The Shrine

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/6253512.htm">geez</a>

I don't know if this news is national but it's pretty big here-- 3 Matrix wannabe's almost go on shooting rampage. What they're saying on Day 2, however, is really pissing me off. I was afraid they'd try to pin it on video games...again.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>They are grasping at straws and ignoring the real problem: fucking cruel high school kids.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I think that you have an exaggerated perception of videogames being scapegoats.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Why not? It cost Gore the election.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>well that's exactly what they're being right here-- note in the article that they go out of their way to mention that the Matrix is also a video game like that matters.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>It what?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>That's not scapegoating, but the lawyer Thompson does, when he mentions the sword and GTA3. But you seem to feel like gamers are some persecuted minority.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>they are constantly being used as the scapegoat for society's ills. Because the kids tried to hijack the car while carrying swords and you can do that in Vice City it means they were emulating it? Give me a break, the kids were just idiots that's all</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Kupek, do I need to explain the connection to you AGAIN?</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>Please do.  I missed it the first time and I wanna hear this...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Liberman was a man who was famous for blaming music ("Marilyn Manson music") and video games ("Doom") for the Columbine incident. He went so far as to sponsor/write a few bills on the matter, which fortunately did not pass.

Tipper Gore, in the 1980s, tried to blame MTV ("2Live Crew") for ruining our children minds, and successfully got warning labels put unto our CDs. This, of course, put a hamper onto Clinton's campaign when he picked his running mate. However, it was mostly his wife's doing, and admittedly, it was a half-decent idea in the first place, so it wasn't a huge weight to deal with. (Liberman's ideas were, OTOH, not smart.)

Gore was doing fine, until he chose his running mate. Then, he was on my, and many other's, shitlist. The combination of Liberman and Tipper Gore scared a great many people. Thoughts of censorship in the media industry plague the minds of all Democrats and left-minded people who were thinking of voting for Gore, but were now thinking otherwise.

This was the "lesser of two evils" that everybody was talking about. People didn't like Bush because, well, he was Bush, did coke, son of a failed president, Republican, etc. People didn't like Gore because of the censorship thing. (Nobody gave a shit about the Jewish thing.) People liked Nader, but everybody was afraid to vote for him (except me).

That is how video games cost Gore the election.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>So "liberals," who are scared of censorhip and media control, vote for the candidate who most represents the Christian right? Please. Gore lost the election on his own, videogames weren't even a blip in the results.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>You say constantly - that's part of your perception, which I think is exaggerated. Try looking into how often and seriously it actually happens.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Okay, why did he lose then?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Just like MTV is corrupting our kids, or Beavis and Butthead is causing kids to light fires, or that Marilyn Manson music is causing kids to kill. It's part of the greater whole of media being blamed for everything.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I don't know. But I don't think it was one thing. You seem to do this a lot: you assume that because something makes sense, it has to be true.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>You're doing exactly what I'm talking about.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>School shootings have been popular because the media made Columbine popular. They get huge media coverage for their atrocity and some kids see that as a great way to go out of this world. If they do it because of a video game then they're too stupid to be playing them to begin with</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>it doesn't sound so far fetched to me...it wasn't THE thing that cost him but it definitely didn't help him. I was terrified of Lieberman being in power...that idiot</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>That's quite a logical leap to videogames causing him to lose the election. :)</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>In a matter of speaking, yes.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>I think more people would rather say that his choice of running mate cost him the election, not that running mate's beliefs</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>How can you draw conclusion about causality?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>On what do you base the belief that Lieberman cost Gore the election?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>What's your theory? I still have heard this one.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>What's your theory?  I still haven't heard this one.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Um, not enough people liked Gore. The presidential elections are a popularity contest, and Gore didn't win by a big enough margin (since he did win the popular vote). That's my "theory."</div>