OFF: GWAR & Kids/Motorhead & Wasp

[DAMON CAPEHART]

On         Fri, 13 Jun 1997 10:19:12 GMT+01 Carl Edlund Anderson
<cea20 at CUS.CAM.AC.UK> wrote:

>> > I would disagree with you somewhat, depending on the age, maturity
>> > and general intelligence of a child you have to be somewhat concerned
>> > with they  expose themselves to.
>
>     I think kids are brighter than one thinks, though they (we? :) are
>impressionable and are happy to try nearly any kind of weird shit just for
>the hell of it.
>     I mean, sure--dressing up like a freaking and dancing around with a
>bunch of impaled angels looks like a lark, right?  But I think most kids,
>unless they are terminally dumb, would understand no problem if you said
>"this is a big act, right?  like a play.  people just think this looks
>cool, so you can make a lot of money doing it".

This certainly seems logical, but on the other hand I've known people - as
teenagers and as adults - who are, in most other senses of the word,
intelligent, and thought, "Oh, this is just a joke.  Harmless."  But after a
while it ceased to be a joke and they unwittingly began to take it
seriously.  Whether or not these bands/acts are just a big joke is
irrelevant; the display which they (the bandmembers) consider a joke is, in
one way or another, a serious reality.  Of course, I'm not saying that the
"serious" part consists of any of the weird, wacky theatrics, but - whether
or not you believe in Hell or Satan or whatever force of evil - there are
those who wish to commit vile acts for him/it.

The thing is, this stuff starts out as a joke, but - just as it happens with
-certain- drugs (the strong ones that can actually do significant harm), a
person becomes desensitized to the portrayal of these acts and eventually
wants something more.  Unfortunately, there are those who do want and find
it.

>But I get the feeling that if you are straight with kids all the way they
>will understand most things.  I don't want to shelter any kids I have since
>I think that will, in the end, confuse them worse than ever (and take
>something away from someone and they want it instantly, right?).

Absolutely.  I believe wholeheartedly in being honest with them.  Honest
communication is a *huge* chunk of what makes a family work.

>     If I had kids, I'd take 'em to see Motorhead in an instant (if they
>wanted to go :)

One word:  EARPLUGS!  DON'T FORGET EARPLUGS!

[I'll spare you a lecture on the sensitivity of children's ears. :-) ]

Damon Capehart, from his crappy new account.  (graduation has its
disadvantages)