Well its tragic news that gripped the country. A teacher from my home town of Leeds, Mrs Ann
Maguire was stabbed to death in front of her class this week. As a training teacher and childcare provider I am shocked to hear about this. Apparently it was also an unprovoked attack. First of all my thoughts go out to her family and friends, however it has occurred to me that the media are blaming video games for this random out burst.
First of all there are game out there which do have violence in them. I have played games such as Left for Dead, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto and to be honest its never crossed my mind to randomly jump out at my Spanish teacher and stab her. An article by the Telegraph states the current known facts about the situation. (Click here to read).
Now, from reading through the article it seems that the boy (Who will remain nameless) often brought alcohol to school, disobeyed his parents and was described as a "loner" and an outcast. Now these are not very nice things to say about anyone. The one thing I want to know is why wasn't the school doing anything about this? The fact that an under-age teenager could have, drink or even buy alcohol is questionable to say the least. Why was he driven to such lengths and why did he change into this from what he used to be?
The media can be a massive influence and unfortunately video games have started to become more violent, mainly because the market has changed. When I was little playing Pokémon on GameBoy Colour (Yes I'm that old) was considered a normal and easy going game. However, I now hear children talk about first person shooters and violent games that I wouldn't dream of playing when I was that young. Seriously though, when a Five year old child starts asking his friend how many head shots he's got on COD, isn't that when you start to wonder why they are playing such a game?
The video game industry is constantly changing. However unfortunately 8 out of 10 parents will allow their twelve year old play a 18 rated game without giving a second thought. I am a very firm believer that the ratings are there for a reason. If a game has an 18 logo on, it shouldn't be played by, with or around anyone younger than that, especially younger children who have yet to learn from right and wrong.
This isn't the first time that murder has been blamed on the video game industry. If you're old enough or study childcare like I did, you are probably familiar with the James Bulger case. Two children kidnapped a three year old boy and repeated what they had seen on their games to him then left him on a railway track to die. I'm not going into any detail because what they did was seriously horrific.
However, once again Mrs Maguire's death has been blamed on one individuals obsession with violent gaming. I don't believe this is right. From what I've read then young man had several serious underlying issues that should have been spotted and addressed. Now I don't know if they were or not and were in the process of doing so, however I can only assume that they weren't recognised. Perhaps if they were noticed and he was receiving help then this tragedy could have been avoided.
As a childcare practitioner, I feel very sorry not just for Mrs Maguire, but also for the young man that resorted to such actions. I know what its like to feel alone at school and I know how it feels to have personal problems. I also understand that everyone has their own way of dealing with their issues, mine was to write it out and turn it into a story. I seriously hope he receives help to stabilise any insecurities the young man has, yes he's facing murder charges but it does make me wonder what caused him to do such and act and why it wasn't noticed earlier.
Overall this tragedy is horrible. A much loved teacher killed by her student mainly because he had no other way of acting, maybe he didn't know how or he just couldn't express himself. Also I believe that violent video games did have a participation in this but it is wrong for the media to solely blame it on that. I just hope that in the future more parents regulate what their children are playing and be a little stricter, maybe then we'll have a generation where violence in children isn't a problem.
To the family of Mrs Maguire, my deepest condolences and I hope she rests in peace.
So recently I have decided that I need to widen my audience and to get 'the ear' so to speak of more people. Here I present you with The Male Childcarer's first video! Please watch so that I can explain how I am going to make this more entertaining and easier for all users to access and my opinions heard.
Also for those observant people you may have noticed that I have a new logo! Yes I sat down and made something pretty instead of using the background image all the time!. So here's a little snapshot of it!
So please keep checking for more from The Male Childcarer Blog! :
I've been doing some research into this topic in the last few weeks, and I now sit here at 6am on this Foggy Tuesday Morning to bring you my thoughts and findings. According to several sources many people are angered at Disney's newest film success "Frozen".
For those who don't know what Frozen is about or have yet to see the film, it is a Disney Computer Animated film set in a fictional kingdom on an island which relies on sea commerce to survive. There is a Monarchy in command of this small kingdom, one King and Queen and their two Princesses. One of the princesses has an unique magical power allowing her to control ice and water. This character is called Elsa and is the oldest daughter. When Elsa accidentally hits Anna her younger sister with her powers during play it is revealed that for Anna to survive the memories of Elsa's powers have to be removed and she should not know. This is due to a direct hit to Anna's head.
Therefore Elsa has to painfully isolate herself from her sister. Something which Anna (because her memories have been magically altered) doesn't understand. This lead to a song called "Do you want to build a snowman" which is about Anna's feeling of loneliness and not understanding why Elsa is hiding away. During that song however their parents the King and Queen go on a trip and the ship is lost in a storm. The video of "Do you want to build a snowman" is provided here on the left.
However several years down the line Elsa is still struggling to control her powers. This is because she hasn't had any guidance and has to control her emotions. It doesn't help that she has now come of age and is expected to take the throne and rule the kingdom. However on her coronation the stress and emotions get to her and after an argument with Anna she loses control of her power and exposes her powers. She runs away as she is rejected by her own people and the visiting powers set out to find her, with one leader wanting her dead due to her powers.
