Could Your Child be the Next Sociopath Murderer?

Eric Harris, 18; Dylan Klebold, 17
Active shooters is Columbine High School
Massacre (1999)

Blog Post 3

In "Violent Media is Good for Kids" Jones claims that violent video games that include blood, gore, and often mass shootings of innocent citizens can be good for shy kids, who may not have an outlet for their stress. The article goes on to be considered credible by the releasing of the statement by Melanie Moore, Ph.D., a psychologist who works with urban teens; “Children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that they’ve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient self hood.”

I personally find it hard to side with him, considering today's age and time. Jones does mention the refutation that not all violence has aided with the development of children in ways that it has helped him break through social barriers and dealing with his over-bearing parents; but instead caused havoc in the child's life leading to mentally disturbed children ultimately resulting in mass murderers or sociopathic individuals. 
Recent news reports have been factual in pleading the case that violence in video games is doing the youth more harm than good. On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris (18) and classmate Dylan Klebold (17) set out to make a bold statement which was rooted in hatred and the result of bullying. The two young men were describe as "were members of a group of social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture, or had been influenced by violent video games and music". While video games and music cannot alone take the entire blame for Harris and Klebold's actions, but I do believe that they played a major part in the plotting and execution of their plan. The question of whether the two chose their victims at random or if they all had a common thread is still up for debate, while when one was asked  if she was a christian, and answered with a 'yes' she was shot to death as opposed to when one of the young boys posed the question to another student, the reply was yes and they walked away. All the same the virtues and values shown throughout violent video game culture (kill, kill, kill, then kill oneself) was depicted in the Columbine shooting from the strategy of bombing then going in and opening fire by hand, to the fateful ending of both of the young men's lives by suicide. 

While some may argue that those who go on killing sprees often know what they are doing, and there is not a logical explanation for it. Elliot Rodger (22) was convicted of the murder of six 

Elliot Rodger, 22; Murderer behind the
Isla Vista massacre

individuals, while injuring fourteen others. Elliot Rodger is the epitome of the type of children who could greatly benefit from violence in video games; he was shy, autistic, and battling the separation of his parents at such a young vulnerable age, as well as being diagnosed with depression and anxiety by the age of eight years-old. As Jones suggest that kids with this exact caliber of struggles should try to indulge into games or fantasies, where they can be who they truly desire to be; Rodger's did just that. "Before long, he withdrew from class work into World of Warcraft, the online interactive video game that had become his obsession." Reports show that when he did have short conversations, the topic would often be about the world of war craft and his desire to be in violent situations. Later when he reached the collegiate age, after a party he had hosted he reportedly attempted to push a young lady over the balcony, and said ‘I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill myself" only a few weeks prior to acting on this promise, opening fire on May 23, 2014 in Isla Vista, California. 

 

Both stories were not equally covered when compared to one another, The Columbine shooting definitely received more coverage across an array of platforms and even made national headlines, I think this was favored in a sense due to the fact that the bases and topic hits home

and could have been anyone; teenage boys shoot up their high school. It touches home for a anyone who has kids and sends their children to any form of public school. The media decided to use aggressive photos of the two young men  who did the vile action of opening fire at their school, which gives off an "well look at them and look how they are perceived, of course they would be the ones to do something so awful." vibe ,which in a way takes away the empathy and sympathy factor from the public. If one is already viewed as aggressive and it is "just in their nature". Whereas when I was researching Elliot Rodger all of his pictures were of him in soft lighting, in his car, smiling, and portraying that he was living a very eventful life, even when I read articles on him the authors wrote in such a way that he was just a helpless ticking time bomb that had been troubled since the age of eight, with parents who paid him little mind who often tried to buy him his happiness. In hindsight reading this formed a sense of emotional appeal to the reader that maybe, just maybe this kid's actions are justifiable and he was truly mentally unstable.