Jack Thompson Bashes GTA IV on Glenn Beck Show
Jack Thompson Bashes GTA IV on Glenn Beck Show
May 2, 2008
Anti-game attorney Jack Thompson and Gavin McKiernan of the Parents Television Council appeared on the Glenn Beck program last night on CNN Headline News.
The first clip is Beck's opening. Thompson and McKiernan appear in the second clip.
GP: Big thanks to several GamePolitics readers who uploaded and/or pointed us to videos of the show...
The first clip is Beck's opening. Thompson and McKiernan appear in the second clip.
GP: Big thanks to several GamePolitics readers who uploaded and/or pointed us to videos of the show...
Comments
Anyways, there JT goes again, making up stuff thats not in the game, again.
This is the same guy who declared that Rev. Wright is the most dangerous man in America...
As far as I know a leader needs to be two things, an innovator and a communicator. And Glenn Beck sure doesn't sound like an innovator to me.
I sure wish big news networks would stop putting extreme left or extreme right views to the pulpit because at heart, most Americans are more Centrist than anything. You can't put a giants and a midgets in a room and call it a diverse group. What's missing is everyone in between.
I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sick of Conservative bullsh*t!!!!!!
Why in same f*ck can't they keep their mouths shut about things they know nothing about?!
Way to buy into the anti GTA hype machine Glenn. Taking anything Jack Thompson says as fact makes you a fool. Perhaps you should read Grand Theft Childhood before you go on spouting off from your soapbox.
But what would I expect from anyone of you "journalists". You're all a bunch of manipulative liars with their own agendas. You don't report news, you shape it for how you want it to sound.
Here's your homework: go look into the career of Jack Thompson, his lies, his debarrment hearing going on in Florida, and his unprofessional conduct and report on that. Oh, right, that would involve doing some actual research. Something you haven't done probably since a 3rd grade science project that your parents probably had to do for you anyway.
but did you notice that they neglect to tell people that women play this game too?
And they neglected to have anyone to speak on the behalf of the videogames!
wow...just wow
Blah, it's like the Mass Effect Cooper crap all over again.
Also, what about female gamers?
Pardon my french, but that is the most fucked up display of journalism I have ever seen...
also, there is way more to the game than the whole hooker thing, yet they seem to be focusing on it as the main point of the game. Its stupid sensationalism. I played GTA3, (which was the first 3D one, not the first one) and didn't even know about the whole kill a hooker thing until the news told me.
Good work there protecting people.
I liked how they failed to include anyone in the discussion that might be able to provide counterpoint. Oh no, just Jack Thompson, consummate idiot, some douchebag from Pushing Toward Censorship, and Glenn Beck is no better. I'm fairly certain JAMA never said the advent of television was the cause of a doubling of the homicide rate, more likely that it was merely correlative.
I'm definitely contacting CNN and making my voice heard. We proved how effective a force we can be when we band together (Mass Effect and Cooper Lawrence), so I hope we can continue the trend.
i suggest everyone do the same.
"Killing each other is not a natural instinct" So all those wars that happened through out history (the Crusades, French Revolution) they were caused by what?
Good Old Jack. Notice how he doesn't mention the fact that Devin Moore was convicted of those murders despite his GTA made me do it defense. Plus he even slipped in the Virgina Tech shooting even though that had nothing to do with games.
My favorite was Jacks rant that GTA IV MA rating was a criminal conspiracy by the ESRB to sell this game to minors. I didn't think it was possible but I think old Jackie has finnally gone of the deep end. Why would the ESRB who has no financial stake in this game care about how well it sells?
um actually it really is...
have a look at nature dumbass. Territory is highly contested between members of the same species and nearly always results in violent displays and often death of one of the two.
And is there a chainsaw in GTA IV? I havn't got it yet.
Well GTA didnt really do all that much to our kids or our cops Soooo by those statistics kids SHOULD play the game, and adults shouldnt.
/sarcasm
I think everybody was thinking that before, when he
- Made light of a gamer that committed suicide
- Sent gay porn to a court docket
- His 'Picture Book for Adults'
- 'I'll depose President Bush'
- 'I'll depose the Department of Defense'
- Uses his son and wife as scapegoats for his infantile behavior
- Generally acts like he knows what being a lawyer is
He is just one man
I like how jack is like a robot, wind him up and point him at an interview and all you get is "60 Minutes, Counter-Strike, Murder Simulator" and so forth
"There's no doubt in my mind or in the mind of Ed Bradley" Yeah, but the police, the court system... they don't really believe you.
"You can have oral and anal sex" No I'm pretty sure you can't.
"Thousands of studies have shown the effect..." No. No it hasn't.
"This is the game your son, boyfriend or husband is playing" Ehm, girls don't play GTA?
Also, I haven't seen any school shootings in GTA IV, nor have I seen a rise of prostitute beatings, so I'm not sure what their point is.
