In the wake of Newtown, my first instinct was to bash the media.
So I wrote a column arguing that, “The entertainment-media complex promotes and glamorizes violence — for profit — in film and on TV. Meanwhile, the news media ensures that killers get the attention and fame they so desperately crave.”
I followed up on that by writing that Hollywood should condemn gratuitous violence. (The piece was subtitled: “Violent video games and movies contribute to violent behavior. It’s time the entertainment world stopped pretending otherwise.”)
Now comes this from CBS Evening News:
Law enforcement sources say Adam Lanza was motivated by violent video games and a strong desire to kill more people than another infamous mass murderer.
…Evidence shows that his mind, sources say, Lanza was also likely acting out the fantasies of a video game as he killed 20 first graders and six adults at the school. For Lanza, the deaths apparently amounted to some kind of “score.”
This is not to say the government should censor the media. But it is to say the notion gun control is a panacea is absurd. A wide variety of factors in our culture contribute to these heinous events.
And sadly, a lot of people profit.