Poker vs. the Nanny State
Nanny staters have a new target: poker. With poker getting more popular with teens, schools and anti-gambling advocates are worried about the children.
While some of us may think card games between family and friends are nothing more than harmless fun, others are convinced that something like a game of Texas Hold 'Em is nothing more than a gateway to a lifetime of dodging bookies named Vinnie.
"It's fun. It's exciting. It's glamorized on TV and in the media in a way that other addictions are not," says Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. "There's the impression that through skill you can beat the odds. But randomness is always going to have a bigger factor in determining the outcome than your skill."And unfortunately, that's not the message these kids get."
Have you ever noticed that people like Mr. Whyte automatically think of gambling or drinking as "addictions". They are the ones with no sense of moderation. And I'm afraid that that's what they would teach kids.
And, of course, these people are convinced that teenagers playing poker is a problem and that government should do something about it. Dan Romer, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania thinks that:
schools should teach about the dangers of gambling, the same way they teach that alcohol and drugs can be addictive. He also says that government officials who oversee public gambling -- casinos and lotteries -- have a special responsibility to closely watch young people, who are allowed to gamble legally in many states as young as age 18.
I can't even tell you how much this ticks me off. Shouldn't schools be teaching reading, writing and arithmetic? It galls me to think that taxpayer money would be used to fund some kind of "Gambling Resource" position in public schools. Teaching kids about proper ways to gamble or drink or date is up to parents, not the government. It's ironic that the same people that cry about "John Ashcroft's Amerika" are more than ready to give up the freedom to raise their children with their own values.
Now, perhaps I'm overreacting. But, keep in mind that I do live in the Madison School District. This is a district, that, according to its latest budget, employs over 75 pyschologists and social workers, another 17 in "Alcohol and Drug Programs" and even has a full time "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Resource Teacher". I don't think it's a reach for me to expect the school district to ask for funding for a high paying Gambling Resource Teacher position. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.
All of this is just about enough to drive a person to drink (or smoke, or gamble or take drugs ;-)
Posted by kris at November 30, 2004 01:01 PM
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Comments
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
I'm actually with the nanny-staters on this one (!). Studying addiction was part of health ed at my school 20 years ago. I think it's a good thing. How many parents do we have that are incapable of teaching their kids to take good care of themselves? I'm currently in recovery for two addictions --DEPSITE being eduacted. I wouldn't wish it on anybody, and I don't care what kind of insults people throw at me. I could go on for days. I'll shut up after I say this-- WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO ESPN that they're broadcasting CARDS (I can't say the "p" word; it won't let me post)??? Watching FISHING wasn't bad enough; now we have to watch A CARD GAME??? HOW BOUT OLD MAID OR GO FISH?? I SWEAR, IN MY LIFETIME, WE ARE GONNA SEE PLAYSTATION FOOTBALL GAMES ON TV!!!! |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Daddy, yeah, i put the p-word into our spam filter b/c we get probably 10 spam comments a day advertising online gambl1ng p-sites. i didn't think that many people would have a legitimate need to use the p-word - i guess i was wrong. seems like an over-restrictive rule, i know, but it really isnt - these spammers are crafty. but im curious - you say that you learned about addiction 20 years ago in school, and you refer to yourself as being "educated" to the dangers of addiction. yet you are in treatment for two addictions. isn't it reasonable, then, to conclude that just throwing money at this problem wont fix it? i.e. spending $ to develop an anti-gambl1ng program, hiring gambl1ng counselors, etc - isn't it all money down the drain? and let's not forget that there are only so many hours in the school day, and they are currently all spoken for. spending X hours on "gambl1ng couseling" takes X hours away from other subjects that teachers already complain that tehy dont have enough time to teach. i agree about ESPN. piss poor. |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
James, I agree, throwing money at ANY problem won't fix it. Money doesn't even solve MONEY problems. I'm not really sure that one would need counselors and programs specifically for gambl1ng. Addiction is addiction; although the drug of choice varies, the personal problems and behaviors are largely the same. STATING THE OBVIOUS--"drug of choice" could be shopping. Any self-destructive habit that interferes with day-to-day living fits the bill. (Although I believe some of the more bizarre ones are considered OCD--obsessive-compulsive disorder). (Y'know, like washing your hands 15 times....). (I nipped that in the bud. I don't wash my hands at all!). Fart. There. Did that make it through the filter? All these people wanna sell me V1agggraaa, but they don't keep me updated on all the fart web sites. They got remote-control whooppee cushions now! I'm goin' to bed. |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Oh, re: hours in the school day. How's this: knock it off with the freakin' busy work in the early grades.....knock it off with 5+ years of ARITHMETIC; WE GET IT ALREADY! 2 PLUS 2 IS FOUR, MOVE TO THE LEFT, REPEAT! *sigh* Some leftover rage from grammar school. |
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