The Virginia Tech Shootings - A View From The UK Part 2
How elements of Pop Culture were blamed yet again!
The victims of the Virginia Tech shootings were killed by a person… weren’t they? They were cruelly gunned down in the prime of life by a sad loner who felt he needed to eke out some sort of revenge… weren’t they? I already know the answer to both questions is yes, but after the crap I’ve had to endure reading over the past week, I had to check to be sure.
Elements of the media and some crackpot rent-a-quotes in particular seem to have been trying to blame the massacre on anything but a person with a gun. Video games have been the main culprit under suspicion this time, as they have been after other school shootings such as Columbine. But music hasn’t got away without it’s fair share of finger pointing either, as Marilyn Manson, and artists like him, were once again highlighted as having infuenced the tragedy. And you can stick films in the mix too, with the cult Korean revenge flick ‘Oldboy‘ held up as a direct reason that this incident happened. What an absolute pile of steaming bs this all is, and here I’ll explain why…
Let’s start with video games, the scourge of both right wing and left wing politicians who see them as damaging to kids and ruining families. Yes, there are some violent video games out there, but no, not everyone who plays them goes out and kills 32 people in a fit of anger and revenge. In fact it’s such a tiny minority of the games playing public who commit atrocities like this, it’s hardly worth debating. Unfortunately idiots such as Jack Thompson and Dr. (obviously of speaking crap) Phil came straight out after the tragedy and directly blamed video games, making gamers like me feel we have to defend our hobby. I resent that, and think morons who use this crime as a means to further their own ends ought to be ashamed of themselves. The killer Cho Seung-Hui has since been discovered not to have even played games, or owned them, or had any sort of dealing with them. So why did social commentators see fit to immediately blame games for what happened?
Music was certainly less implicated in this tragedy than on others before it, but still got dragged in as it always does. Marilyn Manson was again asked his views on it, and had people accusing him of influencing people with his music. Yes, he probably does, as isn’t that the reason for making music? But if you’re going to tell me a normal, rational person could be made to kill innocent people purely by hearing a song or a particular artist, you need your head examining along with the rest of them.
The killer did for ‘Oldboy’ what no-one could have imagined… he increased the sales by huge amounts. After the link was made between the poses he made in his final photographs, and this Korean gangster movie, everyone wanted to see it, to know what was so bad about it. Yes, it’s a blood ridden film, but do I think it could have sent someone on a killing spree? No, not a chance. Cho Seung-Hui had clearly watched this cult movie and was taken by some of the imagery in it, enough that when thinking about how he’d like to be seen by the world and remembered, he copied poses from the film. But to take this fact and extend it to blame the movie for what happened, and accuse film makers of influencing potential murderers to that degree is sheer madness, and anyone who expresses such a view is just after a headline, and their 5 minutes of fame.
So, should video game makers be forced to censor the more violent releases just in case someone copies them? Should music all be generic pop, with no true message, just in case someone takes a lyric the wrong way? Should films have all violence and blood taken out of them in case someone is so taken with the visual imagery, they choose to replicate it?
In my opinion no, to all 3 of the above questions. Art imitates life, and the creative forces are infuenced by what they see go on around them, not the other way around. Instead of blaming any form of pop culture in their wake, commentators should wake up and start campaigning for better education, better counselling for messed up kids, better mental health care, and better security for ordinary everyday citizens who want to be able to go about their daily business without fear of getting hurt.
Don’t let these side issues blind you to the real problems happening in society, and don’t stop playing games, listening to music and watching the films you want to watch.
The 3rd and last part of these series of editorials will be up tomorrow, and will cover the gun laws in both the US and around the world. Would it actually make any difference if the law regarding firearms was changed in America?
Thanks for all the comments, both agreeing and disagreeing with my views so far. Please continue to debate, as without that, we will not reach any conclusions, and will never be able to move on from this sad event and start making a real difference.
Virginia Tech Shootings, VTech, UK, British, Media, Dr Phil, Jack Thompson, Old Boy, Korea, Gangster, Revenge, Marilyn Manson, Columbine, Cho Seung-Hui
April 26th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Funny how they blame pop culture for any violence happening in the US when weapons are so easily accessible.. *sigh
April 26th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
“Let’s start with video games, the scourge of the right wing politicians”
Better check your facts guy. It’s mostly the dems attacking games.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
In America maybe, but here in the UK, it’s right wingers who hate them and their supposed effect on kids.
