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Joe Lieberman: Video Game Warrior

Joe Lieberman is a much more moral man than I am. He, unlike me, is concerned about violence and its terrifying impact on children. Does this concern manifest itself in policy proposals to alleviate the poverty in inner cities that leads to horrific violence against American children? Not so much. How about supporting a withdrawal from the Iraq War, a conflict that is costing the lives of hundreds of Iraqis–children included–every week? Nope.

Instead, the brave Senator is attacking the most pressing cause of violence: video games. Along with the National Institute on Media and the Family, Senator Lieberman is grandstanding today on the issue of video game violence:

“These games are brutal, primitive,” Sen. Joe Lieberman , D-Conn., said Wednesday.

“Pay attention to the games your kids, our kids, are playing,” said Lieberman, who joined institute officials at a news conference. “It‘s really time to focus on the parents and urge parents to pay attention.”

I’m exhausted by the repeated claims of the paternalistic left and moralistic right (both of which are embodied by the good Senator) that media is to blame for American violence. The internal logic is absurd: given claims of hundreds of thousands of exposures to media violence by each child, I’ve never understood why every American child hasn’t attacked a school or killed a classmate. It’s a simplistic, knee-jerk response that’s no different than parents blaming rock and roll for sex in the 1950s

More importantly, though, non-controversial attacks on violent images in the media are just cover. Instead of root causes: violence, racism, structural inequity, we’re fooled by showy condemnations of Grand Theft Auto, instead of thoughtfully examining the social conditions that lead to violence.

Maybe it’s time for someone to develop a new video game: one in which the protagonist makes a real difference instead of deceiving us with nonsense.

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    • Wed, Nov 29, 2006

    Social Issues, The Media

    This post was written by:

    Pogie - who has written 938 posts on Intelligent Discontent.

    I am an English and debate teacher from Helena, MT.

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    5 Comments For This Post

    1. grannyinsanity Says:
      November 29th, 2006 at 8:38 pm

      If we were the slightest bit honest with ourselves, there wouild have been a line of witnesses testifyng about the availability or lack of free community centered alternatives for families of all kinds then Joe opened his trap.

      I am so damn sick and tired of all the moralistic glop they throw at us in exchange for opportunities.

    2. Shane C. Mason Says:
      November 29th, 2006 at 9:00 pm

      This isn’t funny, or cute Pogie. What are you thinking? When those ghosts come and ‘touches’ pac man it causes him to go into a death dance where he opens his mouth and consumes himself. Our kids are watching this! And you are worried about dead babies scattered across the sand in Iraq? Tsk Tsk.

    3. Pojo Says:
      November 30th, 2006 at 12:20 am

      An issue near and dear to my heart, so near that I was actually wearing an “I Hate Jack Thompson” T-shirt while reading this. Kooky.

      I have to tell you, I’ve played all the way through Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and I’m still about as nonviolent as a person can get. I’ve blamed Final Fantasy VII for my intellectual awakening before but I’ve never let a video game change my fairly pacifistic personality.

      Unless it was really hard. Then I’d swear at it a lot. Stupid Mrs. Pacman with her stupid bow.

    4. The Polish Wolf Says:
      November 30th, 2006 at 1:06 pm

      My favorite cliche is “now parents are worried about the sex in GTA, but not the gang violence and car theft.” My response to that cliche is “But more ironically, you are more concerned that your white suburban kid may play a video game imitating a part of our society that actual children actually live through, than the fact that this situation actually exists.”

    5. NickC Says:
      December 3rd, 2006 at 6:30 pm

      Quick, time to prove the Senator right by donning my Quake II railgun and Flak Jacket! I can’t wait.

      Let’s also not do anything about Darfur or neo-imperialism. Cool plan.

    1 Trackbacks For This Post

    1. Blogs » Blog Archive » THE GAMING DUNGEON: You’re not getting my vote that way :: PostStar.com Says:
      August 21st, 2008 at 12:47 pm

      [...] has spent years and years bemoaning the video game industry. He’s launched several pieces of legislation aimed at curbing violence in video games, [...]

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