Common Sense Social Media and Entertainment Control

"They brainwashed my great uncle
Brainwashed my cousin Bob
They even got my grandma
When she was working for the mob
Brainwash you while you're sleeping
While in your traffic jam
Brainwash you while you're weeping
While still a baby in your pram
Brainwashed by the military
Brainwashed under duress
Brainwashed by the media
You're brainwashed by the press
Brainwashed by computer
Brainwashed by mobile phones
Brainwashed by the satellite
Brainwashed to the bone"

 - George Harrison

Do you want to try to solve a problem or do you just want to shout past each other?  If one wants to have an honest discussion, I can't shout you down and you can't shout me down.  That's how it works - or doesn't.

Some of the back and forth I have seen over the past week since the Parkland shooting has attempted to address the critical question: 

“How to do we work together to prevent future school shootings?” 

However, too much of the discussion has resulted in people talking past each other – surprise, surprise! It is a sensitive issue and we have students exercising their free speech on the issue.  I applaud them for showing their collective anger - born out of grief for their fallen classmates and the terror they experienced.  However, that experience does not give license to a one way discussion.  I do not agree with many of their proposed solutions as they seem to focus specifically on the weapon used in the crime.  There are other factors beyond the weapon itself, but I believe the students are unwittingly being exploited by gun control zealots.

In an attempt to try to help those who line up on the side of gun control to better understand defenders of the 2nd Amendment, I will present an analogy.  Hopefully, they can identify the flaws in logic and shine the mirror back on their own positions.  Please note that just because someone has a different view on the issue does not make one "pro-school shootings".

Here goes:

My recommendation to prevent school shootings is to take a simple common sense approach.  I’ve seen friends posting links to brain studies which conclude that the brain does not reach maturity until the age of 25.  This particular study has been used to argue that people should not have access to an AR-15 until, at the minimum, they have reached that age.  Using that as a premise, I recommend the following:

• Ban citizens under the age of 25 from being able to access social media platforms 
• Ban citizens under the age of 25 from being able to watch TV, movies or music videos which contain violent content
• Ban citizens under the age of 25 from being able to play violent video games

In short, no social media or access to violent entertainment media for citizens under the age of 25.

Over time, it has become obvious that young people are preoccupied with social media.  This obsession has created an environment where real physical human social interaction has been reduced and isolation among young citizens has been increased.  This isolation has led to more at-risk teens being ostracized.   The further these teens are banished from real life social circles, the greater the danger to the community.

Social media has also enabled ease of access to dangerous information.  Prior to social media platforms, a young sociopath had to seek out and fit into external groups in order to learn how to plan and plot destruction.  However, that information can be easily accessed today from a smart phone.  We must explore ways to make this information less accessible to young people.  Removing access to social media platforms will be a great step in that direction.

Another very dangerous condition created by social media is the ability of a person with no real accomplishments to exaggerate their self-importance.  A young, isolated outcast can create video content which can then be spread across the globe.  It was near impossible for the average young citizen to distribute mass propaganda prior to the advent of social media.  We must make the hurdle to achieve this notoriety much higher than what is allowed via social media.

Last on this list is the violent content in the entertainment media being pushed through channels which has helped to desensitize the immature brain and has also provided a road map to plotting mayhem and destruction.

Meanwhile, those who have enriched themselves working for social media and entertainment companies have known full well of the damage they have foisted upon the young.  Their blood money has been filling the pockets of Left wing politicians who have looked the other way while generations of our youth have been forever damaged.  Students should be marching and demanding that politicians stop taking contributions from these entities and should most certainly not allow George Clooney, Steven Spielberg and their kind to underwrite their protests.  That is, in the ironies of all ironies, an acceptance of blood money.

In summary, social media and violent entertainment media used by young people contributes to:

• Reduced human interaction and isolation
• Access to dangerous information
• Ability to exaggerate self-importance
• Desensitization
• Template for methods in plotting mayhem

I will call my recommendation:

Common Sense Social Media and Entertainment Control

Critics of my common sense recommendations may say that these proposals violate the free speech rights as defined in the First Amendment, but let’s get real about the First Amendment.  When the Constitution was written and, subsequently, ratified by a bunch of old white slave holders, they were concerned about printing presses and town criers.  There is no way that the founding fathers envisioned telephones, televisions, movies, computers and the ability of citizens to sit in their homes and spread information and propaganda over social media platforms.  Let’s stop pretending that the free speech guaranteed in a document from more than 200 years ago should apply to today’s technology.

I’m also sure that people under the age of 25 will feel that their rights are being denied, but let’s be clear that nobody “needs” access to social media and entertainment media.  Is their “need” worth the deaths of children in our schools?  Go down to the local coffee shop, shopping mall or playground and communicate one on one in real life with your peers.  If one desires to write and distribute commentary out to the community, buy a typewriter and distribute by hand.  If one desires to share photographs, buy a camera and take the negatives to have them developed at the Fotomat.  I don’t believe that photos of vainglorious lunches and desserts are worth another life.

And, yet, criticism of my proposal - funded by the oligarchs from the social media companies and the entertainment industry - will cite studies stating that 99% of the people under age 25 who utilize social media and the entertainment media do not contribute to ostracizing their peers or plotting mayhem.  That might be an interesting metric, but we must ensure that it is not accessible to the other 1%.  An all-out ban will achieve that goal – it is simple common sense.  If it just saves one life, it will be worth it.

Let’s be very clear about my recommendation:

1. This is not political
2. It is time to Do Something
3. Enough is enough!
4. If these measures save just one life, it will be worth it.

So, I hope you support common sense social media and entertainment control.  We must come together and stand behind this recommendation or you will have the blood of children on your hands.

NOW, I actually believe this proposal would help, but it would completely violate the rights of law abiding citizens - which makes it nonsensical.  Let's get rid of the political posturing and begin to work on a solution which uses real common sense.