Super Lockdown

Okay, in my previous post I talked about the various different things people have pointed to as the cause of the most recent shooting. In my opinion, they're all bull. Now, upon thinking of it and seeing various comments online, I might have a sensible solution. However, I want to go over a few things first.

Recently the NRA made a press conference. So, I figured I might reiterate so of my previous points and make some new ones, addressing somethings the NRA said:

"And here's another dirty little truth that the media try their best to 
conceal: There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting
shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people. 
Through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, 
Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse. And here’s one: 
it’s called Kindergarten Killers." Violent video games and/or media didn't cause this. Seriously, violence is imbedded in us already. We don't need a medium to push us, we've been killing each other for millions of years.

It reminds me of the crusade against comic books in the 1950s. A psychiatrist named Fredric Wertham did a study that showed that the majority of kids who were sent to juvenile hall all read comic books. After doing some research, he concluded that comics were a horrible influence on children (he said Batman & Robin were gay, Wonder Woman was a lesbian, and Superman was an Un-American fascist) Because of this, Comics Code Authority was created by the comics industry in order to avoid government regulation by self regulating. This resorted in many books having to be canceled (monsters and horror books were a no-no). It even stood in the way of an anti-drug story arc in Spider-Man (they couldn't show or reference drugs at all, even to say they're bad).

What of games, you ask? Well, they've got a rating system. If you look on the box, you know what you're in for (EC= Early Childhood, E= Everyone, E10= Everyone 10+, T= Teen, M= Mature, AO= Adults Only) There are some games that don't have a rating, such as Kindergarten Killers there. However, the reason for this isn't devious, it was made by one guy and uploaded online. It's sort of like the shitty youtube video to the other, multimillion dollar blockbuster title games on that list, if that makes any sense.

Of course, the recent shooter was over 18, so what's the plan? Ban all games you deem too violent? Spare the second amendment while taking a dump on the first? And let's look at one of the game series on that list: Grand Theft Auto. The series has sold 125 million copies. Don't you think if it was corrupting everyone who plays it, we'd have a lot more violence than what's currently out there? This would be Mad Max levels of unrest. That's not the case, as violent crimes have been dropping for years. But don't take my word for it.



"How many more copycats are waiting in the wings for their moment of 
fame — from a national media machine that rewards them with the 
wall-to-wall attention and sense of identity that they crave — while 
provoking others to try to make their mark?3
A dozen more killers? A hundred? More? How can we possibly even 
guess how many, given our nation's refusal to create an active 
national database of the mentally ill?" How would forcing the mentally ill to register themselves solve anything? You do that, next thing you know Senator Kelly is getting a bill passed to have giant robots in purple Onesies hunting down those dirty, stinking mutants...er...mentally ill persons. Seriously, you're just pushing us towards the horrifyingly awesome world of the X-Men with those words.

Not everyone with a mental illness is a threat to society. OCD or Agoraphobia? Those are listed as mental disorders. What about people who are undiagnosed? Are we going to have to have mandatory testing for everyone? Would they have to go door to door and tell everyone that they have a disorder and what it is? How about if any of you fine folks at the NRA were found to have a mental illness, would you register or allow your name to be put in this database? And why is it okay for us to register people but not guns?

Obviously there is a huge stigma with mental illnesses. We need to find a way to get these people the help they need. If we treat them like criminals from the start, then some might just try and fill that role that we've cast them in.

Sensible Solution

So, how would I solve the problem of safety in our schools? Easy: SUPER LOCKDOWN! I think we need to reinforce our school's lockdown system with:

1. Bullet resistant glass.
2. Concealed metal security shutters (only activated when lockdown is initiated)
3. Bullet resistant steel doors everywhere with simulated wood covers
4. Combination electronic locks and bolts at the tops and bottoms of the doors (only activated when lockdown is initiated)
5. Emergency equipment (walkie talkies, first aid, etc) for all staff.

