First D&D now the Matrix!!!101101000111010101

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Newspapers and Networks are now linking the sick motivations of the NJ teens to the influence of the Matrix.  Personally I think this is just more of the "stupid kid runs fun toy for everyone syndrome" that has forced society to place blame everywhere except where it matters. At home and in the persons peer group. Granted there are those individuals who legitimately have mental illness but the odds of three of them finding one another and hatching a complicated plot to kill people seems a little far fetched.

Networks and News organs say that products, movies, comics, role playing games taint kids and turn them into psychopaths. Honestly though did they just wake up one day after viewing the Matrix and say everyone must die.  More realistically the desire and motive were already there. Violence in the media did not make these boys want to kill. They wanted to kill already, and were drawn to outlets that satiated that desire.  Back in 17th century London peopel were arguably more violent than they are today with horrid acts of cruelty from dog fights to the torture of animals for sport (according the diary of Dr. Ben Johnson anyway). Modern society has denied the baser crueler side of mankind and kept emotions of anger rage and sadness bottled up inside like a shook up soda can. Most people have some sort of outlet for those emotions but some don't and the best tools for dealing with the pent up agression are mocked in modern society. Influences like church (or spirituality), Sports and therepy are often mocked. Not that any or all of these things is a cure to the pain that these kids must have had inside.  They will be treated like criminals, or worse lunetics and nothing will be done to treat the real problem. These boys are scarred inside and everyone missed it untill it was almost too late.

Those of you who arn't religious dont have to agree with me on my last point, but remember that you are your brothers keeper. You can be there for peopel in pain. The best way to do that is to not hurt others (by mocking them or the lifestyle choices that they make) and to stand up for them when others mock them or put them down. If you can do that you can consider yourself courageous.

For you non religious types stand back and ask yourself " Do people think of me as their firend?" If not maybe you should work to change that.  

i guess I bring all this up because I remember how much my mother thought RPG's would turn me into a devil worshipping fiend. (i think most of my friends would agree that they havent. )
The kids who go crazy and hurt others are for the most part hurt themselves . They may have both physical and emotional scars that run so deep that even their family has given up on them.  THey give in to feelings of fear, desperation and anguish and explode in bright balls of rage.

[Spriggan]

Ya there have been several attempted matrix defences of people who killed someone.  No one has yet to get of because this isn't reality it's a virtual one.

[Fellfrosch]

Thanks, Jeffe, I think that was a really good point. Gamers are quick to point to society as a cause of the world's problems, and usually we're right, but it's rare that we take the initiative to actually change society for the better instead of just fall back on it like a scapegoat.

And thanks, Spriggan, I guess, for a sentence I'm still trying to interpret.

[Entsuropi]

That is a point not raised enough; people get angry in everyday, normal situations, and if you just bottle those emotions up then arguably all you are doing is increasing the eventual explosion. Games allow you to release your anger, and lets face it; brutally murdering some random punks in Max Payne is far better than taking a fist to someone else.

And another wonderful quote from Spriggan. I may start collecting them.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

This is an issue that has been eating me up for many months now. From what I understand, they were going after people who were their "enemies" since first grade or soemthing. Perhaps that word is too dramatic, but SOMETHING happened to make those kids think of someone as their enemy. I'll wager it was mockery and derision. This is similar to what happened in columbine, and countless other poor kids thoughout the country. One of the worst sins, against God and against society (and yes, I'll use sin, because it really is one, and it also has that same sort of social impact. Use it as a metaphor if you must due to irrelgion). As I was saying, one of the worst sins is treating others like they are less than you because they dress or act or enjoy differently than you.

I'm spewing. But what I mean is that you do irreparable damage when you bully. You are hurting a person's soul. Yeah, maybe they're supposed to have a tougher hide and better coping skills, but that doesn't clear you of any crimes.

RGH. Just had to get that out. Bullies and tormentors MAKE ME ANGRY! Especially when people others get blamed for the results.

I'm not trying to remove the role proper upbringing has in this, but I'm saying that the victims of these slayings have caused some of the problems the aggressors have decided to inappropriately expressed

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Not to say the victims asked for it either, just to clarify something that Saint said. The point is these kids felt that no one was on their side, not their parents, not their famililys or teachers and certainly not their peers.

They looked around to find someone to cling to and they only found others as damaged as they were. Emotionally isolated, and angry its easy to become disassociated from reality. But there were warning signs... Teachers know what goes on in schools (to an extent anyways) parents can see that no one calls or talks to their child or at least see when they're upset and bruises show.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Depends on what you mean by "asked for it." But no, they don't DESERVE what happens to them, but if everyone was a little more friendly, or at least not as antagonistic, than some of these situations could be avoided.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Sorry I was using the rape analogy,... remember how the argument used to be " well look at how she was dressed, she must have asked for it."

[Spriggan]

that defence has been know to work in Japan Jeffe (which is scarry)

here's an article about what Jeffe is talking about:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,91280,00.html
about 1/2 way down they list the matrix and RPGs as things he liked thus they casued the kid to want to kill.  As for my previous statement I was tired so It made sence when I typed it.

over the past few years since the first matrix movie has come out there have been several people that are accused (and have all been convicted) of murder, their defence was that they thought they were in the matrix and that none of it was real.