Another school shooting, another chance for Jack Thompson to slither onto Fox News with his "informed" opinion. In the above video, Thompson uses the Northern Illinois University rampage to provide his usual brand of conjecture and lies, which includes his continued linking of videogames to the Virginia Tech shooting, despite the fact that such a theory is already proven false.
Of particular note is how Jacky Boy uses this tragedy to try and hawk his book. Classy move there, Mr. Thompson. You really do tent your trousers every time you hear an ambulance siren, don't you? I've not read Thompson's book, by the way, but I know for a fact that it was what inspired Osama Bin Laden to orchestrate the 9/11 attack, and also caused the Stalinist purges.
The truth of the NIU shooting is that Stephen Kazmierczak was not taking his medication and was suffering some kind of mental condition. The 27-year-old grad student was unstable and unchecked. Once again, no proof of videogames "training" him before or after the fact, and once again, mainstream media allows games to be scrutinized before we even know what happened. Some people are pathetic.
Hal Halpin, president of the Electronic Consumers Association, had his own words to say on the tragedy and the early pitchfork gathering done by Mr. Thompson. His words can be caught after the jump.
Hal Halpin on the videogame connection to NIU:
We’d like to extend our condolences to the families, friends and classmates of those who were affected in the school shooting at Northern Illinois University.
Separately, we are disgusted, but no longer shocked, to find that anti-game activists are again rushing to conclusions about what drove Stephen Kazmierczak, the clearly disturbed 27-year-old who police say was responsible for this tragedy, to commit such an act.
Blaming video games for the behavior of the mentally-challenged is vile on many levels. And, as Generations X and Y mature, it is extremely likely that just about all of us have played at least one video game at some point in our lives.
Drawing a parallel between games and violence without any substantive proof is sensationalism for its own sake. This is a sad event, made worse by the irresponsible actions of attention-seekers and the media that has given them a platform for their reckless venom.
Pretty much, is all I can say to that. Pretty much.
So..we're all just mindless idiots who 'train' to kill people and shoot up schools.
Your logic is flawless, Mr. Thompson.
Fuck. You.
I thought they prooved the V-tech Shooter did not have Violent Video games
He honestly has no fucking clue what hes talking about
He mentioned apart of his book that got deleted what the fucks thats all about?? A kid going on state with a shotgun?? hes a fucking douchus bagacus
Power-glove beat you to it Jim.
Although thank you for adding the actual video, which of course just added to disgust.
Does he post on the frontpage? No.
I've asked politely for people to stop doing this. It's annoying to nearly every editor on staff.
Also, how are you supposed to train how to use a gun in a video game? It's not like you just push a button in real life.
Also a little tid bit of info...last year there was a scare at the same school when threatning writing in a bathroom or a letter was found indicating an upcoming event like this one. They dismissed it as nothing, but its interesting this happened later on but nothing has been proven linking that event to this shooting.
Also, I love how he just babbled for two minutes about games, completely ignoring what I’m assuming was the intent of the original question (which asked about the fact that the shooter had graduated and was not a current student).
“Um...um...I forgot what I was gonna say, but read my book! It’s good...and stuff.” Fucking moron.
Totally deplorable and irresponsible journalism by FOX NEWS.
Jack Thompson is a disgusting human being. Total garbage.
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Jim+Sterling/a-word-of-advice-to-c-bloggers-54748.phtml
We just have to stand for what's right until more people that grew up gaming make it into office so no one gets retarded and starts censoring (beyond what the ESRB already does anyway. Jackasses.)
Interviewer: "What does this maybe tell you about the shooter, Jack?"
Jack: "Well, Bill, brain scans have shown that if you start out playing, say, for example violent video games..."
Had to be FOX, dinnit?
but first hide all proof that you've ever played a game or it'll come back to haunt us!
Your irony is very impressive.
How did he know this crazy, dead young man was influenced by games? He dressed similarly to game protagonists.
And then he cited Virginia Tech, a sorry circumstance that has already been proven to be game unrelated.
Anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone, who has two brain cells to rub together and keeps up with the news even in passing could see that Jack "I'm An Expert On School Shootings" Thompson is talking straight out his arsehole.
On an unrelated side note, I am absolutely full to bursting with rage. (I lied, that part is totally related)
To be fair, while I did call out Jim, I did also happen to comment about the topic at hand.
Also note, I'm new, I didn't mean to offend, I've seen it done before and thought it was funny. In retrospect however, I do feel rather proud that I was able to piss off one of my favorite editors here in the two short days I've been a member. Haha... but again, sorry Jim... :(
It's cool, I just like being told about all the angles.
Someone needs to do a study to show how many people play video games that are not psycho handi-tards. Some people are mentally unstable so video games and movies that depict violence shouldn't be available to them. It's like sticking a pedophile in a room full of naked pre-schoolers not a great idea.
Video games are killing simulators, he fails hugely and rambles like a baboon. Jack I'm sorry were out of time "my book it has" Jack I'm sorry but were out of time "But I did studies with" Jack we are out of time......
The solution to Jack Thomson TRULY, REALLY, ABSOLUTELY is to ignore him. He's 100% insignificant.
Fox isn't pandering to the old half-senile grandpa technophobe that doesnt' even know what a videogame is. That's not even Fox News's key demographic. The network as a whole is aimed towards young to middle aged businessmen/women, the kind of people who would recognize bullshit for bullshit when it comes to Jack Thompson, and have their eye caught by it. YOU'RE caught by it.
Resist temptation and turn off the motherfucking TV, and talk about something else on the interweb.
Also even for Jack the videogame reference here seemed forced.
If he would put this much effort into something like making people aware of the atrocities in Darfur, or working to raise funds for aids/cancer research you know, something that would really help, he may actually be taken seriously by people other than fox news lemmings.
It has been proven that the Virginia Tech shooter was not influenced by violent video games. UNRELATED! Yet this DOUCHE mentions the killer cho and how he was trained on violent games like counterstrike. Jack Thompson needs to go away.
And bam: