The New Jack Thompson: "Deny The Right To Play Violent Video Games Wherever You Live"

Let's face it, as far as anti-"violent video games" campaigners go, it's all got very quiet since Jack Thompson retired from ranting. So, let's all say a huge, "Oh, stop it!" to Messrs Frank Schaal and John McGruder who have called for right-thinking folk to "deny the right to play (violent video games) wherever you live."

This call hasn't be made in a small corner of a no-account town. It's been made in the Herald Tribune. It's not been made by a pair of uninfluential hicks, it's been made by "members of The Interfaith Social Justice Committee for Temple Emanu-El and St. Martha Catholic Church in Sarasota."

In an article timed for the Xmas (aka the 'The Holidays' shopping season) the two columnists pulled out all possible unresearched stops they could think of in a tirade that would,, we imagine, make even Jack Thompson look a little concerned.

The premise for the piece is, "Sarasota City Commissioner Willie Shaw's cry to 'stop the violence,' by finding "solutions that are going to be life-saving."

This leads the good gentlemen of banning to state that, "We live in dangerous times. In the pursuit of ambitious business opportunities, promoting violence has become a commodity. Industries, in their quest for lucrative markets at any price, have targeted children and teens as preferred customers for their grim products, in part because youth are more often attracted to the daring and exciting."

They do then attempt to deal with research, "Research on the effects of violent video games tends to be either tainted by researcher bias or inconclusive. One MIT professor who reviewed the literature on this research suggests that the most generalized conclusion reachable is that violent video games may be a risk factor that can contribute to anti-social behavior."

Of course, one study has also 'proved' that there is no causal effect.

None of this stops the gentlemen from totally undermining any research with, "Clearly, more detailed studies of video games and their psychological effects are warranted, but as responsible adults, can we afford to wait?"

Obviously not because of games such as GTA. This means that, "business is good, especially around Christmas and other holy days that celebrate love and peace; yet, the minds of our children are poisoned, so that one company or another ensures a profitable season."

This has lead to a general 'degeneration' in society apparently. In turn this means that:

"As adults, we set the example. Call it an early New Year's resolution, but decide today to eliminate violent video games from your environment: Do not purchase them, return those received as gifts, destroy or give away any currently owned; and deny the right to play them wherever you live."

Yes, banning things, that always works.

Source: Herald Tribune