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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  OT: My fight with Jack Thompson « previous next »
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Author Topic: OT: My fight with Jack Thompson  (Read 20502 times)
Mr_Vindictive
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« on: July 14, 2005, 05:58:46 PM »

Ok.  

I'm not sure if everyone knows who Jack Thompson is so I'll start with that.  The man is a trial attorney in Miami and has taken it upon himself to try and ban any and all games that he deems unacceptable.  He has tried to do so with the various Grand Theft Auto games and now with 25 To Life.  Today I read that he has joined in a campaign with Hillary Clinton to ban, or atleast give an AO (adult only) rating to GTA: San Andreas.

I'm an avid gamer, and I honestly do not believe that violence in video games make people do violent acts.  This guy is completely bats**t crazy.  When countered on his points in most interviews, he turns into a red faced raving ape.  

Now, I'm a democrat, but that has nothing to do with my hatred of Thompson.  My hatred of Hillary is at the same level right now.

Thompson posted an open letter to the ESRB today, which is the video games rating group.  He blasted them for violence in games and so forth.  At the top of the letter was his personal address, so I threw an email immediatly.  I'll admit it was a bit harsh.  Here is what correspondence we have had since then:

From: "George C."
To:
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 12:53 PM
Subject: (no subject)


Mr. Thompson,

You are an arrogant prick.

Just thought you'd like to know.


Sincerely,

George Cook


His response:

Jack Thompson wrote:

Nice toilet mouth on a gamer.  Kind of makes my point.  


I then decided to actually try to talk sense to the guy:

----- Original Message -----
From: George C.
To: Jack Thompson
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 3:11 PM
Subject: Re: (no subject)

Do you honestly believe that games make people violent, or is this just a ploy to get more of your own religious and moral ideals out there?

Video games do not make people violent.  If you want to find the real cause of violence in children, you should look at the family life.  I agree that children should not have access to violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto.  That is exactly why the ESRB is there.  If a game is rated M, then it can not be sold to anyone under the age of 17.  If children are getting their hands on these games then you should go after the retailers that are selling these games to minors just to make money.

Just because you believe that violence in video games is wrong, doesn't mean that everyone has to believe it.  Taking up the position that video games make children violent is an absurd and fear mongering way to push your agenda.

Take Brooks Brown for example.  The guy was at Columbine the day of the shootings and knew the shooters quite well.  He has quite a bit of balanced insight into violence in video games that you should take into consideration.

I will admit though that my earlier email was a knee jerk reaction, but I still hold to the opinion.

George Cook



His final response was:

You have too much free time on your hands.  Of course what you fill your head with affects you.  Honestly, where do you people come from?





I'm seeing this as a win for me.  The guy didn't respond to anything I said in the previous email, just spouted the same crap he's been spouting.  

"Of course what you fill your head with affects you."

I'm raging right now.  I'm not mad at what he said, I'm mad that someone who is so narrowsighted and stupid is actually on TV as an "EXPERT" in this matter!  I can't believe it!  This kind of blind ignorance makes me sick.

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« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2005, 06:42:46 PM »

I'm surprised the guy actually wrote back in the first place ... although what he said could barely be considered a response.  

Didn't congress try to pull this same crap a long time ago with the "controversial" video game Night Trap?  I know things have gotten a lot more risque since then, but I really don't think much of anything is going to come of this.  They'll find something else to get their panties in a bunch about and move along.  

The thing is, I think people are more up in arms about GTA because supposedly some hackers released an add-on to the game or something that allows the main character to have "graphic" sex with female characters.  I haven't seen the footage of this, but I was watching the news tonight and the guy said that it was "so graphic we can't even show you pictures."  Whatever.  No need to "ban" the games, just have these jackasses at Gamestop stop selling to people under the legal age.
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Dolph Lundgren
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« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2005, 06:45:49 PM »

By the way, good arguments, Skaboi.
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Mr_Vindictive
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« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2005, 06:56:00 PM »

Yeah, Night Trap was the game to start the ESRB if I'm not mistaken.

As for the "hot coffee" mod, it is exactly what you said - an add on or "mod".  Apparently, the creators say they unlocked the sex act in the game, and Rockstar says the mod creators added it in and that it was never there before.

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ulthar
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« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2005, 07:33:45 PM »

Skaboi wrote:

>  I'm not mad at what he said, I'm mad
> that someone who is so narrowsighted and stupid is actually on
> TV as an "EXPERT" in this matter!  I can't believe it!  This
> kind of blind ignorance makes me sick.
>

Most of the so-called 'experts' on tv, especially news programs, are full of garbage.  I've been in the consulting game a few years now, and I've been approached by tv shows.  I also know a true expert who was asked by ABC News to give comments when the jet exploded just off the US coast a few years back. When he declined to comment, they misquoted some info and attributed it to him!!