However not all is lost. Anna sets out to find her sister and meets a man who sells ice for a living. This mans name is Kritsoff and his best friend is his reindeer called Sven who has been his partner since he was a child. He helps Anna get to Elsa's new ice palace that she has created and convince her to come home. However during a conflict scene Elsa accidently hits Anna with her ice powers again, this time to the heart. The only cure for this is true love. Anna who is rushed back to the castle to find her true love (One of the visiting princes that she instantly got a crush on when they met, the whole 'love at first sight thing that Disney loves so much'). However this prince doesn't love her and plans to let Anna die, and kill Elsa and therefore take command of the Kingdom.
So Anna then realises that she loves someone, that being her sister. So after a great scene where Anna sacrifices herself to save Elsa. Elsa breaks down and starts to cry and therefore the love from Elsa thaws the now frozen Anna and saving her.
So that's the basic story. However for the last few weeks there has been several articles, even one published by the BBC stating that the film is all about encouraging children to be Lesbians and that Beastiality is accepted in society. Now before I start I am going to make this clear, I have often said and will always say this. I have no problem with what sexuality anyone is, whether that be Straight, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or other. I am in no way supporting these stupid claims which is ruining the magic of yet another good Disney movie.
One song in particular is scrutinized in detail from the movie. This song is called "Let it go" which is about Elsa running away, finding her own freedom and finally allowing herself to use her powers instead of hiding them. However the Article on the BBC Quotes a fellow Blogger, Kathryn Skaggs. She says: "The words to Let it Go are clearly not Christian-values friendly, by
any stretch of the imagination, when understood and heard. This is not
an innocent song, with a catchy tune. It is rebellious. It mocks moral
absolutes. It is careless. It is unaccountable. It is anti-obedience. It
is regardless. It is selfish. And if you still disagree, then by all
means, feel free to show me how I've misinterpreted the lyrics".
I have provided the video of "Let it go" on the right so that you can watch and listen to determine it for yourself. However I don't see this at all. This song is about Elsa being able to use her powers and not hide them anymore, something which has brought her great pain and isolation in her life. Personally I love this song, it represents freedom and it allows children to see that they have hidden powers that should be seen not hidden behind closed doors. Saying it doesn't have "Christian-values friendly" is a stupid way of describing this song. I'm not religious, but how does this song encourage children to "come out of the closet" and become Lesbians? I think that some people need to stop reading too far into this and need to simply sit and enjoy the movie.
However that is not all. It is said that the film also encourages Beastiality which is the act of having sexual relations or contact with animals. This is because Kristoff has a trusted partner of Sven his reindeer who he see's as his best friend. Honestly I think this is just pushing it too far. It is made clear in the story that Kristoff has grown up with Sven from an early age and they have been isolated together for many years. Its a classic story of a isolated boy growing up with an animal and they love and trust each other, what is wrong with that? Children grow up with their loved pets in their own homes, whether that be dogs, cats, rabbits etc. Just because they come home from school and their pet loves to see them and vice versa, does this mean that they are going to grow up and have sexual contact with them? No it doesn't!
I really do not understand people's fascination with this film saying that it has hidden homosexual agendas. Yes some Disney movies have hidden reasons within them, I'm not going to deny that at all. There are several hidden agendas in lots of the classic Disney Movies. However the moral of the story for Frozen is that true love doesn't have to just be from a man you've just met, but family have a special kind of love that can't be broken no matter what. I think that is a wonderful thing to have and for children to learn. A lot of children grow up and unfortunately don't understand that their family do and always will love them. Frozen shows children that no matter how much siblings, parents or other family members fight and argue they still love each other regardless. Please someone show me in any religious book where it says that love in a family is forbidden!
The scene which everyone is scrutinizing and in some cases, parents not allowing children to see is the one on the left. This is the scene where Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister and gets completely frozen from her frozen heart. This is where Elsa then realises that love can thaw a frozen heart and using the love she has for her sister, thaws the kingdom she accidentally froze.
If you watch the film its not about encouraging young girls to become Lesbians. Its about showing children that love is always around them and this helps them realise how special they are.
I want to just cover this point while I'm on the topic. If you do believe that Frozen is about encouraging children to become lesbians and accepting themselves, then what is your problem with it? I am going to be really blunt here and even though I am not religious I do not force any of my beliefs onto anyone, and neither should you. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have a universal right to believe in what they want to believe and choose their own religion and sexuality without the pressures of anyone around them. So what is some children grow up to become Lesbians or anything else, it doesn't really matter. You should stop labeling them and by always taking things out of context, you're just doing more harm. Like I always say and will always make it crystal clear, I have no problem with Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Straights or otherwise. My policy is, if you respect me for who I am, I respect you and that's what everyone should do. So what does it matter? Why do some people always take things out of context?
To conclude this post. I do not believe that the Disney film Frozen has any intention of encouraging children to become Lesbians and slyly suggesting that Beastiality is acceptable. I honestly think that some people in this world need to come into the 21st century and see a film for what it is, a film. Just because its about the love and relationship between two sisters, doesn't mean that its about them being Lesbian. I will sit and argue the point until the cows come home, this is a great movie and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed it. The film has won countless awards and has meaning in it that allow children to understand that they are valued and loved regardless of family issues. Something which Disney recognises is a problem in the modern world. So thats my simple Analysis of Disney's Frozen and these stupid allegations against it, anyone who still believes this film is about encouraging children to become Lesbians, needs to honestly think about their actions and stop taking things out of context, its a Disney Childrens Film!
Well its tragic news that gripped the country. A teacher from my home town of Leeds, Mrs Ann 
