June 12, 2007
The Virginia Tech Review Panel held its third public hearing yesterday at George Mason University in Fairfax.And, for the third time, a representative of far-out political figure Lyndon LaRouche stepped up to the podium in an attempt to blame the April 16th massacre on violent video games.
This time, however, the committee was seemingly not in a mood to listen. Although committee chair Col. Gerald Massengill was exceedingly polite about it, the 24-year-old LaRouche follower (left) quite clearly got the hook, spending less than three minutes before the panel.
C-SPAN has video of the hearing (skip ahead to 2:28:22 for the brief LaRouche segment). GamePolitics has an mp3 of the audio portion here.
The review panel meets next on July 18th in Charlottesville.
UPDATE: The LaRouche PAC has posted its report on the June 11th hearing.
Comments
WHy was the INDUSTRY NOT THERE?
I'm getting so sick of this crap going unopposed.
I still find it funny that there is no evidence that he was playing any violent video games at the time, yet these people still go on saying games made him do it.
I think it is time that the industry drops the silent do nothing approach and goes out on the attack to shut down any of these so called "experts" from getting their voices placed in any kind of record.
On another note the 24yr old saying violent video games made Cho a killer is just mad because he sucks at video games :P.
£10 says the public doesn't like New Violence, and after much complaining we get back Classic Violence
Maybe the industry did something... but behind the scenes. We can imagine that they wrote to the panelists to counter anti-game crap with serious facts, and that's why the committee didn't want to listen to more crap from LaRouche followers.
But it's just speculation.
Read more about it here:
http://www.reflector.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Virginia_Tech...
If I sound like i'm ranting alot lately, it's that i'm just frustrated and fed up with the level of inactivity I see from the industry. They need to get there heads out of the sand and start fighting back.
Thats all I'm saying, it's what i've been saying for a few years now. Enoughs enough.
Ok, thats it, night all.
...
As we've seen, this "Review Panel" is a questionable affair anyway.
From a news post in OT elsewhere:
"Virginia Tech families 'ostracized' from probe "
"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19169474/
I wish Stinking Kevin (from the main page articles) was around here. Because this article makes the issue of this Review Panel even MORE confusing.
Note the references to the Panel "investigating".
Yet, average citizens are giving "testimony".
But the VA Tech Parents aren't allowed to be a part of the Panel?
"As the meeting began, its chairman, W. Gerald Massengill said: "I know the governor received several hundred requests from Virginians all across Virginia, and outside Virginia, wanting to serve on this panel -- including some family members. And I would say to all of you, particularly the family members, you are extremely important to us." "
Yes, but we're not talking about just any 'ol citizen. We're talking about Parents of the victims."
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I posted that in a different forum, so the reference to Kevin seems off. But still, it's a point that the real purpose of this "Review Panel" isn't quite what it seems to be.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Again, I'll ask: Why would any reasonable individual or organization want dignify these LaRouche accusations with a response? What good could that possibly do? It sounds like you're still taking the LaRouche reps way more seriously than anyone in the mainstream or anyone on that panel.
Those LaRouche kids have no expertise to lend. They weren't invited to testify about anything, were they? The panel's open comment portions are intended to allow members of the general public to express thoughts and feelings about the massacre. The LaRouche speeches are only exploiting the tragedy to gain a free forum for their lies and propaganda.
Judging by this story and the clip, it seems obvious that no one is taking these unsolicited LaRouche diatribes seriously. Dignifying this blather with any sort of formal response would only give it more attention and weight than it has or deserves, and sink the responder to the same level of disgusting exploitation.
I am still unsure as well, but the article you linked says the family members seek "representation on the panel." It's not about who gets to 'speak' -- it's about who gets to 'listen.' This supports my understanding of how testimony from the general public is being given and taken.
