Thompson receives 'Jacklash' in a week
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Apr 21st 2007 at 12:55PM }
It doesn't matter how many times he experiences failure or comes close to no longer being able to practice law -- there is always somebody willing to listen to Jack Thompson. No time was this more obvious than this week following the Virginia Tech massacre. Before the dead were counted, the shooter named or anyone could wrap their brain around what had just happened, Thompson was already on Fox News as a "school shooting expert" spouting theories, and Fox News let it slide without challenge. The situation was exacerbated Tuesday when the Washington Post impulsively reported video game related information they later retracted. By mid-week information was starting to turn against Thompson and even Hardball's Chris Matthews wasn't buying what Thompson was selling anymore. By yesterday the "Jacklash" was in full effect, the boulder rolled down the hill again and Jack "Sisyphus" Thompson will have to start over again -- without the help of using Take Two as his punching bag.
In GamePolitics' recap of the week's events they have a quote from the International Game Developers Association's Jason Della Rocca, who says, "It's so sad. These massacre chasers -- they're worse than ambulance chasers -- they're waiting for these things to happen so they can jump on their soapbox." But as sure as the sun will rise and the moon will set, Jack Thompson is already rolling his boulder back up the hill, waiting for the next tragedy that he can blame on video games.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nick @ Apr 21st 2007 1:15PM
what's with the naked pic?
Grant @ Apr 21st 2007 1:15PM
That video link is pure gold.
It's about time someone could turn his own propaganda garbage words against him on national TV.
It's really a shame T2 dropped the contempt of court charge, putting that jackass(ha, get it?) behind bars would finally put his credibility right about the proper level.
Scott @ Apr 21st 2007 1:17PM
The only bad part about this is it took 32 innocent lives to show what an attention grubbing waste of human flesh that he really is to the res of the world.
I'm glad people are finally realizing the absurdity of his statements, but it shouldn't have taken this long nor something this tragic.
Thompson is no doubt reading this article, and if he's reading these comments, I just have to say he is a pathetic excuse for a lawyer, a Christian, and a human being. The fact that he tries to cash in on innocent lives is nothing short of disgusting.
Koopaknight29 @ Apr 21st 2007 1:25PM
My only regret is that the media didn't do this earlier.
Judd @ Apr 21st 2007 1:38PM
I realize this story may not be interesting to anyone else but the reason I am posting this is to show how mainstream society still does not understand video game culture. Also if you don't care, you could always just not read this.
I write a weekly column for my school newspaper. It's a relatively small state school in New Jersey called Ramapo College. Anyway I managed to get into the schools newspaper and they told me I could write about whatever I wanted to. They assumed that I would just write game reviews, because they were not aware of the amount of culture that is involved in the video game world. I mean I spend a lot more time reading sites like this than something like IGN. People were shocked that there is actually something called "video game news".
Anyway, throughout the semester I reported on things like High-definition gaming and guitar hero problems. This past week was the week of the semester for my school newspaper. Considering the Virginia Tech shooting I thought that this would be a good time to discuss the violence and videogames debate.
Ater submitting the article, I needed to meet with my editors. They told me that they were upset that my article was too opinionated. I needed to take out my last two sentences. "However, certain individuals will try to pander to an older audience by associating a hobby common among the youth to problems caused by youths. The mainstream press should not exploit tragedies and insult the intelligence of their audience by acting as if complicated mental issues can be solved with simple answers."
Fine, I said. Even though I always considered my articles to be editorials, if they wanted to me to only include facts and not opinions, then that is fine. I took out those two sentences. Then the next day I checked my school's paper and the article was taken out without me being notified.
The day after that I got an e-mail informing me that my article was not published, because they felt as if it was to soon to discuss the Virginia Tech tragedy. My article was not about the shooting I just referenced it. I also mentioned the Columbine shooting. It was about people like Dr. Phil or Jack Thompson who have blamed video games and how statistics show that it is not true. I was told that my article was "hard news" and did not deserve to be in the Arts & Entertainment section.
Despite the fact that there were multiple articles in my newspaper that week that discussed the shooting, I was told that people might have been bothered by my article. Why is that? I looked through my article once again and at no point did I ever take away from the tragedy that occured. If anything I was trying to establish that people should be focusing on the horrible thing that happened, not on finding a scapegoat. But then I realized that the article presented a different viewpoint. As opposed to the front page writers who just told the same story I already saw and read in the New York Times or on CNN, I tried to discuss a sensitive issue from a perspective seen all the time by people like us who visit sites like GamePolitics, but not by those who do not follow video games.
Sometimes I'm not sure if it pisses me off more that mainstream society blames videogames, or that they never want to listen to opposing viewpoints. With people like Chris Matthews speaking out against Thompson, perhaps this is beginning to change.
Judd @ Apr 21st 2007 1:46PM
Third paragraph, second sentence: "This past week was the 'last' week." Sixth paragraph, first sentence: "they felt as if it was 'too' soon."
See, that's what editors are supposed to be for. Not censorship.
wait in the car @ Apr 21st 2007 2:10PM
Judd,
I'm sorry you were subjected to such harsh censorship. It's a shame that a college paper especially would not allow members of its staff to reflect on these important issues. I think college especially is the perfect time and place for the up and coming generation to start implementing changes in the way we report on out world that could have potential benefits to society.
