There is one major cause for all this violence that very few will address .....

[oldhippie]

... and that is VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES. Let the defending begin.

[NoOneMan]

1. Mass gun killings have sky rocketed in Canada, UK and Japan since Farcry 3 was released

right?

[Robb]

2. I blame the violent imagery in books.

[dionysus]

6. i'll go further and blame your posts.

[Robb]

12. I am indeed the fount of all violence.

Ahoy.

[dionysus]

17. that's what years of dingbattery will do to a populace. may you burn in hell.

[get the red out]

3. Everything needs to be on the table

I can't stand seeing violence and try to avoid it because it does disturb me.

[Union Scribe]

21. +1

If we're serious about stopping these things, we need to look at all of the destructive things in our society from poverty to mental illness to guns in the hands of those who shouldn't have them to our national priorities and policies.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. No doubt.

I agree.

[Harmony Blue]

5. Gun worship in violent warfare games is

an issue.

signed, an avid gamer since '88.

[H2O Man]

7. & the lack of school in prayer

[leftstreet]

14. ...and also Skinny Jeans. Puts the brain under pressure n/t

[AldoLeopold]

8. Thank you Tipper Gore

So YOU'RE the reason my parents tried to stop me from playing D&D as a kid.

We have a score to settle. Prepare to defend yourself.

[ananda]

9. I want to know what drugs he was taking.

..

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. And Pac-Man is the cause of the obesity epidemic

[H2O Man]

15. Oh, sure.

Manny gets flattened last week, and now everyone has turned on him.

[Warren Stupidity]

25. I heard it was because he changed religions.

But I digress. Here is a real digression:

I've always enjoyed boxing, but after all the evidence that football players are getting dementia from football, watching people punch each other in the head is vastly disturbing.

[JHB]

32. Wakka wakka wakka

[SomethingFishy]

11. No it's not it's Rock and Roll music!

No wait it's Dime store novels! No wait it's comic books! No wait it's violence on TV!

[Trillo]

13. Violence in TV or movies.

Blade, or the Matrix, come to mind, but there are lots of other examples. In fact it's kind of hard to find a movie that doesn't have explicit violence that is also of adult interest (I don't mean porn).

[JohnnyBoots]

16. Agree 100%

It desensitizes kids to violence, glorifies it, kids get a rush shooting people in the game and it shows how to operate weapons. I think addressing violent gun related video games would be much more effective and easier than arguing about gun control.

I wonder how all that active exposure to violence effects a kids developing brain chemistry. It certainly can't help in building a well adjusted adult.

[MH1]

58. I agree with your post, except that we need to do both.

Address desensitization to violence AND do appropriate improvements to keeping guns out of the hands of maniacs and criminals. And maybe think about institutionalizing the violent mentally ill.

No matter how big (or small) the role of violence culture is in these tragedies, it's not the only piece of the puzzle and should not distract us from the other pieces.

[dionysus]

18. i thought it was the gangster rap.

[Union Scribe]

19. I don't know why people scoff so much at the idea

that sitting around for hours on end butchering photo-realistic human characters may not be good for young brains.

[Daniel537]

27. I've played violent video games since i was about 9 years old.

I've yet to commit a crime in my life.

[rhett o rick]

53. Which logical fallacy is that?

I played lots of violent video games and have yet to commit a violent act. Therefore, violent video games dont cause violence.

[Major Nikon]

29. I don't scoff at the idea. I just want to see the cause and effect connection

During the same time period that violence in video games, music, TV, and most everything else has skyrocketed, violent crime has unquestionably gone down.

If anything it makes more sense to suggest the opposite.

[H2O Man]

30. I think that

most people would agree that having youngsters sitting and playing any of that type of game for hours upon hours isn't good; that "violent" games etc can desensitize peoople; and that a small percentage of people may go from screen violence to real violence.

However, in today's tragic, violent outburst, it would seem premature at best to focus on video games, as compared to, say, guns.

[Union Scribe]

31. Oh, of course.

Just a general point; I'm not trying to tie video games to today's terrorism.

[H2O Man]

39. Right.

Timing is everything. Hence, had our friend posted the OP tomorrow, it likely would have led to a serious discussion. The concern expressed in the OP has validity.

However, at this particular time, in the midst of people feeling upset by the violence and death, and the numerous arguments about guns, it instead has transformed into a chance for people to blow off some steam in a relatively good natured way. At least that's what my feeble attempts at humor here were.

