[URL]http://www.island.lk/2008/05/06/features3.html[/URL]

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Then there is the top selling female pop singer of the past decade, Britney Spears, who has a special gig today [May 6] in a court room. At the earlier hearing, judges decreed that wealthy mother-of-two Ms Spears does not have the ability to cope with (a) being wealthy or (b) being a mother of two or (c) being. Ms Spears expressed her humility by telling the media: "I don't like defining myself. I just am."

Many of us could probably think of good alternative ways of finishing that sentence.

The third major role model for young people is Dan Houser, author of some of the world’s bestselling video games. Hitting shops this week is his latest effort, Grand Theft Auto IV. It teaches youngsters the following lessons about life.

All women are prostitutes or strippers. Why save up to buy a car when you can just steal one? A good career choice these days is "transporter of illegal drugs". No one but a fool goes out of the house without loaded weapons. Guns should be used at the slightest provocation. Driving is much more fun if you do it drunk or stoned. Add drama to your leisure time by running over innocent pedestrians. Drive-by shootings are also a good laugh. You get extra points if you shoot a police officer. Hire a prostitute and instead of paying, beat her with a baseball bat.

A few people dared to suggest that Grand Theft Auto IV might not be an ideal role model for children. Perhaps we shouldn’t market "murder simulators" to impressionable youngsters, said a lawyer named Jack Thompson.

Did Mr Houser respond by changing the game from age 15 to "adults only"? No. He replied by introducing a new character. A lawyer who looks suspiciously like Jack Thompson gets threatened by a gunman and replies: "Guns don’t murder people. Video games do."
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