I can only talk about what I know, and that is mainly a British perspective.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
If all guns are banned in the US, only the criminals and law enforcement will have guns. The VT shootings are a perfect model for a society where guns are banned.
The VT shooter’s spree only lasted 9 minutes, in those 9 minutes the only people that could have stopped the massacre would have been the people in the rooms.
It is not up to the government to provide us with security in day to day life, it is up to each and every one of us. If a few teachers or students had been armed, or if a group had rushed him, the massacre could have been stopped.
It is up to each and every one of us to stand up when confronted with violence and stop it ourselves.
On 9/11, Flight 93, is the perfect example of this, once the passengers heard what the terrorists were doing, they made the decision and stopped the terrorists. The government could not protect them and they knew this, they took their lives in their own hands and stopped the terrorists from striking another building.
We do not need more laws we need citizens that are willing to stop being victims, and stop violence when they encounter it.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I entirely agree with you. I am a video game player who plays fighter, shooters and strategy games. My mom who is complete ignorant as to how video games work because she never played them said to me that I should get rid of my xbox 360 and all my games. All she hear was Virgina Tech Killings a = video games. Many people are ignorant and have extreme ideas about making the world into something they want. They use the public and exploit its ignorance in certain subjects to make them seem bad. I think you made and excellent point with helping the disturbed people instead of hurting the rational ones. you should on TV and state our side of the dilemma.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
It is a real shame that this sort of subject matter becomes the scape goat for acts like this. I heard recently that the recent film Grindhouse was the last film this student had seen. It was also blamed for the massacre. These forms of art give people a chance to devil with the darker areas of society. We cannot hide, or pretend it does not exist. We can however realize that for no one with all their bolts tightened will go out and kill 32 people because of an act of violence in a film, game, or song. It may implant ideas in a crazed mind, but they do not create a crazed mind. The fact is that no sane human would do this, no movie, song, or game would cause someone to do this; it takes a crazed mind.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
[...] Virginia Tech - People Who Blame Pop Culture Are Morons How elements of Pop Culture were blamed yet again! The victims of the Virginia Tech shootings were killed by a person weren’t they? They were cruelly gunned down in the prime of life by a sad loner who felt he needed to eke out some sort of revenge, weren’t they? I already know the answer is yes, but after the crap I’ve had to endure reading over the past week, I had to check to be sure. Elements of the media and some crackpot rent-a-quotes in particular seem to have been trying to blame the massacre on anything but a person with a gun. Video games have been the main culprit under suspicion this time, as they have been after other school shootings such as Columbine. But music hasn’t got away without it’s fair share of finger pointing either, as Marilyn Manson, and artists like him, were once again highlighted as having infuenced the tragedy. And you can stick films in the mix too, with the cult Korean gangster flick ‘Oldboy‘ held up as a direct reason that this incident happened. What an absolute pile of steaming horse crap this all is, and here I’ll explain why… Let’s start with video games, the scourge of the right wing politicians who see them as damaging to kids and ruining families. Yes, there are some violent video games out there, but no, not everyone who plays them goes out and kills 32 people in a fit of anger and revenge. In fact it’s such a tiny minority of the games playing public who commit atrocities like this, it’s hardly worth debating. Unfortunately idiots such as Jack Thompson and Dr. (obviously of speaking crap) Phil came straight out after the tragedy and directly blamed video games, making gamers like me feel we have to defend our hobby. I resent that, and think morons who use this crime as a means to further their own ends ought to be ashamed of themselves. The killer Cho Seung-Hui has since been discovered not to have even played games, or owned them, or had any sort of dealing with them. So why did social commentators see fit to immediately blame games for what happened? Music was certainly less implicated in this tragedy than on others before it, but still got dragged in as it always does. Marilyn Manson was again asked his views on it, and had people accusing him of influencing people with his music. Yes, he probably does, as isn’t that the reason for making music? But if you’re going to tell me a normal, rational person could be made to kill innocent people purely by hearing a song or a particular artist, you need your head examining along with the rest of them. The killer did for ‘Oldboy’ what no-one could have imagined… he increased the sales by huge amounts. After the link was made between the poses he made in his final photographs, and this