"Games Cause Rape" Psychiatrist Defends Her Position

[Still Life]

She's nothing but a proxy for media outlets which rely on a sensationalized 'scape goat' to help sell their product. It's a business simply concerned with making a product and its respective market is a predominantly conservative middle class demographic.

This is further proven by the fact that this 'poster' woman has offered no concrete evidence to support her claims. Also, that so many people -- including those of the Escapist -- are reacting first with their emotions, shows that it has been an effective media campaign.

For the record, she apparently linked to other "evidence" as well, although these were the most relevant. More links can be found here:

http://drcarole.tumblr.com/ [http://drcarole.tumblr.com/]

Oh, wow.

She's cited a number of blogs, news articles and essays which have not been peer reviewed -- thereby having little credibility. This says it all.

 

[Hawkeye16]

If your argument includes citing rapelay as an example, then you lose by default. It, like mentioning Nazis, has lost all meaning. Assuming it ever HAD a meaning.

 

[Loonerinoes]

So basically because she has enough of an established position, she decides she can go 'cry sum moar'? Heheh...all of those mentiones of big names...Larry King...all of those trophies on her wall...I guess it'd be silly to not wave them around a bit so that they can shine in the spotlight of this new media attention and of course completely validate the 'authenticity' of her studies. After all...she is more or less close to being a 'sacred cow', right?

 

[MGlBlaze]

"When I was first asked to provide studies, I did not have them on my fingertips - not because I didn't know they existed - but because I thought that everyone already knew about these studies and I had them filed away."
That was a sweeping assumption. I would have thought someone of your position would be more compitent than to make one of those.
NEVER assume that everyone knows all the subject matter. It only makes you look like a know-it-all elitist. She has also failed again to actually provide these studies.

"When the Columbine murders took place, there were national polls where people voted on what they believed caused the two young men to kill. Media violence ranked high on the list, so I, obviously mistakenly, assumed that people still knew about the studies showing this connection - and believed them to have proven the link."
One again re-affirming her sweeping statement and making a few other crippling mistakes.
For one, 'conviction is a more dangerous enemy to truth than lies'. If I am thinking of the right disaster, there was a rumor (And yes, it IS A RUMOR. The killer didn't even OWN Doom, let alone the supposed custom maps that simulated the floor-plan of the school.) that he used Doom as a simulator to train for the mass-murder. With a rumor like that floating around, of course a huge amount of people who don't know all the facts (or the less level-headed individuals) are going to be saying they thought the game did it.
The results of that poll cannot even remotely be trusted.

 

[Delusibeta]

Rock Paper Shotgun [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/15/bulletstormgate-lieberman-offers-evidence/] concludes that Lieberman and that APA article has got a really bad case of selection bias and completely failed to present firm evidence, and there's pretty much zero conclusion that can be drawn either way.

 

[MeTheMe]

Ahahaha... wow, she's full of it. Makes someoutrageous claim against a medium that every likes to take shots at and them BSes her way out being asked for studies and proof with excuses like "everyone know it!" Disgusting...

 

[DuttyDawn]

Seems to me that Fox has a habit of attacking video games for things that they know nothing about. First, Mass Effect for basically being a sex simulator. A claim based in nothing since NONE of the people making that claim had ever seen/played the game or the parts in question. Eventually, the woman had to apologize for her statement.

Now it causes people to be rapists? As a gamer and a woman, I find offense in that statement. Rape is a pretty harsh word to just toss out there. One that garners a lot of attention since the claim is about an entertainment form that not all people understand or participate in. What makes it worse, is the fact that her statement has absolutely no foundation or proof to back it up.

Hey, how can I get a lot of attention? Oh, I know. I'm mention video games and then make some senseless accusations that will have video game haters jumping on my side, pointing fingers and yelling I told you so, while at the same time, making those on the side defensive and angry enough that they get worked up.

Yeah, that always works so well. Video games have been around for decades and they aren't going away. It's about time everyone gets use to it.

