Blaming Hollywood & Videogames is Not Enough

My heart goes out to all the families who suffered the tragedy of the Dawson College shootings. All the families and all the children. When we suffer we tend to think with our hearts, but we must be careful. We must also think with our minds.

We need to dig deeper. To simply blame Hollywood , TV and video game violence is not enough. We must realize that these modes of expression are only a reflection of a bigger and more complicated puzzle.

If Kimveer Gill hadn’t listened to metal, played video games and watched violent movies he would have found another outlet. He didn’t stop at DVDs and CDs. He bought weapons. Hollywood doesn’t make weapons. Marilyn Manson doesn’t kill people, just pisses them off.

War, greed and fear. They are the root of the problem. Mankind’s lust for power, his fear and eventual hatred of the unknown, be it another culture or religious belief. These are the underlying problems. As society and technology advance, we are exposed to new avenues of experience; music, theatre, movies, computers, internet, virtual reality, space travel and so on. These paths can and will be traveled by our darkest impulses, producing unimaginable behavior. People who were teenagers in the 50s and 60s would think it was the work of a deranged mind if they were told that people will commit shootings in schools in the future. Who knows what atrocities await our children and their children? It is the root of the problem we need to face, not the branches, and we need to find solutions now or things will get worse.