Lessons Learned From Adam Lanza's Video Game Obsession: Blame Dance Dance Revolution
from the just-kidding dept
The Sandy Hook massacre has been back in the news as of late for a multitude of reasons. The anniversary of the shooting is coming up soon. Someone decided to release a game associated with the tragedy to send a message and everyone lost their damn minds. And, finally, the government is releasing a full report of their findings of the shooting and of Adam Lanza, the disturbed perpetrator, which includes his possessions and specifically details his video game collection.
Now, if you'll recall, the NRA and several conservative and/or gun rights organizations found themselves the reactionary targets of people who don't like them in the wake of the shooting. Much of this was essentially undeserved fervor, which effectively drowned out any reasonable middle-road discussion we might have had about the issues of firearms availability and their effects on shootings such as this. The mass media supercharged the stupid on both sides, which produced equally stupid results from, you know, everyone. Included in that everyone was the National Rifle Association, which proudly defended our 2nd Amendment rights by suggesting maybe we should shit all over everyone's 1st Amendment rights. Their argument was essentially that guns don't kill people, all those violent video games played by the person folks mistakenly misidentified as the perpetrator shot those people. Yippee for American discourse.
Well we now have a list of Adam Lanza's video game collection, and it indeed includes games of violence, such as Splinter Cell, Mercenaries, Call of Duty, and others. Case closed, amirite? Mmmm, no. Here's some other games on the list: Spiderman, Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion, and Pikmin. Oh, and the game he reportedly was totally obsessed with? Dance Dance Revolution.
So here's the deal: people that want to draw conclusions about Adam Lanza from his gaming habits don't get to cherry-pick their facts. If we're blaming the games that include violence, surely we must include the games that don't, particularly the game with which he was most obsessed. And I sincerely want to hear the proponents of restrictions on the 1st Amendment by way of video games to argue to the world that we must restrict access to DDR, because I know exactly with what kind of reaction such an argument would be met: derision. Which is exactly what it should be met with, because all this low-hanging fruit-picking over video games is stupid.
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Filed Under: adam lanza, dance dance revolution, newtown, video games, violence
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My point was sort of sarcastic in relation to the article. If video games really were to blame for Adam Lanza's murderous rampage then how come it's not epidemic, especially considering all the millions of FPS games already sold?
About the Newtown shooting: I don't buy the official story. The very fact that they're appropriating about $20-25 million to tear down and rebuild the school stinks of a cover-up to eliminate evidence.
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Okay, how would tearing down the school eliminate evidence? Evidence of what? Are you suggesting the teachers were in on it and have squirrelled away some damning video or something? I'm talking to a guy who REJECTS evidence that contradicts his opinion.
Start taking an evidence-based approach to your thinking and opinion-forming, and we'll be able to talk about this like civilized people. As it is, I think you're much too busy clutching an AK47-alike, twitching the net curtains nervously every time a dark shape appears in the sky, convinced it's a UN black helicopter.
Get rid of the extremism, then we'll have solutions. As long as we have two flavors of extremists yelling insults at each other, we'll have none. Is that what we want?
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This just in
When questioned by reporters, the lead prosecutor was quoted,
"Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?"
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Don't bother answering, it was a rhetorical question. The answer is obvious.
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We don't allow autoplaying ads on the site. If you see one, the best way to inform us is to note what the ad is for (if you can also figure out where it comes from (i.e., what ad network) and then use the contact us link to let us know, so we can investigate and smack around which ever ad network failed to follow our policies.
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Reminds me of the dicks, pussies, and assholes speech from Team America.
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The video game blame game is, in my opinion, much more a narcissistic show of swatting at imaginary elves. Turbo charge that, add some hairspray, cocaine and non regional diction and drive the whole package into a million living rooms and THEN we have the evening news that's news worthy for the new(s) generation.
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The Common Thread
The logical course of action would be to confront these companies and hold them accountable, as well as forbidding them from producing these drugs any further. There are alternative methods for dealing with mental issues that do not require these dangerous, mind-altering drugs. They would not profit the pharmaceutical industry, however, which is why they do all they can to keep us from knowing just how truly effective they are. Nature's design provides everything we need—chemical processing only causes harm to us and all those around us.
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Re: The Common Thread
Sarcasm aside, I'd say the first step to eliminate or even just cut down events like this is a shift in social thinking, getting society to drop the stigma associated with mental health issues, so it's no longer considered shameful to admit to having a problem and seeking treatment.
Currently, with how society sees mental health issues and the treatment for them, far too many just bottle their problems up, causing harm to them, or in more extreme cases, all those around them, when the pressure gets to be too much for them to handle themselves.
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Re: The Common Thread
Er, my understanding is that Adam Lanza was specifically NOT taking the drugs that would normally have been prescribed, which is why many people are blaming his mother....
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Re: The Common Thread
Repeat after me: correlation does not imply causation. Even assuming that said correlation is statistically rigorous or even valid it is better covered by a third variable: instability. Unstable people are more likely to receive medication. Spree killers are unstable by definition.
I'm not even going to start on what is wrong with your lack of knowledge on psychotropic drugs and the drug development process.
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― Marcus Brigstocke
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Lack of substitutes
She should have had the guts to call in the professionals and have him committed-there were more than enough signs that he was going to go off shortly-if not to her eyes, anyone else's. Adults can be involuntarily committed for a time if they are judged to be a danger to themselves and society.
No game, video or otherwise, on earth is responsible for a total psychotic break in anyone.
But everyone blame games because they can be banned. Mental illness can't.
Guess what caused the shootings? It wasn't the video games.
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GAMERSAREN'TMURDERERS
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