 

[K_Dub]

What bothers me about this whole issue is that it seems like Ms. Lieberman tried and failed to gather some major evidence to help strengthen her side of the argument. So rather than swallow her pride, and apologize for giving a false statement, (or even stating that she still believes in what she said, but can provide no evidence) she decides to defend her original position and provide some "studies" to show that she's correct.

It's one thing to try and defend your side of the argument when you have genuine evidence, even if there's very little of it. At least then any statements or claims you make do have some merit to them. Ms. Lieberman had no definitive evidence however. Instead, she had a several year old poll of people's opinions on media violence, and a never say never attitude.

She's hurting her own career, and annoying all those around her at this point.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

So I came across this in the "Contemporary Immortality" article today:

The Archbishop of Trani, scientist and mathematician Giuseppe Davanzati, was entrusted with Rome's official investigation. He studied every vampire outbreak, becoming the leading expert on the phenomena. His Dissertazione capped a five year study and concluded that while the fantasies that inspired belief in vampires might be diabolically inspired, fantasies were all they were. Vampires were creatures born of credulity and fear. They did not exist.

Meanwhile Dom Augustin Calmet, a French Benedictine theological scholar, tackled the same question. His point of view was slightly different. Calmet was a medievalist in a scientific age. He believed that the devil could animate a corpse if it suited him, and while Dom Calmet hadn't a shred of proof, he felt there were so many reports of vampirism that there had to be something in it. He never questioned the veracity of the reports; he took them on faith. His own Dissertations was published in 1746, to scholarly condemnation.

Calmet's work was republished three times in his lifetime, and many times afterward, in several languages, including English. Davanzati's book was republished twice, both times after his death, and both times in Italian. Calmet has an extensive Wiki entry. Davanzati has none.

Funny how familiar this sounds, no?

 

[sicnasty77]

"When the Columbine murders took place, there were national polls where people voted on what they believed caused the two young men to kill. Media violence ranked high on the list"

Since when does a poll giving to the general population count as research with a viable attachment to science?

It sounds to me like she is pulling most of this shit out of her ass!

 

[Watcheroftrends]

If I had to speculate, I would say that she is doing this for attention. It's like her argument isn't even founded on evidence - she's using the assumption that associating with negative media automatically makes you more likely to emulate it in real life. If this is true, there are two questions to consider: 1. Would we really stop people from viewing negative media if this were true? 2. Where's the proof that the media is for sure the issue? This lady is just resting on the laurels of her degree, rather than the subject at hand.

 

[darkcommanderq]

If you dont play games, your not qualified to comment on them. End of discussion. I dont want to see anyone let up on her until she admits that.

OR until she shows us her steam/psn/live account to prove she actually knows what shes talking about.

 

[HentMas]

When the Columbine murders took place, there were national polls where people voted on what they believed caused the two young men to kill. Media violence ranked high on the list

Huh... Apparently to her a "national poll" counts as a "study."
ROIGHT! Well then I'm going to have a "national poll" over the cuteness of bunnies and then call it a study!

I R DOKTOR NAO.

thats the exact same thing i thought, so now the mayority says what makes me want to kill my neighborgh??

hell, its better than i thought! i dont have to deffend my self, THEY WILL MAKE THE EXCUSES FOR ME!

 

[Lionsfan]

You know at least the other ***** admitted she was wrong when she was unfairly criticizing Mass Effect. This is just ridiculous.

 

[HentMas]

If you dont play games, your not qualified to comment on them. End of discussion. I dont want to see anyone let up on her until she admits that.

OR until she shows us her steam/psn/live account to prove she actually knows what shes talking about.

with a gamescore of at least 10000 points damn it, to show she actually TRYED

 

[Atmos Duality]

Does her claim carry weight with anyone in power?
No.
Even I could point out the flaws in her reasoning, and I don't even need a Doctorate to do so.

This is just another sensationalist trying to stir the shit-pot for some attention.

 

[GonzoGamer]

So what.
All that proves is that people thought (right after Columbine) that violent media caused the bloodbath which we later learned was not true.

So her "proof" is based on the split second "opinion" of people being polled after a tragedy.

That kind of reasoning works for the Fox News audience, but not for anyone with two brain cells to rub together.