Won’t someone think of the CHILDREN?
Whether it’s Newt Gingrich warning the world against the dangers of “Nintendos” or Ralph Nader scolding the government for allowing kids to play “electronic child molesters,” gamers are used to hearing their favorite hobby be dragged through the dirt in the name of all that is decent and wholesome in this world. Everyone from President Trump, to Joe Biden, to Prince Harry, to the NRA seem to be content to blame the world’s problems on video games–evidence to the contrary be damned.
But as it turns out, this kind of moral hand wringing is as old as history itself, and video games certainly won’t be its last target. Here are ten things people were convinced were corrupting children long before video games.
#10: Writing Things Down
https://medium.com/@seyonec/socrates-the-father-of-modern-philosophy-a9a757df631f
The Greek philosopher Socrates is one of the founders of Western philosophy, but most of what we know about his teachings, we know because they were written down by his student Plato. Socrates believed that true knowledge could only be gained from the verbal exchange of ideas and that writing things down would “create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories…they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.”
#9: The Printing Press
If you remember your grade school history lessons, you’ll recall that Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1400s. Now, we look back on the innovation as one of the breakthroughs that heralded in modernity, but not all at the time felt the same. Having so much information available was “confusing and harmful” to the mind, especially for children, according to Conrad Gessner, a Swiss scientist.
#8: Novels
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/252201647856268824/
Today you often see educational authorities begging parents to read with their children. Doing so expands listening and language skills, as well as making them better readers themselves. But people thought very differently in the 18th and 19th centuries. Young women were believed to be unable to distinguish between reality and the fictional worlds of novels. They were thus discouraged from reading in order to protect their fragile minds.
#7: Coffee
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/when-coffee-started-a-war-between-men-and-women-over-impotence-506532
Coffee is one of the main reasons I have for getting out of bed in the morning. Considering that even the smallest towns still usually have a coffee shop or two, I’m clearly not alone in my need for the bean. But throughout history, coffee has often been placed side by side with alcohol as a dangerous devil drink. Everyone from the Meccan governor, to the Pope, to 17th century London wives (who were not allowed entrance into coffeehouses) banned its consumption.
#6: Theater
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/why-we-mostly-stopped-messing-with-shakespeares-language
In our modern age of 24/7 screen time, we tend to think of going to the theater as a cultured pastime. However, in the days of Shakespeare, theaters were frowned upon by the authorities. They were places where (*gasp!*) the upper and lower classes mingled together, and because brothels were usually situated nearby, prostitutes combed the audience for business.
#5: The Waltz
http://claradaniella.blogspot.com/2012/02/sweet-waltz.html
In many circles (including mine), the mere mention of ballroom dancing can leave people yawning. But in the 17th and 18th centuries, the waltz had religious leaders crossing themselves in triple time. Dancing partners touched and twirled together in close proximity, and this was considered so vulgar that dancers were threatened with death.
#4: Radio
https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio
Before digital music was king, the radio was a central part of modern households for decades. Not all were pleased about it, however. In the 1930s, the magazine Gramophone (perhaps in response to the competition the medium posed) reported that listening to the radio caused children to neglect their studies, as well as upsetting the delicate balance of their developing minds.
#3: Pinball
https://clickamericana.com/eras/1940s/pinball-wizards-vintage-pinball-machines-1940s
In the 1940s, New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia led a crusade against pinball. He claimed the machines not only wasted the time and resources of World War II-era Americans, but that they also corrupted children, causing them to skip school and steal money in order to play. Undercover officers divided their attention from drug runners and the mafia to bust anyone who dared house one of these illegal gambling machines in their business.
#2: Rock ‘n Roll
https://www.michiganradio.org/post/chuck-berry-his-own-words
Bob Seger may wax nostalgic about “that old time rock and roll,” but almost from the very beginning, rock music was the bane of teachers, preachers, parents, and politicians everywhere. These Satanic, evil sounds were performed by young, sexy stars like Elvis (which was troubling) or by black artists like Chuck Berry (which was more troubling). But worst of all, teenagers absolutely loved it.
#1: Dungeons & Dragons
https://hauntedeyeball.wordpress.com/2018/09/19/quickie-review-satanic-panic/
One of the smartest aspects of the show Stranger Things was how it introduced its young protagonists over a game of D&D, which left the audience wistful for a simpler, more innocent time. In the 1980s, however, this imaginative game actually left society in a panic. After a string of tragic suicides were blamed on the game, it was condemned as a tool of the occult that had the power to drive your child to madness.
