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[tigers_gonads]

That the craze of violent video games has screwed up a generation of kids heads by selling violence to the point that human life is devalued.

Is this just a case of the NRA passing the buck so to speak or do they have a good point ?

Personally, I think they have a point here.

And for me, you can throw in the gansta crap culture of knifes and guns too 

[Bixy1]

Yup, I'd agree with that. When you are young and impressionable, i'ts harder to differentiate between reality and fiction. 

[Varche]

desenthisised. (there is a word in there somewhere just waiting to get out )

Lets face it the modern era of computer games, facebook and titter have changed forever the way youngsters and adults relate to each other.

Do you remember the times when you played a board game and had to wait patiently for your go!

[Sir Tigger KC]

They are right and wrong.  They point out that there is a generation of screwed up people out there, but then they want them to have guns!!    and then they want everyone else to have guns to protect themselves from the screwed up lot with guns!! 

I wonder when the NRA will start saying that American kids should be armed?? 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I do tend to agree with the theory that violent computer games have taken away a sense of responsibility, caring, and morale fibre from our children.

However, I recall children, especially the  boys of course, in the distant era of the 1950's playing cowboys and Indians, using rifles along with very realistic hand guns to "kill" the enemy.  King Arthur and his knights encouraged them to fight to the death with swords, and being so close to the end of the Second World War there where constant 'battles' with the Germans, the filthy Hun who must be 'killed'.  Battles also took place in the boys imagination in the air, flying Spitfires, or bombing Germany in Wellington's or Lancaster's. with maybe the odd major sea battle thrown in for good measure. All this was backed up in many comics and pure 'war' magazines, with the general theme of killing the enemy, often backed up by the (male) adults telling of WW2 battle "glories"!

So did that start it all off?  Did a whole generation of boys go out and grow into killers?  The answer is no.  So why should modern youngsters, including girls now, decide to imitate computer "killers"?  After WW1 there was utter horror of further war, and thus killing.  Following WW2 adults that I knew were all shattered by war, and were completely committed to steering their young away from that terror, although stories were told, many times though to illustrate the complete utter waste that it all caused and the many friends, relatives, lost.

Since then we have had the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, and then the various wars in the Middle East, with us still in Afghanistan.  The message, with now constant modern media intense support, showing bodies and all manner of destruction, is of the waste of war, the wrecking of lives and how war achieves nothing.

So again, why would our youngsters still wish to carry out violent actions, including killing?

Is it though all purely down to man's nature, his desire, especially in his youth, to commit to warre (yes, it is Thomas Hobbes theory again!), as though peace is a rare condition, and warre in their minds is the over powering method of curing all problems?  Young blood needing to prove they are a warrior of some worth?  Some join the military to work that desire out and fight real warre.  Others roam the streets needing that "fix" of a good fight, to prove their manhood.  Perhaps they too need warre to drain all that desire out? 

[cnj]

lizzie,if i may call you that, as always the voice of reason in our midst. but did not 'god' give man a brain to think, or was it just so he could destroy himself and everthing else. !

[Rog]

Is this just a case of the NRA passing the buck so to speak or do they have a good point ?

Partly. As Lizzy pointed out there have been fantasy "war" games etc for ages. BUT, to make things a reality you still need the tools. IE: Real guns not plastic ones.

I think that computer games and simulation have had a much worse affect on driving in young males. Where I live there are loads of them who don't seem to be able to tell the difference from real-life and GTA     

[Lizzie_Zoom]

lizzie,if i may call you that, as always the voice of reason in our midst. but did not 'god' give man a brain to think, or was it just so he could destroy himself and everthing else. !

Yes, indeed he did cnj.  He also gave man natural aggression to fight for his survival and that of his women and children. It is a natural desire for him to use his aggression to defend his women and children, let alone use that asset to overcome "his" woman and mate, which in prehistoric times did not amount to rape, but now of course rightly would, as it was something perfectly acceptable to produce the next generation.  Women would probably never become pregnant without that male strength, shown in his aggression, and war like nature.  In youth a man who displays the ability to provide the support for the mother with her children was/is most desirable.  That of course in history has led to man going to war to defend his lands, his way of life and his family at any cost.  That aggression, and a natural desire for war in young males is most important for the survival of our society, but it can also prove deadly and should, IFat all possible, be controlled so that the innocent are not mown down by a rogue male, who is either mentally ill, or out for revenge of some form.

