Another horrible mass shooting, another round of pundits raising the specter of "violent video games and movies" and suggesting curbs, restrictions and limitations. On games, of course, not on guns, because we've got to have our guns.
Not to be too simplistic about it, but unless you smash an X-Box over someone's head, video games will never kill anyone. An "accidental discharge" of Grand Theft Auto will never blow someone's head off. No one will ever be cut down by a Matrix blu-ray disc with a 100 round magazine. Does violent media contribute to the coarsening of society? Probably, but then so does cutting funding for public schools, eliminating mental health programs, making it difficult-to-impossible for people to maintain medical coverage and a host of other societal factors. The mother of the shooter in the Connecticut massacre was evidently stock-piling weapons out of fear of a coming financial/societal collapse. I doubt she got those ideas from watching The Transporter.
So can we please call this for what it is? That it's a lot easier for these pious hand-wringers to pick on "Hollywood" and/or video games than it is for them to buck the N.R.A.?
2 comments:
After spending so much time in Canada, why do you think they don't have these same problems.
Well said!
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