Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

Rejecting hate, inviting dialog

I think my post from April, “Racist games teach wrong values,” holds the current record for most comments on a single post for my blog: As of tonight there are 12. I know that is not a ton by the standards of some– but for me that is a lot of comments. Several of them are my own responses to others– and I am reposting a response I just wrote here because I think it is worth emphasizing.

Are we talking to the students we teach and our own children about the choices they make when playing video games? Are we actively striving to build a more understanding and tolerant world by promoting cross-cultural friendships, both face to face and via distance learning technologies? We need to be. The comments on this post seem to drive that point home. Here’s my response to an anonymous commenter this evening on this thread:

HappyCamper:

To answer your question: No, I have not personally played the game Border Patrol. I have seen screenshots of it, and I have played other shoot em up games, so I think I can understand the basic gameplay well enough based on the descriptions of others who have played it or seen it played.

I’m not deleting your post, because I think others should hear your voice and consider your perspectives. I’m glad you posted, although I disagree with you. I think there is a difference in being racist or discriminating against other people based on their skin color, beliefs or background– and wanting to encourage an environment of understanding and mutual respect.

Respect is important. I believe that most of the time, people have attitudes of superiority when they have not had a friendship with someone from another ethnic background or identity. That’s why I think it is very important to support exchange student programs, and to encourage face to face interactions in school and out of school with people who look different.

I believe we are all worthy of respect because we are all human beings– and fundamentally, because we were all created by God in His image. God didn’t make any junk– even if someone thinks they were “an accident” or their child was, they weren’t. I think the more friendships people have with different people, the more they come to see that although we may look and act differently, there is still a great deal that makes us the same.

I don’t know if you have ever had a chance to hang out and talk with people who survived the German concentration camps of World War II. I have, and let me tell you, those survivors are some of the most persuasive people I have ever met for rejecting hate.

It may sound trite, but it is true: We need to reject hate wherever we find it, and instead embrace love. I think a game like Border Patrol feeds on people’s feelings of hate, and that is why I think people should not play it.

If you’re willing to read more of my thoughts along this line, I encourage you to check out the post “Value of life, forgiveness, the Holocaust” from this past March. I know you may say “it’s only a game,” but perception creates reality, so choose carefully when you decide what images to put into your brain.

Reject hate, my friend. And thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.

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On this day..


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