Video Games Under Fire (Literally) at Organized Burning

Burn! Burn! Burn!

Both rap music and video games are under fire (literally) in Newport News, Virginia courtesy of Rev. Richard Patrick (never trust people w/ two first names, I say...). Both video games and rap music are to blame for the crime wave that has afflicted his congregation.... something that a good old fashioned burning should solve:

[Tempist]

Wonderful, just wonderful..... Didn't some 1930s National Socialist party burn books and got a lot of back-lash for doing something like that?

Making impressions on the youth eh.... well sir, I think i'll go find some really old stories and burn them for their negative attitude and wording. How about dem apples!

[Excalibur]

What 10 or 15 idiots do.

Bottom line, immature kids should not have mature rated materials.

Blame the parents not the industry.

[Kholinar]

And that's what he's doing.

He's asking parents to remove media that they feel is unsuitable. He's not asking for a single ban or regulation.

Here's what he lists as the major factors in the violence around his community:

1. Drugs
2. Lack of Jobs
3. Lack of Youth Outlets
4. Isolation and No Sense of Community
5. Churches are to blame for not taking responsibility
6. Police are doing some, but could improve

[Pornlord]

Does that fire look like a Flaming ghost riding a horse of fire to anyone else??? That's the only interesting thing about this article is that picture. Maybe it's one of the horseman of the apocalypse being set loose by richard patrick. How ironic, a reverand sets fire to materials he deems unworthy for the population, and that brings on a horse of fire. BRING ON THE PLAGUES!!!!

[Kholinar]

This story has been badly reported everywhere. Here's the entire content of what is said about music:

" Q: How significant a problem do you believe violent video games and violent rap music is?

A: It has a tremendous influence on young people and violence. That's basically all they see. Most of them try to emulate what they see, when in reality, the people they see don't even live in those communities. Some of the rappers they see on TV portraying crime don't live in the urban areas - they live in the suburbs somewhere. It's all a facade. "

I'm not saying I agree with him, but the content of what he's saying is about what most people here are saying about WiiFit. "Get out and play some basketball and meet your neighbors."

He doesn't say that all rap music or all violent games are bad, but that they do have an influence. Now, we have to decide. Are videogames art? Because art does influence people.

Please understand, I don't agree with him. But I do think saying he's some sort of Hitler type, burning games and music as the sole source of violence is ridiculous. He blames the state of the community for most of it.

[Xi]

the good book is full of bad behaviour, and he endorses a lot of it.

If you burn violent videogames and rap music, you should burn the bible for supporting such things as rape, slavery, indecent treatment of gays, women, etc.

And I'm sure that the bible is far more influential then videogames and rap music.

At least that's my take on this situation.

[Kholinar]

Yeah, well... you'd need to reference anything stating that he supports any of that.

These reports of this article are about like the reports of Mass Effect being a huge sex simulator. The tiniest bit of truth in the reports doesn't make them any less sensational and manipulative.

Seems like, regardless of what you think of his views, that the pastor actually cares about his community. Whereas that site only seems to care about page hits.

[Xi]

It seems like all he wants is publicity.

If he honestly did care he wouldn't do something so abstract, such as a "burning". He knew what attention he and the comunity would get and if he thinks making his community a laughing stock is helping the situation he needs to wake up. It's easy to blame the media, it's harder to blame yourself.

Burning material like this is just an attempt at removing blame from parent's, social figues, and institues, placing it on a medium that should be regulated by those people around the person. By doing a public burning he's putting emphasis on the cd's and videogames, not on the problems themselves.

And as for my reference that he supports that... he teaches the bible, you don't get to pick and chose what you support and what you don't in an ideology. You can put emphasis on specific things but you have to take it all or nothing.

[Kholinar]

Did you read the original article?

I'm not sure how you'd say he didn't sound caring. Second, as I stated, videogames weren't even on his list of large problems. He put the blame squarely on the parents, social figure and institutions that you mention. I'm not sure how you could miss that if you actually read the original source. The video game and music part was just something that a couple of bloggers latched onto.

No, no you don't. That's like saying that if I'm a libertarian, democrat or republican that I have to support their every action or each plank in their platform. For someone who's criticizing a black and white approach to life you sure are advocating inflexibility.

[Xi]

I can even tell you that from that link there's about 4 others that you need to follow to get to the original article.

i know he blames a lot of stuff but I didn't see him blame himself or parents of the stuff happening.

Infact he says that nothing has changed since before, except instead of throwing punches someone just gets shot. He's expecting change but it was always the norm.

All he did by this buring was gain publicity. Every community has problems, there's crime in every neighborhood. His is no different and buy burning media he makes himself out to be a backward thinking american.

[Xi]

he burns videogames and rap music...

I burn bibles.

[vickers500]

Lmao, good one.

[Kholinar]

"When I was growing up, there was more of a community, raising children and being responsible for each other's children. Now, it's almost to the point where people don't even know who lives next to them."

Saying parents should not only raise their own children well, but take responsibility for each other's children.

"I would say the church can take the blame for a lot of the problems in the Southeast Community. The Bible tells us as a church if we seek God's face, he would change the community. Until the church does what it's supposed to do, the community won't change. The church needs to be more outward and more outreach, to reach the community. My purpose is not only to pastor this church, but to pastor my community. I think the churches are doing better in helping, but there's always room for improvement. We have to go beyond meetings, and sometimes as churches, we have meetings and come back and have meetings about the meetings. We have to put some action behind our words."

Notice how many times he uses we in that paragraph.

"The problems ... are bad. I think they have got worse."

Ok, here's my thing. You have someone who's offering support groups, classes, job training, counseling, fun outlets for youth, advocating greater community responsibility, etc. But all anyone wants to talk about is parents deciding that certain games are unsuitable and throwing them in a fire instead of a trash can. I think a blog linking to an article about ten percent of an article is journalistic vomit. You're welcome to disagree, but remember that the next time someone crucifies a game for a fraction of its content.