Lynchy said:
It's just a question of wheter or not kids can tell the difference between what's acceptable in real life and what is in a game. I mean, I remember playing games like Doom and GTA when I was like 11 or 12, but I never wanted to go out and shoot someone.
It's just that parents get lazy, and when they know they've failed their kids they just blame media. The comapny that made Doom was actually sued for millions of dollars years back on the grounds that the game inspired a school shooting. The fact that the killer was mentally unstable and had easy acces to a gun went over people's heads! Jeez...
All the GTA games were 18 rated in the UK. No one under 18 can buy them under strict law. So parents over here have NO excuse when it comes to blaming games.
Shakespere is really violent and sometimes very sexual, and kids STUDY his plays at school. What's the difference???
Here is an article that I wrote a while back and think it applies to what we are talking about.....
Youth violence is a serious problem, and I think we can at least all agree upon that. But to claim that TV, Music, Hollywood, the Internet, and video games are the sole and only blame, in my opinion, is absolutely absurd. Hollywood and the Internet are not created to be "high-tech babysitters". They are not there to provide a nanny service to irresponsible parents.
But far too often, that is just what happens. Too many self-absorbed parents would rather play "pass the buck" and plop their children down in front of the computer or TV, rather than take an even remotely active interest in their child's life and activities. Then when the child commits a violent act, their parents all point their fingers at the Internet, music, TV, video games, and Hollywood and shout "it's all YOUR fault".
But basically that's the attitude in America today. The "society made me do it" mentality is getting much praise, support, and fan-fair and teaches that you do not have to accept responsability or accountability for your actions, as long as you can find a scape-goat to blame. And the Liberals are only too happy to promote that theory and philosophy as they, themselves love to play "The Blame Game'.
After the tragic incident at Columbine High School, many people pointed their fingers at rock star Marilyn Manson as the "reason" the duo went on their shooting rampage. Manson became one of the 1st targets of the "Blame Game" mentality. As far as the Liberals were concerned, everything was Manson's fault. It was not the fault of the duo who actually shot and killed many innocent people. They were free from fault, because everything was Manson's fault. Even though Manson himself never pulled the trigger or was not even there when it happened, that did not stop the "Great Marilyn Manson Witch Hunt" from taking place.
But once again, why take accountability for your own actions if somebody or something else can be blamed, right? And once again that mind-set is applauded, saluted, and praised by Liberals everywhere.
When a violent crime is committed, the bleeding heart Liberals want to know **why** the violent act was committed.
They want to know why Little Bobby took his father's shotgun to school. They want to know why Little Bobby aimed the gun at his class. They want to know why Little Bobby blew away 10 kids and a teacher. But as far as they are concerned, Little Bobby is not to blame. Everything is "society's fault.
Little Bobby came from a broken home, so that justified what he did. His class picked on him, so he was justified by what he did. Little Bobby just watched an action movie, where the hero was blasting his guns left and right. So nobody could blame Little Bobby when he grabbed his father’s gun and starred in his own real-life “action film”. So let's just blame the movie he was watching,instead.
No, my friends, Little Bobby cannot be blamed for his actions, because, we as a society are to blame. Little Bobby is just a “product of society”, and therefore is free from responsibility, even though he himself committed the violent act. Everything is society’s fault because it was society who took Little Bobby and transformed him from that of a care-free child to that of a cold-blooded killing machine. Shame on you, evil evil society.
It was the gun-maker’s fault. It was the ammunition maker’s fault. It was the music’s fault. It was the video game’s fault. It was the TV’s fault, but don’t you DARE blame Little Bobby. He was forced to kill by the evil society. It was not his fault. It’s everybody else’s fault, but not his. After all, society made Little Bobby go on his shooting rampage. For shame, evil society.
I have seen just about every kind of movie that was out there and have seen all of the Friday the 13 Movies and all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and I am a huge fan of “Friday the 13: The Series”. But in all my 25 years, I have never donned on a hockey mask and slash every living thing in sight, because my parents actually took the time out of their busy lives to raise me to know right from wrong and real vs. fantasy.
If more parents did that rather than let Hollywood and The Internet baby-sit their children we would not see nearly as much of this crap. But I am not going to hold my breath on that one, peoples.
It is far easier to blame everybody else for a child’s mistakes than it is too say “I failed as a parent, because I was too lazy to raise my child myself and expected the TV, Hollywood, and everybody else to raise him for me”.
At some point a parent has to say "I am going to raise my child.....not the GameCube or the X-Box".
<-----------All work and no D&D makes Chris an angry lunatic!
