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Jack Thompson tells me to rape a child: Advocating molestation is not cool
11:09 PM on 03.17.2008, Jim Sterling 117 comments

Jack Thompson tells me to rape a child: Advocating molestation is not cool photo
     Controversy

Jack Thompson is my best friend in the whole wide world. I know some of you don't like the guy and are sick of hearing of him, so by all means go read one of our many other stories, but for those of you who love our notorious Destructoid community member, you may be shocked to learn that he encouraged me to molest a child in our last correspondence.

Excited over the score for freedom that was Manhunt 2's unbanning in the UK, I shared my joy with Mr. Thompson. As a believer in American justice, I thought he might share my satisfaction that freedom of choice had been granted in my home country. He didn't seem too fond of the idea, though.

After first trying to claim that the game had never been banned, he answered my correction by suggesting that I molest children and accused me of doing so indirectly through Rockstar. Apparently, supporting the rights of a company to release entertainment that meets legal rating criteria means you want to interfere with minors inappropriately.

I don't know, telling me to molest children, heavily implying that I am indeed somebody who enjoys such activity ... do you think I have grounds for a libel suit here? Those are some pretty serious allegations, so I ask the Destructoid community for legal advice concerning Thompson's words. After the jump, you can read the full transcription and decide for yourselves. I reckon we have a case though.

Jim Sterling: The BBFC has been overruled by the Video Appeals Committee and Manhunt 2 will go on sale in the UK:
Link 
Isn't that awesome, Jack? Censorship is never good, and now we've seen a huge victory for freedom of market decision. I'm so happy!

Jack Thompson: Keeping adult products from children is not censorship.  Also, censorship is a ban on material, prohibiting its sale to anyone.  Don't you own a dictionary?  What are you , a moron?

Sterling: Um, you DO realize the game's sale was prevented from everyone in the UK by the BBFC, right? It WAS banned, not just from children. So yes, it was censorship. Now it's unbanned, rated 18, like it should be.

HOORAAAAAY!

Thompson: Why don't you just molest children directly rather than through Rockstar.  It would be more personal that way

Sterling: Did you just accuse me of child molestation, Mr. Thompson? As a man who pursues many cases of libel against him, you really should learn to not be a hypocrite.

Go read the story. I don't even want to play this game. But I want the choice to not play it to be mine. Have you no respect for freedom of choice, sir?

Jack Thompson hasn't answered, but I think there is ground for a lawsuit here. Such accusations could be taken very seriously and in any case, encouraging someone to molest kids really is quite questionable for a man who claims to protect them. I wonder if not reporting it could be considered conspiring to molest. Maybe I should warn the cops that there's an online advocate of this kind of thing.

Just kidding, Jack. I know you'd never seriously encourage this ... would you? I'd hate to have to sue you. 


Next page: More Jack Thompson stories




tazarthayoot's Avatar
tazarthayoot at 03/17/2008 23:12
Jack Thompson, I personally give you the permission to fuck me.

Anywhere, anytime, any hole. You name it, and you can have it.
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/17/2008 23:12
Something tells me that he doesn't give voice to rational thought like most people; rather, I think little marbles of batshit bounce around in the hollowed cavity of his skull until one escapes, bounces off his tongue and flies into to the ether.
topgeargorilla's Avatar
topgeargorilla at 03/17/2008 23:12
unfortunately, you lose grounds for a lawsuit due to you publishing the transcript.

It was a private email.

