Teaching Kids to Kill?

[Black Jack II]

This is an article by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman who runs the Killology Research Group. It is an interesting read based on his perceptions that violent video games and media outlets help to condition kids to kill.

His research is mostly based on the works of S.L.A Marshall who was a solider in WWI and WW2. Dave Grossman's think tank takes it a step further though, with customized researchers in educational psychology, abnormal psychology and military warfare practices.

The question is thus...do you believe that violent and gorn porno video games, movies and other media outlets help to act as "murder simulators" for children and to bring down their psychology barrier for the actual act of killing...or do you believe that this type of thinking is flawed and attempts to pass the buck on the responsibility of one's own action.

Here is the long article.

http://www.killology.com/article_teachkid.htm

[Mr Punch]

The question is thus...do you believe that violent and gorn porno video games, movies and other media outlets help to act as "murder simulators" for children and to bring down their psychology barrier for the actual act of killing...or do you believe that this type of thinking is flawed and attempts to pass the buck on the responsibility of one's own action.

Before I read the article, my gut answer is: both.

[David Jamieson]

This is an article by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman who runs the Killology Research Group. It is an interesting read based on his perceptions that violent video games and media outlets help to condition kids to kill.

His research is mostly based on the works of S.L.A Marshall who was a solider in WWI and WW2. Dave Grossman's think tank takes it a step further though, with customized researchers in educational psychology, abnormal psychology and military warfare practices.

The question is thus...do you believe that violent and gorn porno video games, movies and other media outlets help to act as "murder simulators" for children and to bring down their psychology barrier for the actual act of killing...or do you believe that this type of thinking is flawed and attempts to pass the buck on the responsibility of one's own action.

Here is the long article.

http://www.killology.com/article_teachkid.htm

Child soldiers in Africa don't have much in the way of x-box, pc's and video games. They are taken from their village(s), given a kalashnikov and forced to kill until they become zombies.

While video games may develop callous attitudes, it is no substitute for actual action/reaction in my opinion and probably shouldn't be regarded as much.

fat doughy children of middle america who are **** bang at counter strike would crap their collective knickers if dropped into a firefight. I can pretty much guarantee that.

[WinterPalm]

Throughout history people have blamed everything from Elvis to the Doors, the Matrix to the internet to video games.
Twisted, messed up kids will kill people.
Video games probably contribute but ultimately it has something to do with the lowered appreciation and value of human life. In realistic video games, I've seen some of the new X-Box stuff and it is crazy-real, you are killing people and it is fun or entertaining.

As a kid I played more than ten kids fair share of Mortal Kombat and I'm not out killing people and trying to pull their heads off!

[WinterPalm]

Actually, this is a big issue in my city as we are now the Murdering Children Capital of Canada or something to that extent.
Gang-culture and little to no positive role models, including father figures, plays a huge part in my opinion.

[Black Jack II]

Their are a number of other articles in his group about soliders and the process of killing, its actually a large aspect of what is on the site.

What is interesting is the military science of conditioning soliders to kill, and how it is applied to children through violent media outlets, more so by accident than anything of true purpose.

An example being that the military ties in its a role-model basis with its violent conditioning but with the world outside of boot camp, a lot of young kids may not get a realistic role model to tamper what they are seeing.

For the record, I voted no, I believe this is often a scapegoat people use to take away the blame from somone's own horrible choice, such as a school shooting.

[hskwarrior]

Video games DO have an effect on the mind when you play them over and over again. out of experience, i was playing killzone, this game you had to shoot out video surveilance camera's and such.

well, after about a month or so later, i pulled into the gas station and look up. instantly i wanted to shoot out the video camera. it was the fist thing that popped up in my head.

in moderation, i feel video games are great......but i do feel out of personal experience, it can program you.

so, yeah, for certain people, i can see how this may happen.

[Mr Punch]

****ing excellent article. I'll be reading more of that site.

One small thing I'm a bit dubious about: he said that 15 years after TV became widespread the crime rate went up, but in those days TV programmes were very tightly controlled and I'm sure the violence/murder rate on TV wasn't as high then (e.g. his figure of 60% of all males on TV being involved in violence). Can't see anyone going out and popping someone after watchign an episode of Bewitched or Mr Ed. Not saying it's wrong but there must be a lot of other factors involved.

Movies might be one: you have the reward of popcorn for your stimulus of violence.

[bawang]

Actually, this is a big issue in my city as we are now the Murdering Children Capital of Canada or something to that extent.
Gang-culture and little to no positive role models, including father figures, plays a huge part in my opinion.

i agree with you, i think gang culture is 100 times more dangerous than video games. I think BET single handedly ruined America.

[Mr Punch]

Child soldiers in Africa don't have much in the way of x-box, pc's and video games. They are taken from their village(s), given a kalashnikov and forced to kill until they become zombies.

While video games may develop callous attitudes, it is no substitute for actual action/reaction in my opinion and probably shouldn't be regarded as much.

fat doughy children of middle america who are **** bang at counter strike would crap their collective knickers if dropped into a firefight. I can pretty much guarantee that.

Did you read the article? The two things (child soldiers in Africa and kid killing sprees in the US) are not exclusive.

As BJ says he goes into army based killing psychology too.

And while it is used as a scapegoat, that's not to say that in many cases it isn't bang-on.

[Black Jack II]

Mr. Punch,

Here is a micro-cosmic aspect to the post as well, in retrospect do you think this chap would include the new MMA culture wave, as a part of this violence pie..??

Something to chew over.

[Mr Punch]

To whoever it was who said 'I played Mortal Kombat and I'm OK...' in case you hadn't noticed it there are different levels of susceptibility to anything in kids and adults. The poll is: do you think it is a factor, not do you think it is the most important factor.

[Mr Punch]

Mr. Punch,

Here is a micro-cosmic aspect to the post as well, in retrospect do you think this chap would include the new MMA culture wave, as a part of this violence pie..??

Something to chew over.

Backyard Brawls anyone? Absolutely undoubtedly he would, and I do suspect the MMA explosion to become a major causal factor in violence in the future.

I know a friend who went to town on another friend's head and face with his elbows, on the ground, after he'd stopped responding. He watches, has fought a little in and hangs out with pro-MMAers

[bawang]

This is just a general corrupt moral in the culture. ask yourself, if it's normal for teenagers to party, drink beer and do the bang bang bang and forsake their gods and cultures,
what's wrong with them being violent?

(anyways, it's not that bad in north america, yet. things are worse elsewhere. my friend told me somebody in his school in china got in a fight, and a guy kneed him in the balls over and over, and he commited suicide in the hospital because his balls was mush. my distant cousin's friend from school told him to go to guang dong to make money,it was a trap and he's kidnapped and forced to sell drugs right now.)

[Black Jack II]

For those that are interested, here is a published 2000 study in the Journal of Social Psychology by the American Psychological Association on this very subject.

It takes a look at two studies after the 1999 Columbine attack, these studies are based on trait aggressiveness in young males and violent media input.

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp784772.pdf