So let's get this straight… "Visual media"
can be addictive. But if we "neutralize harmful media messages," we learn critical thinking skills. We can use these
skills to combat drug addiction. But, if we fail to "neutralize harmful media messages" (i.e. play violent video games)
then we never develop proper decision-making skills. And in turn, we are more likely to develop a drug addiction.
Therefore, video games are a gateway to drug abuse. Right?
It's frightening to think that a so-called expert has stated as much in his keynote address at a substance abuse
conference. Steve Johnson, the director of Question Why Youth Empowerment Center of Eastern North Carolina, also
described an incident in which a young person shot and killed some of his classmates. Johnson explained that a "federal
expert" concluded that the shooting was so precise that government sharpshooters could not duplicate it. So where did
the young man learn his lethal accuracy? That's right, from "extensive hours" playing Doom. Here are some
choice Johnson quotes:
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"When you play football regularly, you develop muscle. When our kids play these games they develop something in their heads that can't be good."
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"We're always so quick to jump up and say, 'I'm an American; don't tell me what I should do. [But if] my freedom leads to my death, then I ain't free."
