GamePolitics, the only gaming blog read by Henry Kissinger, has a story that deftly illustrates the "ethical creativity" present in many of our elected officials.
Louisiana State Representative Roy Burrell (D) was the sponsor of a 2006 bill (authored by Jack "Anti-Zeitgeist" Thompson) that sought to keep violent games in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard." Thankfully, weary, post-Katrina ravaged Louisiana saw through the piles of rhetoric and crude drawings of ducks and struck down the bill as un-Constitutional.
As a response to the ruling, Rep. Burrell wrote an op-ed piece in the Shreveport Times, lambasting The Times and the federal judge who made the ruling for (metaphorically) laughing at him, and punching his elderly mother in the jaw.
He also saw fit to point out the mountain of evidence supporting his position via the time-honored method of citing the work of people much smarter than himself. Hit the jump to vicariously watch a grown man jam his entire lower torso into his mouth.
To quote Mr. Burrell's op-ed:
I am offended The Times and one federal judge would question state legislators’ commitment, integrity and legal knowledge… Like me, during the legislative process, legislators never knew they would vote unanimously on HB 1381, only to have it struck down by a federal district judge, then publicly criticized by him and the media for doing their legislative duty.
The unsuspected cost of $100,000 to taxpayers for legal fees 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…
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.
The story becomes hilariously awesome the following day when GamePolitics' readers noticed a response in the online comments section following the piece. I don't have nearly enough (or any) college degrees to paraphrase the comment properly, so I'll just let the original blurb, authored by Mr. Burrell's cited expert, Ms. Pat Brown, speak for itself:
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 playing individuals)…
GP did some checking, and ended up contacting Ms. Brown, who confirmed it was indeed her comment.
Even ignoring for a moment that a duly elected Representative cited Bill "Jesus hates Arabs too" O'Reilly as a credible source on a matter of law, you have to be amazed at how instantaneously this politician metamorphosed into something akin to a walking anus. The point at which you cite experts who then refute everything you stated publicly is the same point at which you demand the Louisiana Senate install dank caves in the hills surrounding New Orleans so you can live the rest of your life as a hermit, feeding on newts and delicious cave mold.
Pat Brown, on the other hand, is my new favorite everything. Here we have an expert who tempers her belief that violent gaming can have a negative impact on the socio-emotional wellbeing of young children, with the fact-based reality that many factors play into the development of a human being. If I wasn't almost positive that she could slice me in half using only the power of her mind, I'd certainly go a-courtin'.
Contest:
6:56 AM on 05.12.2007
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It's also amusing to see some righteous-type person other than JT making an ass of himself. Seriously, doesn't anyone try to actually read their source materials before quoting them?
politicians are retards when it comes to topics like games. no one has an informed opinion on the matter, at least not as properly informed one, clearly. we'll just have to wait 'til we have a president who grew up on mario. then we can all reast eay.
And why does the ESRB have M and AO? The only real difference between the two is content of a sexual nature. They claim it also covers mutilations, torture, anything beyond, you know, painting wall after wall after wall with digital brain. What's particularly funny is that more than half of American teens lost their virginity BEFORE the age of 17. But those 17 year olds are going to have to be satisfied sneaking up on unsuspecting convicts and sawing their heads off with razor wire (Manhunt) or exploding the chests of dozens of lumbering zombies (Resident Evil: pick one.) The first sign of digital genitalia though, and blam, none til you're 18. (If you can even find those games in the first place. Unparent unions have forced basically all retailers to stop carrying games with an A/O rating, which is as good as banning them.)
And now that we're finished with the constitution, *flush* Bye-bye, once-cherished document!
Nex, seriously get Pat Brown on the phone or email or something and do a Dtoid piece on violence and games. It would also be made of epic and win.
Awesome 'shop again, nex.