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324 Comments
- halleyscomet, on 10/12/2007, -5/+711Please be respectful, as the last thing Video Game players need is Dr Phil reading a bunch of death threats on his TV show.
- wop4life, on 10/12/2007, -15/+621I can't support this. The last thing Dr. Phil needs is to eat anything else.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -13/+435Too late, it's on Digg. This won't end well.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+252Dr. Phil -
My name is David Hammond, a 23 year old computer programmer from Tucson, AZ. I grew up leading a normal life, went to college and graduated. I have a career that I love and a great family life.
I have played video games compulsively since I was 5 years old and my parents bought me my first Nintendo.
I am a part of a majority of my generation who grew up with video games (yes, even violent ones - my parents never placed any restrictions except "get your homework done first") and live a normal, socially well-adjusted life.
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, you made a statement claiming video games to be a root cause of Cho Seung-Hui's social problems. Recent searches have revealed that Cho did not own any video games. Will you be planning on retracting your damaging statement about this entertainment form?
Its understandable how many problems with my generation get blamed on video games, however every group has its outliers. There are millions of people in my generation that have grown up with video games. If they were truly a cause, more incidents would be seen.
Thank you for your time. I do hope that you see the error in your statement.
David Hammond - joltcola, on 10/12/2007, -15/+224he should get leroy jenkins on his show...
- orangefur, on 10/12/2007, -5/+145Why does Dr. Phil need to know my name, age, home address, phone number?
- FullMetalMonkey, on 10/12/2007, -6/+128The only thing we Diggers need to do is be clear, clean and concise to get the message across. No Threats, L33T or Improper use of language!
- nebrfan, on 10/12/2007, -5/+83"So before computers, when kids went bad, what was it blamed on?"
Easy ! Premarital sex and marijuana cigarettes !! - lechatron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+78Well put, this is the kind of feedback he needs to receive. I just hope letters like this don't get lost in the flood of "You're a n00b Dr. Phil!!" letters.
- Bartboy919, on 10/12/2007, -7/+84He wants to make sure that many of his fans are female, because he has a sex problem.
- Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -10/+78I suppose we could always snail mail him a DS Lite and a copy of Animal Crossing. We'd never hear from him again.
That ***** is like crack. - iam413x, on 10/12/2007, -5/+67@disused His roommate said he never even saw Cho playing video games. Your arguement has been declared null and void.
- wageslaven, on 10/12/2007, -6/+56Mailing list buddy. He's a new age snake oil salesman -- like oprah -- it is all about the cash.
- framitz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+55Since I have no respect what so ever for Dr. Phil, so I did not post to his site. My wife sometimes has this ass clown on when I get home from work. I can't stand him and won't even stay in the room if he's on television in my home.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -17/+64JUST FOR LAUGHS...Say hi to the real Dr. Phil site.
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6858/philce4.jpg
another link (cropped)
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2568/philyq3.jpg - nottidredd, on 10/12/2007, -13/+59Dear Dr. Phil.
Retract your blame on video games or I'll pwn you with my 1337 Halo skills! - mikesherov, on 10/12/2007, -3/+46Dear Dr. Phil,
I resent you blaming the recent tragedy in VT on video games. Evidence has shown that the killer did not own a single video game. On top of that, most research seems to support the notion that while violent video games do attract violent people, it does not make people more inherently violent.
I have played plenty of violent video games in my day, and have never once thought of killing or hurting another person. While this may be anecdotal evidence, what evidence do you have to support your idea that video games cause violence?
Believe it or not, I watch your show frequently despite being in the wrong demographic (I'm a 25 year old male). I usually like your straight talk and no nonsense attitude. However, I won't be watching your show again anytime soon. I think it's irresponsible to blame video games when the killer was obviously mentally disturbed.
Regards,
Michael Sherov - EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -6/+43Are you claiming that even playing a game once and a while can cause a kid to kill 30 people? Wow. If that were true, we'd be knee-deep in bodies. if the kid was a gamer, he'd own at least a few of his favorite games.
- TexMurphy, on 10/12/2007, -9/+44I wrote this...My co Workers laughed....LOL
.
Dr. Phil why do you hate men? Every time my wife or her female friends watch your show they always comment on how evil the guest men on your show are. Is it your purpose to put men in a bad light so that you can make your social points? Why do you blame video games for our societies violence? Is it because you hate men. Do you also blame violent books for our societies violence? Did Ernest Hemingway cause the Virginia Tech murders? If so is it because you hate men?
.
Signed
A man that doesn't leave work holding my wifes hand. - Mootabolife, on 10/12/2007, -6/+37So he can call you on his show to discuss your violent video game rage.
- ReverendRodger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34@cablewife55
"So before computers, when kids went bad, what was it blamed on?"
