gamepolitics: "Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer"

Game Politics (

gamepolitics) wrote,
@ 2006-06-03 08:01:00

Entry tags:

jack thompson, louisiana, rhetoric

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer"

In a long-standing political debate characterized by shrill rhetoric, Miami attorney Jack Thompson has made a doozy of an assertion to a Louisiana newspaper. The Advocate, citing Thompson's suggestion to criminal investigators that video games may have been involved in a fatal Louisiana shooting earlier this week, reports that the controversial anti-game attorney said the following:

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer."

Funny, that. A quick Google search on "shot in the face" turns up 921,000 entries. Here's a quick sample just from the past week. We see nary a video game or a hitman among them.

"Delivery Man Shot in the Face", Brooklyn, May 25th, 2006

"A man that interrupted the robbery was shot in the face", Sonoma County, California, June 2nd, 2006

"She was able to get medical treatment, when coalition helicopters medevaced Sherifa and her cousin, who was shot in the face, to Kandahar Air Field", Afghanistan, May 31st

"...was engaged in a custody dispute over their son... shot in the face as he slept", Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, May 30th

"They had a relationship that ended prior to the shooting. Light was shot in the face at close range", Lima, Ohio, June 2nd, 2006

As GamePolitics has noted in the past, outrageous and polarizing characterizations such as this do nothing to advance the political dialogue concerning video game violence. Just the opposite, in fact.

GP can only hope that elected officials in Louisiana who are presently considering video game legislation drafted by Thompson are reading their local newspapers carefully.

Want to talk about it? You can discuss this story via the "comments" feature (click below), or in the new GamePolitics Forums...

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(112 comments) - (Post a new comment)

	xenosphobatic 2006-06-03 02:06 pm UTC (link)
	Heh, figures everyone would pick up on that one line. XD (Reply to this)

Jack gets owned by GP once again

beardoggx
2006-06-03 02:18 pm UTC (link)

Not only that, Jack should watch Unsolved Mysteries, America's Most Wanted, and A & E's Cold Case Files, before making an asinine statement like that.

As GamePolitics has noted in the past, outrageous and polarizing characterizations such as this do nothing to advance the political dialogue concerning video game violence.

Exactly.

Just the opposite, in fact.

Something that Jack wants, because if intelligent, thought-out debate was advanced instead of the outrageous, polarizing bigotry Jack only brings to the table, he would lose(and he's already lost).

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Jack gets owned by GP once again godsy 2006-06-03 03:56 pm UTC (link)
	"Not only that, Jack should watch Unsolved Mysteries, America's Most Wanted, and A & E's Cold Case Files, before making an asinine statement like that." Yes, but by doing so that would totally revoke everything he stands for. His asininity. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Well by Thompson's logic... thabor 2006-06-03 02:26 pm UTC (link)
	Vice President Dick Cheney must play video games, or be a hit man. Way to go Jack. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Well by Thompson's logic... semperar 2006-06-03 03:55 pm UTC (link)
	That was a zing to end all zings. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Well by Thompson's logic... -

kyouryuu, 2006-06-03 04:40 pm UTC

Re: Well by Thompson's logic... -

chenry, 2006-06-03 04:47 pm UTC

Re: Well by Thompson's logic... -

elricbrother3, 2006-06-03 09:01 pm UTC

Oh, I think there is evidence that he did. -

doggyspew, 2006-06-04 08:26 am UTC

Re: Well by Thompson's logic... -

rhanlav, 2006-06-05 02:13 pm UTC

Not all the ones I pulled were the same.

nightwng2000
2006-06-03 02:38 pm UTC (link)

Only a hit man or video gamer?
Let's see:

http://bbsnews.net/bw2003-04-05.html

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=991802C1-7030-4164-BA96-356D7B5F

http://insider.tv.yahoo.com/celeb/1871/0C0A

http://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/135087/

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/12/26/toronto-shooting-051226.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/12/cheney/

http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8100

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=4212279

I was doing the same search and some of mine may be the same. I also like the fact that one of the articles that came up wasn't merely a local crime. That a well known name was involved, even if it was an "accident".

nightwng2000

(Reply to this)

	thecardinal 2006-06-03 02:58 pm UTC (link)
	You forgot Dick Cheney. Though i guess that was only partially in the face. (Reply to this)

	leeny_me 2006-06-03 03:23 pm UTC (link)
	"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer" ... or a vice president ;) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	nozomu 2006-06-03 10:52 pm UTC (link)
	To be fair, he thought that guy's face was a quail. A common mistake, the quail does kind of look like an old man's face. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	nedlum 2006-06-03 03:33 pm UTC (link)
	Hey, don't start denying that hitmen shoot people in the face. Never forget the poor, hilarious fate of Marvin from Pulp Fiction. (Reply to this)

