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Thursday, April 15, 1999 1:16 PM

On December 1st, 1997, Michael Carneal, 14, broke into his neighbor's home, stole guns and ammunition, then wrapped them in a blanket and snuck them into his school. Once there, he took one of them, a .22 target pistol, and fired 10 to 12 shots point-blank into a crowd during a voluntary prayer service. Three girls were killed, and 5 others wounded (2 of them paralyzed). The shooter claimed not to know why he did any of it.

The parents of the three slain girls are now suing a number of computer game companies, two internet porn sites, and the makers and distributors of the movie "The Basketball Diaries". Their claim against the movie is that its scenes of school violence "influenced" Michael Carneal to commit the killings. The same charge is leveled against the pornographic sites, because of the "sexually violent material" it contained. Computer game companies, however, not only influenced Carneal with scenes of violence and mayhem, but apparently also trained him to be an lethal killer. The attorney for the plaintiffs says that Michael had only been to a firing range once, but it was his playing of these first-person shooters than made him "a marksman of the Army's highest rating". "We intend to hurt Hollywood. We intend to hurt the video game industry. We intend to hurt sex porn sites," said one of the lawyers on the case.

No matter which way you look at it, this is a ridiculous lawsuit. The charges of these parents are plainly nullified when you actually explore the facts of the case. "The Basketball Diaries", like many movies nowadays, has violence. And like many movies, it is rated R. The movie ratings are Hollywood's only real ability to keep graphic films from being viewed by those who are not emotionally mature enough to handle their content. The only way that a 14 year-old boy should be able to see such a film is when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Somewhere along the line, the parents either granted this privilege or it was circumvented by a deliberate act of subterfuge. Who, then, is responsible for its undue "influence" on a 14 year-old boy? The people who made it and said that 14 year-olds should not see it, or the parents who ignored that message? Personally, I very much doubt that a movie was in any way responsible for this tragedy, but anyone who insists that it is can only point the finger in one direction.

The same plain reasoning can be applied to the internet sites named in the suit. Who doesn't know that the internet contains a lot of disturbing information that may not be appropriate for a 14 year-old? Yet Michael Carneal was apparently given unrestricted access to the content of the internet, with no monitoring software such as NetNanny, etc. I doubt highly that Michael paid for the computer, phone line, and internet access that allowed him to view the images that are blamed for his aberrant behavior. Who, then, did? The parents, again. Again and again it has been publicly acknowledged that filtering content is the responsibility of the parents, and if they are not up to the task, it is their job to either stop access completely or accept the consequences of their decision. Again, in no way do I believe that images on a computer could result in a shooting rampage. If you do, then it is obvious who should be held responsible.

I could repeat the same defense for computer game companies, but I'd rather address the idea that playing Quake could possibly make someone an expert marksman. Anyone who's ever played the game and shot a gun could tell you that this is the biggest load of horse shit they've ever heard. I have and I am. Moving a crosshair on a screen and pushing a button does not actually relate to the process of shooting a gun in the least bit. It does not teach you the proper sight alignment of lining up the front and rear sights. No game that I've ever seen does. Nor do they show you the proper way to place a trigger against your finger, or to pull it back in a consistent, fluid motion. One of the attorneys for this suit even admits that Michael had been to a shooting range once, but even so that doesn't exclude training or practice while out hunting or other activity. Even so, if he had received training in a shooting course, would we then blame the trainers for making him a "lethal killer"? What kind of message is that to send? "You can teach people how to perform a task, as long as they do not use it for evil." Do we sue the Army for making an effective marksman out of the soldier who takes his rifle to a hilltop and fires on his fellow soldiers as they perform their exercises? What kind of unreasonable burden is that placing on any group that informs and teaches? Next thing you know, we'll be prosecuting the teachers who taught programming the creator of a destructive virus. But I'm straying from the point, which is the utterly ludicrous idea that playing a game with a mouse or a joystick can teach someone how to shoot (some of the games mentioned don't even have guns in them).

Maybe we should start blaming the people who commit violent acts instead of everybody else in the world. In the end, no one has complete control over the actions of another.

The frivolous nature of this lawsuit is further compounded when you realize that this is the parents' and attorneys' second attempt to lash out blindly in any direction. The first suit included 19 school administrators and teachers plus 5 of Carneal's fellow students. Sure, why pick and choose your defendants when you can simply include everybody? The fact that defendants were dropped quickly by the judge is an anomaly. It is simply too easy to sue, too difficult (and expensive) to defend, and nearly impossible to be compensated for your legal fees after defeating a frivolous lawsuit. Our civil justice system has degraded and decayed into a process of legal extortion, where it is usually far easier and cheaper to settle than to fight, no matter how strong the evidence is in your favor. Action must be taken, and the system needs to be reformed.

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