I believe before computers and video games, people blamed the bad behavior of kids on that damned rock & roll music. - meltingrobot, on 10/12/2007, -24/+53@mgross
Gun control is not the answer. Once again, people who plan on murdering people aren't really caring too much about whether or not they obtain weapons in a legal manner. Guns don't kill people. Insane ***** kill people. - jotate, on 10/12/2007, -6/+34My message:
You went on national television the day after a tragedy took place at Virginia Tech and, unjustifiably, diagnosed the gunman. You had no idea what the motivation for his actions were and yet you made assumptions about what led him to commit these atrocities. That in itself is ethically reprehensible. But in doing so, you lent yourself to the side of Jack Thompson and the like who shamelessly place the blame for these epically tragic events on the gaming industry. It is unacceptable and slanderous to place the blame of a murderous rampage on writers, artists, and programmers. You owe it to every person who has ever taken something you've said to heart to recant your statements and apologize to the companies and people you labeled as accomplices to this heinous act. - ekrabs, on 10/12/2007, -4/+32I heard that he wrote a bunch of violent screenplays. Perhaps we should ban theater too.
/sarcasm - Hobofuzz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23It's just like that kid in SLC who shot up the mall.
Neither played video games. Neither owned video games.
So they went around shooting people.
Looks to me like NOT having video games is the problem here. - phort99, on 10/12/2007, -6/+23First, STFU, nobody gives a flying ***** about your self-gratifying self-talk.
Second, don't even bother clicking the link, it goes to linkinpark.com.
Third, the link uses tinyurl because it's hiding an affiliate ID link, so he's trying to profit from this *****. You can see this if you go to tinyurl.com and enable previewing of links.
Fourth, listen to better music. - skyfire1, on 10/12/2007, -27/+41Mgross, although you're right about not blaming it on video games, gun control is what made the law abiding students defenseless.
- AdamFitz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Because when people blame it on video games, stupid and uninformed voters listen. And then vote on laws that will lead to restricted video games and possibly even bans on some of the most fun game (there would be no GTA if Jack Thompson and co. had their way). Personally I happen to like playing video games. Last I checked, even the goriest game I've played have yet to make me murder one person, let alone 30+.
- Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15@lechatron (#6244726)
On the contrary, the flood of these letters will get lost in the *vastly more controversial to put on the air* trickle of "You're a n00b Dr. Phil!!!" letters. - jclarke, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16send this in its from http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/18/what-i-know-about-violent-games/
Dear ____________,
In light of the recent tragedy, you might have heard some people saying that violent games are partially to blame for real life violence. To put your minds at ease about these games, I, ____________, make the following declarations:
* I know the difference between right and wrong.
* I know the difference between fantasy and reality.
* I know where the game ends and real life begins.
* I know the difference between aliens/zombies/monsters and people.
* I know the difference between digital people and real people.
* I know the pain real violence can cause.
* I know the pain real crime can cause.
* I know that people who commit real crimes go to real jail.
* I know that people have played Cops and Robbers for generations without becoming real robbers.
* I know that millions of people play violent games without ever committing a violent act.
* I know that video games are a safe way to let out my aggression without hurting anyone.
* I know that pressing a button isn't the same as pulling a trigger.
* I know that no amount of virtual deaths will make me comfortable seeing real death.
* I know that virtual death and real death are worlds apart.
* I know that, in real life, you get one life and there's no reset button.
* I know, in the end, that these are only games. - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18Why not blame it on the person?
- chibigoku, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14Heres mine:
I was wondering if you are going to retract your statements about the Virginia Tech shooter having gone on his rampage being in relation with video games. Not only is it completely ignorant, but most likely untrue, since when his house was searched there was no signs of him even playing video games. Though I am not surprised by the fact you would blame video games, since all people seem to blame bad things on technology they do not understand, it is still quite inane to say that the billions who play video games, and the hundreds of millions who play violent video games are just waiting time bombs, ready to kill because of virtual training that has honed their skills and hardened their hearts.
Just because you can fly a 747 in a flight simulator at home does not even come close to the real thing, and nor does Grand Theft Auto prepare you to buy a gun, pull it on someone, look into s real, scared persons eyes, and be able to pull the trigger with no remorse. People used to blame books like the Communist Manifesto and other works of twistedness for all kinds of crime, and now we blame video games and the internet. The only people who will be going out and killing people are the ones who would be doing it whether its now or the 1400s. Video games did not create these monsters, thier lives did. We had serial killers and mass murderers long before video games, internet, TV, and even books were invented.
Stop trying to make it seem like some person cant be that crazy on their own, that its SOME NEW THING turning our kids into monsters. Suck it up and call him a murderer and let that be the end of it. - mnic001, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Maybe. It can't hurt to try. At the very least, he will probably find out that a lot of people sent him e-mails complaining about this. If we're lucky, most of the e-mails will be as well written as Mr. Hammond's and perhaps he will even retract his statement.
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13So far we're just looking at Video Games, gun control and Satan. Normal day in the US.
- theragu40, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12I once bought a bunch of Dr. Phil brand diet bars and drinks from a discount store. I ate several of them and had horrible, debilitating gas. I can only assume this is how Dr. Phil feels every day?
- pivovy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12The real problem is that there are people who believe and take as a fact every drPhill's, Oprah's and etc... word.
