Dear Bitterroot Star,
I’m writing about the North Valley Public Library’s notification of Role playing games in person or online for teenagers, 13-18 yrs.
The Dungeons and Dragons game being offered is a dangerous occult game which has Satanic rituals and sexual and violence included in its’ instructions. Google “is Dungeons and Dragons of the occult?”. There is a long article explaining who started this game, what it promotes and the dangers of getting involved.
It is a “mind game” no one should get involved in, let alone teenagers. I do not approve of my tax dollars promoting this through our library.
Noel Parker
Stevensville
Allen says
It’s crazy that people still believe this idiocy.
While you’re googling stuff, google this: “psychology today Dungeons and Dragons and the satanic panic”.
The top result will likely be a Psychology Today article with a detailed explanation of how this ridiculousness got started.
Here’s just a small excerpt:
“Research showed that rates of suicide in registered players of role-playing games was actually lower than the general population. Empirical research demonstrated that role-playing games had no measurable negative impact on psychological functioning, emotional measures or reality-testing. The leaders of BADD were shown to have exaggerated their credentials, and cherry-picked their data, using facts to their convenience and to feed their goals. In fact, Radecki, who claimed that D&D warped the morals of vulnerable adolescents was arrested in 2013 for sexually exploiting his patients, trading Suboxone for sex.”
After that, google the phrase “therapeutic benefits of Dungeons and Dragons”. There are numerous articles about how the game is being used to help people with depression, anxiety, and all manner of social disorders. Never mind that for many of us, it’s one of the few things still bringing us together, over the internet, to laugh and have a good time with our friends during the pandemic.
It’s the 21st century, for crying out loud. We have robots on Mars, self-driving cars, the ability to video chat instantaneously with anyone, anywhere in the world, and this morning I texted my coffee maker at my office, telling it to start making coffee, as I was getting into my car in my driveway. Let’s at least try to act like we’re not still in the dark ages, and take a more fact based, analytical view toward things, shall we?