Introduction: Who's Holly? She's "Holly McClure". She's been on Politically Incorrect, and in Dr. Laura's bi-monthly newsletters. She has been on CNN & Co, FOX FX, and many other things. I've only been in several local newspapers, on other sites, and a few poetry compilations. I sent her a letter after reading the below item. It struck me as odd and I felt like debateing it a little. What is the subject? Pokémon. Anyways, below is her article. Read it; and then, my letter.
"The article."

****Letter One****
(This one is from me to her.)

Hello.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Philip Wesley. I am 19 and I run the largest Game Boy site on the internet. (www.dmgice.com) So naturally, I know everything about the system and in particular the most popular games. I also work as a sales associate. I know what sells and I know everything about particular franchises. My site was reporting on the Pokémon franchise eight monthes before it hit the US market. And I would like to clear the air on some aspects of it. We need to understand first off, that America is a rather sceptical place and the show/games/movies/etc have had to go through an amazing "dumbing down" for the rather vapid US market. I've read all sorts of criticism of the franchise, and several before it. I've seen the utterly innane and unchristian viewpoint of "The Logos Christian Consortium", and the very passive, unispired, dead commentary of "Focus on the Family". A lot of the criticism is aimed at a few particular aspects. Let's first take a look at one of the most "infamous" arguements stated against the franchise.

"Is Pokémon satanic?" - It depends on how much you don't know about it. The game is based on something that it's creator, Satoshi-san, did as a child. One thing we must understand is that the people who design games for Nintendo -such as Satoshi or Miyamoto (Legend of Zelda series, Mario)- usually base their best games on childhood experiences. The creator of "Pokémon" created the game because of his fascination with Entomology (The study of insects). As a child he enjoyed, looking everywhere for bugs. He would catch them, raise them, watch them, and -as was the popular past-time in that post war era- pit them against other kids bugs. In other words, it's based on primitive cockfighting. In Taiwan, a few years ago, it got to be such a big thing that there was a ban on bringing crickets to school. Kids would bring the crickets and make them fight each other. I remember doing this with fish. Back when "Fighting Fish" were a hot commodity. See where it's coming from? Now, the real reason that the franchise is popular is because the  creatures have the same appeal that animals do. For example, dogs and cats. One child may like a Pokémon because it is "cute", another may like it because it is "powerful", and so on and so forth. The real "joy" in the game, according to it's creator, is to recreate his childhood; but to a different extent. Instead of just bugs, a ton of animal-like creatures are "hiding" and waiting to be "discovered" and "trained". The joy is in the discovery. To give the game a point other than finding creatures, the creatures were given "attacks", and to prevent it from getting dull, a "type" system was added. There are 15 types. All based on standard elements and aspects from that culture. Psychic and Ghost Pokémon are the main targets. Ranging from idiosyntric observations of "That one is satanic! It's name is 'Alakazam'! And that word is a satanic word used by satanic people like David Copperfield, Harry Houdini, and Mumford the Magician from Sesame Street!" That's just plain dumb. The real reason the type is included is because it's an industry standard. And it gets more interesting as each type has one or two types it's strong against or weak against. Think of it as "Rock. Paper, Scissiors" in different terms. Are the "special powers" each creature has a sign of pagan religion? No. They are a "gimmick" to attract the RPG/SIM/STRATEGY purists that make up 80% of the Japanese User Demographic. Some of the moves and powers are meant to make sense. For example, an "Arbok" -a type of snake- has Poisonous powers. It makes sense. A Water-Type Pokémon has watery attacks like SURF, etc. Those are to make the game more interesting.

