Obama calls on Congress to fund research on the effects of violent media.
While Joe Biden's meeting with the videogame industry went as well as one could hope, as the vice president seemed to conclude that violent videogames were not to blame for events like the one at Sandy Hook, President Obama wants to look further into the effects of violent videogames on children.
One of the 23 executive orders he signed recently calls for the CDC to do further research on violent behavior, which includes looking into violent media.
Obama isn't pointing the finger of blame at anyone. “We don’t benefit from ignorance. We don’t benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence," said the President. “Congress should fund research into the effects violent video games have on young minds.”
Despite signing the executive orders, Obama reminded the American people that in order for these actions to truly be carried out, he would need Congress's help. "“As important as these steps are, they are in no way a substitute for action from Congress,” Obama said.
The president wants to allocate $10 million of the nation's budget on the study on the effects of violent media and called for a bill to require background checks on firearm purchases, limit assault weapons, and maintain a 10-round maximum on ammo magazines. No doubt the president's call for such a bill angered many gun-rights supporters.
Whatever the case, it seems like Biden's reassurance to the videogames industry that there was no "silver bullet" for the issue holds true for the POTUS as well. Gamers can take a step back and sigh in relief that the government won't be levying bills against violent videogames just yet.
Spot on. The results of this study will be useless. Furthermore, it can not be used against videogames manufacturers, because it will be invalidated.
Just another waste of taxpayer money.
Doctor: "Ma'am, your son cannot comprehend the feelings of other people."
Mother: "I know how to deal with this, I'LL TEACH MY SON HOW TO SHOOT GUNS!"
And then later, mother and son and dozens of others are dead. Great job, mom!
The primary culprit in this is the shooter, followed closely by the mother who made the crazy choice above. Video games, the gun industry, "violent culture" or whatever are at best third- or fourth-degree culprits.
Like Chris Rock's character in the movie 'Head of State': "How do we limit violent material? Turn it off."
+1. I wish I could give you 19 more thumbs up. Also, I'm curious what they'd even use as a control group b/c the shooters are usually not of sound mind to begin with.
Doctor: "Ma'am, your son cannot comprehend the feelings of other people."
Mother: "I know how to deal with this, I'LL TEACH MY SON HOW TO SHOOT GUNS!"
And then later, mother and son and dozens of others are dead. Great job, mom!
The primary culprit in this is the shooter, followed closely by the mother who made the crazy choice above. Video games, the gun industry, "violent culture" or whatever are at best third- or fourth-degree culprits.
Spot on. The results of this study will be useless. Furthermore, it can not be used against videogames manufacturers, because it will be invalidated.
Just another waste of taxpayer money.
Compared to other projects wasting 10 million per project is bloody genius.
It doesn't matter if I play COD, Halo, Far Cry, AC, Battlefield, GTA, or watch movies that have a body count in the hundreds, because even though I can act like an absolute baddass in these games or watch those that act like it in films - it's not the reality we live in. I, as a sane individual, can distinguish easily reality from the "fairy-tales" created within this violent media that I/we play or watch. The people that clearly are disturbed, on the edge, present themselves as very extreme in one form or another, or however you wish to title them, these are the people that have very high tendencies to snap or act out within due time whether it's out of frustration or attention.
I don't really blame any of the "violent media" because those that don't have a hard time understanding what's legal and what isn't, what's reality and what's not, and what is morally right or wrong - these are the people that's will not act out and the rest of society will have a problem with. There are those that cannot distinguish these differences, do not care, or long for the immortality that a massive event may bring to their name. This is your target group for these incidents, and restrictions can be as numerous as legislators wish to impose on all of the public, but it doesn't offer the solutions to the real problems that these select individuals face within themselves.
when people are blaming these massacres on games everywhere, what do we do? we try to prove them wrong. so, I dont really see this as a waste of money.
...so... let's ban romantic movies... why?... let's say, that a boy haz seen a romantic movie about a boy and a girl, and a romantic candlelight evening... in a school, in that the boy goes, there is a beautiful girl... but the thing is... the girl do not wanna any romantic things with the boy, who haz seen the romantic movie... so... the boy in the sick mind thinks: 'the girl will be mine and i will have the romantic evening!!!'... so the boy kidnaps the girl, ties to a something in a basement and, let's say, rapes her... so... do we ban or censor romantic movies because of some sick mind?
Of course the power of 'media' in the US will insure that politicians don't do that ... instead they'll scapegoat an industry that doesn't have the clout to fight back.
Maybe law abiding people should just be left alone?
Gun toting or not, game playing or not.
It used to be, the good huy always won, and there was reward for being good.
This focus has changed considerably as well in media, games etc.
Weve always had violence in the past, but for good reason before, not so much today
It's pretty much the same as doing a research on what effect drinking water and eating bread has on crime rates.
We have a saying here in Croatia, '100 ljudi, 100 ćudi' which is basically saying that every human being has a unique personality/temper.