Dr. Phil Starts Pointing Fingers

So when the news breaks that the shooter was really into, say, Sudoku, or 'The Life of Pi', I'm sure Mr. Phil will commence blasting the children of today for being programmed with an overdose of number logic and fantastical whimsy ...

True. Lay the blame all on video games and TV. That's what we'll hear. How about what books he was reading? What was his home life like? Was he a vegetarian? That's the American way - look to blame and catagorize.

And I think Jack Thompson jumped on the Blame the Video Games bandwagon before Dr. Phil did - it wasn't any time at all before Thompson was making public statements blaming this on video games. People want an easy fix, something to blame so individuals don't have to take responsibility for their actions. It is frustrating to see people rush to find scapegoats to crucify every time there is a human crisis.

I can't believe the irresponsability of these TV networks and pundits, leaving aside the sick fetish of constant looped violence the News shows, but the blame game is insane. Last night, and now even, we know NOTHING about motive, background, upbringing and these media whores are pimping there pet issues like videogames, music tv and movies. Its sick. Between this an Imus its been a fied day of attacking the pop culture strawman....

Can we at least wait for info, facts, the shooters personal narrative?

Dr. Phil's a crackpot shrink, no doubt the product of our socie.... oh, wait.

"Dr." Phil stinks, plain and simple. Any psychologist actually working in the field (or most Americans with a general knowledge of Psychology) know that Dr. Phil isn't a good therapist and he isn't working with people who actually need help. So, it's pretty preposterous to think that a man frowned upon in the Psychological community is running his mouth and jumping to conclusions. He's simply trying to be the man with the answers-and he's not.

The problem isn't that people see guns and violence in television, movies and video games. It's that they can drive to their local Wal-Mart and buy the same semi-automatic weapons they saw in television, movies and video games.

But in a country where presidential candidates have to PRETEND to be life-long hunters to be considered manly enough for the oval office, I don't see this changing anytime soon.

I wonder if O'Reilly will have Geraldo on tonight so they can have another shouting match about how this wouldn't have happened if we didn't let the foreign vermin into our country? I wonder if the fact that he isn't an illegal alien will make any difference to "no spin" Bill. Remember, "he's looking out for you".

A high percentage of the college aged population plays video games. Dr. Phil (along with alot of the media and politicians)does not understand the concept of correlation without causation. If it turns out that the shooter never played video games is Dr. Phil going to publicly denounce everyone who claims video games cause violence? Of course he won't, he has his new "fabric of society argument" where video games turn everyone into mindless murder machines. And this guy has a Phd?!?

Dr. Phil is an oaf, and kind of a pompous one at that. It's sad commentary on our media and our country when we let fools like him pretend to make statements about mental and emotional health. Just because he's on television doesn't mean he's intelligent.

Lots of people play violent videogames but artificial violence wouldn't drive a normal person to commit violent acts. A person such as the shooter, who seemes to be psychologically disturbed, will seek out violence on his own with or without influence by pop culture. If videogames really WAS the cause of real life violence, then i would be all for banning videogames. But I think most people would agree that it is not the violence in videogames, but the disturbed people who seek out violence in real life that we have to worry about.

Now watch as everyone uses this to further their own agendas.

A few years ago there was a shooting at the Law School of Appalachia. Two students ran to their cars and got their own guns, and the death toll for that incident was held at three.

Guns are bad, but they're here and now must be dealt with, even if all production stopped today. V Tech recently stopped an attempt to allow concealed carry permit holders to bring their weapons on campus, claiming it too unsafe. Obviously mass-murderers care nothing for laws and the law-abiding end up running for their lives, with running their only option if they can't find something sturdy to hide behind.

When the police arrive on a chaotic violent scene, they don't know right away who the bad guy is, but an armed citizen on the scene does know, and can therefore act immediately to end it.

Blaming "American" gun culture, like Bush's Austrailian sock-puppet did, neglects to acknowledge the fact that shooting people is a worldwide pastime, one that governments prefer to monopolize.

I think what Dr. Phil should have done is blame that guy's parents, coz it's safer to assume that this guy's parents are just another couple of Asian nazi who like to control their kids like they're running a concentration camp torturing their children to learn pianos and violins or brainwashing them about how screwed up American kids are.

What about all the kids who play video games and DON'T grow up to become mass-murderers? There are many more people who fall into that category. I think Dr. Phil is more of a danger to America than most video games!

Reports say he spent a lot of free time playing basketball. Of course this isn't really fodder for discussion. Replace the word "basketball" with "video games" and watch the fire burn.

