January 16, 2008
About once a year, GamePolitics gets to run an Angelina Jolie story.Here then, dear readers, is your Angelina ration for 2008. And so early in the year!
It seems that Ms. Jolie sent the T-rated Wii title Ghost Squad to Brad Pitt's nephews for Christmas. Unfortunately, Brad's sister, Julie, returned the game because she judged it too violent. As reported by I Luv Gossip (I know, not one of our usual sources):
[Brad’s sister] Julie was shocked when Angie sent her children the commando-style video game Ghost Squad. According to a family insider, Julie and her husband Rob sent it back with a note that read, “We don’t promote violence in our home.”
Julie and Rob “shun these kinds of violent games for kids,” says the insider. So when they got the present, it was just too much. It went right back in the box.”
Angelina was not pleased. “She was really angry,” the insider reveals. “She thinks it’s normal and part of being a kid. She even bought [son] Maddox a knife-throwing set and is encouraging him to learn to throw knives!”
Comments
oyun
trhanks alot
oyunlar
thanks alot
Out of curiosity, do we know how old the kids are? Because if they're 13+, my opinions on this start changing.
Are they Romneyites or what?
As in "I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG!" Maddox?
The Maddox who runs "The Best page in the Universe"?
Probably not the same guy but Maddox isn't a common name.
Darrel: Maddox is the name of Angelina's super-spoiled adpoted son. He's probably about 7 or 8 years old.
On a side note, knife-trowing? Weird yet awesome, could prove a valuable survival skill.
/applaud
Very nice to see something in the media about parents actually doing their jobs.
Methinks Angelina's gotten a wee bit too attached to her roles as Lara Croft and Mrs. Smith.
Both are, of course, well within their rights to decide what is or is not appropriate for their own children.
But I think the little sensationalism seeking on both parties part just pushes them each over the top. Whether it's the "we're morally superior to everyone else" attitude of the nephew's Parents, or the "I'm pissed because I think it's all good for everyone" of Jolie, it's certainly showing us the extremes of the issue.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
However, twas a bit rude of Brad's sister to send the gift back with a note.
If you get a Christmas present like you don't like or think is inappropriate, hide it in the attic to play when the kids are asleep or trade it in at a retail store for a more kiddy friendly game.
If you told granny you thought her hand-made knitted Christmas jumpers were pap and posted them back to her.......no more boiled sweet for YOU!
That said, the knife set thing is the best part of this story. I'm suddenly under the impression that Ms. Angelina is quite the bad ass XD .
I might ask if I can take it back to the store and get one that I'd want my kids to play that might interest them too. Doesn't mean that I think I'm a better or worse Parent, but rather that I just choose different things for my own child. I think it could have been handled better than what it was.
I mean, suppose Angelina bought clothes for the nephews that didn't fit? Would the sister-n-law start preaching that if Angeline was a good Auntie that Angeline would KNOW the correct sizes? It really should be the same thing. There are ways to respectfully turn down a gift.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
There are ways to show respect for the gift and quietly returning it instead of spreading the news all over the world.
I do think that the return with a note, was out of place. A personal discussion on the subject would have been more appropriate.
I wish I got knife throwing sets when I was a kid. All I got was a machete.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
My dad got me an air rifle when I was 13.
The knives I had to buy myself.
I got BB guns and pocket knifes when I was a kid as well as the machete. I would have loved a nice throwing nife set. I still drool over them when I see them at knife shops.
Knives hold a special place in my violent heart. Guns not so much.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
Agreed - knives and other short-ranged bladed implements have a special charm not shared by slug-throwers.
I'm just hoping Angelina backs up that present with proper tutoring.
She made a decision on what she allows in her house. Kudos to her.
Now if only more parents would learn from her example instead of standing there watching the kid, contemplating what kind of letter campaign they'll start to deal with the "filth of the week"...
What I am interesed in however, is how a Hollywood Actress could possibly be smarter than a parent. Guns and Knives ARE a part of children's lives.
And, I rather like the idea of teaching your kids how to do it, rather than letting them learn on their own. Little different from a shooting range, really..
Also, don't be afraid of your knife! You are trying to penetrate a target with it, and you won't manage that by throwing it weakly, as though scared it might come back and hurt you.
Keep trying to put the same amount of spin on each throw - that's the hardest part for many, but some semblance of consistency can be achieved in a few minutes by most I have taught. Once you get this down, try moving 6 feet back and throw it the same way, but hold the knife by the handle. Adjust accordingly. Once you get a feel for the thing, you will be able to adjust how you throw so as to hit targets in the middle (between 9 and 15 feet), though individual styles can vary greatly in this area.
Beyond that, don't use a knife with a sharp blade - only the tip should be pointy, but there should be no "cutting edge" so to speak, at least nothing that you could inadvertently slice your fingers open with when throwing by the blade. Most cheap throwing knives you can find on eBay will suffice for this, and I recommend them for practicing as they will likely get pretty beat-up as you learn.
For a target, I recommend at least 4 layers of corrugated cardboard, duct-taped at the edges and further taped to a larger cardboard box. This is cheap, and won't damage your knives, though after you get a feel for it you can perforate a target to uselessness in the course of 30-45 min of throwing. If you are going to use a wooden target, don't use plywood as the grains on it go in many random directions, and it can make the knife bounce back at you.
Gift.
C'tri has it right here, I think.
Damnit, I love my parents and all but they would have never let me have THROWING KNIVES!
On the other hand they did let me do target shooting rather frequently.
MysterX, there's also House of the Dead 2 + 3 Return and Target Terror in the pipeline for the Wii. Good, mindless fun, both of 'em are. :-)
Sending a note with that written on it is not. Thats not how you treat family, even if you think what they are doing is wrong. What a blunt and aggressive way to put it.
Ben
What's wrong with giving weapons as gifts, as long as the kids are also taught how to properly handle them and respect for them? Of course, they should also not be used unsupervised, but I was taught to use firearms at a very young age, and I've never shot anything but inanimate targets with them.
I think it depends on the parent. I mean I've been around guns and knives since I was around 8, and I was always taught to be extremly careful and safe with everything. I don't think that's for everyone mind you, but I certainly don't see anything wrong with it. Also it should be noted that throwing knives arn't really any that more vastly dangerous than some of the toys that have come out over the years, I mean lawndarts anyone?
I was just about to say that this story was in this week's Star.
THE ENEMY IS ATTEMPTING TO SUE! HURRY TO THE CARGO BAY!