Unfortunately, I can imagine what you mean about the other articles relating to the shooting being simply carbon copies of CNN stories: the shooter's name, body count, how officials reacted, etc. I definitely believe we need more people taking deeper looks at the issues involved, and I'm disappointed that a college newspaper would discourage an honest personal evaluation of a topic that could potentially inspire beneficial discourse on the matter.
Don't let the man keep you down. Keep fighting to be heard.
orange.micro @ Apr 21st 2007 2:16PM
jack thompson said hyper reality video game uhh were all game nerds here obviously what the hell is a hyper reality video game? is this some kind of new genre im not hip to?
LaughingTarget @ Apr 21st 2007 2:38PM
What is up with MSNBC lately? They've actually been asking tough questions and throwing inconsistencies back in the face of those they're interviewing.
Willozap @ Apr 21st 2007 2:57PM
Be careful when you use the phrase 'massacre chasers'. It presents an all too casual acceptance of the existence of massacres, and demonises too easily those who would say anything political follow such an event. I certainly don't agree with Thompson, but if there is ever a time to look at society (and everything it includes, from guns and violence to video games and movies) it is when just such a tragedy occurs.
What is important here is to remember the meaning of tragedy, as an event that requires forewarning. What is it / was it about our society that could have warned us of this tragedy?
Hart704 @ Apr 21st 2007 3:14PM
Of course FOX won't challenge what Thompson says. They're the most fucked up than anyone else ever could be.
Dirk Dorkelson @ Apr 21st 2007 3:14PM
Uh, the Washington Post didn't "retract" that information. They simply edited it out of the article. A "retraction," at least in newspaper jargon, is publishing another, separate article essentially apologizing for running the first article in an attempt to correct an error/ward off a libel suit.
Maybe you guys should fix your description. Yeah, the WaPo was dumb for reporting the information. They realized they were being dumb, and fixed the article. With all the "updates" Joystiq runs to fix factual errors on its news posts, you think you guys'd cut 'em a little slack for it.
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Apr 21st 2007 3:20PM
That MSNBC was article was great except for the fact that they actually interviewed some dumbass named "Isaiah Triforce Johnson".
Way to not make gamers look sane, Nintendo Fanboy.
Otter @ Apr 21st 2007 4:18PM
What scares me is when Jack inevitably does loose his license to practice law he will move to evangelism and be on TV even more than he is now, and preaching to the most weak willed and gullible of all humans: the religious.
If they strike him down, he will become more powerful than they can possibly imagine.
Neebs @ Apr 21st 2007 5:02PM
also Dr. Phil
Hawks @ Apr 21st 2007 5:47PM
Man if that idiot got on Dr.Phil... Or Opra even, do you realise how many people would actualy listen to him spew shit from his mouth? And the worst part is that its mostly stay-at-home moms who watch those shows, you know, the ones who would be most likely to start some kind of movement... Well, im 19 and if my mom ever told me games were twisting my mind id tell her to grow the fuck up. Then again, my parents arnt idiots or american.
No offence to any americans but statisticly theres more stupid people in your country based on numbers alone, and that in turn means theres more idiots. Of course that would also mean theres less overall smart people here in canada, but meh.
DWells55 @ Apr 21st 2007 7:07PM
Hawks, your attempt to bash Americans fails miserably. If what you're saying is that there are more idiots in America because of numbers alone, in completely negates your argument of American being dumber. You suggest that the normal to idiot ratio is equal across the globe, but this makes America dumber. Pardon me if I misinterpreted your statements, but they were so poorly structured and hypocritical that I could only try my best.
It's about time members of the media started acknowledging what a complete moron this guy is. His way of saying that video games "train" children is absolutely disgusting. You aren't going to learn to kill people by playing Doom. Ugh, what an uneducated and ignorant fool.
The best proof that video games don't make people more violent is that fact that Jack Thompson hasn't been killed yet.
Grant @ Apr 21st 2007 7:20PM
Hawks has it all wrong.
It's not about the numbers, It's because we have these geographic regions we all refer to as the "mid-west" and the "bible belt". These heavily religious folk take the word of so called "experts" like JT as if it were the word of jesus himself.
Hell, all you need to do is make it on local TV to impress these people and make them take your words as fact. Sadly for the fate of our nation, they vote en mass.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Apr 21st 2007 8:10PM
Grant: Try to tone down the stereotyping. We have plenty of intelligent people in the "Bible belt" who don't watch televangelists or follow everyone who falsely promotes their cause in the name of religion.
orange.micro @ Apr 21st 2007 11:03PM
AssemblyLineHuman: try to tone down your arrogance, stereotyping floods the very games you play. except for a precious few. also try watching comedy or anything that came out in the 80s or 90s you may be surprised that stereotyping is EVERYWHERE!