And people wonder why there's a growing drop in viewer-ship of the 24-hour cable news networks.
So the comment that the sex was taken out even for adults here is a total lie.
Get your facts straight Thompson.
And pretty poor there CNN taking the road of sensationalism rather then journalism.
I added the bold face in case the BlockQuote didn't work.
EDIT: The BlockQuote worked, but...
its just another news network now
im sure someone will volunteer to show up on there to refute his claims soon
Simple truth is, I used to have a friend who was a gun owner, pretty strong in his convictions. He once told me that he found it fairly hard to understand, that I could be so squeamish around his guns (I pretty much treated them like live serpents), and yet go completely postal on him in Unreal Tournament. I honestly didn't know how to respond to that, I would've thought the answer would be obvious.
As for the three words "Grand Theft Auto" sending chills down parents' spines, well, GTA IS NOT MEANT FOR KIDS. Actually, if I were a parent, I might allow my child to play GTA, but I would be certain he or she knew the difference between fantasy and reality.
So, after Mr. Beck makes his ridiculous rant about GTA IV, he then introduces Gavin McKiernan and Jack Thompson. Wait, this is journalism? "I hate GTA, and here to debate are two people who agree with me?" At least in my day, biased journalism was bringing someone of the opposing viewpoint and interrupting them every two seconds. This would be like having a Reagan vs. (GHW) Bush debate.
Oh well, it's things like this that make me glad I don't pay attention to TV.
I skipped it and I'm glad. I'm also glad that my work blocks those clips because I don't think I'd want to see them. This kind of mastabatory circle jerk disguised as news is one of the reasons I don't watch "news" anymore. News stations and interviewers are more about spreading their own personal truth then finding what the actual, or at least higher, truth really is.
This "interviewer" already had his own feelings on the subject, his own opinions, and so he sought out two people who share those opinions and pretends to interview them.
What were you expecting? Were you expecting them to be called out on any falsehoods, and wrong assumptions? Did you expect them to actually look at the game? Were you expecting them to say "the flying in the game is actually quite relaxing"?
No, they would feed on their own ignorance, like three snakes eating eachothers tails.
And i nearly burst out laughing at the psuedo monatage of the prostitute killing clips lol.
just remember kids... MURDER SIMIULATOR!!! hahahahahaha.... well gee jack, i'm 17 and have played every GTA out there and i haven't killed anyone yet! Whoops, the game industry must've slipped up there huh... i'm an anomaly i guess, because none of the results of your numerous medical studies seem to have been applied to me yet.
Another flaw in your plan, don't you think that most kids with the slightest bit of morality in them would see that it is in fact wrong to pick up a gun, steal a car and shoot 3 cops? Because i sure as hell would, y'know why? Because my parents saw fit to instill a sense of right and wrong in me from a young age.
One final thing, its hardly a simulator is it? If i could pick up an RPG7 and blow up a car in the middle of the street and get 1 police car turn up as a result, i think the pollice would have a lot to answer for!
1. I love how JT stated that he was suing Target, Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop for training Seung-Hui Cho and Steven Kazmierczak how to kill (never mind that the perpetrators were 23 and 27 respectively, well over the 17 year old minimum to purchase M rated games, but hey, who needs FACTS anyway...)
2. Not going to defend the show, or the idiot behind the desk, but Glen Beck is hardly what you would call "Journalism." His show is an opinion show and, unfortunate as it is, he is allowed to be as stupid as he wants on it.
I'm assuming the whole thing was dumb and incredibly one-sided.
I just lost a massive amount of respect for Glenn Beck.
Actually... Yes, that's exactly what I thought.
"Killing is not in human nature..."
...do wha? did someone actually say that!? This proves that he is JT's Beyotch robot. Basic human...no basic instinct of all living creatures are: Eat, Sleep, Procreate, and Survive. The last one dominates all other traits. In humans its even more stronger and violent being as we are some effed up creatures who can do amazing things with knowledge. For as long as there has been man there has been the instinct to kill, even the first offspring of man-kind commited murder (Cane and Able...take that JT). So to say that Humans dont have it in our instincts is BS, just look at all the wars and butchery we have seen in the history of man (Correct me if Im wrong...but Hitler, Dracula (The actual lord that the whole vampire thing is based from Count Dracule or something), Bloody Mary, Gangus Khan and all the other war leaders and people who commited huge killings in the name of conquest, religion, or just plain fun did not have Media to corrupt them.
Its this blind witch hunting that people fuel, all these rightious crusades, and all of the half-truths that the media and people who claim they have expertise in that really piss me off.
and anooother thing...where was the debate? all I saw were three people gang banging. they should be banned for showing children a gang rape of a game! o_O And the whole "Kill prositute and cops" is all user choice...its not in the game as a requirement, its in there to give you a true sence of freedom in a crime rpg, and they fail to point out that for doing twisted stuff there are repercussions, your not rewarded...but punished...noobs.