The thing is, they (the newsies) want this info for free, and they seem to care more about entertaining than real information.  Real experts, or even some shlub like me who is trying to make a living off my education, don't particularly want to give away what we usually sell in responsible contractural arrangements.  Eh-hem.  Anyway, especially on matters like building bombs from ordinary household chemicals (one of the five or so phone calls I got from the producers of CSI-Miami dealt with this), I'm careful who I talk to and what I say, and CSI-M wanted me to outline this stuff sight unseen over the phone.  Truly Nuts.

Sooo, they get what they pay for.  They pay nothing, they get very low expertise.  Please consider this when you see all those 'experts' commenting on war strategy (not making a political comment here, just no the military strategy aspect of executing the war), or a space craft accident, etc. (caveat: some of their experts may be paid; I'm sure some are).

In the case of this guy, he probably has learned how to be the squeaky wheel.  The fact that he is aligned with Hillary on such an issue tells me all I need to know (I trust her about as far as I can throw a house using only my pinky finger - liberal or conservative, you gotta admit, she is the consummate politician).

I don't know if games, movies, music and tv "cause" people to commit violent acts or not; I highly doubt it, but there is SOME evidence that there is an influence (and influence is far from cause).  I think the crux of the whole argument is where does one believe responsibility lies.  IMO, the only person responsible for committing a crime is that person, no matter what.  As soon as we get back to that, I think we will all be much better.

(I'll add parenthetically, though, that I believe there are entire industries in place to support the 'x made him do it' camp; psychiatrists, lawyers, drug companies, not to mention PACs and other lobbyists...)

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« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2005, 08:24:41 PM »

post his email address on a gamers message board ;-)

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Mr_Vindictive
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« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2005, 08:56:18 PM »

Ulthar,

Well said.  

I'm quite surprised that he is aligned with Clinton actually.  Thompson is a staunch republican, a crazed one even, so I'm quite surprised that he has any dealings with her.  

But then again, I'm beginning to see less difference between Conservatives and Liberals.

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__________________________________________________________
"The greatest medicine in the world is human laughter. And the worst medicine is zombie laughter." -- Jack Handey

A bald man named Savalas visited me last night in a dream.  I think it was a Telly vision.
Mr_Vindictive
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« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2005, 08:57:06 PM »

Well, here is the latest email:

I've debated all the usual suspects on national tv, junior.  I do just fine.  doug lowenstein is afraid of me, and he should be.

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: George Cook
    To: Jack Thompson
    Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 7:06 PM
    Subject: Re: (no subject)

    I must say that I'm surprised by your response.  No counters to any of the valid points that I made, just:

    "Of course what you fill your head with affects you."

    What exactly makes you an expert in the way that video game violence affects the player?  If I'm not mistaken, you are only a trial lawyer.  If that is the case, then I feel that I have just as much of a right to a highly publicized opinion as you have.  You should honestly have no say in the issue.  You are no psychologist, just someone who wishes to impose their morals/beliefs on others.

    I would absolutely love to see you in a debate with a gamer and a psychologist that has studied people and violent games.  I do believe that it wouldn't be a good experience for you.

    It is sad that you have shot to slight fame just by preying on the fear and ignorance of the masses.  It's also sad that you won't even attempt to counter valid points.

    George Cook

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__________________________________________________________
"The greatest medicine in the world is human laughter. And the worst medicine is zombie laughter." -- Jack Handey

A bald man named Savalas visited me last night in a dream.  I think it was a Telly vision.
BeyondTheGrave
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« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2005, 09:54:00 PM »

Good old Jack Thompson hated by gamers everywhere. I read a article about his in a game magazine about his video games views and well they are pretty weak. I never really saw a good point made by him. He was shot down a couple times already by the Supreme Court to ban violent games. Granted I am a avid gamer but I am not narrow minded. Games are becoming more violent . To blame the company  and banning them is dumb. Its up to parents to know what their kids are buying and up to video games stores not to sell to the wrong age and ID (just like R movies or beer to minors).

This might be off topic alittle but here something that I always found interseting: I was watching montel and a parent was talking about how her daugther was killed. Two  boys did it. Apparently she was killed because they heard in a Slayer song to sacifice a blonde hair blue eyed virgin and they would get into hell. Something along those lines (Don't listen to much Slayer). Montel went on and on about how musics bad etc.

