Bozell Column: No Tucson Lectures for 'Artists'
Within minutes of the news breaking that Jared Lee Loughner had killed six and wounded 12 in a rampage outside a Tucson safeway store, including a critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the news media immediately leapt to the conclusion that the harsh tone of our political discourse – led by conservative talk radio -- surely must be to blame.
That narrative turned out to be hogwash, but another one has emerged during the investigation into Loughner’s psyche, yet virtually no one wants to discuss it. Was the shooter inspired by the entertainment media?
Why would violent movies or music be left out of the rush to judgment? Perhaps it’s because pop-culture defenders never tire of arguing that no one can blame the “artists” – be they musicians, movie-makers or video-game manufacturers – for youth violence. So it becomes awkward, to say the least, that everyone’s discussing the need to curb a national appetite for angry rhetoric, when it was disturbing music and movies that were influencing Loughner’s mind, and they are ignored.
It took 72 hours for Loughner’s entertainment appetites to enter the media mainstream. On January 11, The Washington Post noted that on the shooter’s YouTube channel, a lone video is listed as a favorite. J. Freedom du Lac reported on the rock band Drowning Pool: “As a hooded figure wearing a garbage bag for pants limps across the desert to set fire to an American flag, a howling heavy-metal song called ‘Bodies’ serves as the video's relentless soundtrack.”
The lyrics are screamed: “Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the floor!” in an obvious echo of a shooting rampage like Loughner’s. This isn’t the first time this music was associated with a murder. In the northern Virginia suburb of Oakton in 2003, du Lac added, “then-19-year-old Joshua Cooke cranked throbbing tune on his headphones, walked out of his bedroom holding a 12-gauge shotgun and killed his parents.”
I think we can agree that this is a more provocative ode to violence than Sarah Palin’s map with targets on a piece of congressional geography. Even the name of the band implies death.
In a statement posted on January 10, the band said they were “devastated” by the news from Tucson “and that our music has been misinterpreted, again.” They claimed the song was written about “the brotherhood of the mosh pit and the respect people have for each other in the pit. If you push others down, you have to pick them back up. It was never about violence. It's about a certain amount of respect and a code.”
The words “mosh pit” are nowhere in the lyrics. But this line is: “Push me again / This is the end.”
The closest reference to being in a rock-concert crowd is this: “Skin against skin, blood and bone / You're all by yourself, but you're not alone / You wanted in, now you're here / Driven by hate, consumed by fear.” But these words depict “a certain amount of respect and a code”?
The wire services added that Loughner liked government-conspiracy documentaries like the 9/11-truther films “Loose Change,” and “Zeitgeist,” and bizarre cult films like “Donnie Darko,” a 2001 movie summarized as “A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.”
As he’s told the world will end in 28 days, Donnie Darko (played by actor Jake Gyllenhaal) floods the school, steals his father's gun, and burns the home of a motivational speaker, where firemen uncover a "kiddie porn dungeon." The film ends with Donnie laughing in bed as a falling jet engine crashes into his bedroom.
No network news anchor was blaming Richard Kelly, the cult film’s writer and director, for filling Jared Loughner’s disturbed mind with more apocalyptic visions. That would be unfair. That would be oppressing an artist with a “chilling effect.” But blaming a Palin map with targets on congressional districts (or TV and radio talk shows that Loughner never watched or heard) isn’t just fair game. It’s an urgent national priority.
I don’t know if Loughner is deranged or the epitome of evil. If you want to look at the dark influences, however, be honest and report the evidence as it exists. Fox News had nothing to do with this. Nor did Rush, Beck, Palin, or any other conservative. Angry heavy-metal bands and cult-movie directors shouldn’t be charged with crimes, either. But to what extent did their “entertainment” poison this man’s mind? Let the discussion go there.
- Brent Bozell's blog
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Comments
Artist denial
Submitted by FrankB on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 8:36am.
The "artists" have advanced from inspiring suicide to inspiring mass murder.
"Entertainment and music"
Submitted by Edhenry on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 8:38am.
"Entertainment and music" do not influence abhorent behavior...
(Then why billions $$$ in media advertising to promote it)
Hooah! That has been my
Submitted by Paleo2k on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:24am.
Hooah! That has been my response to 'entertainment doesn't influence' argument for the last twenty years. It never ceases to amaze how quickly and summarily it is dismissed. If audible/visual imagery had no influence on people then advertising/marketing would not be the multi billion dollar industries they have become.
Since the race riots of the
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:50pm.
Since the race riots of the 1960's the 'news' media has made every conceivable effort to incite riots and other forms of social and societal unrest because it SELLS air time better than anything else they do.
The only reason there were riots after the rodney king trial was because the "People of color" were whipped into a murderous frenzy by the medias continual showing of 'carefully selected' portions of a video tape that should have always been in police custody as evidence in a possible crime.
Or the coverage of any 'white on black' crime anywhere in the nation, while not reporting 'black on black' or black on white', or, heaven forbid, the dreaded "white on white".
They 'report' on 'anti-gay' crimes, but only the parts they want the people to see or hear, as in the episode in Wyoming a few years back, but, again, they left out the TRUTH in their reporting. But when several 'gay' men repeatedly raped and murdered a child, no mention was ever made in the national media.
BUT, on the plus side, the advertising rates during those time of "Social Unrest" went through the roof.
In its infancy, the TV stations were required to present the news as a "PUBLIC SERVICE" requirement of their license to broadcast. Sometime in the late 50' or very early 60's that requirement was dropped in favor of allowing the broadcasters to sell advertising during the news casts.
The desire for 'profits' overwhelmed the NEED FOR HONEST REPORTING.
THAT change needs to be corrected.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
I Hated no no no HATE that movie.
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:04am.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh. I hate hate hate that movie.It is an awful awful awful movie. The passion of hate burns BURNS deep inside me for the awfulness that is that movie. Arrrrrrrrrrghhgghghghhh. Fudge, I just got a drop of coffee on my shirt...
Drowning mudslingers
Submitted by Tim Graham on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:27am.
It is amazing that our "objective" media would want to keep talking about conservative "discourse" after every last hope of blaming it for Tucson had evaporated, but they can't seem to even get started with this. Obviously, some print outlets noticed. I didn't see this anywhere on TV.
finally!
Submitted by ds7 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:59am.
that's what i was saying from day 1!
have you seen the video "games" these kids play?
all shooting, all blood, all bodies, all day.
And it lots of fun. I am an
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:16am.
And it lots of fun. I am an addicted game player.
I agree Dan
Submitted by sentry_99 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:26am.
I've been running and gunning through the wasteland for days taking out Raiders and Super Mutants. I also liked "Bodies" when it came out.
I have no inclination after doing either to harm anyone....unless they are a mutant.
One thing we must understand
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 7:00pm.
One thing we must understand is that these games do have an effect on us. I have been told that the way the military is trained is through repetition and instilled in the person is to be able to follow orders and kill. Or something like that. So in effect these games are more realistic and teaching our young to be desensitized to the effects of violence.
Actually killing someone was one of my main problems with going into the military. As the Vietnam war was raging and my draft date was nearing I did not think I could kill some other person. As I get older I realize I could if need be kill another.
".....games are more
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 7:57pm.
".....games are more realistic and teaching our young to be desensitized to the effects of violence."
I'm guessing this is your opinion and you don't have any emperical evidence that video games actually desentize anyone to actual violence.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Empirical evidence, I'm
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 7:51pm.
Empirical evidence, I'm pretty sure I could dig some up but I am not. So my statement is atm just opinion. I read somewhere that the military uses the same techniques to desensitize its recruits and mold their reactions into "muscle memory". So when it comes time they will act instead of think, which in a combat situation means life or death. This is not to say they will not think or evaluate but when the time comes for action they will hopefully not hesitate.
The desensitizing of the human race is a slow process and one can look over the centuries a general decline in the value of life, specifically the other guys life. Abortion is one of these desensitizing agents.
If politics doesn't have
Submitted by mamabear on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:06am.
If politics doesn't have anything to do with it, why did he set out to assassinate a politician? It doesn't require a liberal media conspiracy to explain why people looked to political motivation before entertainment in an attack on a Congresswoman. It is pretty natural, especially immediately after a very contentious campaign season, to look first for a political cause for a tragedy like this and to suspect the perpetrator to hold different political views from the target. People want things to make sense. Obviously we are now examining his entertainment preferences, or you wouldn't know them to write this post!Nice Tagline
Submitted by sentry_99 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:21am.
