No sooner had the KONY 2012 video gone famously viral, with lots of help from the corporate war-loving media, it was debunked for being US Africa interventionism propaganda. But Springs area schools had already booked the tour, and that’s a difficult about face in these military parts. Yesterday Palmer High School hosted Ft Carson spokesmen who rallied the students to help raise money for US Army operations in Uganda, regardless whether USG or public support wanes. Tomorrow the KONY 2012 circus moves to Colorado College, where the pitch looks to be more skeptical, but the speaker lineup is decidedly pro western imperial expansion. Have you heard that both Joseph Kony and his Ugandan Army foes are behind the rapes and child soldiers? Now the official US Army call to arms proclaims it intends to take out Kony AND the Ugandan government. They’re also telling the kids Uganda doesn’t have any resources the US wants, so trust us, we have no ulterior motive.
Not My Tribe
The Myth of Middle Ground
Well I take issue with the focus on sony. They dont create the games, developers do that. And besides if the majority of shooter game players were in the military, we’d have a bunch of ill-coordinated overweight children in the military.
Also, call of duty is fun. I play it with my friends dude, just like any other multiplayer game. I do not come out of playing it desensitized to violence, sort of how I don’t become racist after reading Mark Twain.
Oh Poor Sony! Thanks James for defending this poor member of our population. You are a true knight in shining armor! (BTW… what books have you ever read by Mark Twain, Sir Reader?) God, you Wing Nuts are a sad lot!
Violence is a fact of life.
Like the other feral aspects of humanhood, for example sex, it should be treated seriously—because it is a serous matter. Anybody who has lived in a violent situations knows that killing is no game. Given the state of the world, it certainly is not a bad idea to teach kids how to hunt, shoot, fence, box, or otherwise fend for themselves. But what is the purpose of cinematic Grand Guignol and amoral push-button killing games?
Simply psychic brutalisation. To promote “crime waves” to justify legal oppression. To produce thugs to carry out that oppression. Some splatter films, for example, the vile Inglorious Basturds, explicitly condone the violation of civilised conventions of warfare—violations Bush, Cheney, Obama & Co. have made into official policy.
Significantly, the long-standing Hollywood ban against raw violence—and quite a few other socially deleterious things—was abruptly lifted just as the Vietnam War was being geared up.
See Gershon Legman’s The Fake Revolt, or Gangsters of the New Freedom (New York: Breaking Point, 1967).
http://www.ep.tc/legman-thefakerevolt
Post Scriptum:
Why focus on Sony?
Outfits like the U.S. subsidiary of Sony are controlled by those who decide the War-Peace Question. Everything in the mass media, however trivial it may seem, has a political or social-engeneering purpose. Their employees do what they are hired to do.
Sony is a Japanese company–one that competes every day with Microsoft. Sony is not a subsidiary at all, that’s a load of horse-shit. You’re main point rovolves around the idea that a consumer is so unintelliogent and crude that he/she cannot differentiate between a simulation and reality. No, there are a lot video games out there with a lot of violence–some of us like it–some of us do not play those genres–but those who are agressive had those tendencies in the first place. You have no right whatsoever to dictate what material I may or may not view. If I choose to play a video game that is about soccer or about the second world war I reserve my right to do either. You can watch porn if you want–go ahead. You can read revolutionary texts if you want. You can speak out against the mainstream bullshit–go ahead its refreshing. You can argue an unpopular point in a sea of establishment thought–so be it. But you will not-WILL FUCKING NOT-tell me what video games I can consume as some sort of special exception.
OK, Dumb Ass. Go and play “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” ’till you’ get blue in the face and kick over plastic and zombie like for all we care. Eric’s comment had nothing to do with trying to censor your personal collection of toys and games, James. It was written to call attention to how District 11 schools here in Colorado Springs constantly push off pro militarist propaganda onto CAPTIVE public high school students.
Apparently you are to big a Rightist dope to understand what was being written about though? Probably from spending to much of your time on Hatebook or the like? Man you people are STOOOOOOOOOpid!
‘But you will not-WILL FUCKING NOT-tell me what video games I can consume as some sort of special exception.’