I know what you're thinking, "but that sounds like a prison." Only when everything is activated. Otherwise, it just looks like a normal school. That's what I'm going for, extra security without that feeling of being locked up or trapped constantly. Not only that, but it would help lessen that false sense of security that people can easily get, allowing them to stay vigilant in case something happens.

"What about having armed police officers in the school?" Well, I'd like to think that that wouldn't be necessary with my plan. Though, I suppose it beats the alternative of arming the teachers.

Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!

Victim Blaming

Okay, let's stop this. "Too many guns" didn't cause this. "Not having enough guns" didn't cause this. "Taking God out of the classroom" didn't cause this. "Videogames and violent movies" didn't cause this. You know caused it? A crazy guy who had nothing to lose and wanted leave a mark on society. Simple as that. You could go around blaming things till you're blue in the face, but, at the end of day, there's no else and nothing to blame for his actions.

You see, humans are violent. We've been violent for as long as we've walked the Earth. As Colonel Hunter Gathers from The Venture Bros. said, "Minute God crapped out the third caveman, a conspiracy was hatched against one of them." This isn't something that just popped up one day, this is something we've been dealing with throughout our whole existence. Atrocities are woven in our history. The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, The Holocaust, 9/11, etc. That's just to name a few. We've had too many instances where a person or group of people have gotten together and said, "you know what will solve all of our problems and/or just make us feel better? Killing a bunch people. That seems logical, right?"

So, if people are naturally violent, how do we solve our crisis? How do we stop this from happening again? Now, I usually like to think of myself as somewhere between an optimist and a realist, but I'll be blunt here, I don't think we can. If someone has the will power and the resources, they'll probably do something like this again.

"What if we take away their guns?"

Unfortunately, that's not a viable option. There are way too many guns floating around at the moment. Plus, even if we were able to do this, they still have ways to kill. One man in Japan went on a rampage in his car, running over pedestrians. And of course, besides that, they could easily make an explosive device.

"What if we forced everyone to carry a gun?"

Well, this too is not a solution. Seriously, think about it for a second. Arming EVERYONE. Now tell me, have you ever come across someone who honestly has no business operating, let's say, a spoon? I have. Imagine them with a gun.

"What if we just armed the teachers?"

Again, same as above. I don't doubt that a majority of the teachers would be responsible, but I've had some that wouldn't make me feel safe if I knew they were packing heat. All it would take is a student to push them to far or for someone to steal the gun. Too many variables.

"Should we ban violent videogames and movies?"

No. There hasn't been solid link between violent media and violence in real life. Some say that it desensitizes us to the cruelties of the world, but if that were true, would we have had such a strong reaction to this most recent shooting? You see, they're like a catharsis. They give us a safe environment in which we can feel emotions they we couldn't in real without some jail time (you know, since stabbing people and chopping off their arms and legs in a videogame isn't illegal) We know it's fake and that's why we love it! Again, it's nothing new. Look at the stories the Greeks told. Violent as hell.

Look, I don't claim to have the answers. I don't who does. Maybe you agree with me on my points and maybe you don't. I just think this kind of knee jerk response to what happened is uncalled for. It feels a little like victim blaming, saying if they had done this or that that perhaps this all could've been prevented. To you, I say SHUT THE FUCK UP! Unfortunately, this is the way things unfolded, no matter how much we want to change the past or say, "if I was there, I'd have shown that guy." No, you wouldn't have. He had the element of surprise. Things, I'm sure, unfolded at lightning fast speeds and we humans aren't capable of dealing with it. As proof, here's footage from the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Bombing:

Did you notice something? Everyone in that crowd had Deer in headlights effect. No one ran away immediately. They just stood there, baffled by what just happened. Every animal does it. Something out of the norm happens and you need a little time to process it. For some, that time is faster than others, but it's still there. Putting yourself or trying to hypothetically change a situation that's already happened is futile. All you end up doing is making you self look like a cold hearted bastard while desecrating the memory of the fallen, implying they didn't do as much to survive as you would have or if the circumstances had somehow been different.

