August 21, 2007
Yesterday's GamePolitics contained snippets of a Destructoid interview in which Columbine survivor Brooks Brown was highly critical of a theory put forth by Dr. Jerald Block, an Oregon psychiatrist.In an earlier interview Dr. Block suggested that it wasn't vioent video games, but rather the deprivation of such games which may have helped trigger the 1999 Columbine massacre.
GP asked Dr. Block for his reaction to Brown's criticism of his theory. Here's what Dr. Block had to say:
I welcome Brown’s perspective on this important topic. He and his family were put through a lot in the Columbine tragedy; I’d be angry, if I were him. With regards to his criticism:
[Brooks Brown said that Dr. Block] claims that Eric and Dylan were banned from their computers for quite a long time - he states it lasted for about a year and a half up til the day of the shooting.
No, I never claimed that. What I noted was that Harris and Klebold were punished by the removing their access to computers, sometimes for extended periods. Indeed, Harris’ father was told to do so for about 4 weeks, following his son’s arrest. This is the exact period in which Harris and Klebold began writing of their plans to attack the school.
[Brooks Brown:] …experts like Block who say the parents were great and bullying didn't happen.
In the paper, I acknowledge the bullying, along with several other factors. I argue that the bullying and other issues, like the “copycatting” of other shootings, were important but not enough to explain what happened. I then detail an additional factor, the computer use, that I believe is critical and which had not previously been described. There were many causes for the rage behind the shootings – the key is in better understanding those causes.
[Brooks Brown:] Sure, Block claims to be on your side, but he uses fabricated facts to make you happy.
Firstly, nothing in my article should make anybody “happy.” It is gloomy, depressing stuff. As for my data, all were heavily footnoted and the paper was peer reviewed. Sources were from primary material (police reports, testimony, etc.). That being said, I’d be glad to talk with Mr. Brown if he has some information on a fact that I got wrong.
Comments
I agree and am glad for the civility, and did not mean to convey that I felt Block himself was a quack. I just realize that his beliefs will now be cited AS proof that a lack of videogames caused the horrible tragedy more so than bullying and other conditions. The real quacks will be the ones who use his argument as scripture in their battle against video games. That is what I am afraid of seeing.
I personally do not agree that videogame deprivation could be the major cause though, as I had video games taken away from me countless times over the years as a means for my mother to curb my language or failure to do chores adequately. The longest stretch was over 13 months for generally being a bastard toward others (my siblings and I all were awful to one another so she stowed away our 2600 in a closet). From all the material I have seen on the duo (including the videos of their arming and showboating) they were disturbed individuals whom had an ax to grind. The same can be said for the VT tragedy. Lack of videogame playing may have allowed them more TIME to plan, walk through the horrific plans and so forth, but I cannot believe it was the straw that broke their backs.
You would be as likely to convince me that their failure to manage the bowling score they desired was responsible for how many rounds they unloaded into their classmates. The duo planned their actions and looked forward to it on some sick level, the violence a telling sign of their distaste for those around them more so than those who cut off their game playing. You can always obtain a game to play again another day. You can not easily erase the pain and suffering that comes with being ostracized by your peers, even if you create this roleset for yourself.
Dr. Block didn't say that "bullying isn't important enough." He said, "I argue that the bullying and other issues, like the “copycatting” of other shootings, were important but not enough to explain what happened."
This is a very different statement than what you claim he said.
Yes it is. You will eventually snap. Bullying has many far reaching effects. It can make you an outcast. God forbid you have a learning disability and a bad teacher. They will treat you differently, its even worse if the school recognizes it because then they want to remove you from the normal classes instead fo making a simple accommodation.
I seen a friend stabbed in the back with a Pen at my school. Luckly it was those cheap ones with the pop out ends so it only broke skin but it could of done serious damage to my friend.
I was bullied as a child it can fck with you after a couple years of it and teachers treating me diffrently because of my learning disablites I had a nerouves break down on my first day in the 6th grade...
The stressed caused me to over react to a couple non bullies annoying me (fisticups),no one should underestimate the stress bullying causes.
