Keller @ Large: Time To Boycott Ultra-Violent Video Games
BOSTON (CBS) - The 44-page report by investigators on the Newtown school massacre is a depressing read, for the obvious reasons, and for the fact that it offers no clear answer to the key question – why did he do it?
So we are left to guess at what we have to do to make a repetition of this slaughter less likely.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
Keller at Large Nov 26 2013
The terrifying collection of weapons the killer's mother had "gifted" him with certainly raises questions about her judgment, and how readily available the guns and ammo were. The photos of the murderer's bedroom, with the windows taped over, and the details of his appallingly anti-social existence, raise all sorts of issues about mental illness, how it's diagnosed and treated.
But as we grapple with those problems, there's something concrete we can do – call out the makers of ultra-violent video games as the irresponsible narcissists they are, and get to work on shaming them into cutting it out.
You can start with the makers of the 61 video games on the market that depict the killing of children.
Movies or literature that include a child's death are one thing – inviting someone to kill kids on video is every bit as vile as child pornography, and should be treated by society the same way.
Then we can begin a mass backlash aimed at the cretins making money off excessively violent games.
No one can argue that obsession with these repulsive games always causes homicidal behavior, but there are enough cases on record, including Sandy Hook, where they were a staple of the killer's media diet to know that they're part of the problem.
I'm not calling for censorship, or government intervention of any kind. Just good old fashioned boycotting and shaming.
We will need the economic pressure of the boycott, because so many of these manufacturers apparently have no shame.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
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