This is the problem for the USA.  You have the political strong NRA, politicians living in a gun culture, and that in turn is a product of a completely natural desire for Americans to protect the "homestead" going back to another era.  If you go to the wilds of Colorado you can imagine men, and women with children, in their real homesteads living miles upon open wild miles away from the nearest friendly homestead and any assistance, when literally fighting off Indians, outlaws, and more likely wild animals.  To own guns was an essential, crucial method for survival.  That is still in the Americans blood, as still away from cities it can be a wild place in theory.

Natural warre like aggression is part of young males, and what we must all do in America and at home is to TRY and channel all that into a useful project.  That IS the hard part.

[cnj]

appollogies if i was slightly misunderstood, my point was that given time and patience, man will probably destroy himself and unfortunately video games and impressionable young blood make for an extremely volatile mix and if you throw alchohol/drugs into that mix as well then the situation goes from volatile to explosive very quickly ! ( i had 15yrs as a cabbie with young soldiers and civvies as customers for experience!)

[Lizzie_Zoom]

appollogies if i was slightly misunderstood, my point was that given time and patience, man will probably destroy himself and unfortunately video games and impressionable young blood make for an extremely volatile mix and if you throw alchohol/drugs into that mix as well then the situation goes from volatile to explosive very quickly ! ( i had 15yrs as a cabbie with young soldiers and civvies as customers for experience!)

I can see where you are coming from cnj.

There was a time when I thought man would destroy himself, especially in the days of the Cold War.  However, I now believe that man has, and is still learning, how dangerous total war can and will be.  The advent of nuclear weapons initially took mankind to the very brink, but man did learn and realise that it should never be allowed to happen again, as the increasing power and possibilities of using the ultimate weapon and their definite effects dawned on mankind, and particularly on the USA, USSR / Russia, and all most nuclear weapon owning countries.

Man IS learning in this giant kindergarten of God's that is Earth, and many learning curves have been experienced by mankind.  The strength of man should drive us through and out of the danger zone which is earthly war.  The time to watch out for is the declining power of the USA, and the increasing use of computers to fight war, taking away the human emotion of killing another human being.

[Keith ABS]

   I think the biggest downturn in behavior that has lead to most of the "gang" and yob culture has been the abolision of all capital punishment. geting the cane or slipper in school did help a lot IMHO. All the american films with the "gangsta" being hyped up also dont help with every one wanting to run around with guns and knives to be cool and tooled up.
Keith B

[Turk]

   I think the biggest downturn in behavior that has lead to most of the "gang" and yob culture has been the abolision of all capital punishment. geting the cane or slipper in school did help a lot IMHO. All the american films with the "gangsta" being hyped up also dont help with every one wanting to run around with guns and knives to be cool and tooled up.
Keith B

Assuming you mean 'Corporal' punishment. (Although capital punishment wouldn't be unreasonable for some yobs !)

[Rods2]

Personally, I think Hollywood films films are the worst, where the baddies always die and the hero after being shot at by 50 Uzi's at the same time is unscratched.

At least in video games there is a more realistic cause effect where your on-screen character, will eventually die to end the game.

I have known several psychopaths, one was the leader of a local football 'supporters' gang and lived for the violence, got banned form the local league club, so used to find and fight rival supporters anywhere they could find them. He lost a good job, but carried on as the violence was more important. Another person, would fight anybody over anything and didn't even care if he lost as in his mind it was macho to absorb the pain. This was in an era before video games and the TV and cinema had censored tame Hollywood films. I shudder at the though of either of those two being let loose with a gun or guns. 

So I think there is an element is society that are always going to live like this. Sometimes it is channeled by going into the military or boxing or other sport, with other people it is street violence. This country is worse than many with the north worse than the south. Remember there are only 22 countries in the world the UK haven't invaded yet!

Man is a violent territorial animal, who will fight in packs for mutual strength and protection. We still live in relatively peaceful times. Unfortunately, I think over the next 60 years this will change where history shows that the Christian and another religion are incompatible. As mass migration of the other religion to Europe continues to increase their numbers, then at some point there will civil wars, with the winner taking all. My money is on the other religion winning, the do-gooders will see to that, which is one of the reasons I'm moving to a Christian country which is closed to mass-migration.

[Abiton]

I'm sure it's the NRA just trying to deflect the blame away from themselves, without any basis. 

What I really struggle to understand is why so often the nutters go and shoot up schools?

Why schools? 

[Sir Tigger KC]

Remember there are only 22 countries in the world the UK haven't invaded yet.

Can we have a list please Rods? It's something that as a country we clearly need to work on!!