Abbotsford toy stores received surprise inspections July 13, as representatives of the Mennonite Church Canada visited area merchants, examining how retailers promote violent toys and games.
Teams of inspectors visited five stores in the city: The Bay, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Sears and Madison’s on Montrose. In each store, team members analyzed and rated the violence level of the stores’ displays of toys, videos and video games. The teams talked to staff and management about their concerns regarding violent toys contributing to aggressive attitudes and behaviour in children. After the inspections, the teams reassembled at a press conference to compare notes and rank the stores.
Kathy Railsback, coordinator for the Violence is Not Child’s Play campaign, became involved for personal reasons. “I have two sons, ages eight and eleven, and I really became concerned about the toys they were playing with, and the messages they were learning. I believe this is a battle for souls, because these toys and games go directly against the fundamental values of our faith.”
Of the four major department stores, The Bay ranked highest because the store carries relatively few violent toys and no video games. The inspectors issued a ‘Certificate of Encouragement’ to the store’s manager. Madison’s, which only stocks toys for young children, was also ranked highly for not carrying any violent toys. The owner commented that the lack of violent toys did not hurt business at all. The other stores were criticized, especially because of the easy accessibility of violent video games. However, managers and staff at each store listened carefully to the evaluation of the inspectors and promised to relay concerns to their head offices.
Railsback also coordinates follow-up visits to stores to examine how conditions have changed. She encourages local consumers to do their own inspections and talk to store managers about their concerns.
Problems encountered in the stores included violent toys rated ‘safe’ for three year olds, graphically violent comics and realistic toy guns. Toys developed from violent PG-13 movies are marketed as suitable for four year olds. In the media departments, mature videos and games were found mixed in with educational and children’s products. While British Columbia has established a ratings system for video games, including age restrictions on purchasing extremely violent games, the inspectors questioned whether these laws are being followed.
One salient example was the inscription found on the back of ‘Project Overkill,’ a video game that – while rated M for mature — was stocked in the children’s games section at an Abbotsford Zellers. A portion of it reads: “Lots of destruction, heavy firepower and other things that make up a happy childhood,” later adding, “You can play over and over and find all new ways to rack up the body count.”
Inspection teams included members of local churches and delegates attending the Mennonite Church Canada Annual Assembly, held in Abbotsford that weekend. Delegates from across Canada planned to repeat the inspections in their hometowns, as did one participant from Paraguay. So far, store inspections have been performed in about twenty cities across Canada and the United States and many more are planned.
The toy store inspections are part of a campaign called Violence is Not Child’s Play: 500 Churches for Change. This campaign, organized by Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), encourages toy retailers to examine their role in creating and sustaining a violent culture. According to CPT’s Canada Coordinator, Doug Pritchard, violent toys glamorize war, advocate fighting and killing as effective ways to solve conflict, and desensitize children to the effects of violence, such as pain and death. Violent games and toys are also linked to gender role issues (aggressive men and helpless women) and xenophobia (patriotic soldiers and ruthless foreign terrorists).
Christian Peacemaker Teams support violence reduction initiatives around the world, attempting to follow the commands of Jesus to overcome evil through good and love enemies. Following their motto “Getting in the Way,” volunteers travel to such places as Israel, Mexico, Columbia and Esgenoopetitj (Burnt Church), New Brunswick upon the request of local citizens. Trained, unarmed peacekeepers interpose themselves between those threatening violence, document human rights abuses, and participate in creative nonviolent actions. Addressing the problems caused by violent toys is one way Peacemaker Teams try to deal with pervasive violence in North American culture.
A July 2000 report from four leading child health organizations in the United States stated that research “points overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behaviour in some children.” The organizations, including the American Medical Association, cited over 1000 studies on the connection between entertainment media violence and aggressive behaviour in children.
For more information, call (206) 361-9176.