Mass Shooting - Dayton Ohio

[Cow Poke]

Since I'm fight-picking, the nuclear family and prayer in schools are very different things.

Sure, but they're related. In our public schools (and I was there ) we had a very "pro family" environment, which included prayer in schools, discipline -- like "you will respect the teacher just like you respect your parents"...

I just don't think there is a connection between school prayer removal and mass shootings. Other countries (except maybe Canada) don't have the same issue.

Other countries are not the US. We're way weird, our form of government is different, we have gone through a very big change in culture just in the last 50 years...

The obvious factor that differentiates the US from other "Western" countries that don't have so many mass shootings is the accessibility of guns.

And guns will not disappear overnight. The battle is always over the extremist positions of "ban guns"/"no limits on guns". There is no middle ground. MEANWHILE, there are other factors common to these shootings besides "they had access to guns".

[KingsGambit]

Is there evidence that these shooters were into first person shooter video games?

I am generally anti video game (if nothing else, it annoys me to hear my co workers droning on about something I have zero interest in) but they seem too convenient a target, like heavy metal post Columbine.

[Charles]

There is zero credible evidence that violent video games, or movies, or television shows make people more violent.

Your president seems to disagree: President Trump Calls for Crackdown on Violent Video Games, Mental Health Reforms After Shootings

[Mountain Man]

Your president seems to disagree...

He's entitled to his opinion, but he's wrong.

2018: Researchers at the University of York have found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent.

[Charles]

He's entitled to his opinion, but he's wrong.

No surprise.

[Sparko]

If violent entertainment caused or encouraged violent behavior then we should be the most violent generation in history. We're not. There are obviously other factors at play.

of course there are other factors at play. I mentioned some of them in my post.

This is not some single cause and effect thing.

[Sparko]

That source does not include any data beyond 2016. Educate yourself.

Your source itself mentions 165 shootings. That seems to be in line with MM's chart.

[seanD]

He's entitled to his opinion, but he's wrong.

2018: Researchers at the University of York have found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent.

I always ask the question cui bono when I see a study like that? I'd be interested to know who funded the study. I searched for it but couldn't find it, though I'm not used to looking at research docs like that, so I don't really know where to look. Since we know studies have been corporate funded in the past (i.e. tobacco industries), and since we know such a study clearly benefits the video game industry, it would be an important bit of info to know to rule out any potential bias.

Btw, this is coming from a gamer that is currently playing GTA5.

[lilpixieofterror]

Really - the 'reason' they took it down was to 'hide' it's left wing orientation? No - the reason they took it down was keep other idiots that might be persuaded by his rhetoric from being inspired by his writings and heading down to the the local gun store, buying an AR15, and then heading out to some public place and killing another 9 (or more) people.




Jim

Since when have democrats cared about violence or do they only care when they can use it for political gain?

[Teallaura]

We made a real big mistake with Columbine what with wringing our hands trying to understand the shooters and why they would do such a thing. What we did was establish role models for every kook out there.

Making it national news gives them fame - kids that messed up will settle for infamy. Heck, they probably don't know the difference.

[Teallaura]

And Biden has weighed in as only he can -- offering .

Cut slack - his gaffs are almost normal and it's probably nothing more than that.

[Teallaura]

That was more than 50 years ago. It does nothing to explain why mass shootings have increased in the last ten years.

Are you seriously making such an absurd argument? It goes to causality - which will be a factor in either increase or decrease. Also, it may be a direct factor - worsening an issue may well be in play.

Bad, bad science.

[Teallaura]

There is zero credible evidence that violent video games, or movies, or television shows make people more violent.

Er, there is evidence that it does in fact desensitize - the first step to becoming deadly in violence.

And there's plenty of evidence that all of those media influence behavior - I believe you've heard of Madison Avenue?

[demi-conservative]

You are so deceived MM. Just completely immersed into a rhetoric of hatred and destruction that you will post something as brain dead as what you've just put up here to try to defend not acting to at least try to stop the rising tide of gunmen with military style weapons gunning down innocent men women and children.

Yep - 3 mass shootings in 1 weekend - 'but it's just like it's always been'. What an idiot.

'coldest day on record not real proof against AGW. Long term trends, long term trends!!!!'

Idiot.

[Mountain Man]

Er, there is evidence that it does in fact desensitize - the first step to becoming deadly in violence.

And there's plenty of evidence that all of those media influence behavior - I believe you've heard of Madison Avenue?

There's quite a leap from enticing someone to buy a new widget, and convincing a mentally healthy person to commit cold blooded murder. Like I said, if violent media was capable of influencing people to that degree then we should be the most violent generation in history.

But again, there is not a single reputable study that has definitively linked violent video games to violent behavior.

This is purely anecdotal, of course, but I've been playing violent video games of one form or another for close to four-decades. I've watched countless violent movies and television shows. And yet I'm not a violent person, I avoid conflict, and when I see someone get hurt in real life, I cringe, feel badly for them, and do what I can to help them. This, I think, is typical for a mentally healthy person. We are capable of distinguishing between fantasy violence in entertainment, and real violence.