"The game is about fighting and violence!" - If you read through the Pokédex data for each creature in the game, it's like watching the Discovery Channel. I babysit and observe young children. The children who play the game show a heightened interest in the study of Nature and Biology.  In the game, you have three goals. One is to enter and win a sporting tournament with your Pokémon, to do this you must catch them. The second is to help out the "Adult Mentor" in the game -a scientist who wishes to have pictures and data on all 151 different Pokémon. Yes, part of the games main goal is to aid an intelligent and well-meaning adult make an electronic encyclopedia. Adults are not viewed as fools. The main character embarks on his journey at Age 10; because of the culture that the game comes from. Japan has a very high emphasis on education. And the "journey" in the game and the series is similar to a field trip. A long field trip; but a field trip. It's a "discovery time". Similar to how Native Americans had "rites of passage" that involved sending their sons away into the wilderness to fend for themselves. Along the way, the main character meets other characters, including the games "villians". The vilified enemies are "poachers". They steal Pokémon from people and are generally greedy, selfish, and do not care about the creatures they steal or own. The idea that is being hammered in is subtle; but it's purpose is to show that people without respect for other peoples property and for living things are bad. It's a "though shalt not covet; because if you do.. you're a bad person" dogma. The purpose of trading and competeing is to give the game a "social" aspect. I for one, love the idea of being able to find something in common with so many people. They may be young people; but that's a good thing. Parents that "study up" on the game are given a mutual respect by the game's players. It's quite unique to hear kids talk about it. I've played through the game and caught every last single one of those creatures. I let a bunch of them "return to the wild" after I got the data on them; because I didn't have an reason to keep them. It's a catch and release policy. The games social aspect is from all the merchandise, and the most important parts of the Game Boy game. You need to "trade" Pokémon with your friends or other trainers to "catch them all". It's brilliant in the fact that it can encourage multiple purchases of the same game; but in a different color. One player has a RED version of the game. This version contains some creatures that the BLUE version doesn't have. So in order to get the data for the creatures he/she can't catch. He/she needs to talk to the person with a different color game pak and ask if he/she would like to trade. It's a little like basic economics. Worth is determined by need. Similar to Supply and Demand. It is meant to help the gamer develop social business skills. Those skillsd are a vital part of the Japanese culture. The game is about "discovery" first, "socialization" second, and the third part is about finding and raising creatures in "teams" to pit them against your friends creatures. Think of it as, "managing a Baseball Team". You train your team, make trades, practice, and play. The game is about those aspects. Nintendo of Japan says the game is about: "Socialization, Nurtureing, Discovery, and Personalization". As each creature is unique and reflective of that trainers style of training. If you wish to see something truly unique. Try Pokémon Snap for the N64 game console. It's not about fighting.. it's about takeing pictures. Oddly enough, this is a true reflection of one of the games main points. The "discovery" aspect.

"Pokémon is a passing fad." - Unfortunately for ill-tempered parents, or parents of children who love to whine; the "fad" won't die anytime soon. It's really almost 25 years old. The first "Pokémon" or "Pocket Monsters" appeared in Coro Coro Comics almost 25 years ago. Coro Coro Comics is a Japanese Manga Comic Book which launched several of their most popular animes. Like Doreman (An Electric Robot Cat), Goemon (A satirical hero from the Japanese 'EDO' era.), and Card Captor Sakura (A new anime that Nelvana is translating over to here later this year.) The franchise is a popular as Disney in Japan.And I would like to see it stay popular for sales purposes, and because it distracts kids from distinctly American franchises. Pokémon is a cultural franchise, and compared to US franchises such as "South Park", "Wrestling", "Who wants to be a Millionaire", "Jerry Springer", etc. I would much rather import a cultural fad, than let a child touch some of the horrible and distinctly American inventions.

"A little bit on the cards." - The cards aren't a big deal in Japan. In the USA, we have a violent culture made up of bigotry and mistrust. The motto for the USA seems to be: "Get all you can". That type of greed is exactly what Fidel Castro and other world leaders mean when they refer to Americans as "Capitalist Pigs". We place too much value on material possessions that we have no one to blame but ourselves for any incidents related to the cards. America is Sodom and Gommorah. Places like Japan are "assimilated"; in other words, nearly everyone is the same. In Japan, the cards don't cause as much of a ruckus; because they have their priorities straight. Maybe if American families got their priorities straight, there wouldn't be a problem, and the cards would be no different from Baseball Cards, coins, etc. You don't blame the cards for school unrest, you blame the children for school unrest. It's not the object. The object doesn't have a soul, it can not think for itsself. It can only be used. The love of something, if too much is given to it, is bad. Got it? I collect the cards myself. It's a hobby. I also collect baseball cards. One thing I love is the limits on the cards. The place where I work has a five "booster packs" of the cards per person, per day. This is to prevent greedy people from doing what they do best: Make a fun hobby and joyless experience.

