South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson is digging into his old bag of tricks, dredging up claims of personal threats, slamming gamers and insinuating that his political opposition might be behind the threats.
Speaking to ABC, Atkinson once again claimed to have had a threatening letter slipped under his door at 2AM “from a gamer” and said that his electronic email is constantly spammed.
Atkinson then went a step further, comparing gamers to another group:
I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me. The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven’t been hanging around outside my door at 2AM, a gamer has.
Atkinson added, “I have no evidence to say that it [the threatening material] is being circulated by members of Gamers4Croydon. I don’t know who sends me this awful material.”
A short video segment from the interview is available here.
Atkinson has often been identified as the lone holdout among Australian Attorney Generals when it comes to the issue of adding an R18+ rating category for videogames.
Update: Gamers4Croydon President Chris Prior addressed Atkinson’s latest attack, saying, “It’s really quite absurd and it trivialises the lives that have been ruined by cruel motorcycle gangs.”
“We are a party formed to challenge Mr Atkinson publicly, civilly, and within the rules of South Australia's democracy,” he added, denying any link to the harassment of Atkinson.
Thanks Andrew, Ryan and iheartassassinmaids!
Comments
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
I agree w/Gellymatos. But yeah where are the "real" letters he is getting that he spouts off about? Why doesn't he file a police report?
"I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me. The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven’t been hanging around outside my door at 2AM, a gamer has."
This statement he made, I feel sorry for his family, b/c he is the one that wanted this whole mess of an R18+ rating to come into affect in South Australia. If he doesn't want his family to be at risk & NOT from gamers, then maybe he should take up issues that he knows the facts about & not what he THINKS he knows.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Congratulations, everyone! We are officially more dangerous, and therefore more badass than bikers. May we succede in getting to the next level!
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." -Albert Einstein
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Atkinson must be a very insecure person to be threatened by overweight nerds that still live with their parents.
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I think I'll stop describing myself now.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
I saw the show on Good Game on ABC2 on Monday night, they also had members from Gamers4Croydon speaking.
also with Atkinson saying bad things about gamers once again, he can't let go of the fact that most of us gamers are mature, and his only way of winning a debate is spitting out lies and poraying us gamers as killers or something.
Also it seems that Mr Atkinson does not like Bikers, so it is natural for the Biker community to be against him because originally it was Atkinson who was attacking them.
So I would rather be a Gamer than a Biker.
How crazy world we live in, and who is more dangerous, a gamer, a biker, or a politician?
I would bet 5 dollars that a politician is more dangerous than a gamer or a biker.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
It's rather telling that we've never seen one of these letters he's gotten.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Can we get him to say this shit in red? Seriously, I'd pay to see him try and say such bile in red.
(Cookie for anyone who gets the reference)
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"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
A member from the opposing side threatened me, therefore I'm right/they all behave that way (and are thus wrong?).
Sorry there's no logic in that statement.
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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
What kind of silly democracy requires 100% agreement of all 'voters' anyway?
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
It´s almost out of the scale... Too bad he did´t make a police report, because then we would now that his is literally pulling it out from his ass.
My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Yeah, OK, Mr. Atkinson, it's not you, it's everybody else. They're the ones that are wrong, not you. Really.
/b
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Thanks to Andrew, Ryan? Anyone else smirk at that?
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Bah, here I thought I was the first to announce that in the shoutbox :\
Oh well...one day...someday, there will be Thanks to the Harmless Bunny! :P
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James Fletcher, member of ECA Canada
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Yup. How fitting too because this quote applies here as well: A Man chooses. A slave obeys.
So Australians can't "choose" to have adult only games and instead have to "obey" what restrictions the goverment has set in regards to it (all because of Atkinson's stubborness).
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
That's what I was thinking also. I love Bioshock, I need to get the second one.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates "Threats" Against Him
The Continental Cretin of Australia continues to prove himself as a liar and a coward.
Mikey should grow up and get a life.
Geaux Saints, Geaux Tigers, Geaux Hornets, Jack Thompson can geaux chase a chupacabra. Hell will stay frozen over for quite a while since the Saints won the Super Bowl.