It explains this whole thing. I understand why they looked to politics. I understand why they looked towards the right first (Giffords D). What can't understand is after getting evidence that political rhetoric, blogs, radio, TV news does not appear to be a factor, we are still hearing about it.
As to why he went after Giffords. Who knows? She and his mother have connections. They went to the same church. He had met her before. She represented him in Congress. I think if everything remained the same but Giffords was a republican, he still would have done it. The guy is smiling in his booking photo. He is happy with himself. Let's hope the little bastard doesn't clam up and will actually explain what he is so amused with. After that, lets hope a needle prick will wipe it off his face.
I think we are still hearing
Submitted by mamabear on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 7:54pm.
I think we are still hearing about it because even before this tragedy a lot of people felt uneasy about this last election cycle. Even if it turns out that Giffords was an entirely random, deranged choice of targets, it is telling that it was so easy to map that act onto our political landscape.
The fact that he didn't read Palin's map and run out and buy a gun doesn't mean that we should stop reflecting on rhetoric. It does mean we should stop pointing fingers, but I'd still hope that it results, in the end, in a more civil tone and less demonization of political opponents. Certainly no one has proposed some reason why a hateful political climate is good for us, so why not take a step back?
→ So . . . mamabear
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 8:00pm.
Now would you be so kind as to condemn the shooting victim who made death threats towards a Tea Party leader?
Yeah, absolutely. I just saw
Submitted by mamabear on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:02pm.
Yeah, absolutely. I just saw that when I logged on just now, so I don't know what the full story is, but I'm happy to say no one should be making death threats against anyone! The headline says he was arrested, so it sounds like it is being treated seriously.
Thanks, mamabear
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:12pm.
But don't worry. By tomorrow the Tea Party event will be condemned as being akin to a visit from Westboro Baptist.
Well, I think you'd be hard
Submitted by mamabear on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 10:33am.
Well, I think you'd be hard pressed to argue that. It doesn't sound like it was a Tea Party event-- CNN calls it a town hall meeting organized and televised by ABC news. A member of the Tea Party was speaking, but they didn't organize the event.
→ Right mamabear
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 01/17/2011 - 10:45pm.
All they did was gloss over the big news from that town hall meeting.
re to mamabear
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 8:44pm.
"The fact that he didn't read Palin's map and run out and buy a gun......"
But what if Loughner had done exactly that? Would that be the impetus for banning the use of putting targets on maps?
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
No, no banning. This isn't a
Submitted by mamabear on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 9:03pm.
No, no banning. This isn't a cause for censorship, it is a cause for self-restraint! Same thing with entertainment. If he was affected by music or video games, I don't think that's cause to ban them. But if you're an artist or video game maker, maybe you think a little more carefully about what you put in your work.
Ummm Mamabear?
Submitted by shawn. on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:42am.
Who said politics had nothing to do with it?No.....
Submitted by spepper on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:16am.
No....I don't think so-- watching movies or video games with violent scenes does not cause anyone to become violent either to themselves or anyone else-- nevertheless, the entertainment industry does itself no favors by producing or publishing content that literally becomes blueprints for individuals who are already violent-- they perhaps only modify the "method of their madness" as a result--
What I'm curious about is who he was targeting-- was the young girl and the Congresswoman simply in the line of fire, with the federal judge as his ultimate target? All of the evidence thus far has shown that this vermin was attracted to ideas of tyrannical or dictatorial rule-- witness his "favorites" of Hitler, Marx, etc.-- the federal judge that the vermin murdered was known for blocking the Obama Administration's efforts to override the authority of Arizona law-- did this vermin have the judge on his hit list as a result? Is the vermin a "fan" of "the One"? It would be VERY interesting for some enterprising journalist to get the interview of the century thus far, with that vermin, to get him to respond to such questions......but I'm sure the feds will see to it that this vermin is not heard from for a long, long time........
Drowning Pool supports our troops.
Submitted by totalpakaj on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:38am.
They've played in Iraq, and Guantanamo, and are huge supporters of the military. http://www.northwestmilitary.com/news/articles/2010/10/northwest-militar... Also, the band released a statement showing their dismay that the crazy little douchebag referenced their material: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/drowning-pool-devastated-by-g...