An anology

Dr Phil is to the Psychology Profession as
Al Sharpton is to the Civil Rights Community.

Umm, I don't here anyone screaming and shouting about the ease with which he bought a gun, or when we compare gun-related crimes here to those in say Europe with some of the most stringent gun laws in the world....amazing disparity. But easy to blame video games, music, etc...a deranged individual can attempt to kill with anything, it's certainly easier to do that with a loaded gun....oh oh, here comes the NRA.....

Nobody knows. Nobody knows if perhaps he was suffering from schizophrenia. Maybe voices were telling him horrible things. Nobody will ever know.

None of these media-proclaimed "experts" have the gumption to go on a show and say, "We just don't know. There could be any number of reasons why this happened but the sad fact is that we'll probably never know."

How could this have happen?? Well, this could happen ANYWHERE> There're are alot of people that are very show off-ish and braggers about nothing. and when people don't fit it or trying to fit in , and they are ignored or not talked to this might happen. let's please love and look out for each other. start complaining to our mayors ,schools , ask questions , why why why. demand answers. i think people basically DONOT care untill some tragic incident happens like this. help someone today. god bless & prayers go out to affected people and ..........YES...... even the shooter and his family.

Oh, James. So defensive about pop culture, so quickly. We all know Dr. Phil is a celebrity posing as an expert, so why the umbrage? Or do you believe that culture has no influence on our actions? Perhaps you are of the school that believes in the integrity of utterly free will, that all non-negatory choices ("I shall" vs "I shall not") are unconditioned? Of course Dr. Phil (TM)'s remarks are a non-sequitur. But your reaction is purely "sequitur" to them. Let's fight the culture war before the bodies are cold. As the pop-culture blogger for TIME, you have a stake in defending it. Which wouldn't be all that bad if the form of the blog negates incisive self-awareness. Ergo, pot: kettle.

A nation Mourns for a loss felt by all yet video coverage (NEWS?!) looks for a scapegoat! Truly a disgrace and lack of compassion for those forced to address questions far outside their expertise. One can almost anticipate the groundwork being laid for legal recompense. A nation in shock over more tragedy.Perhaps we should look up the captain of the battleship Arizona and ask him how he could have let his ship be destroyed from under his feet.

There will never be a defence for surprise under any circunstances.

Can it be possible that this nation could be suffering Post Traumatic Stress? We are frequently subjected to tragedy (try to get film) so we can see firsthand the suffering. Films of Assasination, murder, war and natural disasters lead.

Could it be time for a nation to say enough is enough? One has to wonder how the survivors of tragedy and violence are expected to heal when they are continually exposed to pain and suffering. Even pseudo professionals with TV a show who have the nerve to speak about a tragedy without all of the facts would not be challenged to answer that there must always be a time for respite.

Might the reason for such atrocius behavior be helplesness to be able to stop the bleeding? Utter frustration to make the suffering stop.

What amazes me is that Americans are so wedded to the gun culture that no one is seriously considering gun control for automatic weapons. The logic goes like this: give alienated, angry loners access to automatic weapons and you're going to have an ongoing series of these tragedies. After the Port Arthur mass murder, our Prime Minister banned automatic weapons and instituted a buy-back program with penalties for keeping such weapons. If the killer only had access to a six shooter, or better yet no gun at all, the scale of this tragedy wouldn't be so horrific. Sydney, Australia.

These tragedies are incomprehensible to the average person.So a person will watch and according to what he or she beleives come away with something that will make sense.It is too many guns not enough guns. It is video games, it is really scary music.Pick your snake oil and line up to hear it.The US Army trains recruits on video games to kill.Dr Phil is what too many can understand.Makes psychology easy for the pop culture.One thing you can be sure of is that Dr Phil is wrong but it fits for the psychologically ignorant.I can see it the violence leads to violence.If that were true with the easy access to guns we would have a Virginia Tech every week.I think if the system would be more attuned to picking out these children who lean to these psychotic positions and help them early is the only way to cut down on these episodes.I beleive this approach will cut down on these episodes and other violent crimes.

Dr. Phil's right. If the kid had joined eHarmony.com instead of playing video games, he would have found his soul mate and this whole tragedy could have been averted.

I hope this brings to light the criminal minds that write for screen, TV, books, video games,etc.. I can't believe the American public is missing this. These highly paid maniacs are getting away with this every day. Yes, you can say turn the channel, don't see the movie, etc. but, couriosity is a primal thing and there are people who will always get sucked into this garbage. This society is going into a very dark area. Remember the fall of Rome?