From: ericd@synoptics.com (Eric Davis)
Subject: Re: The EVIL of Paintball....
Reply-To: ericd@synoptics.com
Organization: Synoptics Inc. Santa Clara, California.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 16:57:47 GMT

In article 36740002@hpmwmat.sr.hp.com, mikep@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Mike Powell) writes:
>	
>
>	Has anyone here spent any time or been confronted with the
>	issue of paintball promotng violence?

I have heard of closed minded people spouting this (mis)information in the past.

>
>	I'm not making an accusation here....  I really love the
>	idea of paintball...  it's just that many people _REALLY_
>	hate the idea, and see it as a promotion of violence.

Each person has his/her set of values of what they see as correct. I can 
respect their views until they attempt to change my views. (see below)

>
>	FACT:  Paintball incorporates the use of a gun for the sole
>	purpose of targeting and hitting another human being (as part
>	of the larger objective of the game).  The game simply does
>	not work without this element.

Correct. Or you could use one of the variants. Tag, Tackle, Touch, Lazer Tag.


>
>	It's easy to see what might be bad about this situation....

Nintendo has a gun option for killing "bad guys(tm)" on a TV screen. Where is 
the difference?

They just banned some water guns in Boston. There is a grass roots 
group that wants to take away all toy juns from childern. 
>
>	Is there a good side to it?

1. I would rather have my childern learn about tactics at home before Unc. Sam
sends them off to "some foriegn country" Think about how how long you would have 
lived in a real war...

2. Pball also tends to teach the younger ones that being under fire is not a good
thing, and that in real life you can be killed.

>
>	Is the game "bad" because of this?  Does it encourage or
>	provoke anti-social behavior *IN _ANY_WAY*?

There will always be the "loony" who gets addicted to something (Pball, his job,
green M&M's, etc...) and gets half cocked and kills 30 people at the local 
greasy spoon. This is life and can not be attributed to any one thing/sport. 
I have yet to see gangs playing on fields in order to sharpen skills.

>
>	Does it teach bad habits? (ie: it's ok to point a gun at
>	another person...)

TV does a great job of this allready, and it is cheeper, more accessable 
to more childern.

>
>	What if your local board of supervisors was against letting
>	someone open a paintball facility.... and cited some of the
>	above reasons for not granting a licence to do business....
>	What would you say to them to _persuade_ them to see things
>	differently?  (As opposed to criticizing them).

The above are not valid reasons. These un-informed people are spewing the same
garbage that the anti-gun lobbiest are, lies. If this happend to me I would say 
"See you in court"

>
>	-Mike-
>

Flaming mad at people who want to controll my rights

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In real life:    Eric Davis
On the internet: ericd@synoptics.com
On the air:      KD6HTO (440.85, +, 100Hz)
On packet radio: KD6HTO @ N6IYA.#NOCAL.CA.US.NA

Invisible airwaves crackle with life.... -Rush
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Eric Davis

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