That sounds (to me, at least) like these family members are asking to have a representative who is part of the review board, not just a chance to testify. The article says that a statement signed by 13 family members will be presented as testimony, so it's not as if they aren't being given a chance to say what they want to the panel (like anyone else who signs up to speak during the open comment part of the program, I believe).
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like the families mentioned in that article want to be sitting on the other side of the desk, so they can contribute to decisions about what to do with information and charity money the panel is collecting.
I still believe that anyone who fills out the right paperwork can have a chance to speak to the board during the open comments sections of the program. It's possible I'm wrong about that, but it doesn't make any sense to me any other way.
I also think that it is unfair to not have representative of the families on the board. After all it was their kids.
One thing I have to say, he didn't make wild rampant claims that games were the only cause, simply that they could be. While I disagreed with the claim, I at least liked the way he presented it.
the event had/have nothing to do with the industry or video games.
aside from a couple nut-jobs, games aren't even a part of the conversation.
why validate a couple of nut jobs and make it a conversation?
what's next? should nasa drop a few million to prove that the moon landing really, really did happen?
Really, it seems more and more to me that this panel is little more than a roundtable to present all the popular scapegoats: Guns, games, etc.
The public deserves more than this.
But honestly, wasn't it been reported by various media that none of Cho's classmates ever saw him play video games, let alone own one?
GKScotty: "£10 says the public doesn’t like New Violence, and after much complaining we get back Classic Violence"
We have a winner!
Even that I'm not 100% behind I pretty much agree with Stinking Kevin, I wouldn't want to dignify them a response.
The thing that gets me is that people like Jack Thompson and the Minions of LaRouche prey on the victims of school shootings and other parents worried about the health and safty of their children. The victim's parents are in a extremely vulnerable state, the worst thing that could possibly happen to them just did. Its pretty sick to convince these parents that have just been crushed that its because of violent video games. Its almost just as bad to do it to the parents that have kids that were in the same community as the victims. I do reconize that it isn't really that sick to preach to paranoid parents but still it is rediculous.
The entire thing is discusting. They are creating an illusion that shootings will cease to happen as long as violent videogames are prohibited. Homocide has been around longer than video games, and even longer than GUNS just maybe this means the problem is larger than video games. Here is a good place to start looking for the problem. Religion, social problems, money, society and law.
So to the Minions of LaRouche and Mr JT, good luck trying to solve a problem that has been around for several thousand years by prohibiting video games. Whenever your brains begin working properly again I'm sure we can talk and smooth things over.
As far as the industry goes I just hope they educate the masses rather than try to preach to those who follow LaRouche or Thompson. There are other people that are more dangerous to the game industry and it is those who hold office and represent us. Those are the people who we need to worry about and debate. Maybe we need to play the political game as everyone else does and begin to have special interest groups located in the capital to lobby for the game industry.
I suppose if you feel that insignificant that you have to invent stuff to make people listen to you, it sums itself up. I hope Jack Thompson is listening.
"By the way, Video Games have nothing to do with this. That is all"
The industry doesn't have anything to add to the discussion. People are looking for answers as to why this happened. The industry doesn't have the answers, so they really have no business being there. If anything it would just make the industry look like just as much of an agenda pusher as these people from the LaRouche camp.
I've been wondering where the ESA or ECA is in any of this. I thought part of the the ECA was to have "citizen experts" who can testify and present facts at events like this? I live in the area of this and would have been happy to have been involved.
And on another note, I worked on the Hill for many years and had to deal with the LaRouchies, you have not experienced torture untill you've interacted with these unwashed masses.
Even if they wanted to be a part of this they wouldn't be allowed. Victim's families can't, and many other qualified people can't. Apparently they only allow people with 17 copies of "Catcher in the Rye" to speak to them.