Not all longhairs are dope smoking, America hating hippies. You're throwing a patriotic band under the bus to make a cheap political point, you're better than that Mr. Bozell.
There are plenty of commie
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 7:11pm.
There are plenty of commie pinko leftists like Kathy Griffin who do USO shows and say they support the troops. Your military link was busted but the other one came up with this gem "There's no explanation for it. I personally feel that violence and war and murder are primitive, and I think that we've evolved as a species beyond that. Unfortunately some people still feel that's a means to an end." Sounds like a washed up hippie idea to me. One who doesn't understand what the world is about.
Of course you have the Nuge who is 100%.
Definitely a hippie idea. I
Submitted by mostlymoderate on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:29pm.
Definitely a hippie idea. I saw an old hippie a few days ago with the bumper sticker that said: "Arms Are For Hugging"
lol. Damn hippies. I busted up laughing for minutes
conservative talk radio is
Submitted by dhop1965 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 10:49am.
conservative talk radio is not to blame, music is not to blame, TV is not to blame....nor ANY other form of entertainment...don't use the same irrational thought process as Olbermann
conservative talk radio is
Submitted by Newsbusterbrown on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:33pm.
conservative talk radio is not to blame, music is not to blame, TV is not to blame....nor ANY other form of entertainment...don't use the same irrational thought process as Olbermann
Agreed. We shouldn't go down any of these roads - they will only boomerang on us if a conservative does happen to actually kill someone in the future.
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
100% agreed
Submitted by Cyborg 0427 on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 8:07am.
I want to say that this Loughner is NOT the victim. again LOUGHNER IS NOT THE VICTIM. He is not the victim of conseratives, he is not the victim of liberals, he is not the victim of entertainment, vidio games, rock bands, mickey mouse, Wht is everybody trying desperately to make this moron the victim, anybodies victim? If he can be made a victim at all then he is the victim of his own deranged mind. Throw (something) into confusion; cause to act irregularly: "stress deranges the immune system. I am a Viet Nam vet. Some things I hate with passion, but I'm not going out and kill a bunch of innocent people just to show how much I hate this thing. Why, because I'm not deranged. systemsys
A slight correction if I may?
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 11:18am.
The 'news media" through continually showing only selected portions of a video tape deliberately and intentionally whipped the black communities in to a murderous frenzy during the rodney king era specifically to incite riots because riots make big news items and the price for advertising during news shows spikes substantially.
Any societal and civil unrest in this nation today can be directly attributed to the medias false reporting of 'selective' reporting of the facts to further their quest for profits and political agenda.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
Most Vile Video Ever against Sarah Palin
Submitted by sjanus11 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:02am.
Please watch vid and get it Viral. This is over the line. If U-Tube pulls we have it archived at our site. Also It should be forwarded to FBI. Thanks Steve
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSKYz9P97jM
If not on you tube , try here.
http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/liberals-wish-death-for-sarah-palin/
" Read The 5000 Year Leap" It's Part Of The Cure
Move along...nothing to see
Submitted by ex buff e-dub on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:27pm.
Move along...nothing to see here...
Catcher in the Rye
Submitted by CobraMan on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:25am.
How is blaming the entertainment industry any different than blaming politics? It isn't. How is blaming a single band and/or the video they produced any different from blaming Sarah Palin and/or a map she produced? Once again, it isn't.
This man did what he did for a variety of reasons, as all people do what they do for a variety of reasons. His reasons were most likely as insane as the man himself. But they were HIS reasons and not someone else's.
Don't forget that Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon, was carrying a copy of Catcher in the Rye in his back pocket when he was arrested. Should we blame the writer of the book for that crime, as some people insinuated at the time? No, of course not, for the writer didn't have anything at all to do with it. Nor did the publishers, the bookstores, ect. Let's place the blame where it belongs, squarely on the shoulders of the person or persons who commit crimes.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
I don't buy the entertainment
Submitted by bkeyser on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:29am.
I don't buy the entertainment angle. I have serious doubts that they were the trigger that resulted in Loughner's eventual delusion.
