The Worst Toys of 2007 - Part 3

I really do worry sometimes.

• Do we stop children riding bicycles in case they fall off and hurt themselves?
• Do we stop children climbing trees in case they fall and hurt themselves?
• Do we stop children playing cops and robbers just in case they hurt themselves?
• Do we withdraw heritage toy soldiers from toy cupboard across the world because they are made of lead?
• Do we wrap the kiddy-winkies up in cotton wool, just in case?

Pain is the body's first line of defence against incurring more serious structural damage. When a child does something that hurts, it learns not to do it again, usually. OK, so it pays to make and buy toys that don't cause harm, but where is the boundary bewtween 'learning pain' and structural damage these days, and has it shifted over the last 50 years?

I'm glad you said what you did, Horrible Old Bat. Personally, I survived a childhood of sword fights with sharpened sticks, bike riding without a helmet, and lots of tree climbing.

Safety is important, but there needs to be a standard of reasonableness. For example, a toymaker can't expect a 12-month old baby to not put a toy in his or her mouth. That's just what babies do (and sometimes they even wait until Mom or Dad's back is turned). However, is it unreasonable to expect a 6-year old to stay away from the campfire while playing with B'Loonie's Party Pack?

I agree with the comments by Horrible Old Bat and moose, but;

This is not the era we all grew up in. There are physical and psychological dangers now, that were not present decades ago ( and no, I didn't grow up in an age where 'a stick and a hoop was the latest must have.).

People in the UK are probably well aware that the horrific murder of toddler James Bulgar. It was perpetrated by 2 pubescent kids, thought to be influenced by a number of factors that included watching violent films (specifically including 'Chucky'). More recently console games have been linked to disturbed teenagers committing crimes all over the world. In each case it appears to me that these games/films are only one part of the situation, but they are still a significant part of it.

Physically, many cheap toys exist, often containing harmful components. Harmful by way of shape or composition. Cheap '3rd world' sources are often blamed, but we should not forget those who specify design, import, and retail.

There is an onus of responsibility upon parents to be selective about what their children are exposed to. At the same time, there should be accountability in the commercial sector. This accountability should not stop at 'one person'. Invariably a whole chain of events can result in harm to a child. All should be bought to account.

Harm can be caused (physically and emotionally) by a vast range of toys/entertainment today. Anybody involved knowingly in that chain of supply is to blame.

Are you suggesting that there was no violence before video and computer games?

Did you not notice that the fall of the Iron Curtain led to a massive influx of wooden toys which were very similar to those which were available in the West in the 60s?

Part of the problem is increased communication - we find out more about our world, so the problem seems worse. Before telecommunication, these problems would have been dealt with at local level - a murderer might be lynched, or their family help to eradicate the evidence so that they would not lose face. Such "privacy" is now gone.

Don't forget that the Victorians used lead, not just in paint but for plumbing - much more dangerous? Even the colours of their wallpaper contained a cocktail of nasties.

If we keep going like this, how long before we regulate ourselves out of existence?

My point was really about how modern society exists. People live in bigger communities, and communicate via modern technology. We no longer know our neighbours. I think this has some part in 'sociopathic' crime. On the other side of the coin, increased communication means that we hear more of what happens around the world. Carrying a gun was fairly normal in Victorian times compared to today. 'Better' or 'worse' is very hard to discern.

So we agree!