Pouring out your thoughts can be VERY therapeutic indeed. Some of the blokes here may find this site a bit comfy in dealing with the way they are treated/looked upon for their gaming choices, or chosen personal appearance perhaps. I know I used to get a lot of strange looks walking out with my Mario Bros. shorts, which is why I shall keep any future Bomberman costume on the down-low. ;) I wonder where some people would be without their chosen venues of expression sometimes though, JT included.
I'd also have to agree with DragonBomber. "Peer reviewed" usually doesn't mean anything more than "some peers read it, and they agree it conforms to journal standards for formatting". I've seen good studies get rejected from being published because they didn't use arcane and outdated statistic presentation styles, and bad studies get published because they knew how to do good formatting, but not good science...
So I usually ignore "peer reviewed", as it tells me nothing about whether it was a "good" study or a "bad" one, just whether it was properly formatted or not...
That said, I still think Dr. Block brought up a good point in his paper, namely that limitations to creative outlets may have helped contribute to the buildup to Columbine. Pouring your thoughts out can be very therapeutic, and being denied or restricted from that outlet can help to bottle up emotions in a bad way.
A lot of the products of our society are misused by psychopaths. Guns and other weapons being a huge slice of the pie. Cars (whether for escape or as a weapon), books (loompanic's array of guides, library classics, and other documents), computers, and so forth. Any number of things could be used by someone as a means of escape, as a point of fixation, or merely to vent some steam in a healthy way. The line where healthy and deadly merge is a thin one I imagine though. When said item becomes a component in murder is especially vital to dissect.
I will never advocate the use of videogames let alone anything else to stand in the place of some form of therapy or necessary introspection and self improvement. Everyone has their own way of dealing with aggression, pain, or whatever and I will not try and say they are wrong. However, games should only ever be a temporary diversion from thinking about that issue for a while perhaps, or a means to offset negative feelings with positive entertainment, but never an outright replacement. Some constructive thought on the woes befalling you must take place or negative ends will be the only ones found.
This is a slippery slope though because emotions, whether anger, fear, or sadness can be tapped to create the most amazing writing, painting, or other artistic expressions that person may ever experience. For all we know, had the duo picked up guitars instead of guns, they may have been the next web sensation with record deals. Had they thrown paint onto a canvas they may have eventually found it raved on in large galleries. They may have even became the most prolific horror movie writer/directors or fiction writers. We all deal with darkness inside of us in different ways. Instead they saw resolution and their dream as a hail of death. For that I am regretful, not only for the obvious loss families experienced. The potential of so many is gone.
I don't know that they were addicted to games, or anything else besides having their revenge on those they felt deserved death. There was glory for them in the acts, and they were not completely in their gourds from some perspectives but normal from others. Depending on how far gone they really were and the laundry list of their activities in the last year or longer of their lives, quite a number of ordinary things may have added to the pressures they were experiencing. I mean, the PA guy who killed his young daughter last year because she knocked over his Xbox is a great example. People snap. It happens for a multitude of reasons every day. They may have snapped long before it is considered likely, forging their plans under delusion and psychosis for months. I leave those answers to the people who knew and loved them most.
I, myself, understand what constant bullying can do to a person and where it can make your mind go. Being picked on, stepped on and pushed around five days a week for several years CAN make someone snap. You just get to the point where you don't see any hope and come to the conclusion that payback is the only option left.
I was fortunate to have my Faith, books, art and other means of expression during my highschool days. If I hadn't had those things I might very well have been one of those cases of someone losing it. Its been years and I've calmed significantly, but I can understand what could make a couple of troubled young men snap.
On another note I would like to defend the idea that bullying (and addition social/mental factors) rather than lack of computer access and excessive video game consumption could have sparked the horrible events at Columbine. How do I know that it doesn't take video games and deprivation of a PC? I was a prime candidate for this kind of horrible situation. My father's role in my life was nonexistent, I was beaten up at school from a young age by bullies (the worst event being thrown in a garbage dumpster), and I generally felt outside everything. I was a living and breathing anomic monster waiting to bite. Music (chorus and band) was the only thing that kept me feeling anything other than hate and rage during elementary. I loathed police officers for crimes I had witnessed going unpunished on local women, including my mother. I nearly shot my father but he was too far ahead of my intentions.