Or what? You going to shoot somebody down with your joystick, Dumb Ass?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYNN0rwrJ0E
groovy……
No, Logan. No one will take the my ability to play whatever video game I want because I can get it through torrents friend. No need for violence–since I can separate that which is electromagnetic entertainment from proper norms of social behavior.
And yes logan, you are correct Eric did not directly condemn Sony. But his picture implied equivalency with Joseph Kony–along the lines of it being responsible for inculcating violence. Thus logically, to point this out would be to imply that its acts of sale ought to stopped, halted, or indeed censored.
I have no taste for expansionism. Do no assume that because I desire to clean up the modes of argument that I take issue with themes of left and right politics and dialogue. I simply do not want ever dialogue occurs to result in the limit of what I might consume.
Should nothing be prohibited you? The blood of virgins? Endangered species?
I’m of the mind that our rampant consumption is ripe for limitation, from excessive energy to sniffing glue. If the social cost is too great, and your me-me-me ethos can’t see it, you might need a hand.
I’d gladly prohibit social conditioning designed to make people ignorant or antisocial. Your “WILL FUCKING NOT” taunt reinforces my conviction.
Hahaha, so let me get this straight Sir Eric. I’m to listen to you tell me what is or what is not mine own to do or consume if it effects in the nill? No, Eric I’m quite fond of endangered species–the only thing I’ve ever hunted was Russian boar because they over populated the ecosystem where I lived–there was no tag limit but as a rational considerate person I only killed what I can eat. Other people take advantage of this and slaughter them whole sale for kicks. Should my ability to hunt be curtailed by the antics of others?
This blood of virgins euphemism is interesting? So my freedom entails malice–and murderous tendencies–I did not know this about myself. Speaking of which, when you aren’t supervised how is it that you go about not killing people with your freedom? Because I know the only thing holding me back from gorging myself on the ‘blood of virgins’ is the government–and its powers of enforcement. But surely, since you haven’t killed anyone yet or forced yourself upon a woman in the ecstasy of rape–perhaps you could lend me so advice?
And just so we’re clear Eric, I’m personally unable to even have a regular relationship with a woman. But I hold no resentment towards women, just in case the sarcasm didn’t leap out at you. My inability comes form my biological asexuality. So shove it Eric.
“Will fucking not” yeah, I hold to that. Its not a taunt either. You know why? because a taunt implies the desire for confrontation, or to inflict oral insult. In fact, what it actually is conviction–that I need not a social conservative to tell me what relationships or normal; that I need not a pro-government-whatever-you-call-yourself to tell me what products I can purchase if they do not infringe upon the rights of another purpose.
But that’s the thing Eric–I dont ‘need a hand’. Neither do you–or are you going to rape, murder, and pollute the environment without heed to any man, woman or child?
This whole social conditioning thing is tasty too, Eric. Logically, prohibiting social conditioning that makes one anit-social will entail quite a bit yes? Surely, my preference as child for playing in the woods by myself might mean I would become oh-say-a-little independent? Well now, this independent behavior made me require the presence of other human beings–less. So clearly, that little jump roping kid in the woods is a menace to society right? Not joining in with the other kids and all–what-a-menace. Lets force him to play with the other kids–sing kumbaya–love each other and make fun of yet another child who hasn’t join the group.
I mind my own business, and I wont have any of your social conditioning Eric. I’m sure you as a single individual know what conditioning is best for every other person on the planet.
But in the meantime–I’d like you to leave me the ‘fudge’ alone? Is that easier on you ears? Because I’mma do me–and no one’s gonna suffer–save perhaps you because you rather tell me what to do with my life.
Yawn…. That was a long rant about Eric Verlo supposedly trying to control the sad conduct of poor James. God save us from more of this stupid and pointless Right Winger tripe…
‘I mind my own business, and I wont have any of your social conditioning Eric. I’m sure you as a single individual know what conditioning is best for every other person on the planet. But in the meantime–I’d like you to leave me the ‘fudge’ alone?’
James, I suggest you just leave this blog alone. Can we ‘condition’ you to do so?
James I am happy you said it these guys think anytime our government talks to other nations they want war they want our country to be communist because they are communist just read the other articles or look at the pic of Castro it says it all