This and That and a Video Game that goes to Hell
The one to start serious historians jawing is this one, noting an inverse relationship between family size and the longevity of parents. It sounds fascinating. However, it raises in my mind an immediate question: could it not be true that parents who anticipate a shorter life span choose to have more children?
On the security front is this NY Times op-ed by Kathryn Harrison on how she inadvertently breached all manner of airport security. The whole article is worth it, but here is her husband’s summary of her adventure:
Let me get this straight, he says. Unauthorized, you open the gate door to the airplane. You set off a very loud security alarm. You wait a few minutes, and then take it upon yourself to enter the empty aircraft. You spend some time moving around its interior. No one sees you there. You leave of your own accord. You exit the way you came and you stop the alarm from ringing. And you confessed this, chapter and verse, to airline personnel and nothing happened?
I'm actually glad that she did not get arrested, but doessn't this make homeland security seem better than ever?
I suppose this last article might be under the subject heading “New ways to teach the history of events.” Or perhaps the heading “Porn for Kids.” Either way, it’s a review of a video game based on the Columbine shootings.
Yes, that line of epithets in your head matched my own first thoughts, but read on. Whether you agree or disagree with the reviewer (who, after all, might well be looking at the game with greater subtlety than the average 15 year old), he provides food for thought. Maybe this game is more ethical than it sounds.
My thought? More and more I am convinced that historians need to grapple with video games as a medium for the craft. Military people have been there for a while—or at least I assume that. But the rest of us need to be considering it, even for topics that do not involve weapons.