	semperar 2006-06-03 03:41 pm UTC (link)
	Does anybody else recall some sort of flood or disaster-type-thing happening in Louisiana recently? Is the state government totally over that, then? I'm sure it wasn't important. Video games, that's what voters want to hear about... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gray17 2006-06-03 10:04 pm UTC (link)
	Is the state government totally over that, then? I'm sure it wasn't important. Video games, that's what voters want to hear about... The state government seems to be over that. The voters on the other hand judging by the newspaper articles GP's mention, aren't. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Heads up, Dennis: Two Letters To Times-Picayune Trash Louisiana bill, Roy Burrell beardoggx 2006-06-03 03:46 pm UTC (link)
	For the editorial roundup tomorrow: Teen Violence Predates X-Box Protect Children From Bad Laws Fun stuff. One of those letters is from a doctor. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Heads up, Dennis: Two Letters To Times-Picayune Trash Louisiana bill, Roy Burrell viridiscervus 2006-06-03 06:19 pm UTC (link)
	Hooray, common sense! (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Heads up, Dennis: Two Letters To Times-Picayune Trash Louisiana bill, Roy Burrell -

scazza, 2006-06-03 09:49 pm UTC

	Wow........Just....Wow grimm24 2006-06-03 04:24 pm UTC (link)
	Wow, anyone who would listen to this man, litterly needs to be shot in the face themselves. I mean does anyone even listen to this dooshebag?!? (Reply to this)

	attackgypsy 2006-06-03 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	You know, one of these days some hick sherrif is gonna get pissed off that some big city lawyer told him what to do in his case, that he's gonna get a warrant from some judge, and Jack is gonna be in handcuffs for interfering with a police investigation. Gods, I hope its soon. (Reply to this)

In any other situation....

mane115
2006-06-03 04:30 pm UTC (link)

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer."

I'm very sorry but it looks like someone is using "video gamer" in a derogatory way. Imagine if he said

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a insert racial slur here."

It wouldn't fly would it? People would look at him in disgust. We need to take these things that he is saying and expose him for the bigot he is. Not just here but outside. He called many parents children that are playing video games AND upholding societies laws killers, criminals, rapists, and that they are desenitized and they enjoy it. If I recall correctly this was done once, in the south, where because of a skin color they assumed they just raped and killed people, and were stupid...i forgot someone remind me about what that was...

I dunno about you, but I'm highly offended, and now my CIVIL RIGHTS as a gamer I feel is being threatened. If there is something I can do to fight that threat please let me know.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: In any other situation.... dkh 2006-06-03 06:29 pm UTC (link)
	That's not a fair comparison. Gamers are gamers by choice, not by set-in-stone genetics. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: In any other situation.... -

mane115, 2006-06-03 08:27 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

goodrobotus, 2006-06-03 10:30 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

terminator44, 2006-06-04 01:25 am UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

gamepolitics, 2006-06-04 12:27 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

goodrobotus, 2006-06-04 07:41 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

terminator44, 2006-06-04 08:17 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

semperar, 2006-06-05 10:18 am UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

terminator44, 2006-06-05 07:28 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

penarestel, 2006-06-06 07:50 pm UTC

Re: In any other situation.... -

j_man924, 2006-06-04 01:35 am UTC

	no_relation 2006-06-03 04:36 pm UTC (link)
	I'm suprised googling "shot in the face" returns so many non-bukkake results, actually. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	imdwalrus 2006-06-04 02:39 pm UTC (link)
	That's what Google News is for, silly! Also, you've got the greatest icon ever. :¬) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) -

no_relation, 2006-06-04 03:58 pm UTC

(no subject) -

aceofwilds, 2006-06-05 04:44 pm UTC

(no subject) -

terminator44, 2006-06-05 07:26 pm UTC

	sprngpilot 2006-06-03 04:41 pm UTC (link)
	I used to work in the coroner's office in Oakland, California, one of the highest crime areas in the country. I can tell you definitively that being shot in the face happens ALL THE TIME with normal street crime. It's quite common. I don't know what the hell JT was thinking with this comment. Moron! (Reply to this)

	chenry 2006-06-03 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	what about cops, soldiers? and on the opposite end, i bet regular muggers, thieves, mobsters, and general murderers have done it as well. (Reply to this)

	Twit. getwellgamer 2006-06-03 04:56 pm UTC (link)
	I almost wish you'd let him back on for ten minutes, just so we could laugh at whatever pathetic excuse for logic he would attempt to use to justify this asinine hyperbole. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Twit. ianc14 2006-06-03 07:06 pm UTC (link)
	you know hes trying to post right now :D (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Twit. -

terminator44, 2006-06-03 08:20 pm UTC

Re: Twit. -

elricbrother3, 2006-06-03 09:06 pm UTC

Re: Twit. -

ianc14, 2006-06-03 09:36 pm UTC

Re: Twit. -

beardoggx, 2006-06-03 11:51 pm UTC

Re: Twit. -

sabin_blitz, 2006-06-04 08:09 am UTC

	cubesquared 2006-06-03 05:40 pm UTC (link)
	Oh wow. I know there hasn't been too many Jack-centric pieces here in a while, as the guy's been laying low in terms of boneheaded statements, but this one really takes the cake. I am impressed, good job picking it up, GP. (Reply to this) (Thread)

viridiscervus
2006-06-03 06:23 pm UTC (link)

Well, maybe this will fill your Jack appetite, a dialog between me and him:
Jack Thompson here. Sorry you're distressed about the right of US citizens to travel freely within the country to engage in First Amendment speech before state legislatures.