I think the point I'm trying to make is we all need a little time. More time than a day or two. We're all on edge and all of this is just a natural reaction to what happened. Even this post is reaction to all of it. What we need to do is not dwell on this. Mourn the victims. Forget the killer. Come together as a nation, no, as a species. Forget our differences and remember the things that unite us all.

Till Next Time, Space Monkeys.

My Personal Guidelines to the Internet

So, a few things of note:


1. If it's posted on someone's wall, it doesn't mean it's true. Do some fact checking and research before sharing or reposting someone's chain letter. Remember, just because it says, "if u don shar dis n 5 minuts, ur neighborz dog will xplode" doesn't mean your neighbor's dog explode because of that (there are many other reasons this could happen, though)

2. People have different opinions about things. I know it sounds crazy, but we don't have a hive mind. Weird, huh? People actually have differing opinions about how the world works and not everyone is going to agree with you. It might be a hard concept to wrap your head around, but you can do it. Just remember the phrase, "agree to disagree."

3. Argue the point, not the person. Sure, if someone starts screaming at you online (it can be done) your knee jerk reaction is to spout off a string of obscenities at them, but you're better than this. Be polite and be courteous. Insulting the person who disagrees with you doesn't help your argument. If anything, it helps their's. It makes your side look unthinking and unreasonable, unable to find a way to debate what they are saying. Lashing out will only cause more trouble.

4. They might not be serious, they could be trolling. The internet is filled with trolls. All they want is to get a raise out of you, make you mad (bro). It's how they entertain themselves. Don't let what they say get to you and don't take it too seriously or personally. You must let their words flow over you, like water. Otherwise, you will go insane (just saying).

5. Science is a thing. I'm surprised at the number of Luddites I've seen online. Seriously, you guys need to have your internal hypocrisy and irony meters checked if you're going to complain about technology WHILE ON THE INTERNET! (see, I told you there was a way to scream online).


Anyway, I hope this clears some stuff up. Thank you for your time.

Just a thought...

As you probably know, there's been another mass shooting. This time at a theater during the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Unlike most mass shootings, the gunman was caught alive. Now I know most will be calling for the death penalty, but I have a much more beneficial solution:

KEEP HIM ALIVE FOR SCIENCE.

Seriously, guys like James Holmes and Jared Lee Loughner need to be studied. They need to be poked, prodded, examined, and studied fully. Brain scans, blood work, psychological evaluations, etc. We have an opportunity to understand what makes people like this tick. And once they die (from natural causes, of course) we can take our studies to the next level.

Some of you may find what I'm suggesting to be a bit....extreme. However, I don't mean inhumane experiments. After all, we need our subjects alive and at least partially cooperative. I'm not talking about scienceing them to death, just enough so they can actually give back to society. What would happen if we just sent them to prison or we executed them? What good would that do? Now, think of things we could learn about the brain or even the human genome from them. Both of these shooters are young, so we'd have decades in which we could run these tests.

I don't know, maybe it's too crazy to ever think we'd go through with something like this. Maybe this is a terrible idea. I just hate the idea of people committing these atrocities with nothing to counter-balance that. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to cheapen what has been done. I just feel so outraged by tragedies like this. That someone could just go, "you know what? I think I want to kill a bunch of people" and then plan and plan and plan. What kind of mindset is that? How is a monster like that created? There are so many unanswered questions. So maybe, just maybe, I might be on to something.

Avengers, sinker of Battleships and delayer of GI Joes

I've had a thought brewing in my head for a little while now.

First, before I begin, Avengers is an awesome movie. I think most will agree with me, but what if it's too awesome? What I mean to say is it's steam rolling over every movie coming out.

On the one hand, this is good. The Marvel movies have been excellent and we'll be getting more in the future. On the other hand, a few movies coming out are the reboots or prequels of movies I'd love to see more of. However, if these movies don't perform well, Hollywood (and it's bass ackwards way of looking at things) won't see the movies failing as just "Well, The Avengers must be really good." No, they'll see it as, "Well, our movie must have been crap. Let's not invest in that again."

