Roy Burrell: solves age-old puzzles for fun.
Move over Mr Jack Thompson, Louisiana State Representative Roy Burrell has upped the ante when it comes to mixing fact and fiction to make political capital.
In a column in The Shreveport Times (which Burrell likes to refer to as The Times) he speaks about U.S. federal judge, James Brady, over-turning Burrell's Jack Thompson-supported state law (HB 1381). The law would have enabled judges to rule on whether a video game was too violent to sell to children. HB 1381 was made law in Louisiana in June 2006, and over-turned as unconstitutional in November the same year.
Let's look at that again: a judge, in the USA a politically appointed figure, given the power to censor anything and then fine people if they sell or distribute the banned item. Freedom of speech anybody? Good on you Judge Brady.
Burrell will not let it lie and tells The Shreveport Times readers the following today:
SPOnG has contacted Representative Burrell in an attempt to put a number on the 'many killed or maimed'. We thoroughly expect the tragedies at Columbine, Emsdetten in Germany and even the recent Virgina Tech shootings to be thrown back into the frame.
Roy, parents who bother to get involved can and do actually have parental control.
Pat Brown, who gives the following advice on her website, "Next time an 'expert' says he will offer his opinion, tell him you would rather have a full and clear explanation of all the issues involved; THAT might be worth the money." We have contacted Ms Brown in order to clarify the assertion that children are being turned into psychopaths by the age of nine.
None of the other 'experts' are directly quoted in echoing similar statements regarding the childhood onset of psychopathy. However, both Fox News 'voice of no-spin' right-wing demagogue and expert only in self-promotion Bill O'Reilly and TV funnyman, sorry, psychologist, Doctor Phil, fit snugly into Pat Brown's warnings against experts.
Burrell continues:
Good, in a single, vacuous and fact-free eight word 'bite' Burrell has apparently resolved a question that's befuddled sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, biologists, social scientists and others who bothered to study the issues for more than the time required to get elected. "Psychopathic killers are not born, they are made!" There you go, everybody studying, time to sign on the dole.
The pay off, asking judges and media to tune into cable television to, "stop senseless activities and deaths due to extremely violent information" is certainly on a par with the general analysis of what makes people kill each other.
We await Burrell's response with no particular expectation of clarity.
In a column in The Shreveport Times (which Burrell likes to refer to as The Times) he speaks about U.S. federal judge, James Brady, over-turning Burrell's Jack Thompson-supported state law (HB 1381). The law would have enabled judges to rule on whether a video game was too violent to sell to children. HB 1381 was made law in Louisiana in June 2006, and over-turned as unconstitutional in November the same year.
Let's look at that again: a judge, in the USA a politically appointed figure, given the power to censor anything and then fine people if they sell or distribute the banned item. Freedom of speech anybody? Good on you Judge Brady.
Burrell will not let it lie and tells The Shreveport Times readers the following today:
"The unsuspected cost of $100,000 to taxpayers for legal fees (to get HB1381 reinstated) is but a small price paid to save the life of just one child, given the many killed or maimed, linked to the mind-altering harmful ultra-violent video games. Oftentimes, the fight to protect our constituents and their children against the predatory tactics of the video game industry goes on behind the scenes. The only information the public sees is a negative perception from these greedy individuals who don't mind using the law for continual use of legal corruption of young minds; our desperate attempts to save children and offer the families more parental control and a better quality of life are circumvented. Therefore, we must find ways to place legal restraints on such a "self-regulated" industry while they veil themselves behind First Amendment protection."
SPOnG has contacted Representative Burrell in an attempt to put a number on the 'many killed or maimed'. We thoroughly expect the tragedies at Columbine, Emsdetten in Germany and even the recent Virgina Tech shootings to be thrown back into the frame.
Roy, parents who bother to get involved can and do actually have parental control.
