A psychology professor from Pittsburgh is leading a symposium this weekend about the “Sexualization of Children”. Among her concerns are the dangers posed to girls by, of all things, videogames.

What’s so dangerous about videogames, and why specifically are they a danger to girls? Apparently it’s because boys are a danger to girls. The professor, Sharna Olfman, groups videogames with online porn and claims that boys are taught by this media that women exist solely for their pleasure. According to her, videogames and porn are “an unfortunate growing mechanism by which boys learn about sex”.

To be honest, she’s right. Most things I know about women and sex I learned from videogames and porn. I learned that delivering pizza or unclogging a toilet will get me laid, as will selecting the right multiple choice answers from a dialogue tree. I also learned that women are better snipers and are just as capable as men at kicking ass… wait, those things are actually true!

So what else does Professor Dumbshit think is going to eat our children? Music, movies, television shows, and clothing lines all treat women like sexual objects. Apparently, musicians and actors are trying to sex you up, and people who wear fashionable clothing are just trying to get sexual attention. No, that can’t be true!

This all just sounds like common knowledge to me, evidence that the professor must have just woken from a 400-year coma. Why is there a need for a symposium about this?

The professor’s definition of “sexualization” is when someone “doesn’t understand that sexuality is part of a loving relationship”. Does it really have to be? Do I have to be in a loving relationship before I can squirt some AXE on myself or wear some nut-huggers?

We are not “sexualizing” our children, we are simply “sexualizing” everything in the world where our children live. We are “sexualizing” ourselves because it’s human nature and we like it.

Let me blow your minds with the simple solution: keep your kids away from adult material. Don’t let them watch R-rated movies or Spike TV, don’t let them play M-Rated games, don’t buy them thongs or lingerie, don’t let them listen to rap music (which you should be doing regardless), and for God’s sake keep them away from this website!

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Children running to their nearest GameStop to buy GTA IV should think twice. A recent survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission revealed that overall, 80% of underage shoppers were denied purchase of M-rated video games.

This is an improvement over a 2006 FTC survey, which indicated that a mere 42% were not allowed to make such purchases. The results are part of a larger nationwide survey on retailers’ vigilance against unaccompanied children purchasing CDs with the Parental Advisory Label, M-rated video games, tickets to R-rated movies, R-rated DVDs, and unrated DVDs that were R-rated in theaters.

In terms of M-rated games, the survey gathered data from eight major retail chains: Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Hollywood Video, GameStop/EB Games, Kmart, Circuit City, Target, and Best Buy.

The results revealed that GameStop was the most stringent, refusing sales of M-rated titles to minors 96% of the time, followed by Wal-Mart’s 82%. On the other hand, the biggest offender was Hollywood Video, which turned down sales to minors only 60% of the time, followed by Circuit City with 62%.

Source: FTC.gov via Gamasutra.com