Now, if he published it, and used it as a declaration of your paedophelia, then you can sue his ass.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 03/17/2008 23:13
Sue the pants off of that prick.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 03/17/2008 23:14
topgear: He has provided me a lawsuit declaration to publish in our private emails before. I can only ascertain he intends for our dialog to be posted. Besides which, I don't actually want to sue him. I'd have to get on a plane, and I only do that for free booze at the other end.
WiLLiSTER's Avatar
WiLLiSTER at 03/17/2008 23:15
You have some fucked up friends.
mix's Avatar
mix at 03/17/2008 23:18
Jack should be a an invisible clown with super epic powers as he never ceases to amaze me.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 03/17/2008 23:18
Jim if you sue Jack Thompson I'll buy you all the booze you want.
Faceless's Avatar
Faceless at 03/17/2008 23:23
I don't think it's possible for me to take Jack Thompson seriously at all anymore. His shenanigans never stop entertaining.
Fiat Mediocrity's Avatar
Fiat Mediocrity at 03/17/2008 23:26
Jim, please do this. I'll love you forever.
CaptainApocalypse's Avatar
CaptainApocalypse at 03/17/2008 23:26
I honestly feel bad for Jack. It's like watching someone really trying to argue their point, but going about it in entirely the wrong way. I'm not saying he's right, but it makes me sad that what could be a reasonable, intelligent debate often degrades into name-calling. Bad form, Jack.
Phoenix Gamma's Avatar
Phoenix Gamma at 03/17/2008 23:29
You know, I bet he saw your article on anime pedo games for the Wii and thought "GOTCHA!"
gitrooman's Avatar
gitrooman at 03/17/2008 23:30
telling one child to molest another child is just wrong.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/17/2008 23:30
"Now, if he published it, and used it as a declaration of your paedophelia, then you can sue his ass."

Yep, this is correct. Free speech laws only cover so much, but this does not fall outside those boundaries. If one politician gets on TV and says "Politician #2, why don’t you go fuck some kiddies", he would get in trouble for the comment, but it’s within his right to say it. Now if he said "Politician #2 is a kiddy fiddler" that falls outside free speech laws and he could be taken to court for spreading false statements which could damage the reputation of politician #1. So in this case if Jack posted on his website “Jim Sterling displays his lust for kiddies by supporting GTA and he is an evil man” then you could sue his ass.

Of course then even at best it would go to court and the judge has to agree that the statement was a direct attempt to spread false information about that persons character rather than just slander, which can be very tricky depending on the wording used.
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/17/2008 23:30
@Reaprar

Oh, he's definitely coming soon to a US near you.
Tino's Avatar
Tino at 03/17/2008 23:33
I don't feel bad for Jack. You give him every chance in the world and he acts like a douchebag every time.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 03/17/2008 23:34
You people talk as if the chances of a lawsuit actually being founded has ever stopped Jack. :-D
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/17/2008 23:35
Oops, that was supposed to be Politician #2, not Politician #1 in "damage the reputation of politician #1."
elpoopacabra's Avatar
elpoopacabra at 03/17/2008 23:36
for a big scary lawyer he sure knows how to act childish over the internet. that is like grade school, recess-yard shit. he may as well use your mom jokes.

it is one thing for us... we embrace the silliness... but for somebody actually trying to seem professional?

lolz
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 03/17/2008 23:37
I think you also have to be considered as a "public figure" for his statements to be libelous. I don't know what exactly qualifies someone as a public figure though.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 03/17/2008 23:37
Do it, please.
Willie3000's Avatar
Willie3000 at 03/17/2008 23:38
it's not libel if you do it....
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 03/17/2008 23:39
Wow Jim nice job molesting those children indirectly, without coming into contact with them or talking to them. That is the power of video games. You are a sick fuck, ALL OF YOU ARE! CAn't you see Jack Thompson is an American hero under
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 03/17/2008 23:40
attack by the evil media.
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 03/17/2008 23:43
Everytime I read one of JT's many many posts and emails, I'm constantly reminded of how much he sounds like an internet troll. His douchealocity levels are off the scale.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/17/2008 23:44
"I think you also have to be considered as a "public figure" for his statements to be libelous"

It just has to be enough that whatever the correlating statement was is enough to damage your reputation. In Jims case (if Jack had gone about this the wrong way), if he could prove his writing career has been ruined because of those statements, that is enough. If you are a truck driver and now nobody will hire you because a competing company ran TV ads saying you hate black people, that’s enough (although you would somehow have to prove in a court of law you do not, through things like previous relationships and such...like I said, it gets tricky). It’s usually only aimed at public profile figures though, because usually if someone makes a character slandering claim, nobody gives a shit.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/17/2008 23:46
(also keep in mind I'm talking about this only from a free speech position, which seems to be the most fitting law to this news. There may be other ways I am not aware of)
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 03/17/2008 23:47
Damn Boolean are you the ghost of Johnny Cochran or something?
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 03/17/2008 23:52
@Boolean

