If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. That’s a phrase that I heard growing up — and I’d say it’s a good rule to live by.
I want to take that phrase on step further: If you don’t know what you’re talking about, don’t say anything at all.
A bold statement, I know. Especially coming from someone who writes about a broad range of topics week to week.
I understand nobody (including myself) is perfect, but the amount of ignorance I see in Facebook posts and hear in daily conversation is sometimes enough to drive me insane.
Research goes a long way.
And there’s a group of people who should do more research before they open their mouths — I’m talking about politicians, of course.
I recently addressed video games being awarded First Amendment rights by the Supreme Court in the Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association case.
However, after this monumental victory for the gaming industry, things aren’t over yet.
The Entertainment Software Association announced the filing of a motion Monday seeking reimbursement of $1.1 million in attorneys’ fees from the state of California regarding the recent Supreme Court case.
Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, expressed strong opinions regarding the case and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the company’s press release.
“From the start of this misguided legislation, then-Governor Schwarzenegger and specific California legislators knew that their efforts to censor and restrict expression were, as court after court ruled, unconstitutional and thus a waste of taxpayers’ money, government time, and state resources,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher noted the state of California and its legislators were warned the law they were defending was considered unconstitutional before it passed.
Basically, lawmakers knowingly fought a losing fight. And now it’s going to cost them.
Well, not necessarily the legislators.
This $1.1 million won’t come out of their pockets — it will come out of the pockets of every single California taxpayer.
If I were a California citizen, I’d be outraged. The politicians who represent Californians walked into a fight they were told they were going to lose, and now California natives have to foot the bill.
Actually, this happened a bit closer to home not too long ago.
Louisiana was forced to pay the ESA $91,000 in legal fees over a defunct video game bill in 2007.
I don’t understand why politicians like to attack video games so much. Sure, some of them are violent, but so are movies and shows on television.
What a lot of these politicians and parents don’t know is video games have a ratings system just like movies and television.
“Gallagher stated that the video game industry still welcomes the opportunity to work with legislators in raising awareness about the Entertainment Software Rating Board video game rating system and other tools, like parental controls, that the industry voluntarily provides,” according to the ESA press release.
If lawmakers would open their eyes and see the gaming industry isn’t the spawn of Satan trying to purposefully corrupt America’s youth, they’d save themselves a headache — and the money of honest taxpayers.
But that’ll never happen.
Politicians will do whatever they can to stay in office, one citizen’s dime at a time.
Adam Arinder is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
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Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]