"Personally, I have no qualms with this industry if they would adhere to their own "self-regulated" rules: Do not sell harmful mature video games to minors! But the facts are they still do, according to Federal Trade Commission surveys. This must stop! One expert, Pat Brown, a national top criminal profiler and parent, said that these video games are causing our children to become psychopathic killers by 9 years old. Others, such as Dr. Phil McGraw (psychologist), Bill O'Reilley (Fox news), professor James Alan Fox (criminal justice expert) and Candice DeLong (retired FBI profiler) echoed similar sentiments.
Pat Brown, who gives the following advice on her website, "Next time an 'expert' says he will offer his opinion, tell him you would rather have a full and clear explanation of all the issues involved; THAT might be worth the money." We have contacted Ms Brown in order to clarify the assertion that children are being turned into psychopaths by the age of nine.
None of the other 'experts' are directly quoted in echoing similar statements regarding the childhood onset of psychopathy. However, both Fox News 'voice of no-spin' right-wing demagogue and expert only in self-promotion Bill O'Reilly and TV funnyman, sorry, psychologist, Doctor Phil, fit snugly into Pat Brown's warnings against experts.
Burrell continues:
"Psychopathic killers are not born, they are made! Maybe our judge and news editor should tune into the national cable stations and consider using their professional tools to assist in areas that will help stop senseless activities and deaths due to extremely violent information being fed to our children."
Good, in a single, vacuous and fact-free eight word 'bite' Burrell has apparently resolved a question that's befuddled sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, biologists, social scientists and others who bothered to study the issues for more than the time required to get elected. "Psychopathic killers are not born, they are made!" There you go, everybody studying, time to sign on the dole.
The pay off, asking judges and media to tune into cable television to, "stop senseless activities and deaths due to extremely violent information" is certainly on a par with the general analysis of what makes people kill each other.
We await Burrell's response with no particular expectation of clarity.
People:
Jack Thompson
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Comments
Joji 10 May 2007 14:36
1/6
It was only a matter of time before we got another nutter stateside damning games. Indeed, psychos are made not born. Any fool knows that, just like presidents aren't born but made too.
I'm all for kids not getting their hands on certain games, but I just think they are going about it the wrong way, about trying to get the kind of system we have in the u.k/eu. When you have a religious person involved they'll find it hard to be objective. Here's looking at you, JT.
Painting all games with the same brush is a very bad idea.
I'm all for kids not getting their hands on certain games, but I just think they are going about it the wrong way, about trying to get the kind of system we have in the u.k/eu. When you have a religious person involved they'll find it hard to be objective. Here's looking at you, JT.
Painting all games with the same brush is a very bad idea.
Colby 10 May 2007 20:23
2/6
Be more specific in what you are asking. Just saying could you please be more specific is vague on your part. Say something that's, you know... direct.
"Mr. Burrell, could you please site quotes direct from the studies and people that you have mentioned. All efforts from the gaming community have led us to believe that people like Bill O'reilly and Dr. Phil are full of hot air manipulating the facts and studies in which they themselves quote."
See the difference?
"Mr. Burrell, could you please site quotes direct from the studies and people that you have mentioned. All efforts from the gaming community have led us to believe that people like Bill O'reilly and Dr. Phil are full of hot air manipulating the facts and studies in which they themselves quote."
See the difference?
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greenghost5 10 May 2007 23:32
3/6
once again, the intellect of these so called "experts" really shows just how dumb they are.....i've been playing video games sine i was 5 yrs. old.
I'm not a psyco killer, I don't have the need to shot someone, he got one thing right killer's are made not born, but what about all the ppl who have killed before a video game even existed, what about those ppl, and once again will anyone ever talk to us, gamers about this, hell no. cracks me up.
you know it is the parents decision on games, my mother would let me get whatever game i wanted she knew the ESRB, but she said better than these experts "it's just a video game" and she is a great mom raised me very well mannered. i go to collage, i pay my taxes, my rap sheet is clean....so there you go experts........oh i wanted to say i think it would be funny if budwieser made one of those real man of genious comm. about these "experts".
