-------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: Jack Thompsom is an Asshole (VT Shooting) > From: Larry Lyons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >> -----Original Message----- > > > >There has never been a well-performed study which has shown a causal effect > >between violent media and violent acts. > > How many randomized control studies do you want that shows a relationship > between aggressive behavior and violent media?
"Aggressive Behavior" is very different from violent acts - especially on the scale that we're discussing (premeditated mass-murder). I've already admitted that playing violent games does indeed increase aggressiveness - that's been shown. However the effect is both temporary and does not increase either violent acts or modify morality. For example one study showed that after engaging in violent games children who were posed with a story about another child getting ambigiously hit in the head did in fact react more negatively then children who played non-violent games. However there was no difference in the opinions of the children concerning intent: both groups tended to view the event as either intentional or accidental at the same rate. I believe, as you do, that over-indulgence in violent media can lead to more aggresive behavior. Aggressive behavior can lead to both poor descisions and confrontations (both verbal and, especially amongst children, physical). However there is no evidence that this behavior either continues to evolve into a true capcity for violence or that people thus affected are any more likely to attempt actual harm on others or commit harmful acts more often. Aggression does not equal murder. Violent video games do not, as Jack Thompson so often claims, turn normal, well-adjusted people into murderers. There is no evidence of a causal relationship between violent crime and video games. There is no causal relationship in any specific case, despite Thompson's claims that video games "give murderers ideas". With the unbelievable growth of the violent video game market (it's estimated, as I remember, that over 40 million people have played "Grand Theft Auto" games alone and games are very close to topping films in business growth) why is there no correlated growth in the crime rate? Why, in fact, as video games have become both more realitstic and more graphically violent has there been a decline in the violent crime rate? This, of course, doesn't mean anything statisically (the drop in crime rate could be for any number of reasons) but the lack of any real social correlation is suspect at least. The complete and utter inability of anybody to win a case citing games as causal factors of criminal acts is also telling: the evidence is clearly not convincing enough. At the same time the historical record is clear: in every generation a scopegoat for violence as been created. In all cases there has been evidence to support this. Simplifying the modern era we might point to Comics in the 50's, Music in the 60's, Movies in the 70's, TV in the 90's and now Video games. Humans cultures have always created violent forms of expression and it seems always will. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Upgrade to Adobe ColdFusion MX7 Experience Flex 2 & MX7 integration & create powerful cross-platform RIAs http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=RVJQ Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:232895 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
