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Letters to the EditorEditor's Choice
Letters to the Editor - RSS 2.0In response to "I'm a Barbie Girl, in a BarbieGirls World" from The Escapist Forum: First, as to the censorship. Kids will always find a way to circumnavigate the system. The pre approved messages that don't allow for typing in custom chats is the only way to keep kids from saying exactly what they want.
Next, why even point out that Mattel is pushing their brand so hard or that they have a preconceived notion of what girls like that you feel isn't correct? Of course they are pushing their brand. It's a barbie site. As to how they push the pink and 'girly' out there.. It's working, isn't it?
If parents don't like what it represents, they should keep their kids from it. If they are afraid that the kids are talking about stuff they shouldn't or seeing others talk about it, then they should stop them from visiting the site.
There are a whole lot of sites out there that I don't want my kid to visit. I just don't let her. Also, I try to watch as she goes to a site to see what is involved, what's going on, and what she is doing. Parents that don't get what's coming when they have to later explain what a dirty sanchez is to their 8 year old.
- monodiabloloco
The only clues that BarbieGirls gives players about what they can and cannot say appear in the game's rules. These include the warning that "anything naughty or unkind will be blocked" and that players must always be "super nice." Apparently, this means not expressing anything negative, as the system excludes terms like "don't," "dislike" and "do not like."
Wow. 1984, anyone?
There are so many things wrong with BarbieGirls - the way it promotes materialistic values, the way it forces this perception of what girls should like and do, the censorship - it's crazy that so many girls are being subjected to it.
The crazier thing is that most of them are probably playing it by choice, which means that Mattel's message has sunk in and become accepted, which is the last thing anyone wants. Well, except companies like Mattel.
- zoozilla
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