Negativecool @ Apr 22nd 2007 12:56AM
I'm sorry am I the only one that watched the link to the MSNBC interview the whole way through...? At no point did Chris Matthews seem to shoot down anything Jacko was saying. All he did was meekly say "that is one theory," or weakly point out, only once or twice, that he played Counter strike in HIGH SCHOOL AND NOT IN COLLEGE!! He never even brought up the fact that the bastard was clinically MENTALLY ILL!! That has more to do with it than ANYTHING!!
I just don't understand how Jack can think Counter Strike is a murder simulator. Has anyone ever fired an M16 and hit a target hundreds of yards away in a game? Of course you have, it's frickin EASY! Have any of you done the same in REAL life...it is MUCH harder than point and click my friends.
Games do not teach you fundamental mechanics behind gun action. They don't teach you HOW to reload---or reload efficiently and quickly so no one stops you, hold the weapon correctly---hold it steady enough to hit what you are aiming at, DEAL with the NOISE that comes out of a real fire arm, deal with the shock of kickback and muzzle climb, or how to TAKE THE FUCKING SAFETY OFF!!!
In my buddy's dorm room, on his PS2, I owned at Clay shooting in his Olympics game, I forgot what it was called. I hit every single target dead nuts---easy.
Some years later I tried it in real life...I hit 2 (with luck) of 15. Yea, Jack...those games sure did teach me how to be an efficient killer, dumbass.
Why don't you go after the young ones doing the "twist" to dangerous negro music like your mother did 50 years ago, you tragedy chasing slime of a human being.
binary @ Apr 22nd 2007 11:01AM
Grant, I'm not sure what offended me more - Jack Thompson's rant or getting stereotyped as a knuckle dragging mouth breathing bible thumper.
No matter where you live, there will always be people with a strong belief in their religion. I don't necessarily consider them weak as long as they maintain their own conscience thought... when they just follow along - I get worried.
mjs @ Apr 22nd 2007 11:05AM
"what's with the naked pic?"
It's a portrayal of Sisyphus. You know, Greek mythology? Punished in the underworld by being forced to roll a boulder up a hill forever? As Handy from "The Tick" would say, "read a book!"
Paul Levinson @ Apr 22nd 2007 4:31PM
I went up against Thompson on CNBC's Squawkbox last June, and between him and the clueless host Becky Quick barely managed to get a word in edgewise. Good to see at least some of the media finally waking up about his nonsense. http://www.paullevinson.net/media.phtml
Defenestrator2.0 @ Apr 22nd 2007 12:52PM
Look, people, I was born in the south, and have spent roughly more than half of my life there. People are overbearing, religious dumbasses. That's a fact. Sure, there are a few actually educated people, but the majority are ignorant schmucks.
Revo @ Apr 22nd 2007 2:24PM
"20. AssemblyLineHuman: try to tone down your arrogance, stereotyping floods the very games you play. except for a precious few. also try watching comedy or anything that came out in the 80s or 90s you may be surprised that stereotyping is EVERYWHERE!"
Are you actually defending someone who just made a ridiculous and ignorant generalization? In case you didn't realize it, stereotyping is generally considered a bad thing. Just because it's everywhere doesn't mean we shouldn't try to avoid it, and correct it whenever it rears its ugly head.
orAngeMicro @ Apr 22nd 2007 3:07PM
Revo sterotyping is funny just watch Mr. show/Chappelle's show.
Paul Levinson just saw that Squawkbox thingy on your site they barely let you talk. It was the usual bag of tricks for old Jack. Quote this quote that. I can't beleieve Jack Thompson was a wearing a pink lavender suit and had a mustache AHAHAHHAHA! I hope he gets buried in that. When Jack Thompson dies gamers should organize live webcam parties around the world in celebration.
mcass_06 @ Apr 22nd 2007 4:22PM
Jack Tompson is becoming a major pain. His "proofs" are unfounded, his arguments invalid, and his reasoning flawed. When someone asks "How do you know?" he simply responds, "Because I know." He's a pompous idiot who is more concerned with his own publicity than the issues on which he bases his own "fame."
As for the stereotype arguments going on...
Stereotypes, though they convey the majority of a generalized population, are characterized by the most severe of the given group. True, they are used throughout media in every shape and form, but they should not be allowed into our reasoning as they are highly inaccurate portrayals of the general populous. The most insulting of these is that of the religous drones who hang on every word of their so-called leaders. I consider myself religous and absolutely despise the likes of Jack Thompson as well as those "Christians" displayed in the media. These, my friends, are stereotypes and stereotypes alone and the truth behind them is much less than many can concieve. Put simply, do not judge others on the stereotype they fit under. Rather, learn of their true beliefs, values, and stances before casting them aside as thoughtless and irrational fools.
P @ Apr 22nd 2007 4:34PM
Angemicro - yeah, the worst was not even so much what Thompson was babbling, but that when I tried to correct him, he interrupted me, and the host acted like Thompson was the one who was being interrupted.
The media that treat Thompson with these velvet gloves are as much to blame for his dissemination of misinformation as he is.
Maybe that's beginning to change now.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Apr 22nd 2007 9:44PM
orange.micro: How am I being arrogant by saying that just because I live in a geographic region, I'm not a sheep. Grant tried to defend himself against the "stupid American" stereotype by passing it off to the "blinded-by-religion Southerner" stereotype.