"Good messages in the shows." - The shows are completely butchered in the USA. In an attempt to please everyone, the messages in the shows are lost. Let's look at the first movie. the whole "fighting is bad" dogma in the movie was an American addition. 4Kids Productions added it to -quote- "Appease those ridiculously pious parents." And it ruined the movies main message. The movie: 'Mewtwo Strikes Back" is not about "fighting is bad". It's about Mewtwo finding a purpose to life. You see, the movie was made to question the morality of cloning. My younger sisters get the message; but many adults who should be smart enough to understand, don't get it. The movie starts with Mewtwo awakening to a cold and unfeeling enviroment. He's upset; because he "was never born" and therefore has no "family" or "purpose". He attribute "purpose" in life to being part of a "family that cares for him". The scientists dont' "care for him", they view him as a product. they fail to realize that everything that lives is special and worthwhile. In a fit of rage, Mewtwo destroys the lab. He is then met by the person who funded the scientists research. He is lied to and led into doing things that are wrong to help him "understand his powers and his purpose". When he is told that his purpose is to be "forced to do the bidding of his master"; Mewtwo is enraged and destroys his "master" as well. You see, Mewtwo is looking for affection and a sense of "belonging". Think of Mewtwo as the perfect example of what can happen to someone who isn't pointed in the right directions early on in life. Mewtwo develops a plan to "destroy everything, except for clones". And this leads him to lure trainers to his island make clones of their Pokémon and destroy them. In the back of Mewtwo's mind is a lot of pent-up aggression and foolish selfishness. When they creature he was cloned from appears in the midst of the heroes battle to stop Mewtwo. Mewtwo attacks his "parent" to prove that he is "superior". During the course of the battle, the clones and originals are fighting each other. Except for Pikachu, Pikachu isn't fighting back against his clone. Why isn't he? Because Pikachu realizes that the fight has shifted from being about "saving the world" to "proving superiority". And that is not something he wants to try and prove. The horrible English translation dillutes the messages that the human characters say. In the US version the sum of what is said is: "Fighting is bad". That's not true to the Japanese version. In that version the sum of it is: "It doesn't feel right to fight to prove someone is better than someone else. If the reason for a fight is because someone is different from another person; it isn't right to fight for that." Pikachu takes all the blows and gets back up and turns the other cheek. He's a good example of what a good Christian should be. He's not resorting to violence, he's trying to make his clone see that what it's fighting for is wrong. The main character tries to stop the fight and is turned to stone.. or rather killed. Mewtwo realizes that the main character "Ash"  must understand something he doesn't; to be able to give up his life to stop them. This leads Mewtwo to believe that maybe, his plan isn't right. After a whole "thing to do" that involves an old "prophecy" stated near the start of the movie that serves as a "plot device"; Ash is back alive again. And Mewtwo realizes that this is a stalemate. He also realizes that he created those clones, and that by making them do his bidding.. he's just as bad as Giovanni, and the scientists. He then decides to take his new "family" to a secluded area away from everyone else and learn what he can. He's discovered that his "purpose" now is to raise and be around his own creations. That's the real message of the movie. Definately cause for discussion. Also notice that in the opening short, Pikachu tried to stop a fight. Pikachu is a good example for children. An excellent example is the scene where the dragon "Charizard" gets his head stuck in a pipe. Pikachu goes to the group of unruly Pokémon that he had been argueing with before, and asks for their help. He had every right to go and chew them out; but instead he goes and he apologizes to them. Even though he wasn't at fault. Intretingly  enough, that's how conflicts are supposed to be resolved. Pikachu goes and instead of being angry, he's pentant, and asks for forgiveness. They agree to help him and the day is saved. It's not something you can catch in the film if you aren't discussing it with your children. Strangely enough, that little electric mouse has more sense in his demeanor than people give him credit for. In fact.. Pikachu seems to be a better Christian than many of us.

Anyways, thanks for takeing the time to read this. It's not an enforcement of my opinion on yours; just an interestingly encentric way to look at the franchise.

Peacecookies, and God Bless!
Philip Wesley

Dear Philip,

Thanks for your lengthy explanation...you are clearly one of the better versed authorities on Pokemon. 

