The media first and foremost casts blame on the internet.
The internet is a vast collection of thoughts
and ideas. The internet is a tool that
paves the way for thoughts to be freely
expressed, ideas can be improved,
feelings are free to roam. People can
not be held responsible for what is done with
their ideas, nor can they be held responsible
for providing a route to easily
accessible information. Information that
can be found in any library or news
stand across the nation. Granted some
of these ideas we could do without, but I
would not want anyone's first amendment
rights trampled because someone
decided that the ideas expressed were
dangerous and should not be said.
The second scapegoat that the media uses are movies.
Movies have been around since Émile
Reynaud created the first screen projected,
moving images in 1892. If movies really
had a bad effect on us wouldn't we all be
mad by now? Movies provide countless hours
of entertainment, they help enhance
feelings and emotions but do not force
them upon us.
They have also tried to place blame on recording artists.
This has been going on most recently with
Marilyn Manson but over the past 20
or so years it has been Alice Cooper,
Kiss, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Led Zepplin,
Ozzy Ozbourne, most rap groups, NIN, and
KMFDM. I don't buy into the theory that
just because people listen to their music
the artists take control of people's minds and
remove all knowledge of what's right and
wrong and force them towards violence.
Easy access to weapons have also been blamed for violence.
We also have easy access to books, tools,
flour, and money. They did not choose to go out
and study Shakespere, build houses, bake
cookies, or become investment bankers. Revenge
is what they were after. They would have
used knives, a car, a pogo stick, etc if that was
what it took to get it.
"My kid spent too much time playing Wolfenstien/Duke
Nukem/Quake/Half Life,etc,etc..."
is also a sound byte played all too often
when violence occurs.
Computer/Video games are the perfect RELEASE
for tension and violence. The person is
transported to a structured world with
set goals and can release all the pent up anger and
frustration. If you have the skill and
concentration you can excel. If you don't you know
it's not because the game is playing favorites,
it's not conspiring against you.
It's a lack of skill that can be overcome
with practice. When you build up the skill
it's a tremendous pay off to move on and
face another challenge in the game.
In the late 80's a new scapegoat came available. It was called peer pressure.
This is a major cop-out. This is a way
to not take responsibility for your own actions.
it's the 80's equivalent of "the devil
made me do it" and just plain lame.
In the recent Denver shootings a new scapegoat
came to the media's
vocabulary, Goth. "They did it because
they were twisted weirdo Goths".
Goths have been around 20 years why is
it that only now they are turning violent?
The answer: they aren't.
Last but certainly not least they blame
the parents. "They must have been abusing them",
"They didn't raise them right" or "They
didn't pay enough attention to them as children"
This is a last resort that only comes out
when all other explanations have been exhausted.
It too is also a cop-out. Parents can
not be with their children 24 hrs a day 365 days a year.
They can not be looking over their shoulder's
every minute of every day.
questions? comments? thoughts?
write to me: Skeeve@null.net