Geaux Saints, Geaux Tigers, Geaux Hornets. Solidarity for the Saints = No retreat, no surrender. Even through the darkest days, this fire burns always.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Yeah because in more dangerous then muscle bound bikers. how ever I am friends with pac man and his gal.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/killatia/e%20for%20all/avi.jpg
Becareful around them Atkinson, he might gobble you up.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Dude, she's totally checking you out.
"That's not ironic. That's justice."
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Proof or it didn't happen.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
"TITS or GTFO" is suddenly replaced by "Proof or STFU"
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Pics or it didn't happen is as old as Tits or gtfo. Go lurk more, read some zimmer on ED noob.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
I'm going to assume, for the sake of fairness, at Atkinson isn't full of shit here.
His complaint: a "gamer" is harrasing his family.
His stance: "Gamers" are unable to maturely handle the debate and following responsibility that a mature rating would grant.
He justifies the continued stonewall against a progressive media agenda -- not because he has any rational reason, but because ONE GUY is bugging him. How extraordinarily stupid is this guy, if he thinks that one person can be a good representation of ANY population? This is like a whiny teenager raving sexist epithits because of a harsh breakup.
If for no other reason, this man should be removed from any position of power so long as he fails to realize that individuals are -- remarkably -- individual, and cannot speak for a whole population.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Two things...
First, do we all really believe that this threatening letter is real? I mean seriously... "beware of the letter!" How do we know Atkinson didn't pay the local schoolyard bully to pen this missive? It's conjecture at best, political duplicity at worst.
Second, is a politician this obviously "fragile" really whom you wish to represent you Australians? I would think American politicians likely receive these types of notes daily and by the mail bag full. I would suppose that you are not doing your job well enough if at least your political party opposites were not wishing for your demise daily.
The only thing missing from this story is a gamer twirling his villian-esque moustache.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
*Twirls his moustache in a villian-esque fashion*
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Gamers just like any group you can ever name has its share of idiots. Idiots who like to talk big and think they can get things done by making threats. Really, it comes no surprise to me that this guy would get a threatening letter on his door step; i think there's little question that it happened...
the only real question is if the threat is actually real or if it's just a very stupid idol threat... to which i say there is probably a 99% chance that it is a not a serious threat since idiots do this kind of stupid crap all the time.
Y'know i hate the guy as much as anybody, but in all fairness, i do get annoyed by some of the conclusions people are so quick to jump to... i mean, other than quoting the same flawed studies as others have, and saying some disparaging things about gamers, has really done anything the makes him so evil that he would go out of his way to sabotage gamers? Really i think the years of exposure to Jack and his insanity has really skewed what gamers think of anybody in an anti-game position. People treat him like he's Jack, when i think he's probably closer to Grossman's level
And it's not just him... there have been a few cases in the past where random nobodies on the anti-game side had come here to comment, and then dozens of posters pounced all over jumping to the conclusion that they were truly irrational haters; when in reality they were just normal people who were just honestly ignorant and concerned... they attacked the poter like they would a nutcase like Jack, when in reality it was someone that could have been reasoned with if we just talked to them in a calm and polite rational manor... ya that's not the case with atkinson, as he is unreasonable, but my point is that some people around here really need to stop treating every person that speaks out against games as some kind of evil nutcase like Jack. Really you're not doing gamers any favors when you walk in with that kind of attitude.
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
First, yes, it is a generally accepted rule that if a politician doesn't have any enemies, that politician isn't doing their job right.
Second, as long as their daily hate mail isn't laced with poison or some other harmful agent and their hate e-mail doesn't contain viruses, worms, or malware, then they shouldn't get their knickers in a bind.
"That's not ironic. That's justice."
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
Ack, he's on to us. Quick! Call off the stalkers, thugs, observants, goons and crooks!
Re: Atkinson Reiterates Threats Against Him
When a public figure is threatened, it invalidates every criticism ever made against them from anyone ever. This is true of George W Bush Jr, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and now Atkinson.