I'm not a psyco killer, I don't have the need to shot someone, he got one thing right killer's are made not born, but what about all the ppl who have killed before a video game even existed, what about those ppl, and once again will anyone ever talk to us, gamers about this, hell no. cracks me up.
you know it is the parents decision on games, my mother would let me get whatever game i wanted she knew the ESRB, but she said better than these experts "it's just a video game" and she is a great mom raised me very well mannered. i go to collage, i pay my taxes, my rap sheet is clean....so there you go experts........oh i wanted to say i think it would be funny if budwieser made one of those real man of genious comm. about these "experts".
Pat Brown 11 May 2007 03:00
4/6
Rep. Burrell unfortunately misquote my stance on violent video games and the psychopathic development of children. Below, is my actual stance:
Dear Rep. Burrell,
While I agree with your concerns and approve heartily of working to legislate control over violent video games, I need to correct the quote you attributed to me that these video games create psychopaths by age nine. Violent video games alone cannot create a psychopath. What I have stated often in television interviews is that a psychopath is already a psychopath by age nine. It is a combination of personality and childrearing (by the family and community) that help create that psychopath. Violent video games can be a part of this picture as they lend to the loss of empathy that is a hallmark of psychopathy and young children viewing repetitive violence and participating in "killing" via video games are living in an unhealthy psychological environment. Furthermore, teenagers who are already psychopathic and then spend a great deal of time with violent video games are being inspired to act out their psychopathy in a similarly violent manner.
Violent video games do not make well-adjusted older teens or adults into mass murderers (although there still could be more positive pasttimes and inputs for these game playng individuals). Unfortunately, however, we must be our brother's keeper in a civilized society and just because not all people will be damaged by these video games, enough of our vulnerable young children and emotionally disturbed teens will indeed be affected (and consequentally become a danger). For this reason, we would be remiss as a society to ignore this public health hazard that has gotten so far out of hand.
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown
Dear Rep. Burrell,
While I agree with your concerns and approve heartily of working to legislate control over violent video games, I need to correct the quote you attributed to me that these video games create psychopaths by age nine. Violent video games alone cannot create a psychopath. What I have stated often in television interviews is that a psychopath is already a psychopath by age nine. It is a combination of personality and childrearing (by the family and community) that help create that psychopath. Violent video games can be a part of this picture as they lend to the loss of empathy that is a hallmark of psychopathy and young children viewing repetitive violence and participating in "killing" via video games are living in an unhealthy psychological environment. Furthermore, teenagers who are already psychopathic and then spend a great deal of time with violent video games are being inspired to act out their psychopathy in a similarly violent manner.
Violent video games do not make well-adjusted older teens or adults into mass murderers (although there still could be more positive pasttimes and inputs for these game playng individuals). Unfortunately, however, we must be our brother's keeper in a civilized society and just because not all people will be damaged by these video games, enough of our vulnerable young children and emotionally disturbed teens will indeed be affected (and consequentally become a danger). For this reason, we would be remiss as a society to ignore this public health hazard that has gotten so far out of hand.
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown
RiseFromYourGrave 12 May 2007 18:12
5/6
is gaming a public health hazard, far out of hand? a bit of a blanket statement.. or do you refer to the availability of violent videogames to children?
The 14 May 2007 18:42
6/6
The science used to gauge the effect of violent media goes as follows, they tell a kid to imagine violence, then they have him play a violent game. At no time do they actualy have someone commit a violent act- in order to gain any comparative data. They then insist the lack of forbrain activity during these events proves violent tendencies. Of course thats just the part of the brain which handles physical activity, ie the kid is dreaming in both instances. Hardly scientific proof. But then they didn't go after reliable data on the subject, this is the government we are talking about. They handpick who gets grants to do these studies- in order to influence the outcome. They once attempted to declare weed addictive through use of a lab experiment where the chemical was quickly removed from the brain of rats - through use of another chemical. Nice huh.