@JT: get some new material, your like a broken record. Actually get a new brain, yours is defective...actually, just diaf, kthxbye ^_^
lol anyone else think its funny how he followed that bit up there^ with this
"we are training our kids to be killers, and we are teaching our sons to treat women like whores"
really doesnt help convince me that hes not a 'crazy conservative'
He was whining about his gallstone pain, and wasn't happy with the brusque treatment he received. Although, I'm sure he didn't have trouble paying for the procedure.
It's the stupid leading the blind on the Glenn Beck show.
Everyone give those morons a piece of you mind.
Second part of the video, Mr. Mckiernan got the wrong organization in supporting the link between VG violence and violent behaviour. It's so wrong. Medical research? *spams* Thompson? Well it's him anyways.
Now.. if only I could remember when videogames were invented.. must have been just after WW2, right?
Try war veteran, asshole.
Pardon? Did someone actually try to use shooting to kill in a war as some form of evidence? What, in hell's bathroom, does that have to do with anything?? IT'S WAR - not super-happy-fun-time! (sigh)
How/where did you manage to get the game?
Like most things in life, it's a decision to act in the game in a certain way. Granted, because it's a game, and I think the Greater Internet F*ckwad theory applies here, people will do it. But the fact remains that when playing the game, no one is forcing you to kill the prostitute, sleep with the prostitute, or even kill anyone. I find it disgusting that the fact that we give a choice in the game is what is being attacked.
The logic of "Just because you can, means that you will in every case," doesn't really fly with me. I know personally, I killed a couple prostitutes (whoops) but not every time. The fact of the matter is that more often than not, I made the *choice* to do something different in the game.
Apparently, people can't be trusted to make their own decisions in a video game, let alone real life ....
Now I don't agree with everything in the game, such as the prostitutes and strip clubs, but I'm letting that get in the way of a great game cause guess what.....I can avoid them! One thing I bet might of happened was glen probably asked JT to be on the show and was about to get a person for the other side, but JT more than likely freaked out and said he would only come on as long as someone else wasn't debating him. Since he's scared to be bitch slapped on TV by someone stating facts to him and has no answer to give about it.
Oh well......
Damn, I wanted to do better, but watching that video was such a mind-numbing experience that most of the creative parts of my brain had to shut down in order to survive watching it without clawing my eyes out. Sorry, Rhade.
Actually, no that's not quite true. VIolent displays are just that, displays. Serious wounds between members of the same species are uncommon, mortal ones even more so.
These guys need their heads checked, its not us gamers that can't distinguish between reality and a game, its people like GB and JT. If they really think that censoring fake murder will somehow get rid of it in real life then they are completely insane.
I did write to Glen Beck telling him the man he is championing is facing disbarment and has been banned the Florida Supreme Court for his past filings. His coverage of the game was completely one sided, biased and unfair to the gaming community. I believe he was taking the findings he was "quoting" from his ass.
I look at this clip and then think about where I seen this kind of logic before:
1)Everything JT has done or said over the years and
2) The Urban Hellraisers episode of CSI: Miami Vice.
I look at games like GTA and think, "This or a Hays Code for Video Games....I'll take GTA" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hays_code for the uninitiated.)
Although, if the Video Game industry had a Hays code, it would crumble too and Video games would be recognized as being an important part of culture.
Then he goes on with the $60 military training simulator. Again, if that is true, then why doesn't the military simply get their soldiers to play GTA for a year straight? It would save the military MILLIONS of dollars every year and the soldiers would be so well trained that the Iraq war would have been done years ago. And if it worked that well don't think the military wouldn't use it. So either it does or doesn't work. Which is it?
I personally find him a joke and simply a great advertisement tool for the game. Thanks to his show, sales will jump up.
"I was very disappointed to see your piece on Grand Theft Auto IV. I've always considered you a reliable source for a rational conservative viewpoint, but you totally screwed the pooch on this one. First, claiming that videogames are solely responsible for the increased effectiveness of the American soldier over the last sixty years is laughable. You've completely dismissed the advances made in psychology and the advanced brainwashing techniques that soldiers are subjected to in basic training. Soldiers pull the trigger because the whole of their training is aimed at that goal, not just because the targets are shaped like people. I'm also having some trouble finding the analogue between holding a large, heavy firearm, aiming it at a target shaped like a human, and learning to control it bucking and rocking in your arms as it fires lead projectiles sometimes a hundred meters away, versus lining an icon on a television set up with a target shaped like a human and pressing a button. Firing a real gun is a far more intense experience than any videogame I've played.