You see, I'm pretty that Hollywood can't tell the difference between a good movie and a bad one. All they see is dollar signs. Cash in pocket. An investment. They don't care about the quality of the script or the acting as long as they get their money back (and then some)

Could the Avengers spell doom for some up and coming movies? Well, let's look at the list:

-Men In Black 3- direct competition for Avengers audience. It'll probably perform well enough and even if it doesn't, it's the third in a franchise. I think the world will be okay without MIB4.

-Prometheus- hard to say. It's a R rated Sci Fi horror film set in the Alien universe. It may do okay since it has ties to Ridley Scott and the first Alien movie.

-The Amazing Spider-Man- it could possibly be number one depending on how Avengers is doing by July 3. Spidey's fate would probably not even be a question if Marvel Studios owned the rights to the movie and not Sony. I'm not saying it's gonna suck, what I'm saying is it doesn't do well because of The Avengers and Marvel owned it, they might still make a sequel in the rebooted timeline and not just shelve it for a few years then reboot *ugh* (Also, really? Do we need to just keep rebooting everything? James Bond went through 20 or so movies before a reboot)

-The Dark Knight Rises- not even worried. Why, you ask? Well, first off, Batman. Second, it's the movie we've waited four years for. Third, Batman. Fourth, it is a well known fact that this is the last of the Christopher Nolan bat films, so it's pretty much a guarantee that it'll be rebooted after this one. Lastly, Batman.

-GI Jowaitwhat?- 03/29/2013?!

That up there is the reason I wrote this. I was looking forward to seeing G.I. Joe next month. They say it was pushed back to March 2013 so they could add 3D, but we all know the real reason. Paramount and Hasbro BANKED on Battleship being a huge summer blockbuster. They honestly thought, "let's take the board game Battleship, throw some aliens in it and make it all Transformery and shit and we'll have ourselves a hit." When that first trailer for Battleship hit, I was confused. Why would you add a Sci Fi element to Battleship? (this coming from a guy who loves Sci Fi to death) It didn't make any sense and it just seemed goofy. Now I haven't personally seen the film, but I don't think these are unfair criticisms. I believe a lot of people saw what they did and said, "No, I'm not going to see that. I'm going to watch Avengers again."

Okay, so Battleship is probably the only example up here that is fair for them to say, "Well, our movie must have been crap. Let's not invest in that again," but did GI Joe need to take a fall too? I mean, maybe releasing on June 29 (only four days before Spider-Man) might not have been the best call, but push it 9 months back? The toys have already hit the shelves. You've released dozens of trailers talking about June 29 and you're going to make audiences wait another 9 months?!

I mean, maybe you did do it for 3D. Maybe everyone has you pegged wrong, but why wait 5 weeks before opening to put it in? Me? I love 3D. I remember seeing photos of people from 50s going to drive in theaters and going to see 3D movies (though I don't know if drive ins had 3D movies. Seems like a no brainer though) So, growing up, I always wanted that experience. I've never been to a drive in, but I have seen plenty of 3D movies. However, I don't watch all movies in 3D. It not a necessity, so why punish us? Why dangle the carrot in out face and then, just as we're about to grab it, yank it away from us? If you want to add 3D so badly, then why not re-release it to theaters? If you're scared of the competition, then why not push it back to August? It might not be June, but it's better than March 2013.

Wow, that become a little bit of a rant, huh. Okay, let's bring it back a little. Thinking more on it, the only "blockbuster" movie that was ever in any trouble was Battleship. It's like the Titanic of our day (the tragedy, not the movie, though with less deaths and less people caring)

In conclusion: Avengers is awesome (seen it twice) Battleship probably got what it deserved, and GI Joe doesn't need to be pushed back till March.

I was going to leave off with a shawarma joke, but I'm classier than that ;p

Till Next Time, Space Monkeys