Why military participants who die in war are called heroes

[gratuitous]

11. Simplistic? Perhaps.

But our culture is awash in violence. Violence leads our foreign policy, it permeates popular entertainments, and is the life-blood of our diversions such as video games. The diversionary non-sequitur is almost always, "Well, I play Diablow XVD3 all the time, and I've never gone on a hunt for mutant gargoyles and shot up a castle. So there!" As if that has anything to do with the observation of how large the role of violence is in our society.

Any suggestion that we dial it back or ramp it down is met by predictable squeals and howls, but there's never really an affirmative argument put forth to justify a game in which the player gets points for killing prostitutes with golf clubs or machine guns a nightclub.

The only quibble I have is that this violence as panacea mantra isn't confined to the GOP.