Junior high found me in a new state thousands of miles away from my friends and everything I knew. Poverty continued and my worth fell to even lower depths. I again found chorus to get away from my rage, along with sports with friends. I would not play on teams because I still was ravaged by bullies. As I grew up into high school and my size increased, my rage increased and those bullies found themselves on the other end of hockey sticks across the face, desks being thrown about, and one individual nearly being thrown out a second story window. I had little worth and saw all male role models letting me down continually. I even attempted to kill my stepfather for his abuses against my mother.
This rage and violence was not caused by television or video games, or lack of them. It was caused by abuse I had suffered and a lack of therapy. My horrible view of the world was caused by a disassociation from society and a desire to feel worth something. I was a loner who eventually found other loners. Had I not found music and sports to soothe my rage, there would have been far worse crimes staining the American visage than Columbine. Meditation and study of ranging academic and technical subjects continued to allow me to build upon my horrible self worth and make a "me" I was proud of.
I am not a unique snowflake toward that end. Many other young men and women face this problem. In a troubling society of deception and greed, many find themselves drowning. They are pulled in multiple directions, and some handle these stresses better than others. Enabling a healthy family (which I did not have), investing in the futures of youth, and listening to what they have to say are some of the only ways to combat the horrible reality that even the most beloved youth can find themselves bestowing evil or harmful acts upon others. I have seen these youth in juvenile court and worked with them in at-risk youth programming, even from what appears to be the best sort of nurturing home environment. Most of these teens are far smarter than I will ever be, but find themselves in a bad place for a multitude of reasons.
I recommend any quack that desires to write off children and teenagers as being tainted by media seriously invest time in looking at what the real situation in their lives is. A degree may litter your wall, but it doesn't replace the time spent in those lives living their hellish days of torment, frustration, and anger. Some youth make bad decisions out of what their logic sees as necessity's and others a sick desire to injure. Their copious media intake is filling their lives where other devices fail, and may in fact be what keeps them above water until their own inner peace can be found, and someone will just take a look to offer them a helping hand.
Bravo! :D
As I indicated in another thread, the only thing I didn't like about Brooks Brown's interview was his equating of Block with JT. I thought that was overly harsh and out of bounds, and as Block himself cited, he wasn't really trying to downplay bullying and he did acknowledge it. The focus of his paper however was to see what role if any video games played and that it was possible that deprivation of them rather than immersion in them as so many others claimed was one of the factors that drove them to the breaking point. Otherwise Brown's words were spot-on.
Firstly, I agree with Ara Shirinian. Everyone quoting that Dr. Block said bullying 'isn't important enough' are accountable for *things taken out of context*.
I would also argue that the process of peer-review isn't perfect but is it worse than no peer reviewing?... Jabrwock - I think you'll finding the editing and formatting review is more a non-scientific book (by the publisher) rather than an article, as many journals have very simple guidelines for formatting on their webpages which you MUST comply with (usually sorted out by the journal and not the peer reviewer's also). Although I am not claiming it is perfect.
Additionally, everyone here much realise that Dr. Blocks article is an opinion not a scientific experiment. We should all be reading it as a different perspective that is often overlooked. I think he made some very relevant points and commend him on both his work and interest. However, he never stated that the banning of computer use was ENTIRELY to blame.
Furthermore, the counter argument by Brooks Brown (which appears to have swayed the opinion of many GP readers regarding Dr. Block’s article) was also very interesting and enlightening. With closer scrutiny it also reveals an angry person who may in fact be too close to the material he is dealing with (in no way am I trying to offend Mr Brown and I apologise if I have). A few statements he made were quite startling after what seemed to be objective, mature and sensible arguments. Specifically, I am referring to his some of his solutions of a) completely remove competitive sport from schools and b) completely remove religion (I am an atheist so I am pro-choice on this matter as I don’t believe anyone should be forced to partake in religious studies but it should be available). I would have to completely disagree with these statements and think they are both short-sighted and knee-jerk. Additionally the fervor with which he ‘shoots down’ Dr. Block’s ideas are telling of a more personal vendetta rather than a scientific debate.
Sorry for the rant but I do think the topic of debate should be regarding the theory that Dr. Block presents (of how an outlet for anger and aggression being removed cold-turkey may contribute to these terrible acts) and not the issue of whether bullying can contribute to these things (of which I agree whole heartedly that it does and which Dr. Block never refutes).