03/28/2003 Archived Entry: "Time to move to Taiwan"

Found this article over at The Pulse

"Ah, the joys of World Youth Day. A day for youngsters to be coddled and feted by having old people tell them what's good for them. Over in Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian released an email yesterday in which he wished young people a happy Youth Day and encouraged them to "enjoy their lives by developing interesting hobbies such as reading cartoon books or playing electronic games." According to the Taipei Times, Chen urged people to excel in what they do and recalled his meetings with cartoonists in Taiwan. He pointed to Tseng Jeng-cheng, who won a gold medal at a cyber-game competition in 2001, as an example of a young person who excels at what he does.

Chen said it is an outdated impression that only ill-mannered children enjoy reading cartoon books or playing electronic games, adding that "developing curiosity or a keen interest in learning is even more important."

Truly, this is a man in touch with his people. Can you picture George W. Bush telling teens that playing video games and reading comic books is good for them? The Beat thinks the children are our future, and our future is clearly in Taiwan. "

How truly cool is that? A public figure that thinks reading comic books and playing videogames is actually good for you! I'd like to point out though that both activities are not "for kids". The average gamer is 28 years old and the average comic book reader is 30.