I don't want to make light of the poor mother situation but I felt it was a excuse. The two boys I felt were going to kill anybody anyway but decised to use the song as a scapegoat. Just like kids who blame video games.

Other thing this is also a very small number of people who blame games or music for that matter for their behavior.

Well thats my 2 cents.

_____________________________
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Post Edited (07-14-05 23:13)
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BeyondTheGrave
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« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2005, 10:26:54 PM »

This was the statment Jack Thompson wrote to Skaboi:

You have too much free time on your hands. Of course what you fill your head with affects you. Honestly, where do you people come from?"

The "what fills your head" is BS. I am a big Guns N Roses fan. I don't have want to get drunk off "Night Train"(well I do want to taste it) or take "Mr. Brownstone" (Heroine) or kill my ex girl like in "Used to love her". I don't want to kill cops like in GTA. The only thing that effects me is the clothes I wear that reflects that I like rock and roll and wear biker jacket and G N R  t- shirt.

With that I think I do have much to much free time and I do have strange craving for brains.......

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Deej
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« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2005, 01:53:48 AM »

Everyone on this board who knows me, knows that I'm a police officer. I'm not offended by the "cop killing" in GTA, in fact, when I have to kill time during the game, I like to find some high ground and do a little sniping.

 It's just like the fuss raised over the THE SHIELD a few years back. There were FOP and PBA guys all over the news talking about how offensive the show was to police officers, yet all the guys I know regularly watch that program.

The current gripe in OKC is the pot-flavored suckers. There are "WARN YOUR CHILDREN!!" type news reports on local tv, state legislators are frothing at the mouth...over a lollipop!! Is there a such thing as a gateway-candy? Seems to me, people just need something to be outraged about, something to confirm their moral superiority....I swear, when I save some cash...I'm buying an island....you're all invited...just no b***hING!!



Post Edited (07-15-05 01:54)
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« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2005, 04:24:56 AM »

"up to video games stores not to sell to the wrong age and ID (just like R movies or beer to minors)."

One thing I feel is worth mentioning: there is no legal obstacle to selling mature or adult rated games to minors.  A lot of people think there is, but nope, there isn't.
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Fluffy CatFood
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« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2005, 06:19:17 AM »

Good Job Skaboi. That prick needs to be put in his place.
                          Being that I'm a big gamer myself and am studying videogame development at university, I really hate this guy.
Games are what I want to do for a living, and this guy  wants to take that away because he doesnt approve. Where does he get off trying to force his way on everybody else? The guys just looking for a scape goat to try and blame societies ills on.

Anyway he's a friggen Lawyer, he profits from human misery.
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dean
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« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2005, 06:51:25 AM »


'Too much free time on your hands?'

What is that supposed to mean? That spending time to debate an issue that he obviously has spent alot of time on is a waste of time??

'Of course what you fill your head with affects you'  

Poppycock!  I think it all comes down to personalities: those people whose minds cannot distinguish properly between right and wrong, or those who are too easily influenced by quite obviously morally wrong texts are the ones to worry about.

How many people do you know who play violent video games act that way normally?

That being said, there are some valid points to be had towards the influence of games over the mind: A while ago I was at a friends place and we were playing Need For Speed Underground, and afterwards on the drive home, I sped quite alot [or at least more than usual] until I realised: 'hang on a second, you were going really fast just then...'

Has anyone heard of the game "Postal 2"?

In it, [I think, I have only read about it] you can be as violent, or non-violent as you want to be.  You can play fetch with people's heads and other quite violent acts, or go around signing petitions.

I think there's one part where you can go to a anti-violent gaming place and shoot the hell out of all the people there.  

It sounds like the kind of game Mr Thompson would absolutely love...

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Mr_Vindictive
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« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2005, 07:07:36 AM »

Dean,

Good point about Postal 2.  I own a copy for my PC  and you hit the nail on the head.  

Each day (level), you are given certain chores by your wife.  You can either complete them non-violently or you can go crazy and do anything you want.  The game is full of racial slurs and violence but it's all up to you what you make of it.

The part you are referring about Dean, is where the player goes to pick up the check from his workplace which is Running With Scissors Games who developed the game.  As soon as you get your check, anti-game-violence protestors break in and start shooting the place up.  Pretty funny.

As for the game itself, it doesn't offer much more than novelty.  Although, throwing gasoline on a marching band and lighting the match is entertaining once.

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__________________________________________________________
"The greatest medicine in the world is human laughter. And the worst medicine is zombie laughter." -- Jack Handey

A bald man named Savalas visited me last night in a dream.  I think it was a Telly vision.
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