I'm overwhelmed to respond to every aspect of your loquacious letter but you didn't mention the fact that in Japan 700 kids became ill watching a Pokemon episode on television. Or that change in kids behavior all over the country has been documented and traced back to the different spells and incantations on the cards. Kids who played with (and meditated on) the cards that had certain curses were reporting to have headaches and anger problems. It didn't (and doesn't) happen to all children who play with them but there were many cases reported. 

Parents in Japan were furious over the fact that their kids had spent thousands of dollars on cards that won't increase in value and in fact have decreased in many cases. Emotional and psychological problems were also reported by many Japanese doctors of children who had lost or had their cards stolen. Likewise in the US, arrests have been made of kids who steal these cards from other kids, etc.

Like anything, anywhere in the world...if you create a commodity, human nature will seek it out. There are many wonderful things about the country you live in Philip, it is not (as you put it) just a Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because God could not find any who believed in him or would worship him. Fortunately for this country there are many people who do. God has blessed this country with a wealth and privilege you freely enjoy (at a price I might add of many people) and there is much more positive than negative to endure. 

I hope you are correct and there is a backlash on the Pokemon fad and it dies down to indifference.

Thanks again for your letter,

Holly  

And like always, I'll respond. :)
 

I'm overwhelmed to respond to every aspect of your loquacious letter but you didn't mention the fact that in Japan 700 kids became ill watching a Pokemon episode on television.

This was because the episode used a new type of "CGI Color Dithering" effect for a "stand-out" look after the computer in the episode exploded. The flashing Red and Blue signal in the background caused an epileptic reaction. The same effect that colored strobe lights cause. (And all the more reason for people to stay away from Rave parties.) Also note that most Japanese Children sit at a distance of less than two feet away from their television sets. The color dithering effects were removed for the US audience. And the intial count was 300 instances of nausea, headaches, and black-outs. The clip was later shown again on the nightly news and resulted in 200 more cases. Where did the 700 figure come from? It was 500 according to CNN. I think a little bit of irrationality seeped in there. Gotta watch it. Gotta stay calm in debates. :)

Or that change in kids behavior all over the country  has been documented and traced back to the different spells and incantations  on the cards. Kids who played with (and meditated on) the cards that had certain curses were reporting to have headaches and anger problems. It didn't (and doesn't) happen to all children who play with them but there were many cases reported.

And oddly enough, this is the first time I have ever heard of this. Can you find me an article on this; preferably from a newspaper that has national syndication. As for curses on the cards? Are you confuseing the Pokémon CCG with Magic: The Gathering, or to some extent "Redemption"? (Ever actually look at those cards?) Although, in many kids, it would make sense that it would lead to aggressive behaviour. I took Psychology, and unfocused anger problems are a very powerful thing. Anger problems come from how a child views the world. And not from one object, unless they have been "taught" to view an object in this way. Who does the teaching? Most likely, the parents and the childs seniors. Remember that two income families are on the rise. There's not enough time for parents to mold and shape children correctly these days. So, they resort to anger management in their own ways. In Pokémon (The Game Boy game.), you can name the main characters main enemy. Some kids name that character -who is portrayed in the game as a selfish person- after people they know. Which is an odd thing, when you get right down to it. It's a focus of an object instead of a person. Similar to writing down what makes you mad on a paper, then ripping the paper up. These "kids" are most likely not developing "anger problems" from the games. Many people are "visual" people. They direct memories onto objects. So, you may see a rose, they may see a bad relationship. You may see a coffee mug; they may see an abusive parent. It's not an objects fault. That object is incapable of feeling. It is what it represents to that person.

Parents in Japan were furious over the fact that their kids had spent thousands of dollars on cards that won't increase in value and in fact have decreased in many cases. Emotional and psychological problems were also reported by many Japanese doctors of children who had lost or had their cards stolen. Likewise in the US, arrests have been made of kids who steal these cards from other kids, etc.

This I've heard of. It's not the fault of the object. It's when too much value is placed in the object. For example, Baseball Cards. Are Baseball cards bad? No. But people have been stabbed over those. When I was in Germany, in the Stars and Stripes, there was a side-line article in 1993 about a young airman who shot another airman over a dispute on a Nolan Ryan card. One accused the other of trying to steal it and then shot him in the leg. Many things lose value after you buy them. A car for example. And people kill each other for those. It's not the object; but the objectifier. Worth and value is hammered into the minds of children early these days. We see it with Beanie Babies, Pogs, Comics, Cards, etc. If too much value is placed on an object by the purchaser, that object becomes an "idol". We all know that is bad.

