I will preface this comment by saying there are not words to express the horrible thing that happened in Connecticut on December 14th. I’m not going to even pretend to be able to understand the grief and loss associated with such an event. I am fortunate to have never experienced something of that magnitude, and hope that I never will. In the aftermath of this and other similar events, we look for some sort of explanation. We want to tie events like these to something tangible, something we can do to solve the problem. Even though we are unable to undo the events that unfolded, we want to prevent what happened from ever happening again. You and I could go on for hours discussion where things broke down. It will take months to figure out exactly what happened and even then we’ll probably never know for sure. The acts were not a result of some crazed ideologue or shadowy organization working to undo the fabric of society. As far as we can tell, it was the result of one young man who made a terrible choice. But despite our gut reaction, we must have some reason in our search for understanding. On the day of the event, a Fox News analyst went on the air and took shots at everything from reality television to Facebook to video games. His overall point was that we are less able to empathize with people because we blend reality with fiction. And while the average person may not commit such acts, those who live in the extreme may also take their lack of empathy to an extreme. The thought isn’t necessarily as incendiary as other accusations have been, but stating that the use of Facebook or video games results in a lack of empathy is, at best, pure speculation. It is important that we realize that fictional worlds are nothing new and that video games are simply the newest form of fictional writing. If someone reads Hamlet and then commits a violent act, would it be reasonable to argue that reading Hamlet caused the violence? Shakespeare’s tragedies are, at times, excessively violent and grim. Wouldn’t we find it laughable to state that watching a play that included death in large numbers makes people more prone to violence? I believe that certain age groups should not be exposed to violent games. That was the whole idea in creating this site and why I remain dedicated to its maintenance. But the vast majority of young adults who play video games do not commit violence, and many of those who commit violence do not play video games.
It is important that while we search for meaning in these tragedies that we are not too quick to point the finger at one object before we are certain that it is the true culprit in this matter.
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The Legendary Carmine
Andrew Clayton (a.k.a. The Legendary Carmine) is SSG's Executive Editor. He toils at the stone to make sure this site brings its readers valuable content on a daily basis. Like what we do? Want to see more? Donate to the site using the button below!
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