Relatives of the Columbine victims have decided to sue the “entertainment industry” for $5 billion, including Time-Warner, Nintendo, ID Software, and God knows who else. According to the suit, poor little Dylan and Eric were turned into monsters by Leonardo DiCaprio and John Romero.
I’m sorry these people lost their loved ones. It’s a dreadul, horrible loss. But, Jesus Christ, how can a lawyer file this nonsense with a straight face?
My favorite part is how "it’s not about the money’.
Yeah. Right.
That’s a fair enough question. Of course, you’re completely missing its equally necessary corollary: How can the clients file this nonsense with a straight face? Remember, for every asshole lawsuit, there’s an asshole client. And the fact that these particular clients had their kids murdered by a couple of nut jobs does not excuse the fact that this is their asshole lawsuit.
But fear not, RickJay. I hereby give to thee Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the slayer of asshole lawsuits. To wit:
From a bit buried somewhere at http://www.seanbaby.com which said what needed to be said pretty clearly:
“It’s pretty common for pussies, dumbasses, and their families to blame their problems on vague influences like the media and society. The truth is, fuck you.”
– Seanbaby
I’d pay good money to hear a judge say just that.
RickJay, could we see cites for the first 1,561 Asshole Lawsuits, please?
They’re right here.
Zev Steinhardt
I was recently reading an interview with George Carlin and he pointed out how Canada has access to a lot of the same media that the U.S. does. Movies, Music, Video games; TV,too. But they don’t seem to have the same problems with violence.
Maybe it’s not the media…
I actually believe there is a lot of merit to not letting your kids consume too much of the no-redeeming-value shit out there. But that’s a far cry from holding the media companies accountable for what my kid watches, or how he reacts to it when he sees it.
If it wasn’t about the money, they’d be suing the parents of the Dylan & Eric. I’m not saying they should do this; but if you’re going with a theory that someone other than the shooters are to bear blame, then these parents have to be considered more accountable than, say, Time Warner for christ’s sake. I know the parents are in pain. I think it would be awful to go after them with a lawsuit. But if you insist on bringing legal action against someone, you’d have a hard time convincing me that some corporation is more to blame than the parents. The corporations, however, have some deep-ass pockets.
This reminds me of a lawsuit brought against a city when the 911 operator did not prioritize a phone call highly enough. The caller was afraid her estranged boyfriend might hurt her. The dispatcher mistakenly underestimated the call’s urgency, and the police got there too late. The boyfriend had arrived and shot her dead. The jury found that the city (by way of the 911 operator) was *more than 50% responsible * for the victim’s death. Silly me, and silly medical examiner! I thought the bullet was the major factor here! I thought the boyfriend played a pretty big role! At least half, anyway. I guess I don’t understand ballistics well enough.
Perhaps I am also silly for thinking that the violence in media, while troubling and possibly even harmful to unguided kids, isn’t the real issue at hand.
Maybe it’s all the hockey! 
IINM, they did, and the parents settled out of court. And I’m pretty sure it’s not about getting the money. I don’t suspect these parents (well, most of them) are thinking “Well, my kid is dead, I might as well make a buck off it!” But I do think it’s about making these companies, individuals, etc. pay. A pretty typical revenge metality, seems like.
Agreed. I think violence is mostly a product of culture, by which I mean the people around us, not the media. As a Canadian, I think my culture discourages violence. But I think the attitude in the US is a bit more complex. How can you say, “Violence is Wrong” but “It’s my right to own handguns”? At best, it’s a mixed message.
All that rugged individualism. I mean, these video games and TV shows are everywhere. Why isn’t everywhere violent?
Hamish,
Everywhere IS violent. You just don’t see it as much as you do here in America. The all pervasive media here gives it to you 24/7/365. With your dinner. While you drive your car. At work. Everywhere.
But I challenge you to find a place on this Earth that has two or more people that has no violence.
I’m inclined to go with the retribution excuse. Blame everyone else. Get some money. Hey, it worked for others, so why can’t I?
Just take care of your damned kids and this stuff doesn’t happen. Show some love. Ask about school. Go to their ballgames. Take them for walks and stuff. Talk to them. It works!
Why people blame it on TV, movies, and music is beyond me.
Many more horrendous things happen every day around the world.
It’s obvious that the plaintiffs are going after identifiable and confiscatable assets. Why not? Our judicial system encourages these frivolous lawsuits.
If we ever have real tort reform, the law will make the LOSER PAY in these circumstances.
It’s just too easy to file a lawsuit in this country. If a jury could make the decision on this and I was serving on it, I would make the instigator pay through the nose; and their attorney wouldn’t get off so easily, either!
Because it’s a lot easier to look at yourself in the mirror if you don’t have to blame yourself or some other parent who is also grieving.
I think you’re on to something here. A violent sport to allow people to get out their aggressions without actually fighting with each other.
And America has the mega-corporations to make it happen.
I say we organize a rollerball league right now!
I just wanna know what kind of music, movies, or video games Ted bundy, Jeffery Dahmer, and Timothy McVeigh were into…No one asks these questions if its an adult that committed the crime.
Your wish is granted.. [sub]Yes, I realize it is for the remake coming out[/sub]