You’ve all probably heard this already, but Jack Thompson seems to fashion himself an outspoken literary genius, as he relates a recent writing the Modest Proposal. His poor english skills for an educated man and evidently porn-penis sized ego notwithstanding, Mr. Thompson also doesn’t stay close to the idea of the original work he inanely and impotently tries to immitate. Anyway, his idea follows, precisely as he wrote it:
On several notes, Mr. Thompson is using italics improperly, as he is quotation marks, and he makes no actual citations. He states studies made, but never their conclusions, or makes references to books he never gives bibliographic information on. Had I turned this int oa literature or social studies teacher in ninth grade as an opinion essay, I daresay I would have been lucky to recieve a C grade.
Also of note, are the way none of the described agressors in Mr. Thompson’s games are W.A.S.P.s (White Anglo Saxon Protestants). Osaki Kim (with his lovably Japanese and Korean mess of an attempt at an ethnic or clever name) is most clearly asian, and Paula Eibel is a woman. In fact, the only villains who might be caucasians are the lawyers, and possibly the boy to muder Osaki Kim’s poor son, although that boy is painted as a victim, as well.
Mr. Thompson also fails to see the difference between fantasy and simulation, as his game is so thinly guised I, with no claims of grand detection ability, saw through it without even thinking about it, that it could inspire real acts of violence by glorifying realistically murders of what amount to real people at real events, while games like Grand Theft Auto take place in fictitious cities that really don’t aim to immitate anything other than large cities, and have the violence in a very fake way, with blood forming almost circular pools. It is much more clearly fantasy than his own game, although I doubt it will inspire any such acts, either.
Besides that, the sadistic nature he expresses in this article, as well as the way he actually seems to desire the creation of this game make very strong cases against Mr. Thomspon’s points. Violent videogames are all right if the violence is against people who have personal disagreements with you? That is what this article would seem to indicate, otherwise, would Mr. Thompson not be contradicting his own, earlier stated moral beliefs in an attempt to be witty against the videogame industry? That seems an foolishly large risk for one who surely has had quite and education, and must be quite intelligent to have passed the bar to take. If Jack Thomspon does indeed believe violence against those with whom me holds moral disagreement are deserving of death, does he support the Klu Klux Klan or Al Queida, and does he believe that the Khmer Rouge would be an idyllic government? If Mr. Thompson is not contradicting himself, he most surely finds the leadership abilities, determination, and efficencies of Adolph Hitler make him a fine role model. In fact, one wonders, if Mr. Thompson is not so hypocritical as some would make him seem, why he has not, if he has not, been voting for the American Nazi party, for they seem a fine fit for his morals and ideals.