So Louisiana passed their violent video games bill and my favorite quote has to be the equivalent of “Sure, it’s useless and pointless, but by god, we gotta get the soccer mom vote!” from one of the bill’s supporters. “It’s up for the courts to decide” is the new “Well, we don’t really believe it, but we live in a conservative state and really like our jobs.” Reaction from the press is heartening (and the withering sarcasm is awesome), but this is an entirely unnecessary bill.
If I may quote:
“Why would politicians introduce bills that have little chance of standing up in court, and won’t really change anything anyway? In the best light, well-meaning politicians are trying to find that magic bullet to combat a societal ill the public fears is de-sensitizing young minds to violent behavior.”
“From a less favorable viewpoint, politicians understand such efforts play well with an alarmed public: video games are the latest scapegoats in a tradition that includes comic books, rock ‘n’ roll, Pokemon cards and other media likely to tarnish the purity of modern youth.
Louisiana legislators: One of your major cities was nearly destroyed by a huge hurricane. You’ve got refugees scattered all over the country. I have friends still living in temporary housing, and you probably do, too. You should have better things to do right now than grandstand for doomed legislation.