Korean gangster movie, everyone wanted to see it, to know what was so bad about it. Yes, it’s a blood ridden film, but do I think it could have sent someone on a killing spree? No, not a chance. Cho Seung-Hui had clearly watched this cult movie and was taken by some of the imagery in it, enough that when thinking about how he’d like to be seen by the world and remembered, he copied poses from the film. But to take this fact and extend it to blame the movie for what happened, and accuse film makers of influencing potential murderers to that degree is sheer madness, and anyone who expresses such a view is just after a headline, and their 5 minutes of fame. So, should video game makers be forced to censor the more violent releases just in case someone copies them? Should music all be generic pop, with no true message, just in case someone takes a lyric the wrong way? Should films have all violence and blood taken out of them in case someone is so taken with the visual imagery, they choose to replicate it? In my opinion no, to all 3 of the above questions. Art imitates life, and the creative forces are infuenced by what they see go on around them, not the other way around. Instead of blaming any form of pop culture in their wake, commentators should wake up and start campaigning for better education, better counselling for messed up kids, better mental health care, and better security for ordinary everyday citizens who want to be able to go about their daily business without fear of getting hurt. Don’t let these side issues blind you to the real problems happening in society, and don’t stop playing games, listening to music and watching the films you want to watch. The 3rd and last part of these series of editorials will be up tomorrow, and will cover the gun laws in both the US and around the world. Would it actually make any difference if the law regarding firearms was changed in America? Pop Buzz UK » Blog Archive » The Virginia Tech Shootings - A View From The UK Part 2 __________________ Fight the good fight, and die with the enemy’s heart in your hand. http://www.tadpolenet.com http://www.armysailor.com http://www.troopcasting.com [...]
April 26th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I agree with the author 100%. Dr. Phil is an idiot and his stupid show should be canceled for idiotic remarks like that. I play violent video games and have never been in a fight in my life and don’t plan to. Anyone who associates violence in real life with movies, tv, music, or games are just idiots looking for a scapegoat and should move to Boston, where they blow up LED’s because they think they are bombs.
Well said author.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I do agree that people are to quick to blame video games and music. However, even being part of the video game generation and playing games quite often in the majority of my free time I agree to the fact that video game violence and ultra violent movies desensitize those who watch it. My Mother hates vioent and gross movies and almost throws up whenever she watched SAW where as I on the other hand laughed at people being tortured. I don’t see this as a fallacy by any means but IMO it allows that tiny majority to detach themselves from the atrocious act they are committing. It makes it seem like waking up in the morning and taking a piss. So, I think those who jump the gun and blame the entire act on video games and that all people who play video games are un-adjusted loners who loathe the world are wrong and should instead be investgating the under lying issues of why this kid hated the world.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
You can’t deny that the U.S. is steeped in extremely violent entertainment, in all forms of media. You also can’t deny the rising crime rate in the U.S. (did you know the crime rate’s rising rather dramatically?). You don’t see any connection? Well, okay then.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
JoMamma is correct, sadly. It’s mainly the left-wing politicians that are attacking video games as a major source of violence amongst young adults.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Thats why Marihuana is forbidden, too. They don’t want us to use stuff that gives us our own mind.
If nothing works, they just tell you that its killing people.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
“Better check your facts guy. It’s mostly the dems attacking games.”
So Democrats cannot be right wing? calling for the control or banning of something is not a left wing issue. People from any party, either “liberal” or “conservative” do it. Try to not see everything as black and white and don’t let the name of a political party define someone as a person… it’s rude.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Ahhh man i strongly agree with your views posted above, the same views i’ve had for quite some time now. It’s good to see this view posted for the public to read.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Right on!
April 26th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
“# The Thinking Blog Says:
April 26th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Funny how they blame pop culture for any violence happening in the US when weapons are so easily accessible.. *sigh”
Funny how you blame weapons for any violence happening in the US when nail guns are so easily accessible.. *sigh
April 26th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Maybe you should check your facts.
