoto.com>

Perhaps it isn't guns but god. Outlaw religion and what would we have to 
fight about? :-)

B. D. Colen wrote:

>Funny you should mention all this, Frank - No, our kids didn't have Davy
>Crockett, and Lord knows they didn't have Cowboys and Original Americans,;-)
>- but they had Star Wars - with laser sabers and guns.
>
>My wife and I were determined we weren't going to let our kids play with toy
>guns, until my first-born kept taking the thermometer from his toy 'doctor
>kit' and sticking it into the otoscope to turn it into a pistol! So we asked
>a child psychiatrist friend of ours, a wonder, gentle, insightful man who
>had written a terrific child rearing book called "What Shall We Tell The
>Children," what he thought about kids and toy guns. His response? "I have
>them in the toy basket in my office" He said that he only worried about toy
>guns and kids when the kids would use the toy guns to act out violent acts -
>as in pointing them at parents or friends in anger, and expressing a wish to
>kill them. The other thing that he said was a real warning sign of trouble
>ahead was kids exhibiting intentional cruelty toward animals.
>
>Anyway, my point about playing with toy guns, Davy Crockett, etc., was how
>ingrained all that is/was in our society. Yes, Westerns are pretty much gun
>- certainly on t.v. - but look at what's on instead.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On 10/20/06 9:53 AM, "Frank Filippone" <red735i@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>I was thinking .....
>>
>>Me too, all of these.  But there is a whole generation that has no idea of
>>what you are talking about.... My kids for instance.....
>>cowboys and Indians?  Playing Davy Crockett?  Do you think they would have 
>>had
>>any idea?    We date ourselves from our memories and
>>our statements... 30 somethings just will never know the joy of that real 
>>fur
>>cap ( rabbit skin).
>>
>>My wife, upon birth of our first son, decided there would be no play guns.
>>Her father was a Life member of the NRA, but she is dead
>>set against violence. Play guns breed violence.  So the kid has toys like
>>hammers, blocks etc, but no toy guns.  He is about 2 now,
>>and he is playing with a friend.  Lunch time.  The boys were very animated,
>>having lots of fun at the table when our son picks up a
>>banana, aims it at his friend and "shoots" him with that banana.
>>
>>Frank Filippone
>>red735i@earthlink.net
>>
>>I don't know about you, Walt, but I grew up playing with toy guns - playing
>>war, playing "Davy Crockett," playing "cowboys and Indians." Think about 
>>how
>>much all that play had to do with the acceptance of guns as a part of every
>>day life.
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Leica Users Group.
>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>    
>>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Leica Users Group.
>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>  
>

In reply to: Message from bd at bdcolenphoto.com (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] guns, photography, and the american psychosis)