Word.
Roryzilla's Avatar
Roryzilla at 03/17/2008 23:56
What a marvelous cunt he is.
TheStripe's Avatar
TheStripe at 03/18/2008 00:03
*picture of stick-figure jack buddy icon ;)*
Stonedfox's Avatar
Stonedfox at 03/18/2008 00:04
It's like watching the increasingly aggressive back-and-forth between James Bond and a supervillain...only instead of Francisco Scaramanga, Thompson's intellect and cunning are something closer to Fuzzy Lumpkins.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 03/18/2008 00:10
hahahahahahaha Oh Jim you've done it again!
Trevor McGee's Avatar
Trevor McGee at 03/18/2008 00:12
Seriously, shit like this from Jack Thompson doesn't surprise me anymore. Remember, this is the same guy who took the time to search for gay porn, print it out, and then submit it with a filing he made.

Anyway, I know you're not going to sue the bastard, but I'd like to see it happen anyway. Take him for all he's worth, what little he is anyway. Hey, at the very least you could sue him and then just give you winnings away to the charity he was supposed to give money to before he backed out like the lying bitch that he is.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 03/18/2008 00:13
He's an idiot. Literally. There's a serious lack of intelligence there. I have no idea how he ever managed to become a lawyer.
Trevor McGee's Avatar
Trevor McGee at 03/18/2008 00:14
Oh yeah, this once again gives me reason to dust off this image I made a while back. :D

Johnnyreb2565's Avatar
Johnnyreb2565 at 03/18/2008 00:25
Heh, Jack Thompson a joke to use real lawyers. Cant wait till he gets disbarred cant happen fast enough.

Any who check out my awesome moves to get an over time cap in a TFL match http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=839pW029EUU
Detry's Avatar
Detry at 03/18/2008 00:25
That is so out of hand it is redonkulous.

So awesome.
TheToiletDuck's Avatar
TheToiletDuck at 03/18/2008 00:32
You need to send this link to EVERY judge in the United States... oh and include pictures of buttsecks.

Nice investigatory journalism Jim.
DarkTetsuya's Avatar
DarkTetsuya at 03/18/2008 00:33
"Have you no respect for freedom of choice, sir?"

He's a terrorist, what do you think? Yeah I said it, damn proud of it too.

As for those comments, maybe if ya show em to the florida bar they might speed up his license-ectomy to tomorrow. (Honestly though I doubt it, but it couldn't hurt.)
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 03/18/2008 00:33
Seriously Jim, sue that motherfucker
TheToiletDuck's Avatar
TheToiletDuck at 03/18/2008 00:35
Also,

Jack Thompson is SO at home on the internet.
TheStripe's Avatar
TheStripe at 03/18/2008 00:36
Wow, unrelated youtube spamming. Is this some sort of backhanded way to link "kids" through to violent material? Are you Jack Thompson?
Nessie's Avatar
Nessie at 03/18/2008 00:37
@ Trevor - LOL

Keep it classy, Jack.
moggle's Avatar
moggle at 03/18/2008 00:38
I actually completely and totally agree with Thompson on this. I mean, it's a no-brainer: It is WAAAAY more personal to molest kids directly. Fucks 'em up big time. And the world needs more strippers.
DarkTetsuya's Avatar
DarkTetsuya at 03/18/2008 00:49
"Have you no respect for freedom of choice, sir?"

He's a terrorist, what do you think? Yeah I said it, damn proud of it too.

As for those comments, maybe if ya show em to the florida bar they might speed up his license-ectomy to tomorrow. (Honestly though I doubt it, but it couldn't hurt.)
Im OK's Avatar
Im OK at 03/18/2008 00:57
The day that a gamer posts a log of a conversation they had with Jack Thompson in which Jack Thompson remains entirely civil and refrains from making infantile slurs throughout the entire course of the conversation is the day that I will be truly surprised. This, here? This is merely Jack Thompson being his usual charming self.

At any rate, you have at least as much grounds to sue in this case as Jack has ever had in any of his lawsuits. Admittedly, that's not saying a whole lot, of course.
Dr Milkdad's Avatar
Dr Milkdad at 03/18/2008 01:08
LOL, Jack Thompson, what a crazy renegade/dumb asshole!!

I love how he gets mad like a child when he doesn't get his way. What cool dude.
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