anti-paintball letter in local newspaper

**splat11756** · 03-05-2002, 07:51 PM

yeah she is way wrong. someone like that that hasnt played for long can't appreciate the art of paintball yet. she doesn't know what it involves (team work, etc

Besides it keeps punks off the streets. Those who are playing paintball might as well be causeing mischeif on the streets due to pure boardom. Paintball and Violence? no sorry, dont think they wok well together

**Vegeta** · 03-05-2002, 08:43 PM

I am about to go somewhere where you all will ahte me for saying, btu we all know it deep down inside.

Paintball is realated to violence. For some people more than others. I find that it ralates to violencein womens minds much more tham men's most of the time, part of hte reason is taht its becuase of the way they think, and the other is that they grew up playing with barbie dools, play houses, and tea cups. Most boys grew up with GI Joes and M-90's. I know I did. I'm not saying there is a direct connectiong here, but I'm not saying there isn't. Paintball is, to me, a very advanced game of tag. Think about it. Instead of running and touching people with your hands going "Tag your it!" your propelling small circular balls filled with marking paint at them. This is just a better way to reach out and touch someone. And instead of them being "it", they are 'out' of the game.. which adds to the motion of not getting hit. To some people, its a war game. A simulation of acts of violence. But ask yourself this: Is war considered a wrong act of violence? Think about it. If your a soldier in a war, and you come home, you family will be gald your home and praise you as a hero or somehting of that nature. You aren't shamed upon for commiting war on other people, are you? See, people say War and say, murder, are both violent. But someone who takes part in a war is not shamed upon for doing so, In some/most cases, they are a hero (to the motherlad). Someone who takes part in commiting murder IS shamed upon, and is shunned respectivley. This applies to paintball and some other sports. Do people say football is violent? Maybe a few, but its not taht bad.. and its an American pasttime. But in football.... you are PHISICALLY hitting people. With your body. To me, this is more violent than 'shooting' someone.

What I need to adress is OTHER people. We here at Ao might not see paintball as violent killing games... we all mostly see it as a fun, interactive, way to get outside and have fun, while also learning physics, mechanics, and keeping in shape. But it is shooting at people. And those who don't see the inner realm of paintball see shooting. And those who see shooting relate shooting to firearms, and firearms to killing people. I'm sorry people but thats the way it is. One of the REWAL problems is that some new players think along the 'killing' path, not the 'sport' path. These kids go out and shoot things and think along the lines of 'wee this is what its liek to be in a war!' not 'this isa good game, this is fun' They dont care that they are getting excersise and thinking and using hteir heads! they think about klilling stuff, not eliminating players. We need to change that image. And we need to show that the youth who play paintball are responisible and smart, and knwo the diffrence between 'killing' and 'eliminating'. Even showing that about thsoe who are 18 and 19 years old, becuase to some people, that 'generation' is immature and punk-a-- all the time. Well I hate to break it to them but it takes ALOT of resposibility an know how to maintain a complex peice of equipment, and also make big purchases, like a 100$ gun. Thats something kids just dont 'do' on a whim....

I guess I have proved my point. I will leave it at that.

**zvanut** · 03-05-2002, 08:55 PM

veggie,

you crossed a very fine line in paintball but i think you are both wrong and right.

how can paintball be violent if.....

safety precautions are taken
~masks speed limits etc. all keep it safe

otherwise i highly doubt fencing (sp) would be as widely accepted.

think about violence...

for the most part violence is just random (sometime) agressive physical acts against someone(s).

boxing could be violence,

but many precautions are taken as in paintball.

karate has kicks and punches, that is violence right???
but precautions are taken and people only go to a certain level. it can be used to do wrong, but in a controlled manner it is SPORT not VIOLENCE.

Paintball is also controlled by rules and regulations making it sport.

its when the dumb butts go out and ruin it for us, and ruin the image in the eyes of the general public.

paintball needs places where the general public, not paintball players (although some players need it) learn the game and see its GREAT safety record.

so i think you put up a good point, but mine is better

**Cha0tic** · 03-05-2002, 09:08 PM

she talked about making targets out of humans, and living things for that matter. what happens when people box? the are each others target. they get hurt, bruised, and bleed. it is violence, but it is in no way teaching our society how to live. the same things goes for all full contact sports.

**Trunnion** · 03-05-2002, 09:13 PM

i wasn't trying to say that the game should never be seen as immitating violence. the army uses it as a training aid at times, so obviously it has some violent connections. but the way i see it, the game itself does not instill violence in the people who play it, which i think was the primary point of this person's letter. if paintball moves someone to violent acts, then they have deeply rooted psychological problems. that is the part that offends me somewhat, that this woman seems to think that paintball is a cause of violence in society, which it most certainly is not. i agree with vegeta in that football is far more violent, and certainly can be more hazardous to the participants than the bruises often received in paintball. yet the super bowl is widely watched and almost universally accepted by our culture. when the two are compared, it seems to me that the accusations against paintball in this letter are way off base

*EDIT* in response to snooky's post, i would like to make it clear that i respect that she is speaking her opinion. i just feel it is uninformed. i intend to write a letter to the editor in response in which i attempt to talk about the good things that come from paintball.

**Snooky** · 03-05-2002, 09:18 PM

its hard for people to acept paintball as a safe sport when the media try's to blame events on video games and things such as paintball. everyone is intitled to thier opinion and she has the right to speak her mind. I completely disagree with her because she can't see the positive things in paintball but i don't hate her for her opinion.

**zvanut** · 03-05-2002, 09:24 PM

its hard for people to acept paintball as a safe sport when the media try's to blame events on video games and things such as paintball

but today (or yesterday) a judge did not do anything in the Columnbine case where someone was sueing about video games and movies iirc. like 5 or 6 companies were said to have influenced it but the judge ruled it out.

everyone is intitled to thier opinion and she has the right to speak her mind.

and that is just what is going on here, she made false "accusations" and we are using out right to an opinion to explain why she is wrong/right.

no flame intended just giving my point of view

**Muzikman** · 03-05-2002, 09:27 PM

This is the reason that I am a large supporter of none camo events and non-woods play. Sure, I love woods play, but is it good for the image of the sport? It took me many years to realize this. If the games gets away from camo gear and embraces the more colorful jersey then people might start looking at it differently. Most people look at a group of people wearing camo and think gun toting militia wackos. I don't think that would be the first thought that crosses someone's mind when they see a group dressed in bright colored pants and jerseys.

But ask yourself this: Is war considered a wrong act of violence? Think about it. If your a soldier in a war, and you come home, you family will be gald your home and praise you as a hero or somehting of that nature. You aren't shamed upon for commiting war on other people, are you? See, people say War and say, murder, are both violent. But someone who takes part in a war is not shamed upon for doing so, In some/most cases, they are a hero (to the motherlad).

I take it that you have no relatives that where in Vietnam huh?

**awg9tech** · 03-05-2002, 09:32 PM

**Trunnion** · 03-05-2002, 09:34 PM

if soldiers from vietnam feel ashamed for fighting in vietnam, then it's because of the way they were treated upon their return. no soldier should ever feel ashamed because they followed orders. i don't think we should have been in vietnam, but those that fought should not in anyway feel ashamed for doing what they were told. what kind of soldiers would they have been if they didn't? however, that's not what this is about. if you would care to continue conversation in this vein, i'd be happy to do so by email

**Muzikman** · 03-05-2002, 10:01 PM

Well, I think you misunderstood my post, but we won't get into that.

If you will not give us the paper that you saw this article in, would you please give us the paper that the article she is writing about is in. Just Feb. 19, "The Independent" is not quite good enough...there seems to be quite a few news papers called "The Independent"

**Trunnion** · 03-05-2002, 10:25 PM

the two articles are from the same paper, merely different dates. i was asked not to provide the address or the name of the author of the letter. i was looking for reactions to this article to see how other people react to such an article

**Muzikman** · 03-05-2002, 10:45 PM

I find it kind of odd that someone who would publish an editorial in a paper and use their real name would then not want the paper and name to be released to the public. Just sounds kinda of strange to me.

**media** · 03-05-2002, 11:24 PM

The person who wrote that letter is sadly like many americans these days. They have absolutely no sense of perspective and believe their view of the world is the only good one.

They feel if some activity (legal activity - not activities that infringe on others rights) offends/bothers them in some way, that the activity is of no value to anyone and shouldn't be taking place. I'm sure we could manage to find enough americans that take offense to various activities and come up with a list that includes every activity that takes place from the time you wake up till you go to sleep.

I'd like to see how this woman's "dialogue" for providing a less hostile way to pass time turns out. I'm sure she can "dream up" some new activity to replace paintball. People generally participate in the most enjoyable activity available to them. Where I live, there are all kinds of activities I could get into - ice skating, hockey, bastketball, tennis, golf, rc car racing, fishing, and paintball. If I choose to play paintball, race rc cars, or go fishing, it's because that's the activity I feel the most like participating in at the time. When someone thinks they need to "dream" up activities for other people, it comes off as condecending and it's downright ignorant for someone to think they know what's best for other people.

You could write this woman a letter saying you think her activities are pointless and are harmful to the american way. Then give her a list of other activities that are less "hostile" to other people's enjoyment (that you "dreamed" up) she could be doing, such as minding her own business or moving to another country.

anti-paintball letter in local newspaper

anti-paintball letter in local newspaper

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