This was supposed to be my New Year’s Eve entry, but because I started playing Maple Story during Winter Break, there just wasn’t any time for me to update my blog. I still don’t have time to write as much, but I’ve made some time in between reading for contracts and leveling up cute archer. Puhahaha…

Pretend it’s New Year’s Eve, 2005.

I don’t make resolutions for myself anymore because (1) I am perfect, and (2) I am incapable of following up with these pathetic “turn over a new leaf” attempts. It’s just not happening for someone who lacks the patience, stamina, or motivation. Besides, I am awesome incarnate.

Instead, I would rather make resolutions for other people to follow. Being that I am judgmental and mean, I pay close attention to certain virtues and vices in order to find something to make fun of, and educate my faithful readers about.

This year, the attention is on PARENTS. Yes! Parents! And not just any parents—but PARENTS WHO TRY TO COVER UP THEIR SUB-PAR PARENTING SKILLS BY BLAMING THEIR CHILDRENS’ BAD BEHAVIOR ON EXTERNAL DEVICES.

For 2006, I hope all parents will begin to realize that the reason why their son or daughter shot up their high schools and hung themselves from a flag pole right after has nothing to do with rated R movies, video games, music, or violent television shows. As convenient a way out as it is to blame Mortal Kombat for your child finding pleasure in stabbing his classmate to death, is that really realistic? I think it might be better to ask yourself if you’ve managed to teach your child where to draw the line between fact and fiction.

I think the proper way to assess one’s bad parenting is to wonder why there are children who are not affected by what they see and hear on television, movies, video games, and music. WHY AREN’T MORE CHILDREN KILLING PEOPLE? If kids are so prone to being infected by these messages of brutality, why aren’t there more stories on the news about these violent youngsters?

Oh wait…could it be because…most of them aren’t stupid enough to believe everything they see and hear? No, no way. I mean, I bet those kids are just lucky. I’m sure they all have a violent streak, they all sleep with guns and knives under their pillows, and they all plot hundreds of different ways to blow up their houses.

Oh please.

What I want to know is: if kids can be easily influenced by violence, and imitate those acts in their daily lives—how come those same kids aren’t jumping off buildings, thinking they can fly around like Spider Man? Or crawling into sewers in an effort to find the Ninja Turtles? Or putting on one of their mother’s rings and summon Captain Planet? Why is it that the kids do the violent acts, as opposed to the non-violent ones?

The whole thing with games like Grand Theft Auto and the government crackdown on sex and violence—it’s just too much. Parents want censorship. They want control. They want the entertainment industry to provide the public, their families, with peace, love, and happiness so as to prevent their kids from running around in violent tirades.

But—last time I checked—no one forced you to have your children. You kind of made that decision yourself, didn’t you? And, if you have no problems conceiving these children, then you should have no problems taking parental responsibility and raising them properly.

And correct me if I’m wrong, but that parental responsibility could entail not letting your kids partake in activities that you think might negatively influence your kids. Unless your DNA test proves that Rockstar Games is your baby daddy, then you really shouldn’t bother with the anti-violence campaign. If you have so much of a problem with undue influence, then you should take better care in explaining to your spawn that reality and non-reality do not cross each other’s boundaries. It’s completely your fault if they don’t get this message because you’re the only one who is obligated to teach them that, and no one else.

So for 2006, I hope that all parents have the resolution to take responsibility for their children, and come to terms with the fact that their kids are screwed up because they screwed up.

YAY!

I have been following the story of those trapped miners ever since the story broke two days ago. I can’t even begin to understand how the families are feeling right now—the emotional rollercoaster that these past 40+ hours have been. They have been holed up in their church, waiting and praying for news that their loved ones have survived—and they got what they were hoping for four hours ago. Twelve men had been found alive—the news headlines will be reiterating that statement tomorrow.

But then they were told to disregard the previous announcement, that it was just miscommunication and instead, only one man had survived and the rest were dead.

How do you look those families in the eyes and tell them that you heard wrong? How do you watch them cheer and thank God and weep tears of joy, knowing that the information hasn’t been confirmed, and that there is a good chance that it is inaccurate? The control center of the mine operations knew in advance that no one had been found alive yet, but they held that information in under the pretense that they did not want to families to suffer any more trauma.

I think they’ve suffered more than was necessary. What are these people to do now that they feel like they’ve been lied to for the two days?