Blaming entertainment

[BERN]

[h=5]Hi all. I don't post much but had to say this...

It bothers me that the argument is being made that movies and video games are somehow to blame for gun violence. Adults should control what their children do as well as shape their perceptions of these things. Mature persons should not be influenced by their entertainment. This argument weakens all of us who are fighting for our rights under the 2nd amendment of the United States constitution. It is an inherent logical fallacy to claim that society is at the same time mature enough to posses our arms but so weak of mind as to be influenced by Hollywood.

The constitution of the United States stands on its own. One does not have to go far at all to see the totality of reasoning in the right to bear arms by our founding fathers. If we argue the point on any other basis we fail.

"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
- Samuel Adams[/h]

 

[strider12]

[h=5]Hi all. I don't post much but had to say this...

It bothers me that the argument is being made that movies and video games are somehow to blame for gun violence. Adults should control what their children do as well as shape their perceptions of these things. Mature persons should not be influenced by their entertainment. This argument weakens all of us who are fighting for our rights under the 2nd amendment of the United States constitution. It is an inherent logical fallacy to claim that society is at the same time mature enough to posses our arms but so weak of mind as to be influenced by Hollywood.

The constitution of the United States stands on its own. One does not have to go far at all to see the totality of reasoning in the right to bear arms by our founding fathers. If we argue the point on any other basis we fail.

"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
- Samuel Adams[/h]

The operative word there is should. My parents were 18 when they had me and grew up along side me. They did their best but they weren't prepared.

I was the hostile kid that did what he wanted and at one point they contemplated turning me over to the State. When they told me that I straightened up and flew right (or left according to bypass).

Point is, short of putting a bullet in a kids brain, some of them are just going to do what they want no matter what you do.

But to your point, that was a seriously weak argument that Lapierre is using. He sounds like he's living in Leave it to Beaver. Of course they didn't need armed teachers back then so WTF?

 

[Laufen]

First off there is no such thing as "gun violence". It sounds kinda silly to say beer violence or handkerchief violence doesn't it. Point number two. If you had to choice a potential point of causation between an inanimate object, and simulating the killing of people over and over again in a virtual world, I'd pick the latter. Not to say it always matters, but for some kids I'll bet it does.

 

[don712]

The operative word there is should. My parents were 18 when they had me and grew up along side me. They did their best but they weren't prepared.

I was the hostile kid that did what he wanted and at one point they contemplated turning me over to the State. When they told me that I straightened up and flew right (or left according to bypass).

Point is, short of putting a bullet in a kids brain, some of them are just going to do what they want no matter what you do.

But to your point, that was a seriously weak argument that Lapierre is using. He sounds like he's living in Leave it to Beaver. Of course they didn't need armed teachers back then so WTF?

Iam almost 60 and my parents were 18 win I was born and I grew up saying yes mam and yes sir and win I went to high school all my buddys had gun in there trucks in a gun rack for all the teachers to see and no one cared so somthing has changed

 

[Exile]

There is a lot of evidence linking violence in the media(news,movies,tv,video games) to an increase not just in violence but also in an increase in the number of deaths associated with the events. Many children are being exposed to these things at incredibly young ages as well. The connection between media violence and these incidents has been made and proven for nearly 20 years but that doesn't mean that many other societal factors aren't involved as well.

I would wholeheartedly agree that parents have the ultimate responsibility with their kids but I am happy that people are actually trying to find causal links between these events and not just blaming guns. At least they are looking into the motivations and influences on the killers instead of the means they use to kill.

 

[strider12]

Iam almost 60 and my parents were 18 win I was born and I grew up saying yes mam and yes sir and win I went to high school all my buddys had gun in there trucks in a gun rack for all the teachers to see and no one cared so somthing has changed

Don't get me wrong, I blame myself 100%. I was just giving background.

 

[BERN]

1 problem we have in general is getting straight the relationship between correlation and causation. this is true on many political front and not just firearms. particularly so for the global warming debate, but that's another discussion.

somehow as I grew up, my parents were able to teach me that entertainment is entertainment and not reality. I have been watching movies for the last 40 years. gangster flicks and World War 2 flicks are my favorite genres. never once have I felt influenced to use my gun against another person. the argument simply does not resonate with me personally.

 

[Laufen]

1 problem we have in general is getting straight the relationship between correlation and causation. this is true on many political front and not just firearms. particularly so for the global warming debate, but that's another discussion.

somehow as I grew up, my parents were able to teach me that entertainment is entertainment and not reality. I have been watching movies for the last 40 years. gangster flicks and World War 2 flicks are my favorite genres. never once have I felt influenced to use my gun against another person. the argument simply does not resonate with me personally.

Parent(s) plural probably had something to do with it.

 

[Bear44]

What makes society think that children being exposed to violence is a new event and only began with the mass availability to electronic media? Children have seen real violence for all of human history. Even entertainment, though not as sophisticated, has always had strong violent content. Ever read Shakespeare or even the Bible?

The issue isn't violence as entertainment, but lack of violence as discipline. The best people the human race has ever produced grew up getting their ass whipped if they did something wrong. It seems to me that the increase in violence by young people is in direct proportion to the decrease in the use of corporal punishment. This is compounded by the use of alternative methods to control behavior in children (drugs and other ridiculous non confrontational methods) when all the kid needs is to get their butt kicked a couple of times. I would be very interested to see research into the methods used to discipline these mass killers when they were children. I bet it would be a real eye opener. Unfortunately, corporal punishment is politically incorrect so even if they found a direct correlation the information would be ignored. It's much more comforting to go after all those evil legal gun owners than to address the real issues.

 

[JustAmused]

Unfortunately, society has changed since those of us well over 40 have grown up and raised our kids. I agree it all goes back to parenting but now when you have many of todays parents not giving a sH** about there kids and some selling meth to there kids at worst and others letting TV raise them at best then it's not surprising what happens. This goes on alot more than people want to think. Ask any teacher or cop what they see day in day out.