[xiamiam]

20. yes and violent movies..time to start naming names of those who profit from such negativity...nt

[Warren Stupidity]

22. When somebody commits mass slaughter by chucking dvds at people

I'll consider this a causal factor.

[Daniel537]

23. I blame hippies. n/t

[peace13]

24. I agree...

IMO video games desensitize the players. Also tv's fascination with the inside of a dead body on so many 'entertainment' shows. Really I think we are getting our own here. We drop bombs form drones and only a few of us shed one tear for the innocents who die in other lands. Hey , we sure can cry a river when it is our own kids. We can not deal out the death around the globe and be surprised one bit at what we reap at home. So..very...sad...!

[Initech]

26. Oh oh oh... let's not forget:

In the "midnight massacre" shooting in Aurora, Colorado that the killer has stockpiled enough ammo and explosives to take out a small city.

Or in the Wisconsin temple shooting the killer was a violent white supremecist who had ties to a group hell bent on starting a race war.

Or the Arizona shooting where the killer had a really checkered past with a history of mental disorders.

But violent video games are the problem? Get fucking real. Let's not let facts get in the way of starting a meaningful dialogue about gun control. Let's point fingers and play the blame game because that's what we do 99% of the time this happens.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

28. oldhippie, we surround our children with

violent imagery, violence is glamorized, and rewarded. and people act like it doesn't have an effect.

[Dreamer Tatum]

33. Horsefuckingshit.nt

[JHB]

34. It's those dime novels the yun'uns pick up near the nickelodeon.

Last edited Fri Dec 14, 2012, 09:48 PM - Edit history (1)

[Tsiyu]

35. Judges - in the bible

Story of a daughter sent out to be gangraped to death and chopped into 12 pieces.

The Old Testament "Bobble" is almost nothing but chapter after chapter of mass murders to "avenge gawd" and make gawd have lots of self esteem so he feels good about himself.

Give it up.

[Quantess]

36. It's because Bonanza is off the air.

This generation has missed out on watching the Cartwright clan's responsible use of firearms.

[REP]

37. Seriously?

Holy shit, I don't know if I should be locking this and redirecting to the appropriate Forum.

[oldhippie]

43. I am curious under what grounds ....

... you would lock it, and what would be the appropriate forum?

[REP]

46. Notice that it's still open?

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

I thought you were making a joke, so I made one back.

[oldhippie]

55. I guess I am dense on some things. nt

nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. AMEN!

[backscatter712]

40. As they say in Wikipedia:

"CITATION NEEDED."

[JI7]

41. Do people in Canada not play the same video games ?

[TrogL]

47. Yes we do.

Some of them are manufactured here.

[backscatter712]

42. Frank Zappa put it this way.

"There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another. "

[leftyladyfrommo]

44. Not just video games

There is just so much violence everywhere - TV, movies, video games.

[lunatica]

45. Hate radio is far worse than any game

Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, racism, misogyny, 24/7 hate, hate, hate.

[JHB]

59. ...and has a history of unbalanced fans going on to deadly violence.

Certainly a lot more than video games.

[Warren DeMontague]

48. Right. Anything except the guns.

[closeupready]

49. Well, it's similar to hate speech.

Studies show that exposure to violent imagery leads to aggressiveness in children, but you've got a First Amendment.

[Mariana]

50. We had school massacres in this country

along with other forms of mass murder, long before we had video games.

[Saboburns]

51. I blame poor parenting. Parents who spend hours posting on message boards

Instead of being involved in their children's lives.

But that's just me.

[Dirty Socialist]

52. Perhaps

[Logical]

54. My 22 year old son has played call of duty and halo since 14. And never fired a gun or wants to. n-t

[juajen]

56. I believe it is hi-T, not lo-T. The gun analogy is apt.

[Codeine]

57. You made the idiotic statement. You defend YOUR thesis. nt

[backscatter712]

60. Time to fire up Left 4 Dead...

Best way to let off some steam: kill zombie clowns!

[FarCenter]

61. How would we get boys ready to want to enlist and join special forces, fly drones, be SEALs?

Like my grandnephew, who just signed up.

[Codeine]

63. Recall the bucolic times of the pre-videogame age, when there were no militaries

and no wars.

Goddamn you to fucking Hell, Electronic Arts!!

[FarCenter]

64. Yes, you actually had to draft soldiers in order to go to war.

[Codeine]

62. I remember the tranquil and peaceful world that existed in the days before Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Goddamn you to hell, Activision!!