Here's what we know: The guy was involved in drugs. His friends say pot, some say heavily, but they don't say anything else. Drug counselors will tell you that often times teens will admit to using pot, but hide their other addictions due to their less-accepted social nature. ("You smoke pot? Cool. Oh, you snort Vicatin too? No cool dude.) Pot is also instrumental in paranoia among teens, if they use it often and start early enough.
We also know the guy had some really strange views. His videos on YouTube indicate that. The LAT has a video posted today that had Loughner walking around Pima College campus claiming it to be a genocide school. "Where I'm going to be homeless because of this school."
There were also pictures, apparently, of Loughner in a G-string (?) holding a glock that have been turned over by the local Walgreens where he dropped them off to be developed shortly before the shooting.
His behavior is definitely not normal, though it doesn't appear to be full of rage -up until the day of the shooting. To me, the act of killing and wounding so many people seems as though it was carried out devoid of rage; yeah, it was planned, but so far no evidence has leaked that Loughner left any hate-filled rants about killing anywhere. My guess is that he is the product of several years of drug abuse which probably had a chemical effect within his brain, and someone put a thought in that mess -something from a teacher or the internet, or maybe even a friend- about mind control. He probably felt as though his mind was being controlled; and in effect, it probably was if he was still using drugs. His struggle was probably trying to escape from that mind control; the bizarre behavior in the classroom for example, might have been him trying to fend off teachers controlling his mind. The conscious dreaming he wrote about might be his way of escaping the physical world that was controlling his mind. My guess is music was a diversion from mind control rather than an accessory to it.
But what do I know, I design homes.
"Foundering Fathers Would
Submitted by overthere55 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:42am.
"Foundering Fathers Would Have Hated Tea-baggers Guts" http://bit.ly/fy7VCH
~Troll spamming his blog
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 6:20pm.
His really lame blog.
Followers = 0
Submitted by SickofLibs on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 11:22am.
.
SANITY AND LOGIC
Submitted by baseballdoc on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:59am.
.....Sane minds can handle violent video games and rap lyrics ...unstable minds cannot ...what inspired Lennon's killer or the attempted assassin of Reagan?
Ummm.... Insanity?
Submitted by CobraMan on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:16pm.
"what inspired Lennon's killer or the attempted assassin of Reagan?"
Let me make a wild guess here and say: Their own insanity!
By the way it wasn't violent images that "inspired" John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot Reagan. It was actually a pretty face, the face of Jodie Foster, who Hinckley was trying to "impress" by murdering the President, that inspired him.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
DEFINITION REQUIRED
Submitted by baseballdoc on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:02pm.
"Founding Fathers would have hated Tea-bagger guts"
.....How do you define Tea-Bagger?
Definition
Submitted by overthere55 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 12:16pm.
Not my words, Bill Maher's?!
That was not thequestion, now was it?
Submitted by The Vet on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 11:29am.
Try again.
...How do you define Tea-Bagger?
YOU. How do YOU define it.
Come on. You have your own blog. Surely we can hear the personal voice of a man that has his own blog.
Colombine massacre - Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers."
Submitted by Gary Hall on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 1:32pm.
The fact that seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were hooked on absorbing and living in the fantasy of radical leftist Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" movie never caught the attention of our national media. Was Oliver Stone to blame?
Music interests, anyone:
November 1998: Eric Harris writes in detail about how he wants to have violent sex with a woman, quoting a line from Nine Inch Nails' song Closer (a song about having rough, animalistic sex).
(;~/ gary
Blame,Blame, Blame...
Submitted by iveseenitall on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 1:54pm.
The blame game. On and on it goes. Blame something or someone else for what has happened, instead of seeking the truth and moving on. Speculation and blame simply fuel the flames of hate. I believe it's the same pathetic thought process which has ruled all the P.C. for the past five decades in our nation--- collective guilt vs. individual responsiblity. Excuses abound for all the evil in the world. But until individuals stop excusing their own actions and refusing to look in the mirror, nothing will get better.
NEVER,NEVER trusta "liberal" ( progressive)
The Blame Game
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 1:59pm.
People posting on this forum that Mr. Bozell is doing the exact same thing as the news media, ie. "Blameing the entertainment industry for Loughner's actions in the same way that liberal media is blaming conservative talk radio or Sarah Palin", are missing his point.