Assuming that “right wing” means “conservative”, then both the Republicans and Democrats can be considered right-wing for certain issues.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. For example, most people would agree that conserving the environment is a good idea, and conserving the core rights of the people is also a good idea.
Using “right-wing” as a pejorative is misleading, because both major parties in the US (as well as Canada) are right-wing, some just slightly more than others.
Either way, I agree with the main article: you can’t just blame popular culture for society’s ills, you have to look at the actual reasons (poverty, inequality, poor parenting, etc).
April 26th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
@The Thinking Blog
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55288
April 26th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
[...] An op-ed looking at how elements of pop culture such as films and video games were once again blamed by some high profile idiots.read more | digg story [...]
April 26th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
[...] read more | digg story Posted in Uncategorized. [...]
April 27th, 2007 at 5:43 am
Don’t you realize that when you play a violent game you are fantasizing? Since when was it okay to fantasize about killing mass people? Why sets limits? How about a game featuring a pedofile? I think we know who the real morons are. Especially with new evidiense showing that violent games can effect imbalanced children. How do we keep these games out of the undiagnosed imbalanced chlidren of the world? Souldn’t we error on the side of caution. You won’t because you are greedy and want what ever makes you happy, even if it hurts other people.
April 27th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
dr.phil can go fuck himself. hes a bitch. and always will be. blaming video games for all the shootings how pathetic…..god bless the victims from virginia tech.
April 28th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Google
9/11 was an inside job
virginia school shooting government black op?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2007/160407blackop.htm
It is well documented that disturbing questions remain over the incident at Columbine. It is clear that authorities had prior knowledge of what was going to happen. Observers were in the area hours before the shooting took place. Articles from the Associated Press stated that ballistics from Columbine show that six of the thirteen victims were possibly shot and killed by Jefferson County SWAT.
9/11 was an inside job
this was a psy op - to induce fear and panic
OKC 9/11 amish school killings katrina vt shootings - NO ONE WILL STOP THEM - WAKE UP AMERICA!!
April 28th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
It’s obviously impossible to point the finger at just one thing to blame for the shootings. Did video games have an effect on this guy? Possibly, but, from what I’ve seen, he seemed pretty mentally unstable.
Surely it would make more sense to look at how mentally unwell people are treated rather than trying to ban video games.
Unless you’ve got something against video games, that is…
April 28th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
So Bob, let’s err on the side of caution and ban anything that may seem violent and offensive. You idiot.
.
And virginia33ciablackop. You are a huge moron that should wake up and face reality. Bad things happen that you can’t control. Your world is chaos. The GOVERMNENT IS STUPID AND CAN’T CONTROL EVERYTHING.
April 29th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Paul, how about banning things that ARE violent. You are trying to create a strawman of my argument, and a weak one at that. You are sided stepping the fantasy issue. Do you really believe it is right to fanatsize about killing people?
April 29th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Bob, let’s be clear here. What you are arguing for is censorship by the government. Who’s to say what is too violent and what isn’t? I wouldn’t want the government making that choice for me. Is there ANY connection between this tragedy and violent games or movies? No. This psycho was a messed up creep that slipped through the cracks of our society. The only thing that caused this was his mental instability.
April 29th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I have not connected this tragedy to violent games yet. I am merely stating my opinion on violent games in general. If it comes out that this guy played these games often then it would support, not prove, the study I referred to earlier. I believe there needs to be more studies. Maybe we can teach chimps to play violent games involving in game chimps and see if it changes them socially.
Some censorship is needed because people don’t understand the power of programming. They know it’s there but don’t give it credit. The powers-that-be already make choices for you but your are unaware of it. They choose what you think about. I can state this with creditability because I program people for a living. Of course you don’t want to believe this because people in general don’t like to admit they have been fooled and will often say anything to convince themselves otherwise. Then no amount of evidence will change their minds.
To be so sure that “The only thing that caused this was his mental instability” is extremely closed minded. Since I see you are keeping up with this, and I like a good debate, please answer my question: Is it right to fantasize about murder for the sport of it?
October 11th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
[...] read more | digg story [...]