# A tax on TV's and videogames **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2008, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839 "2008-02-01T11:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/21 "2008-02-01T18:24:02Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] Well, yes. There is a disproportionate number of such people on the Internet as a whole, because we found that it was easier to find acceptance online than in RL. People who were able to form social groups face to face are more likely to not spend a lot of time online, because, you know, they’re actually out there doing stuff. [/QUOTE] You just made me feel bad. ☹ On the upside, I never had to dodge _rocks_ in PE. The other occasional projectile, yes. (There seem to be very few sports which _don’t_ involve objects in flight towards their participants.) But at least no _rocks_. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/22 "2008-02-01T18:29:37Z")
[QUOTE=begbert2] You just made me feel bad. ☹ [/QUOTE] Yeah, that came across a little harsh. I don’t find anything wrong with using the internet as a primary social outlet. I find the sorts of communities that form online fascinating, since it’s not limited by geography. I get far more out of interacting online than I ever could face to face. As to the OP, video games do not need any more undeserved vilification than they endure already. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/23 "2008-02-01T18:33:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] Well, yes. There is a disproportionate number of such people on the Internet as a whole, because we found that it was easier to find acceptance online than in RL. People who were able to form social groups face to face are more likely to not spend a lot of time online, because, you know, they’re actually out there doing stuff. [/QUOTE] Or they just have jobs with internet connections and lots of down time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/24 "2008-02-01T18:44:24Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] Anyway, the proposed tax doesn’t get at the heart of the problem. We’ve had TVs for generations and video games just as long… [/QUOTE] Uh, no, we haven’t had video games as long as we’ve had television. And the commonality of video games in the home is a relatively recent development. TVs have been in almost all homes in the USA for at least two generations; when I was a kid in the 80s, home video games systems were still catching on, and most people did not have home computers. They didn’t become all that commonplace until ten or fifteen years ago, really. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/25 "2008-02-01T19:11:29Z")
Bad parenting is the cause in the first place. Parents often choose neighborhoods with few children (and may not have anyone in the same age group), love oporrly designed (often undesigned) suburbs with no way to get to friends’ places without driving or biking on busy roads, and actively prevent kids from playing without constant supervision. This is not a recipe for excercise. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/26 "2008-02-01T20:27:01Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] Weird. There seems to be a disproportionate number of people on the SDMB who had to dodge rocks and other projectiles during PE. [/QUOTE] That’s because we’re the ones who can read and write. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/27 "2008-02-01T20:51:41Z")
You can have my controller when you pry it from cold, dead hands. > [@BlackKnight](#): > > The idea of Nintendo Wiis being taxed because kids aren’t getting enough exercise is especially hilarious. Unless you’re one of those loons who gets up and embarrasses himself which they show in the commercials, playing with a Wii is no more exercise than playing with your other wii. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/28 "2008-02-01T23:22:41Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] By suggesting that his point of view is more than a little biased. [/QUOTE] Oh, so he’s been personally involved in something he talks about? Well, good heavens, let’s ban him from ever mentioning it again. Can’t have that sort of thing, no siree. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/29 "2008-02-02T00:44:52Z")
Deary me, we can’t have any talk of banning stuff, now, can we? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/30 "2008-02-02T02:29:31Z")
I _liked_ dodgeball, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/31 "2008-02-02T05:22:30Z")
And the correct answer is… “Who the hell are you to tell me I must be punished for my lifestyle choices? Piss off.” ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralCrunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@AdmiralCrunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdmiralCrunch)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/32 "2008-02-02T07:14:21Z")
[QUOTE=Mijin] I think it’s a great idea. We should also extend the tax to books, or at least fiction, and classical music (since at least with pop music you could argue that kids might dance to it) for the same reasons. [/QUOTE] Why stop at fiction when we could add board games, computers, movies, puzzles, scrapbooks, barbies, train sets, radios, and The Bible. With these kinds of revenues we could win the World Cup by 2030\* or so. \*This years host? The fucking moon! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/33 "2008-02-02T07:38:43Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] Well known connection? Cite? [/QUOTE] Well, I was partly being sarcastic, what with the built in assumption of this proposal that outdoor sports are so much better than video games that games should be taxed to support them ( as if sports aren’t subsidized enough ). However, since when has sports NOT been connected to thuggish behavior ? School jocks are notorious for bullying and worse. Sports stars are also known for violent behavior. And sports fans the world over have a reputation for violence; would you prefer to walk into a video gamer’s convention, or a gathering of soccer hooligans ? [QUOTE=John Mace] It’s worse. They secretly reward the bullies with sex and candy. [/QUOTE] Don’t be silly; the bullying is a reward in itself. All the bullies need is permission or encouragement; when a teacher tells the class that he wants the big kids to “keep the little kids in their place”, what do you expect to happen ? [QUOTE=Bosstone] There is a disproportionate number of such people on the Internet as a whole, because we found that it was easier to find acceptance online than in RL. People who were able to form social groups face to face are more likely to not spend a lot of time online, because, you know, they’re actually out there doing stuff. [/QUOTE] Like chasing and throwing rocks at the students who end up on the Internet because they get tired of being assaulted ? Or, as adults, making life hell for other people in ways that won’t get them arrested if they tried it as adults. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/34 "2008-02-02T10:50:32Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Uh, no, we haven’t had video games as long as we’ve had television. And the commonality of video games in the home is a relatively recent development. TVs have been in almost all homes in the USA for at least two generations; when I was a kid in the 80s, home video games systems were still catching on, and most people did not have home computers. They didn’t become all that commonplace until ten or fifteen years ago, really. [/QUOTE] :smack: My tri-lingual lifestyle is catching up to me and my ability to communicate has taken a nose dive lately. Obviously I know we havn’t had video games as long as TV. Sorry for saying something so rediculous. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/35 "2008-02-02T11:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > And sports fans the world over have a reputation for violence; would you prefer to walk into a video gamer’s convention, or a gathering of soccer hooligans ? Football hooligans aren’t playing football, they’re spectators. What reason do you propose spectators of a nominally non-contact sport should become so aggressive? Do you think it’s anything to do with hundreds of young men fueled by alcohol all being in the same place at once (i.e. nothing to do with the sport itself, as claimed?) > [@](#): > > However, since when has sports NOT been connected to thuggish behavior ? Since pretty much forever. We all know the tales of marauding bloodthirsty cricket fans, or the legendary rugby massacres of the 1880’s… ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/36 "2008-02-02T21:05:26Z")
I don’t think that a government in a free society should “promote” anything. Their job is to keep the strong from oppressing the weak, and cut out all of the other nonsense. Then they would need less tax dollars, so we could keep more of those dollars and spend it the way we choose. That is the core of freedom. Sure, I think that kids today need to get off of their lazy, fat asses and do something outside. That doesn’t mean that we need a government program to implement it… ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/37 "2008-02-03T04:36:42Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] No. I don’t like the idea of sin taxes, especially given how arbitrary the definition of “sin” is. Why should video games get an extra tax, and churches go tax free ? Why should video games or TV support outdoor sports ? You say that outdoor sports are healthier ? Well, then I can point out the well known connection between sports and thuggish behavior. Perhaps we should tax sports to keep down crime, eh ? As for “outdoor education”, I’d ban anything like that from schools altogether. PE, or gym or whatever you want to call it, I remember it as mainly an excuse for bullies to run wild while teachers looked on in approval. [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I’m sorry you had lousy PE teachers. But you’re making the same kind of argument as those who would abolish the FDA because it’s corrupt. I was never a great jock, I was a small nerdy weakling in fact, but I loved PE & am enormously grateful for it. I think we should discourage the overuse of computer games, I dunno if a tax is the best way. (And my _Nobunaga’s Ambition_-obsessed teen self is a bit disturbed by the idea…) ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/38 "2008-02-03T04:41:16Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] I don’t think that a government in a free society should “promote” anything. Their job is to keep the strong from oppressing the weak, and cut out all of the other nonsense. Then they would need less tax dollars, so we could keep more of those dollars and spend it the way we choose. That is the core of freedom. Sure, I think that kids today need to get off of their lazy, fat asses and do something outside. That doesn’t mean that we need a government program to implement it.. [/QUOTE] Well, I think that confiscatory taxes are one way to subtly forestall the power of the strong to oppress the weak, so I dispute that it would take less tax, but that’s another debate maybe… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/39 "2008-02-03T15:43:04Z")
So here’s my question. Why are they promoting outdoor sports? Because exercise is good for you? If that’s the case, then they shouldn’t be promoting outdoor sports, they should be promoting exercise. Games like _Dance Dance Revolution_ and others that require you to get up and move around should not be taxed. I’m seeing a logical disconnect between ‘‘exercise is good for you’’ -----\> ‘‘tax video games’’ ------\> ‘‘give the money to outdoor education programs.’’ And in terms of the ‘‘disconnect from nature,’’ well I love nature as much as the next girl, but can anyone prove that being ‘‘disconnected from nature’’ somehow leaves you less healthy and happy? Outdoor sports is not the only means by which one can exercise. And obviously, playing video games and getting exercise is _not always_ mutually exclusive. Therefore this proposal makes no sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839/40 "2008-02-03T18:50:54Z")
So why aren’t we hypothetically taxing books as well? You don’t exercise while reading. But wait - reading is good for you, right? We don’t want to punish people for doing good things. But then there’s useless reading as well - Harlequin romances, action serial novels… These are the equivalent of soap operas and TV dramas. So, no tax on Shakespeare, because obviously that’s _good_ reading. A tax on cheap romances and “The Punisher” books. Really, what we need is a ‘cultural approval’ board that looks at everything people do and decides what is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad’, and punishes the ‘bad’ people. All for the good of society, of course. It takes a village, and a village needs elders with whips and the occasional stake and torches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tax-on-tvs-and-videogames/435839.md?page=3)