The exercise of putting culpable blame to any outside media influence regarding Loughner's actions is, of course, erroneous. If Lougner were to have engaged in watching violent videos and playing violent video games all day long, all his adolecent and adult life, you still could not establish causation and coorelation regading those videoos and his heinous actions. Similarly, if Laughner had been a Tea Party member, and had done nothing but listened to right wing talk radio, watched Fox News, and attended Sarah Palin rallys all the time, you could not establish similar reasoning behind those actions and the shootings.
Mr. Bozell's point is that the news media is trying to take one form of media, the message of the right, found in talk radio and Sarah Palin speeches and conservative internet content, and implying that this form of media could have some direct coorelation to Laughner's actions. If the liberal news media insists on playing this futile "blame game" for arguments sake, (and entertainment sake to attract eyeballs), then how can they ignore the "obvious" and not even bring into the discussion an alternative media that openly promotes and preaches and lives off of a violent message?
The main stream media, knowing that it can never establish a 1 for 1 causation or correlation to talk radio or Sarah Palin, insists that a target pointer on a political map pointing out vulnerable candidates is a possible cause for Laughner's actions. So that type of speech should be regulated. But at the same time, the same media ignores and promotes direct inflamatory messages that glorfy violence.
I beleive Mr. Bozell's message is not one of blaming a messenger, but rather, as is his want, to point out hypocrisy in media.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
There is lots of hypocrisy in the media
Submitted by shawn. on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 5:00pm.
However Mr Bozell also has many NB threads that try to pin blame on unwanted pregnancies, abortion and pediphilia to shows like Gossip Girl or Glee because some of the actors like to have on screen sex or wear sexy cloths on tv or in a magazine it's kind of hard to have it both ways. Are people ultmately responsible for their own behavior or do we blame somebody else? Mr Bozell seems to have a double standard on this issue.Individual Blame vs Culture
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 6:01pm.
If you querried Mr. Bozell, I doubt that he would disagree with you regarding people being responsible for their own actions. When Mr. Bozell rails against television shows like Glee, I think his concern is more about debasement of "the culture" and it's effects on our society.
If popular culture promotes a certain lifestyle or fashion, odds are, you are gong to get more of that lifestlye or fashion.
(Not saying I agree with Mr. Bozell on what's right or wrong with our culture.)
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
I saw the movie that probably set him off
Submitted by docjohn52 on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 7:27pm.
the other day on Showtime.
"Rampage" made in 2009, with Micheal Pare.
the bad guy even looked like him. Watch the movie and see if this doesn't creep you out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSRSoncoV4k
the trailer...
Look at rap music. Every
Submitted by mostlymoderate on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:09pm.
Look at rap music. Every other song talks about guns, shooting each other, drugs, disrespecting each other, getting even, etc. etc.
You failed reading
Submitted by totalpakaj on Sat, 01/15/2011 - 11:29pm.
@ Dan the Man 2, you failed reading comprehension, the quote you mention is from a member of Linkin Park, NOT Drowning Pool. The guy from Linkin Park also commented.
Here is the URL for the broken link and text of the article below it
http://www.northwestmilitary.com/news/articles/2010/10/northwest-militar...
Music, lights and the screams of fans filled the night sky over Joint Base Lewis-McChord as the Dallas rock band Drowning Pool unleashed a furious torrent of tunes Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010.
DP front man Ryan McCombs roared into his microphone to the crowd's delight while bass player Stevie Benton furiously slapped his bass, offering little sympathy to unprotected ears. C.J. Pierce, the band's guitarist, offered his own version of auditory assault slashing away at his guitar. In the back, Mike Luce pounded away on his signature DW drum kit, filling the air with crashing cymbals and thumping bass.
"The show was amazing," said Spc. Amanda Scott, from Oxford, Mich. and a nurse at the Madigan Army Medical Center. "Being right in front of the band is always awesome, especially with the military shows because they (the performers) always interact with the service members, like reaching down and tagging your hand or whatever."
For some, this is the first time they've seen Drowning Pool up close and personal in concert. For others, it was their first concert period.
For 7-year-old Eli Cetta, the show was his first live concert.
"My favorite part was when he (McCombs) shook my hand and gave me this drumstick," Cetta beamed.
