Teen 'sport killings' of homeless on the rise

ISUFan22 · 02-20-2007, 02:03 PM

"It all started off as a game," Moore said.

Yes, a game is killing a man less fortunate than you by beating him to death, capped off with leaving your own feces on his face.

Just what in the hell is wrong with some of our young people?

ISUKyro · 02-20-2007, 02:05 PM

Wow, that's some messed up stuff right there.

htownclone · 02-20-2007, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by ISUFan22

CNN link

Yes, a game is killing a man less fortunate than you by beating him to death, capped off with leaving your own feces on his face.

Just what in the hell is wrong with some of our young people?

Wow, reading this reminded me of "Surviving the Game" starring Ice-T. Kind of a creepy concept for a movie and at the time a bit farfetched...but apparently not now? Oh, and John C. McGinley (Dr. Perry Cox)is much better on Scrubs than in this movie.

Cyclone62 · 02-20-2007, 02:14 PM

Wow, just... wow. Something I kind of wonder though, does this kind of action stem from other people openly stating that the homeless and poor are "a leech on our society"?

jbhtexas · 02-20-2007, 06:28 PM

This type of behavior is the natural result of teaching several generations of kids (some who eventually go on to become parents) that there are no moral absolutes and that human life is no more valuable than anything else on the planet. It's not like this type of thing hasn't been predicted over the past decade or so by social conservatives. Maybe we should have listened to them instead of labeling them as intolerant and outdated.

Awhile back I watched Ed Bradley's 60 Minutes piece on the game Grand Theft Auto. Human life has no value in that game. To advance, you have to kill cops and whoever else gets in your way. Teens by the millions play this game and games like it, while their parents turn a blind eye and say "It's just a game". The kids are just taking the video games and running with them. What else would you expect??? That's what kids do, they emulate behavior, unless their parents step in and teach them differently.

ISUFan22, I understand your shock. I've been working with youth groups for over 15 years now. I'm sad to say, that I (and many others who work with kids) have seen it coming. I'm saddened, but not surprised.

I just hope the next group to be deemed unworthy for life and chosen to be killed and deficated on isn't mechanical engineers who graduated from Iowa State. But, who can tell who's next on the list???

HOTDON · 02-20-2007, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by jbhtexas

I just hope the next group to be deemed unworthy for life and chosen to be killed and deficated on isn't mechanical engineers who graduated from Iowa State. But, who can tell who's next on the list???

Yikes, I'll second that!

BryceC · 02-20-2007, 06:47 PM

I understand what you're saying jbh, but social conservatives have also predicted a lot of things that haven't come true as well. And while this is shocking, it's not close to the norm as well. I noticed they were quick to point out that the 22 homeless deaths were the highest in 10 years, so this level has been reached before. It's sad and it's a pathetic commentary on our society, but a lot of things go into this far beyond just playing GTA. I get sick of people saying that Grand Theft Auto is somehow a culprit in all of this. I've played every one of them that has come out and never have I had any inkling to beat up a drifter. In fact the thought of "bumfights" disgusts me.

I don't give a crap if they played GTA beforehand. They are plenty old enough to know that you don't physically assult people. Would the world be a better place without Grand Theft Auto? Probably, but people have been abusing other people for a long time before Playstation 2.

End rant.

conmebol · 02-20-2007, 07:16 PM

I remember something similar on CSI about teens beating people up to death. That's kindad disturbing if that's where they drew the inspiration from.

247cy · 02-20-2007, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by jbhtexas

This type of behavior is the natural result of teaching several generations of kids (some who eventually go on to become parents) that there are no moral absolutes and that human life is no more valuable than anything else on the planet. It's not like this type of thing hasn't been predicted over the past decade or so by social conservatives. Maybe we should have listened to them instead of labeling them as intolerant and outdated.

Awhile back I watched Ed Bradley's 60 Minutes piece on the game Grand Theft Auto. Human life has no value in that game. To advance, you have to kill cops and whoever else gets in your way. Teens by the millions play this game and games like it, while their parents turn a blind eye and say "It's just a game". The kids are just taking the video games and running with them. What else would you expect??? That's what kids do, they emulate behavior, unless their parents step in and teach them differently.

ISUFan22, I understand your shock. I've been working with youth groups for over 15 years now. I'm sad to say, that I (and many others who work with kids) have seen it coming. I'm saddened, but not surprised.

I just hope the next group to be deemed unworthy for life and chosen to be killed and deficated on isn't mechanical engineers who graduated from Iowa State. But, who can tell who's next on the list???

I totally agree. I joke with my friends about a theory we had that when the first humans walked the Earth the species could do amazing things, like levitate objects with their mind or do crazy hard math problems in their head. The only problem was that the super-intelligent of the poplualtion reproduced at a much slower rate than the rest, and eventually the dumb ones took over and we lost those special powers. You don't need to demonstrate any form of competence to have kids.

I think parents in today's social climate have a very tough time with seeing that disciplining your kids can be and is a form of love. Sometimes they want to be the "cool" parents at the cost of skipping lessons of right vs wrong, or fantasy vs reality. Taking a tough stand on a seemingly minor issue can head off potentially major issues later. I also think the whole "feelings" crowd has altered some people's perception on what they should or shouldn't do - the ones who have made rediculous rules like not using red pens to correct homework, etc.

That said, I don't blame video game makers, or recording artists, or film makers etc when kids do something wrong. Parents are responsible for their child's behavior, and what they do for entertainment. One could always use Jr's attempt to bring GTA into your house as a "teachable moment", to make sure they know clearly where you stand, and to spark a discussion about any number of topics.

jbhtexas · 02-20-2007, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

I don't give a crap if they played GTA beforehand. They are plenty old enough to know that you don't physically assult people.

How would they know that? Teens, with all their hormonal changes etc., aren't exactly the most stable and well grounded group of people on Earth (no offense to any teens that may be reading, but that's just the way it is). So mom and/or dad tells the kid it's bad to beat up and kill people, but on the other hand, mom and/or dad lets the kid play 4 hours a day of video games where the point is to beat up and kill people, including cops and other people in authority. What kind of message does that really send?

I didn't state it very well, but the point I was actually trying to make about GTA is that it and games like it are just a manifestation of our culture's lack of value for human life...to get ahead, you have to kill. At least in Monopoly, you "just" had to take their money and property to get ahead...

For me, I'm content to play computer Rook. It's probably good that my Rook game doesn't have guns or weapons, because I'd be very tempted to use them on my computer partner for the stupid way he plays sometimes...

Cyclone62 · 02-20-2007, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by jbhtexas

I didn't state it very well, but the point I was actually trying to make about GTA is that it and games like it are just a manifestation of our culture's lack of value for human life...to get ahead, you have to kill. At least in Monopoly, you "just" had to take their money and property to get ahead.

While I agree with you to an extent, I think that the blame cannot be placed on one singular entity (in this case, videogames). In essays that I've read, I've seen a greater corolation between family/home life and what kids will do with their life. For example, if a kids father beats their mother or his kids, then that child is more likely to act the same way with his family. I just think there's more than one thing determining actions here, not just videogames.