Wow for once Michael Moore has a sense of clarity! Those that know me know I am no fan of Moore, but everything he says in this video is correct and I agree! There is nothing offensive here and more importantly he asks the most important question WHY do we see this level of violence in America? That one word changes the context of this interview which people will actually attack Moore on, and normally so would I! But if you listen to it he makes a great argument and it is one that should concern all Americans.
Moore explains other countries deal with violent crimes related to mental health, people are armed in other countries but why in America are the acts of gun violence so much higher? It’s not the gun culture to blame, we have had guns in our homes since the nation was founded! So why has the level of violence ratcheted up so high over the last 40+ years? What changed? There is only one culprit that I can see responsible and that is from extremely violent video games and movies. The movies today are off the charts in violence and many times make the bad guy the good guy! So we find ourselves in the theater cheering for the thief, assassin etc! It’s all entertainment but the young today are exposed to so much more than most of us were growing up. Movies today are done with such realism compared to those 20-40 years ago. They capture you more deeply today than in the past even with the way they are filmed! Documentary style films try to pull you in and even some are done in first person… just like video games!
Look I play hardcore war-games but I come from a generation who got excited over Pac-Man! I and those from my generation have different sense of reality that doesn’t exist today with Call of Duty, Battlefield, Gran Theft Auto etc etc. For those who don’t know some of the early war game developers made simulators for the military before taking their craft and making them into billion dollar video games. These games today are conditioning young people there is no doubt and worst off it desensitized them. There have even been reports that terror organizations actually use violence games as a means of training because of the realism!
Many of us use to play war games in our backyard where someone would get hurt. We learned actions have consequences, but in a video game that no longer exists! Kids don’t understand when you fire at someone another gets hurt, they just know the points they got or can respawn! I can’t do this topic enough justice so I would suggest you watch this interview with Lt Col Dave Grossman. Grossman is the go to guy for the government and he taught at West Point! His books are required reading for those in the military and law enforcement!! Grossman addresses everything on the social impact of gun violence from the mass killings (NOT SHOOTINGS) to the influence from Hollywood and the video game industry.