14 DAY TRIAL // Comedy Central's satirical news program, The Daily Show, has found the US politicians who are out to take on videogames with violent content as their newest target.
One of the last week's episode broadcast included a segment entitled 'Player Haters', which focused on the congressional hearing held to discuss the issue on June 14th. During this segment, Jon Stewart - the show's host - made fun of Nebraska's representative Lee Terry for expressing concern about the content of the games his three young sons play.
Mimicking Terry, Stewart said: "And as I stand there, watching them play these violent games, helpless to do anything about it... I can't help but wonder where the system has failed."
Another representative targeted by Stewart was Joe Pitts but this time only to express his approval towards his views. Pitts opened a recent Congressional hearing on videogames by suggesting that well-off suburban teenagers "can play Grand Theft Auto or similar games without turning to a life of crime - but a poor kid, who lives in a neighborhood where people really do steal cars or deal drugs, might not be so fortunate."
"That's right, wealthy kids don't do those things. Like my good friends those Columbine boys... Seriously, the House of Representatives is filled with insane jackasses" said Jon Stewart.
As Samantha Bee, a Daily Show reporter, pointed out, nobody believes there is really a connection between real violence and violence in games. There are too many studies who support this view and no legal precedents against it. "Politicians are just beating a dead hooker here", she concluded.
As long as there will be juvenile violence, discussions about in-game violence will continue to keep the front page. However, one should ask himself what makes politicians opt for fighting in-game violence instead of real problems like poverty and ill-treatment that juveniles across the world have to bear every day of their lives.
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