He was front row center with his mother, father and two sisters. A drumstick, guitar pick, and handshake from the lead singer? Not bad for his first show.
Drowning Pool has a long history of supporting the military services having played bases all over the world, including Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"Ryan says it on stage just about every night when we play soldiers," Benton said. "He's like ‘There are people over there fighting to allow all of us and all of you to be here at this show right now so give it up for those people.'"
"We have nothing but huge amount of respect for the military and we're just glad that we can play this show as a welcome home." Luce said.
"I think it's important for MWR to put on shows like this because it makes the soldier's feel like they're appreciated," said Lafayette, La. native Spc. Atley Morvant with the 140th Transportation Detachment. "I love these guys for doing that. I love when the bands come and support the military and I know Drowning Pool supports the military at every opportunity."
The band gets back as much from the military community as it gives. Fresh from a tour to Iraq in 2006, the band wrote the song "Soldiers" for their 2007 album Full Circle, as a tribute to those they'd visited overseas.
In addition to playing a show, the band took time to do a meet and greet put on by the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation at the newly renovated Bistro at Russell Landing on American Lake. The band enjoyed the gourmet pizzas at The Bistro and then signed autographs and took photos with a few service and family members.
"It's a great thing that they take time from their tour to come support the soldiers," said Pfc. Aaron Hodges, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, after getting his picture taken with the band.
The Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program also played a part in making the show a success.
"This event was so exciting for everyone," said Spc. Monique Miranda, JBLM BOSS garrison team vice president. "BOSS, MWR and AAFES have been trying to throw several different events for the post and to have such a great turnout was so great."
I have good comprehension and
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 8:10pm.
I have good comprehension and it looks like the LP creep is the one who said those words. I did skim the article and reread it just for you. It was poorly written to connect the singer to the remarks, especially when skimming. The confusion comes where they were talking about two bands and then make a statement in a separate paragraph w/o attribution.
My assertion about some who do not support the military but play to them for the publicity; like Kathy Griffin. Drowning pool may be ok. Personally I don't care about them or their music as it is not my style. I really don't think anyone cares that the shooter used their music except for the band. But, their type of music attracts people prone to violence and violent acts; hence the stereotype.
Fair enough
Submitted by totalpakaj on Mon, 01/17/2011 - 1:54pm.
I do like harder music like Drowning Pool's, that kind of stuff makes an excellent soundtrack for the elliptical and lifting weights. Metal is nice and cathartic and good for blowing off steam, and don't color all metal fans as potential loose nuts waiting to shoot up someplace. Balanced people with good moral values instilled in them will use hard music like I do - as a non-violent means of blowing off steam. Kathy Griffin is a POS to be sure, but when it comes to the metal music, don't be so quick to judge. As an aside, Linkin Park stinks anyway, they are derivative and a bit too emo for my tastes.
It's all about personal responsibility.
Submitted by Cyborg 0427 on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 9:29am.
I have watched the response to this horrendous tragedy for what almost two weeks and i am amazed that I have not read or saw anybody even make a weak attempt to put blame where it soundly belongs, which is on Loughner himself. Even he was playing the blame game when he was blaming the community college for making him homeless. I am also sure in his BB sized mind he is as I write blaming someone for his actions, anyone other than himself. The reality of the situation is if anyone else other than Loughner shares blame it would be this moron sheriff Dopenik for not catching on to the fact that Loughner was a danger to society and needed treatment for his mental condition. It is after all his responsibility to protect the citizens of Pima county. Maybe this is why he was so quick to blame someone or something other than himself.
In America we have the right to make our own personal choices. The part that is not so good is we are responsibility for the consequences of these choices especially when there is an unintended outcome, but this is America and I would have it no other way.
This is why we have welfare. No personal responsibility. When one finds themselves in the position where they cannot support themselves and their children it's not their fault, it is societies fault, not because they made bad choices. So therefore it is societies responsibility to house, feed and clothe these poor victims. In fact we have made this conduct "normal."
The point is Americans are taught by the liberal education system that whatever situation one finds themselves in it is not their fault. It is the fault of society. No presonal responsibility. Until we as a society onced again teach our children from an early age they are responsible for their own actions this sort of conduct will become the normal.