What the hell is the Indonesian child death thing?

[heffer111]

That wwe.com is talking about??

and does this quote seem weird as hell?



“We are committed to working with the appropriate parties in Indonesia to address any issues, while still allowing Indonesian viewers the choice to watch WWE programming,” said Gary Davis, Vice President of WWE.



they're allowing them to watch WWE? wtf?

[elhomero]

Some kid probably got himself killed doing a wrestling move therefore everyone must think it's WWE's fault.

Its their choice to watch I guess.

[Michael Coello]

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in Indonesia has called for WWE Smackdown to be banned. This is due to an investigation into the death of a nine year old boy who apparently died trying to copy wrestling moves he saw on Smackdown. His death has become a major issue in Indonesia with people using it as a way to get violence off TV.

Commission member Ade Armando was quoted as saying, "We have SmackDown posters, shirts, cards, and other things. It has become some kind of specific culture with its own community. If there is no television show, we assume those other things will lose audience. So our conclusion is stopping the show altogether. We will not tolerate its showing anytime."

Lativi, the channel that airs Smackdown, has moved the show back an hour but has yet to indicate whether they will drop the show or not.

[erik316wttn]

Nice to see that America isn't the only country in which nobody exercises personal responsiblity anymore.

[Mayonnaise]

This is the story from Yahoo via gerweck.net

U.S. wrestling TV show under fire in Indonesia
By Achmad Sukarsono

JAKARTA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - SmackDown, a popular U.S. professional wrestling television show, should be taken off air in Indonesia, a cabinet minister says after speculation a boy may have been killed by children mimicking the fight moves.

Authorities have yet to decide whether the blows received by the 9-year-old boy in October caused his death a month later.

However, widespread media coverage and public discussion has focused on that possibility.

SmackDown is produced by U.S.-based World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE.N: Quote, Profile, Research), whose shows are seen widely around the globe.

SmackDown features wrestlers punching, kicking, choking and slamming one another to the floor in an elaborate, mostly scripted entertainment format.

Private broadcaster Lativi airs the show in Indonesia and illegal video copies are sold across the world's fourth most populous country. Schoolboys are a leading fanbase.

"It is just proper for these kind of shows to be wisely stopped. It seems as if there are no better shows," Women Empowerment Minister Meutia Hatta said on Elshinta news radio on Wednesday.

State news agency Antara quoted her as adding:"This is not only a problem for parents to deal with. This is about society failing to filter what shows are good for our children."

Some parents and leading educators had already called for a ban. However, Lativi has declined to stop running the show, instead pushing the airtime from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. when presumably fewer children are awake to watch.

Indonesia's broadcasting commission has not decided yet whether to stop the show from airing. Since reforms swept the country after the 1998 demise of President Suharto's authoritarian regime, government censorship has been cut back and controversial television programmes have mushroomed.

Since the boy died in the West Java city of Bandung on Nov. 16, Indonesian media have hunted for other stories of injuries to students in fighting games that might be linked to the show.

"Victims have clearly fallen but ironically we could not do much. The SmackDown case has clearly shown how weak is the protection for the public from broadcasting content that has destructive potential," Koran Tempo daily newspaper said in a Wednesday editorial.

"This case is the tip of the iceberg related to the many problematic broadcasting programmes," it said.

Some in the United States also say wrestling shows can spark violence or cause injuries when fans try to imitate the stunts they feature, and the argument has been raised in court cases.

The broadcasts often include warnings viewers should not try doing at home what they see the professionals -- who themselves are sometimes injured -- doing on television.

["IcePic" Rick Cobos]

Glad to see that these folks have the answers and are going after the real problems of Indonesian society like a pro wrestling television show.

I mean, I'm sure there is NOTHING wrong going on in those sweat shops.

[Boku AKA Da Green Guy]

"I killed ten people, it's the violent television!"

"My child hurt himself doing a wrestling move!"

"My son killed himself because someone told him that a cartoon said he would come back!"

Have some f***in' responbility for yourself, idiots.

[Chuckie Finster]

Indonesia is one of the most censored non-Communist nations in the world. Their government is paranoid over everything. I'm surprised they got Smackdown to begin with.

[heffer111]

heh yeah

[Nickie James]

They blame SmackDown! but not RAW? Gosh, so much bias. lol.

[HRH The KING]

Wrestling causes violence in Indonesia.

In fact, a few decades ago, a Bruno Sammartino match caused Indonesia to invade and brutally oppress East Timor.

True story.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

hrhtheking said:

Wrestling causes violence in Indonesia.

In fact, a few decades ago, a Bruno Sammartino match caused Indonesia to invade and brutally oppress East Timor.

True story.

I knew it.

[hutter]

As soon as I heard about this, the first thing that came to mind was how long would it take for Vince to sign those kids to a contract.

[PSJ]

Thank God Sabu isnt on SmackDown!....

lil' Indo kids would be moonsaulting through tables for no apparent reason.

[duxgutz]

Indonesia is our closest neighbor... I don't wanna cause an international incident here! But the country is run by a corrupt government with double standards & human rights violations are commonplace in that region. i.e. Some of the plotters & acomplices to the 'Bali bombings' have been pardoned during Ramadan while alleged Aussie drug smuggler (marijuana) Schappelle Corby dodged the gallows to face a 20 year stretch in one of the most inhospitable prisons on the planet... go figure! Sorry to bring a downer on you all but this sticks in the guts of EVERY Australian!

[Joekishi]

supersonic said:

Glad to see that these folks have the answers and are going after the real problems of Indonesian society like a pro wrestling television show.

I mean, I'm sure there is NOTHING wrong going on in those sweat shops.

Or housing one of the biggest terrorist rings on earth.

[-Lithium-]

God...people are so stupid. Yeah, lets worry about stuff on TV affecting our kids, rather then the actual world and US (them), the parents...

[BrianZane]

I'm glad to see people on this board aren't siding with the Indonesians. With the way some people think about WWE, I figured it would have been a matter of time before someone said that the country had a point.

[Chainsaw]

Wrestling's huge in Indonesia. WWE does not want to lose that as a market.

[The Peoples Elbow]

I wonder what move he was trying to do. I mean, moves like the FU aren't going to kill someone unless you drop them directly on their head. Other moves (like a burning hammer, which you wouldn't see on WWE programming anyway) are much more dangerous.