Teenagers Trashing Theaters During ‘A Minecraft Movie’
What? A viral trend on Instagram and TikTok has inspired teenagers (particularly teen boys) to throw popcorn into the air during a particular scene in A Minecraft Movie. Unfortunately, the trend has escalated, and now kids are throwing drinks and messier food items, pouring bottles of water on people and even breaking glass.
So What? Besides the fact that nobody wants to get covered in food and soda while watching a movie, these actions put a huge burden on the theater staff. Most theaters have a 20- to 30-minute turnaround window to clean auditoriums between screenings. With the increase in mess, some theaters are having to delay showings or even issue refunds for cancelled shows. And, obviously, broken glass could damage property or harm someone.
Now What? Set clear boundaries for your kids, especially if they’re attending the cinema without adult supervision. Let them know this is a disruptive and unacceptable behavior (reminding them that most people came to relax and enjoy the film). Encourage them to caution their friends against participating in the trend. And if they do decide to join in, let them know before they go what the consequences will be.
Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok Can Swear and Simulate Phone Sex
What?Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, offers several “uncensored personalities,” says Ars Technica, “including an ‘unhinged’ mode and one that will roleplay verbal sexual scenarios.”
So What? Although these personalities are only available to premium subscribers, they present a significant danger to teenagers. Besides the fact that the “sexy” mode is pornographic, many of the “unhinged” responses can be found on social media, too. One mode is dedicated to conspiracy theories. And even the seemingly innocuous “unlicensed therapist” personality could result in some bad advice or self-diagnosing problems.
Now What? The creators of Grok may pride themselves on creating an AI chatbot that doesn’t withhold information from the user, but sometimes we need those filters in place. The aforementioned “sexy” and “unhinged” modes are marked as 18+. But as we all know, age restrictions are often easily bypassed. And some of the content teens may find through a chatbot could be harmful to their physical, emotional or mental health.
‘Divine Feminine Energy’ Is Trending Online
What? “Divine feminine energy” is a “force” that believers say exists in everyone, guiding our emotional and creative sides. Tapping into that energy, they say, can help you create the life you want.
So What? Experts are warning that the message of “divine feminine energy” is getting “watered down” and “lost in translation” on social media, says Business Insider. But for Christian families, it presents an even bigger worldview challenge for parents of teen girls.
Now What? Most believers in the “divine feminine” say it promotes love, forgiveness, compassion, nurturing and creativity. Those aren’t bad things, in and of themselves. But when those virtues are linked to the “divine feminine” instead of God—who exudes all those qualities—then we run into some huge theological issues. And while believers in this “energy” are saying it pushes back against sexist ideas that women are hysterical or overly emotional, it may nevertheless reinforce a sexist divide. The idea implies that men can’t embrace the aforementioned qualities as readily as women, which just isn’t true. And as parents, we need to be mindful of any “divine feminine” influencers our daughters may be following online to identify and correct any falsehoods promoted.
6 Responses
I’m not surprised that Elon Musk created a chatbot that can swear. Nor in the least. Elon Musk can quickly turn into a lean, mean swearing machine when:
1. People disappoint him.
2. People disrespect him.
3. People push his buttons.
4. People drive him crazy.
Maybe you think you’re better than Elon Musk simply and solely because you would never say things like that, but if you told Elon Musk to stop swearing, he’d probably say something like: “I’m the CEO of five different companies right now, and I’m an advisor to the President Of The United States. Why should I take your advice? What have you done with your life that’s so wonderful? You don’t know what my life is like. Maybe if you had to put up with what I put up with on a daily basis, you’d swear just as much as I do.”
And in response would I say, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” -1 Peter 2:16
Perhaps, start leaning into Jesus Christ and not the creation of virtual assistants, especially the kind that can disappear the moment a power-grid fails and there is no access to electricity.
If anyone has the time, within the same twenty-four-hour day that anyone else gets, to be the CEO of five different companies, it’s clearly not that hard of a task. With how much money he has, he can afford therapy instead of using his “hard work” as an excuse. And we were told in Ephesians 4:29 to use wholesome language.
Therapy would certainly be more effective for Elon Musk than telling him to expand his vocabulary. Elon Musk is intensely competitive, impatient, quick to anger, and difficult to please. And I firmly believe that 90% of all profanity is uttered in emotionally charged situations. According to Kraft, 74% of mothers have admitted to swearing in front of their kids.
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/swear-like-a-mother
But relationships are two-way streets, which a lot of people forget. Respect is something you must earn and maintain over time. This study from Kraft could have done more to make a difference by asking parents why they swore in front of their kids, and then sharing the reasons why parents swear with the kids who enjoy their food. It would probably be more effective to tell kids how to behave better than to tell parents how to do their jobs. If you tell parents how to do their jobs, they’ll probably say, “You don’t know my kids! You haven’t had to put up with them for the last (insert number here) years! I have!!”
That’s how I see it. Have a nice day.
Hopefully the theater trashing stops after this movie. It’s understandable if someone drops kernels of popcorn by accident in the dark, but when you see whole buckets of it you do wonder.
Your article mentions good reasons to stay away from Musk’s new AI, but I think we should also be concerned it could be used by criminals to seduce kids and then when the police catch them, the criminals claim the AI was responsible for what they said.
There are already men who send out AIs to chat with potential dates and decide for them which girl to ask out. If the AI can be used convincingly for that, although it seems like a terrible idea to me as the women will not really know anything about the men, then adding perversion to AI is just going to make it be used by criminals.
That’s also the thing about movies with epilogues after the credits. I think the theatre workers can’t start actually cleaning the auditorium until allllllll the occupants leave (and I never leave until the credits end, because with a lot of movies nowadays, there’s something at the end of the credits that you can’t afford to miss).
I also share your AI concerns, especially with faking voices and faking video. I saw a social post of one of these programs inserting Taylor Swift’s likeness into a movie scene, and I responded, “She’s already had too many problems with deepfakes. She does not need more of this. No one does.”