Like anything, anywhere in the world...if you create a commodity, human nature will seek it out. There are many wonderful things about the country you live in Philip, it is not (as you put it) just a Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because God could not find any who believed in him or would worship him. Fortunately for this country there are many people who do. God has blessed this country with a wealth and privilege you freely enjoy (at a price I might add of many people) and there is much more positive than negative to endure.

I know. It's just sometimes, you gotta wonder. I mean, seriously. America isn't the lovely God-Centered nation it was. And that is a shame. But hey! We can pray for the nation; and hope that it gets better. I deal with all sorts of people on a day to day basis. America is pathetically out of touch with God, and I hope and pray that people realize it. We are on a path of destruction. We're a nation with "blinders". We either ignore our surroundings and see the world through rose colored lenses; or we focus heavily on the negative and ponder/debate it to death. Which is what we're doing; but it's nice to talk about right? I mean, the best way to get that old grey matter working is to debate in a civil way. There's an old saying that if you look at a glass as half empty, it's half empty. The same with Pokémon. We see what we want to see, and unfortunately, ill-informed media people seem to see a lot of harm in the franchise. Although, ill intent was most likely the furthest thing from the mind of it's designer.

For an example: Let's take a popular game. No, not Pokémon.. MONOPOLY. Monopoly is a horrible satanic game, because it preaches that greed (A deadly sin!) is good. In fact, the goal of the game is to make everyone else bankrupt, and to accumulate money. How do we accumulate money? By buying, and selling property, I've seen people hurt each other over losing a property to someone else. The game has caused arguements in many homes, and led some children to violence. Punching, hitting each other. In the game, the legal system is belittled, and people are encouraged to accept bank errors without care (stealing), and they can be lead to believe that going to jail is a normal occurance! They even get out of jail FREE with a card.
And they can become objects in the game. For example, some people who play it choose to have a "piece" shaped like a shoe or a hat. This type of play is similar to a witches familiar. And that's against the Bible. People are taught to be "self important"; and they put trust in their descisions and "the role of the die". The die itself is six sided and was originally used in barbaric gambling events dating back to the Babylonians! To make matters worse, this game is in millions of US homes! If people claim to be Christians, they should burn their Monopoly games! See how anything can be taken out of proportion?

I hope you are correct and there is a backlash on the Pokemon fad and it dies down to indifference.

I hope there isn't a "backlash". Because such a thing is unchristian. We all remember the "Barney" backlash, or the backlash at Cabbage Patch Dolls. Were those anything good? Let's see.. we have t-shirts with violent acts of brutal or sexual nature bought and sold as "Anti-Barney". We got the "Garbage Pail Kids" as a backlash for Cabbage Patch Dolls. We even have "Vampire Fish" and "Darwin Fish" on cars now. To want a "backlash" is not a good idea. As for indifference? It will happen. Everything fades down eventually. Although if I had my way... Legos would still be the king of toys. Although, kids today have it easy. I mean, seriously, is Pokémon really worse than "South Park", "He-Man", etc? The tv show is less violent than what I grew up with. (G.I. Joe)

Thanks again for your letter,

Holly

You're welcome. :) I like to debate these things. And I'm glad that we have been able to discourse this in a friendly manner. On an off note, I've actually talked to some people with "The Logos Christian Consortium", and this type of reasonable discourse would be lost on them. :( Pray for them.

God Bless!
Philip Wesley

Thanks for your reply...you have a keen mind Philip and I wish I had more time to discuss many of your points. 

It's always a pleasure to disect a topic and try to look at it from both sides. Too many people these days are afraid to disagree and that saddens me...why can't we all agree to disagree and hear each other out on both sides of the issue? It's certainly a lot more interesting.

I've learned a lot from your information. Take care and bless you for speaking out.

Holly

Thank you for your time. :) It's been really nice debateing with you. And you're right! Too many people today are afraid to disagree on topics. Anyways, God bless. :)

Philip Wesley

Well, that was fun. And well, I disagreed with her original article, I have to admit, that anyone who is willing to sit down and argue stuff out in a calm manner is pretty cool in my book.