Maybe you should read the constitution sometime. Maybe you should have gotten off your rear end and testified at the hearing yourself instead of whining about my doing so and getting a unanimous vote in the House.

Jack Thompson

PS: If Dennis McCauley had not illegally censored me from his little terrorist site, you would have had more information about this before it occurred.

Maybe if you could behave in public in front of those you consider beneath you (like us gamers), Dennis wouldn't have had to ban your disruptive behavior. Let me guess, you're gonna say I'm on drugs now?

I do read the Constitution, just studied it in class last week, in fact. Maybe you should reread the First Amendment while you're mentioning the Constitution.

And by the way, I was in school while you were lying to the committee, so couldn't testify. I know, a gamer who's not a highschool dropout mus be a shock to you, but we do exist.

He never responded after that.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) -

jesdk, 2006-06-03 07:59 pm UTC

	caelum 2006-06-03 05:48 pm UTC (link)
	A quick Google search on "shot in the face" turns up 921,000 entries. Here's a quick sample just from the past week. We see nary a video game or a hitman among them. There you go again, trying to apply logic and reason to Jack Thompson. (Reply to this)

	Hmm, Jack lied.... viridiscervus 2006-06-03 06:17 pm UTC (link)
	Does this really surprise anyone anymore? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Hmm, Jack lied.... goodrobotus 2006-06-03 07:08 pm UTC (link)
	Ummm.... So what game did the guy who shot King Harold (well, his housecarl to be precise) play in 1066 play then? (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Hmm, Jack lied.... -

sabin_blitz, 2006-06-04 08:12 am UTC

High-velocity lead poisoning in the nasal vicinity

eternallegenduk
2006-06-03 07:00 pm UTC (link)

I think there are two ways to take Jack's statement here, and they're both wrong. The first (the one most people will assume he means) is that nobody would want to shoot someone in the face specifically, presumably because it's a harder target than going for the chest. However, if you have a gun and want to shoot someone to kill them, you're at least going to think about trying for a lethal headshot unless you've only got one bullet.

The other (which he presumably intends to mean) is that nobody would be able to do it. That games provide the training necessary to shoot someone in the face. Even if we put aside for a moment the comparison between mouselook/analogue stick aiming and real world gun aiming, then pointing at someone's face is effective training in being able to point at someone's face.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: High-velocity lead poisoning in the nasal vicinity jesdk 2006-06-03 07:46 pm UTC (link)
	Regardless, there's a very big difference in being able to use an analog stick to make a crosshair line up with a character's head, and actually lifting up, steadying and lining up the iron sights of a gun to a man's head. A simple piece of fact that, like all of it's kind, passes completely over Jacko's head. ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Yes, you're absolutely right, Thompson... gabrielcelesta 2006-06-03 08:24 pm UTC (link)
	NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, JACK.... Nobody EVER got shot in the head during the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc....... Mother of God, JT, you truly are officially humanity's biggest retard. (Reply to this)

jdmdsp911
2006-06-03 08:37 pm UTC (link)

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer."

Remarks like this and the fact that he is still listened to after he has been proven a liar is the reason why the Video Game Industry needs to take him down in a lawsuit. the only way he will be stopped is if he loses absolutely everything he has. I'm tired of this prick getting face-time on a subject he obviously knows nothing about and the people who are truly involved like us are ignored.

(Reply to this)

	majestic_12_x 2006-06-03 09:23 pm UTC (link)
	"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're Jack Thompson" Too bad that "somebody" was our first amendment rights. (Reply to this)

	scazza 2006-06-03 09:53 pm UTC (link)
	We should all write to The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart...can you imagine the comedy that would ensue between JT and him? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mane115 2006-06-04 12:41 am UTC (link)
	I second that idea. Both Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert will run circles around him. I want to be in the audience when that happens. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) -

scazza, 2006-06-04 04:28 am UTC

(no subject) -

sabin_blitz, 2006-06-04 08:15 am UTC

	Just an aside.... goodrobotus 2006-06-03 10:05 pm UTC (link)
	But doesn't anyone else find it amazingly 'convenient' that the very week that JT is in Louisina giving evidence, all of a sudden he uncovers a 'Video Game Related Murder'? McCarthiism at it's worst. (Reply to this)

(112 comments) - (Post a new comment)

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