#covid honestly made us more lenient about screens

[protego-et-servio]

Kids and Screens

I saw someone complaining about kids being on screens a lot and, honestly, I wonder how much these people realize that screens aren't an awful replacement for toys.

I'm not saying completely replace toys for screens, but screens aren't totally without imagination or socialization.

First off, many kids we see right now had to go through 2-3 years of online learning thanks to Covid. They also had to learn to socialize through online meeting and messenger apps.

I know, because my youngest is super extroverted. Covid was hard for them. They did - and still do - talk with friends over messengers or Zooms. They really enjoy playing Roblox and video chatting with friends.

Secondly, lots of apps inspire imagination. There's so many games that are basically digital dolls and in many cases they're more accessible for poorer kids. Like I had Barbies, but I only had a few outfits for them since they were expensive.

My kid has tons of apps with dolls and a mind-boggling assortment of clothes. They're always making up stories for the dolls and likes when they can make houses.

Thirdly, kids have access to other stuff than games on tablets and phones. Ebooks, audiobooks, drawing apps, writing apps. The Internet is literally at their fingertips and they have tons of resources to learn.

Yeah, we don't know the effects of kids growing up with screens as an innate part of their life AND there's definitely a need for balance. And there can be something said about corporations wanting to get kids hooked on electronics.

But

You don't know what a family's balance is from one snapshot of one day of their life.

As parents (from a US perspective, since that's my experience,) we are navigating plagues, climate change, political upheaval, growing class divide, public schools becoming defunded, economic inflation, daily shootings, and - if we or our children are of a marginalized group - targeted political attacks, and more.

Parents are tired and kids are getting such the shit-end of the stick in this world.

I'm not going to fault them for finding an escape in online games, media, writing, or digital art.

[youtuberswithalex]

I reblogged your post with my answer, but I don’t know if you actually got it, so here it is:

Well, it’s still worrying since the Asides were supposed to be separated from the main plot but now they aren’t, and already by the second one you have to watch it to know what’s going on. Plus, they’re apparently such a priority we’re getting two more before the season finale. But yeah, it could be worse.

As for the Patton-jealousy arc, that’s just a theory that one of the fans had for something that happened a lot in some of season 1 and early season 2– Logan, and Roman, would often be pretty hostile to Patton. Mostly Logan, and then Roman would follow as if to prove himself.

Like, they’d often be deliberately depicted to act upset and jealous whenever Patton got any acknowledgement from Thomas. Logan seemed sensitive to Patton being commended for being smart in any way and kept trying to leave him out, like in the Sherlock episode. In one episode when Thomas went along with Patton in saying that Logan and Roman worked well together, and Patton’s theme began to play, the two belittled him and told him he was acting immature. They kept brushing him off and wouldn’t take him seriously. They also slowed Patton down in Accepting Anxiety Part 1, when Patton tries to point out Virgil isn’t there by brushing him off and talking about other reasons. And in Logic vs. Passion, at the end of the video, a point is made in the end card of Virgil sitting with Patton and saying that it’s a shame Patton wasn’t there since he would’ve probably made some good points. It very much seemed like a deliberately built up plot point.

Then it was just forgotten about after Moving On. And honestly, it wasn’t resolved. Not completely. All that happened was that Thomas realized it was okay to feel sad and that Patton wasn’t always as happy as he acted for them. And they might’ve subconsciously realized that they should’ve listened to him in the beginning, though they didn’t even seem to consciously know they were talking over him.

But it wasn’t properly resolved. The sides never apologized and acknowledged they should listen to him more— heck, Logan wasn’t even there in person. And his “gift”?? Where it’s a “compromise” between Patton wearing something he likes that hurts no one and Logan... just wanting to control what he wears?? Thomas should understand that’s not an apology. Barely acknowledging that someone can be nonconformist while still forcing them to conform to your slightly more lenient standards isn’t a complete resolution, and it’s definitely not an acknowledgement of everything Logan especially did wrong to Patton. Thomas leaving it at that wasn’t a “subtle” finish, it was downright incomplete, and it wouldn’t be the end of the issue in a real relationship.

But it’s just vanished after that. Half-done, and then discarded. Like it just was there for drama. Like we’re supposed to assume that it was worked out offscreen, which, no. Building up a conflict for that long kind of requires you to resolve it fully on-screen, not set up a possibility of finishing it and then leave it. That’s just asking the audience to write the story for you. It just feels forgotten about.

Just like the unresolved issues at the end of LNTAO. Are we ever coming back to that one? It was established after the episode that the conversation wasn’t done, that Roman’s apology and wanting not to shy away from his pain didn’t solve anything yet.

Heck, the whole problem was mostly caused by Logan— Roman is having trouble creating because creativity isn’t a machine that endlessly churns out product. He needs some time for Thomas to self-reflect in order to be able to create more easily. But Logan is worried taking time will drive fans away, so he’s just demanding Roman produce. And when Roman can’t, Logan doesn’t have a solution, he just keeps demanding Roman create more, so of course Roman lashes out. And Logan’s the one who thinks Thomas should get a “real,” societally-approved job, like an accountant. And Roman ends up apologizing? For lashing out in response to Logan’s bullying? That doesn’t actually solve anything!

It was implied we were going to come back to it, but then immediately afterwards Deceit appears, and then we were just given new plot thread on top of new plot thread, as if the new ones are meant to bury the old ones. Roman’s issues were never returned to, and it seems like they’re eventually just going to explode. But from the way the other sides are acting, I don’t think it looks like they’re being set up to understand why Roman’s upset when it all becomes too much. It looks like they’ll just think he’s being difficult. Will the conflict actually be wrapped up and resolved properly, or will there just be a bunch of drama, and then a hastily rushed half-done conclusion?

Roman deserves better than that. But I don’t know how much I trust the writers anymore.

Sorry I got a bit off topic there. But I just really needed to get my worries out. I hope I answered your question, anyway.

I did get your reblog, I just got sick last night (nothing covid related, dw) and wasn’t feeling well enough to respond.

That makes sense on where the jealousy idea came from, but I’d honestly interpreted it as them being like “you’re an idiot and are throwing Thomas off track”, and then in Moving On they realized “oh shit that was all a front, you’re like... really hurting”

BUT, that being said, your interpretations/theories/etc are all completely valid, just because we saw it differently doesn’t mean one of us is wrong. 

I’m sure they have... something planned? And maybe it’s all just setting up for a slow-burn type of thing? but... the execution of that is sure going to be... something, if we ever get to see it