U.S. House of Representatives member Joseph Pitts (R-PA) is upset over the way Jon Stewart and the Daily Show crew misrepresented his words regarding violent video games. Pitts was one of the many Congressman highlighted in the Daily Show skit "Player Haters," where he decreed the following: It's safe to say that a wealthy kid from the suburbs can play 'Grand Theft Auto' without turning to a life of crime, but a poor kid who lives in a neighborhood where people really do shoot cops and steal cars and deal drugs might not be so fortunate. There's almost certainly a child somewhere in the America who is going to be hurt by this game. Maybe his dad is in jail or his big brother is already down on the corner dealing drugs.
Pitts has issued a statement where he "regret[s] that Comedy Central's 'Daily Show' portrayed my words the way they did," while sidestepping blame and defending his stance on the regulation on video games and other forms of entertainment.
Completely unrelated to his strong stance on video games, Rep. Joe Pitts is up for re-election this November. "Player Haters" was a segment meant to highlight the ignorance of Congressional members towards the subject of gaming who continue to use it as the current political punching bag.
[via Game Politics]