- raynar, on 10/12/2007, -11/+19Or, we could just not give a ***** about what Dr. Phil or any other "celebrity" thinks. Just because they're famous doesnt mean we should follow blindly.
***** Dr. Phil. ***** him in his ***** ass. - Boshow, on 10/12/2007, -7/+15@mgross
"I don't really understand why video games, Bill Gates, and other ridiculous things are being blamed for this."
Because the media needs someone to blame, video games usually make a good scapegoat, like rock and roll used to, and they don't think the public can't handle that it's just a case of the ole fashioned crazies and that something like this can, and (sadly) probably will happen again. - KuJo6784, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Dear Dr. Phil,
I'm a 22 year old Clemson PhD student from Atlanta, Georgia. I graduated in 3 years from Cornell University with an Bioengineering degree and I'm of asian descent. I've played videogames since childhood and I still do to this day, so I feel this is pretty relevant to me. Last night I even played a first person shooter with some of my highschool friends (this helps us keep in touch).
Since you reach millions of Americans when you make statments on television, I find it your job and responsibility to deliver the most truthful and factually based information to the public.
When you made recent accusations about videogames being the cause of the events at Virginia Tech you made them without any factual basis. Playing the blame game and having knee-jerk reactions are the last things that should be done when something like this occurs.
People throughout history have done evil and tragic things for a variety of reasons and I think it's the same case here. Before we venture any further into censorship, gun control, and other reactionary measures just remember what we're taught as children: that we're responsible for our own actions - Qwiggalo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+81. He didn't have any friends to play THEIR games.
2. His "friends" in South Korea said he had played counter-strike. I'm not too sure on the source of that though, I think it was Jackass Thompson.
3. It doesn't matter if he played counter-strike; because games don't cause people to kill people, nor do any train you, it's a ludicrous accusation.
4. 12% of school shooters played video games. - Eilarais, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Recently on your show, you mentioned that the recent Virginia Tech shootings may have been related to violence in video games. Since this subject has long been a matter of interest to me as well, I would like to ask you which of the video games owned by the killer you think most likely caused the violence. I would like to start a national campaign against these titles which would prevent a single additional copy from ever being sold in this country. Based on the facts of the case, I think you will agree that this is a very attainable goal. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
- Cablewife55, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13So before computers, when kids went bad, what was it blamed on? He was obviously mentally deranged and needed no other motivation other than sheer insanity. We've all heard the video by now and no where does he quote any game - not even a Leroy Jenkins shout out.
- Anomis, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7But some cameras record in .mov and he prob just burned it straight from cammer
- Tiak, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10@jbelflower
You obviously aren't buying the right candy. - silvercatmon, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10@skyfire1 "Mgross, although you're right about not blaming it on video games, gun control is what made the law abiding students defenseless."
Have I missed something (I could have, I haven't been glued to the news), but have some of the people who where there said that they normally carry a gun, but since it's illegal on the campus didn't? - android32, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Too long, didn't read.
- WDot, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9When writing, be respectful, but assertive, and use facts to back up your opinions. Here's my submission:
Dear Dr. Phil,
I am disappointed by your suggestion that the recent Virginia Tech shootings were influenced by violent video games. First, because this is obviously not true (Cho Seung Hui did not own any video games, as a warranted search discovered), but more importantly because you used this tragedy as an easy argument to press an anti-video game agenda. The families and friends involved do NOT deserve this.
Even if you dislike video games, there is no proof that video games alone make for violent children. Here are some statistics on Youth Crime: http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/violence-in-schools/national-statistics.html
Note the rather high youth violent crime rate in 1993, when the violent video game Doom was released. Then note 2001's much improved statistics, when the controversial Grand Theft Auto III was released. There is NO CORRELATION between violent video games and increased crime rates.
I am sure you should know that there are plenty of factors that can influence a person negatively, such as a bad neighborhood, poor parenting, friends who are bad influences, or no friends at all. Chances are, a healthy person who plays violent video games moderately will still be healthy. So please, avoid passing judgements without knowing all the facts. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -8/+12possibly so he can -- at his staff's discretion -- perform background checks, then invite you onto his show to be part of an uniformed discussion before finally being edited into mainstream retarded media perfection...
- hockey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@akatherder
I agree. Basically all he said was "if someone is already nuts and they are involved in violent media then it may contribute to their already mental instability"
I don't see anything good coming out of this "protest". Dr. Phil did not DIRECTLY in any way blame video games for the shooting (use reading comprehension folks). Since diggers seem to be ignoring this fact a ton of mail flaming him for doing so will cause more harm than good. Seriously, come on guys do you really think a bunch of "F U JACK THOMPSON AND F U DR PHIL AND DIEEEEE!!!!" posts (which is what happens anytime these guys make the news) will ever lend ANY credibility to our arguments?
Of course akatherder since stating this goes against the current mob mentality of this digg thread you predictability getting dugg down. - hack314, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8The report said he had a compaq. ...Maybe a source of his rage?
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