opinions influenced by the media?

[russotto]

Originally posted by Xugumad


there's something wrong with claiming that the music and movies had nothing to do with, for instance, the Columbine school shootings. Mental instability is just a cause; you can be a violent psychopath and go through life quite happily without ever being set off.

Perhaps, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Sometimes, just the right amount of stimuli is needed; sometimes, schizophrenia requires a catalyst; sometimes, you need to see before you can do.

One of the Columbine killers wrote in his diary how they were going to execute people in the cafetaria, just "like in Doom or Duke" (I'm paraphrasing here)

Did he? There were a lot of similar claims about them that proved to be false. Still, even if he did, to misquote _Scream_ "Games don't make psychos kill, Games make psychos kill more creatively".

In any case, I have a more likely trigger for you: torture. Torture of the sort that goes on in just about every American high school there is.

A weak mind can be easily influenced by powerful lyrics and imagery in music and film. Books have persuaded people to kill in the name of <insert here> for eons; today's books provide the same stimulus, amplified a thousand times by the speed of the net, the special effects of ILM, the aural impact of surround sound, and the lyrical depth custom-tailored to its under-educated, attention-deprived, thrill-a-minute teenage target audience.

And even a strong mind can be broken by torture. A mind that is broken can turn to revenge at any cost. And such a broken mind can reach out for any information to help. But this is pull and not push; the information doesn't cause the problem, it is merely an instrument of it.

Yes. The media has contributed to the killings. Anyone with a basic understanding of how the human mind works can figure this out. 'Early profiling' of 'potential trouble-makers', as the educational system is attempting will most likely cause a lot more trouble than solve any issues.

Indeed it will. Because the way they'll find the troublemakers is by finding who is tortured the most. And then they'll torture them some more. And more will break.

of the story. The WP is usually quite liberal in their outlook. They wouldn't dream of actually editorializing that wiccan lifestyles, goth metal, or heavy internet usage cause murders;

Not on the EDITORIAL page, anyway.