Your discussion of the ESRB ratings was just as flawed as the ratings themselves. A/O, if you read it from the ESRB website, differs from M by only one year, A/O is 18+, M is 17+. These age limits were never mentioned. The primary criteria for making a game A/O has always been graphic sex, of which there is little to none in the console gaming industry. The assertion that GTAIV contains graphic depictions of sex is laughable. No penis appears in GTA. No nipples, either. I've seen hotter sex scenes on prime time TV.
I think, though, the most disappointing part of this segment is that it's basically a politco circle-jerk. How could you even expect to have a discussion with a shred of journalistic integrity with no one to represent the pro-free-speech stance? "
And Thompson can;'t even begin to pretend to want the game rated AO to "protect the children".
If he did he wouldn't only be targeting Take Two and Rockstar. He just wants the game to not sell.
If our own soldiers would not shoot at people during World War I, then how did they manage to shoot people during, oh, say, the Revolutionary War? Or how about the Civil War, where they were shooting THEIR OWN FAMILY in some cases?
Yeah, that's what I thought. Shut up Glenn Beck. You moron.
I also love the claims by JT about the VT massacre & blaming it on Counterstrike & Half-Life, when the FACT of the matter is, the killer played Sonic. Smooth move Jackoff Thompson.
Seriously, why does anyone allow him to even speak anymore? He gets on camera & lies.The homicide rate doubled when television was first introduced in the 1950's? Wow...yeah, I can see how all those violent shows like "I Love Lucy", "Leave it to Beaver", "The Munsters", etc. creating mass murderers.
I also love the claims by JT about the VT massacre & blaming it on Counterstrike & Half-Life, when the FACT of the matter is, the killer played Sonic. Smooth move Jackoff Thompson.
Seriously, why does anyone allow him to even speak anymore? He gets on camera & does nothing but lie.
Oh wait! Both those interviews were anti-video game weren't they? How embarrasing!
Beck's book on Amazon.
have fun!
LOL I get really angry watching I Love Lucy on DVD. Oh man, I couldn't stand watching the videos, so I didn't, but if they said that, then they're pretty stupid, but we already know that.
And, if Glenn really believes in that "military using games to train to kill" poop, then he and JT can kiss my wrist for all I care R.I.P CNNHN
That's CNN Headline News, the bastard offspring of the real CNN. Think of it as CNN's version of Fox.
T.O.S.: ...PHAIL HORRIBLY!!! SAY IT, B**CH!!! *Shadow draws a knife and points it at T.O.S.* AAAAAAAAAAHH!!! *T.O.S. runs away*
Shadow: Rrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Anyway, Jack, like I said, you lose.
also jack...please invite adam sesslar to you next debate...the man can put you in your place
There's something that is fundamentally different between Military training, which is meant to train you to use a firearm proficiently and properly and a videogame where-in the purpose is to be entertained, waste some time, and blow off some steam.
He cited a lot of numbers about soldiers having trouble shooting and how that changed over time because of training method changes, but he forgot to mention that in each of these wars, the training and the scenario those soldiers were put in drastically changes whether or not they could actually pull the trigger. Yes, target practice will make you a better shooter, but playing "America's Army" (which is a terrible game, by any standards) with not teach you proper gun maintenance, handling recoil, aiming, and everything you need to know to proper use a gun or any kind.
Devin Moore trained on GTA? Not this crap again. It takes a particularly crazy individual to obsess over a game like GTA, which, in it's earlier versions, was not really that great. Hell, obsession is a characteristic of psychosis, how is that not a sign? The kid wanted to kill, if it wasn't GTA, he'd have found some movie to watch over and over and over, or some web forum full of psychotics telling him to do it. If that were the case,t hough, JT wouldn't be a famous moron, and we wouldn't be in this situation right now.
I've gotta go email Glenn Beck, now, this is just too dumb.
its people like Jack Thompson, Nancy Grace (listen to her rants about the Duke lax case), and Mike Nifong that make me lose all respect in journalism/politics
Can anyone tell me what Glen's point was? Does he want the game banned? That sounds pretty fasict.
Here is a broad point to ponder: If we provide rating info for Movies\Music\Software, why are books not rated? Would Stephen King get an M or an AO?
Not a one of these guys ever brings up the fact that he's in the process of being stripped of his license, he's been tossed out of states (professionally speaking), he's never won one of these cases, Take Two forced him into a legally binding settlement that prevents him from filing any more frivolous lawsuits against them (which the Florida Supreme court's decision to ban him from filing before them again without a competent lawyer signing on with him can only reinforce).
This is also a man who lost an election in Florida to Janet Reno. One where he publically campaigned against her based mainly on his suspicion that she was a lesbian.
Even more than that, I don't think he's ever WON one of these things. But you never, EVER hear anything about that during one of these interviews. They spend the entire time making a man who's credentials would lead you to conclude he's INSANE (a position supported by the fact that the Florida bar once mandated he be examined for mental illness) look like he has a valid position.
Screw that noise.