Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
"Information-Feedback-Emotion" My grandson's reaction to Wayne LaPierre
My grandson came to spend the day with me, saying if it's the last day of the world he wants to come and spend it with me, eat - drink - watch movies and be merry.
Worked for me.
So he was here when LaPierre started tallking, hushed me during the speech, and then went into a diatribe of his feedback.
I listened, and then said: Write that down for me, and I'll post it on DU, many don't have young people in their lives to react to this speech. So he did, and without anything other than copying and pasting here it is for you to read if you so choose:
What Wayne said about video games really got under my skin. I'm a 20 year old white american male who has grown up playing video games. Wayne mentioned three specific games that he thought had heinous names, and must therefore be corrupting our people. "Bulletstorm" "Grand Theft Auto" and "Mortal Kombat" all three are games that are rated M. This rating means that they cannot be legally purchased by those who are under the age of 17, unless they have the consent of a parent or legal guardian that is at the cash register in person.
These (admittedly very violent) games that Wayne mentioned are intended for an audience of people who have more fully developed brains, and who are less susceptible to desensitization of violence. That said, Wayne didn't blame children getting these games and developing an acceptance of such violence, he simply blamed the games as well as films and television for destroying morality in our nation. But I'm going to stick to speaking about games.
Studies find no correlation between violent video games and violent people. Blaming the games found in their homes for the actions of these mass murderers is akin to blaming the microwave in their kitchens. Yes, they play games, yes, they microwave food, and yes, they kill people. But I also have games and a microwave, and I don't kill people. Same with my stepmother, my friends, and so on. There simply isn't a correlation.
Moving back to myself personally, I have grown up around video games my entire life. The first time I pretended to shoot someone in a game was probably around the age of 7 or 8. That instance, in fact, wasn't even the first time I'd pretended to shoot someone. I was a little boy! I would run around on the playground pretending to shoot other kids and imaginary monsters or aliens all the time. By now, I've pretended to kill tens of thousands of people in increasingly graphic and brutal ways through the gaming medium. Sure, it's not the best way to spend my time, but it's enjoyable. It's what I choose to do. While I've become desensitized to many forms of death in a game, I recognize the difference between virtual and real violence. I've never been in an actual fight in my life, and frankly I wouldn't know how to handle myself if I did find myself in one. I prefer to solve problems with words and argumentation.
While I am a virtual mass murderer, I, in real life, am actually a very nice person who believes in harming others only as a form of last-second self defense when there is no other option. And despite all the training I may have received from video games and violent media, I'd have no idea how to actually defend myself with or without a weapon.
These (admittedly very violent) games that Wayne mentioned are intended for an audience of people who have more fully developed brains, and who are less susceptible to desensitization of violence. That said, Wayne didn't blame children getting these games and developing an acceptance of such violence, he simply blamed the games as well as films and television for destroying morality in our nation. But I'm going to stick to speaking about games.
Studies find no correlation between violent video games and violent people. Blaming the games found in their homes for the actions of these mass murderers is akin to blaming the microwave in their kitchens. Yes, they play games, yes, they microwave food, and yes, they kill people. But I also have games and a microwave, and I don't kill people. Same with my stepmother, my friends, and so on. There simply isn't a correlation.
Moving back to myself personally, I have grown up around video games my entire life. The first time I pretended to shoot someone in a game was probably around the age of 7 or 8. That instance, in fact, wasn't even the first time I'd pretended to shoot someone. I was a little boy! I would run around on the playground pretending to shoot other kids and imaginary monsters or aliens all the time. By now, I've pretended to kill tens of thousands of people in increasingly graphic and brutal ways through the gaming medium. Sure, it's not the best way to spend my time, but it's enjoyable. It's what I choose to do. While I've become desensitized to many forms of death in a game, I recognize the difference between virtual and real violence. I've never been in an actual fight in my life, and frankly I wouldn't know how to handle myself if I did find myself in one. I prefer to solve problems with words and argumentation.
While I am a virtual mass murderer, I, in real life, am actually a very nice person who believes in harming others only as a form of last-second self defense when there is no other option. And despite all the training I may have received from video games and violent media, I'd have no idea how to actually defend myself with or without a weapon.
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Good on him! 