(Conspiracy Theory reference btw)
I do find it interesting that it's becoming more and more a target for people who are famous for seeing conspiracies and plots in every corner, we have LaRouche, who has a history, Thompson, who managed to accuse just about everyone who dares to not agree with him of being either a drug addict or a 'pusher', I think I'm seeing a common denominator here, and it's not computer games.
the reason the game industry doesn't have a representative there is because they don't require one to be there, this review panel is not about video games, and the only person there thats trying to make it about video games is obviously being promptly ignored
if anything showing up to something like this would give the people trying to blame the industry ammunition by making it look like the game industry is trying to hide or cover something up in this
This is Paul, I testified in the Blacksburg panel. So tell me..Why did none of you guys show up at George Mason University? Are you scared to talk to a LaRouchie, in person??? Also, are you not able to utter your arguments in a public setting???
The VA Tech Panel is modeled on the town hall meeting model, where in this case, specific experts were called in to give advise. Near the end, one hour was set aside to hear concerns from the public. This panel will be presenting its findings to the Gov. of VA near the end of the summer, and by the way, all of them are reading or have read our material on this issue.
Anyway, to help improve the dialogue a bit I posted some thoughts on the other blog stream near the bottom...
I advise taking a look at it. There are some thoughts there you might want to think over. These are questions which I asked myself...
Why do you find video games to be enjoyable?
Do video games help you become an active and important member of society??
Are there more important things one could or should be doing in the time one spends playing these video games???
-Paul
"This is Paul, I testified in the Blacksburg panel. So tell me..Why did none of you guys show up at George Mason University? Are you scared to talk to a LaRouchie, in person??? Also, are you not able to utter your arguments in a public setting???"
To be frank: Hell, yes - nobody in his/her right mind would want to be caught dead associating with the LaRouche group.
I advise taking a look at it. There are some thoughts there you might want to think over. These are questions which I asked myself…
Why do you find video games to be enjoyable?
Do video games help you become an active and important member of society??
Yes, me and my siblings enjoy videogaming very much. So much so - in fact - that it inspired me and my little sister to delve into the material these games were based on.
Thanks to videogaming, my sister's now quite a fan of Greek and Roman mythology, and is already developing a taste and appreciation for ancient lores cultures - not even two years of history courses could ever do that to me, and my sis is only 14.
Maybe. But its MY time and I will use it as I see fit, not you. You have no say in how I spend my time. Because I'm not, you know, a cult member.
One reason I didn't go to George Mason University is that its way to far to drive. I'm not taking time out of work/school to drive 1500 miles to listen to LaRouche drivel. Another reason? Well you provided me with it.
"Are you scared to talk to a LaRouchie, in person??? Also, are you not able to utter your arguments in a public setting???"
How childish. How cultish. This is exactly the kind of thing I've read your organization does to people who enter it. You verbally abuse them. You beat them with insults, accuse them of homosexuality, and harp on the most insignificant inconsistencies. Wake up! That's cult tactics.
You don't let your members think. If you did they would realize how they are wasting their lives. How many people have you convinced to drop out of school? To quit their jobs? To turn their backs on their families? How many lives have you ruined?
Why do I enjoy video games?
Because they are fun. I enjoy learning the stories of the characters. Trying new strategies to accomplish my goals. Beating the villain, slaying the dragon, and saving the girl. These are things I could never do in real life. That's what makes it enjoyable. I can live adventures none would ever have.
Do video games help you become an active and helpful member of society?
No more or less than books, movies, television, or comics. Games can do as much, if not more than any of these other media. You forget that video games are merely in their infancy. In 10 years, we may have a whole new concept of games.
Are there more important things one could be doing in the time one spends playing these games?
Sure. Hell, there's more important things I could be doing in the time I spend combing my hair or brushing my teeth. I play video games because I enjoy them. So do many of my friends. We play together, borrow, talk, and generally bond over video games. What's more important than friendship?
I have a problem with another post of yours on a different thread. You claim games like Civilization only allow you to win through warfare. That's blatantly false. In many SIM games you can "win" in different ways. Economic wealth, or being voted World leader for example. It depends on the users play style and desires.
I've wasted enough time on you.