Brainstorming: The State We're In

I have been talking with someone at the Shroomery , a site devoted to psychedelic knowledge and experience. etc. A member's thread asks the question: "Is Tripping Taken too Seriously?". I responded saying that psychedelic experience should be taken infinitely seriously.

When I mentioned the role of violent video games; hard core porn; abuse of drugs, and alcohol; psychiatric drugs, as causing so much violence in our societies, I was called a "fucking moron" to assume that only these times were more violent than times past, and he said that video games etc were not the cause of aggression and violence, so this inspired me to broaden my learning about the violent video game playing as one of the causes of aggression and violence.

There's things I don't know I would like to. For example, I'd like to know if they have lessons in schools, which analyze the dangers of watching and particpating in violent video games? Something tells me that is very not likely, and that is because there is so much money made from that industry!
The schools are part of this corrupt war-mongering corporate culture and thus will have pressure not to condemn what it holds dear, nor find authentic ways to resolve the real crises facing the young and people and animals and nature in general. But out of curiousity I would love to take a close look at the average school curriculum. See what is being 'programmed' currently.

I have been around a while. I can actually remember when music didn't contain swear words and offensive terms against women and gay people, and terms like "nigger" and promote guns, all forms of violence, gangsterism and materialism.

I can remember when there were not only no violent video games but no video tapes--at least for the general public. I remember clearly the excitement that came about when the new shiny TV video cassette recorders came to be released. Everyone wanted one. At last people could watch other stuff on the telly and tape shows. Later came the video game consoles.

Now we are here. Young kids playing...'MadWorld:

Parents horrified as most violent video game ever to launch on 'family friendly' Wii

"A new computer game tipped to be the most violent ever is being released exclusively on the so-called 'family friendly' Wii console. Nintendo will dramatically transform Wii's image with the release of ultra violent video game MadWorld which, 'revolves around the themes of brutality and exhilaration', according to its creators. Players in the 'hack and slash' game, which is due for a UK release in early 2009, can impale enemies on road signs, rip out hearts and execute them with weapons including chainsaws and daggers."

"MadWorld is a third person game where players control a character called Jack in a virtual world called Varrigan City which is under siege by a group of terrorists known as The Organizers.

The alternative world has been turned into a twisted game show called Death Watch where citizens must kill one another to survive - and win.

The action in MadWorld - developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega exclusively for Nintendo - is entirely in black and white. The only other colour is red for all the blood.

Players use the Wii remote to control the violent on-screen actions as central character Jack executes his way through the game."

Have your mouths dropped open yet? Yes? If No, why not?

When I was a kid I wanted to get into what were then 'X films' which had age requirement of 16. These were 'Horror films' (or films which featured nudity) utterly tame as can be in comparison with that 'game' described above;

oh, and let's checkout the Top Ten Violent Video Games, shall we? Some examples from the list:

" Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas--"Player is a young man working with gangs to gain respect. His mission includes murder, theft, and destruction on every imaginable level. Player recovers his health by visiting prostitutes then recovers funds by beating them to death and taking their money. Player can wreak as much havoc as he likes without progressing through the game's storyline."

"Crime Life: Gang Wars--"Player is the leader of a ruthless street gang, spending time fighting, recruiting new gangsters, looting, and of course, more fighting. Player can roam the streets and fight or kill anyone in sight for no apparent reason."

"50 Cent: Bulletproof--"Game is loosely based on the gangster lifestyle of rapper Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson. Player engages in gangster shootouts and loots the bodies of victims to buy new 50 Cent recordings and music videos."

So, errrm. let me get this straight officer, teacher, judge, you mean the kids now don't just have to watch horror and depravity but can take part in it...? Can play it, as in a game.....? For fun.....?..........Can virtually DO it...........?!

(On our news today, a huge increase in dogs being brought into vetenary clinics with terrible injuries due to a massive increase in young people meeting in parks so as to fight their dogs with each other. They have dogs to suit the 'MTV' image of the 'hardest dog hardest man'. Sadism!)

A friend sent me this message when I told him what I was writing about on my blog. I love it so would like to post it here:

"Re: Re:how's it going

wow, ya, it's tough with kids and partying or video games.. So many friends have gone that way and they just don't talk to me much anymore. One refuses to go outside! I used to think I was too boring and that's why I couldn't snap them out of it but I think it turned out they're just so involved in the "drug" aspect of the games they can't feel without being totally overloaded by the screen. It's not even like normal drugs as them you can move around, even if just roll around on the floor hehe

I remember one kid when we were young who was worried about war and having to be in a war he told me once if he had to shoot someone life or death he wouldn't hesitate.. but that this other friend who wanted to join the military would just get shot in a situation like that, and that he should be the type of person to join the military not him. and he asked me "do you know why" and I said cause you desensitize your self to it. and he said ya... with a long pause... cause I desensitize my self to it.. He thought it was some amazing powerful thing of his inner power to be able to make that choice. But it's so little. he played lots of video games like the grand theft auto game..

This is where physical and mental do have a separation. Hate gives you physical power but compassion feeds the spirit to be strong which like you say is no separation from physical. What these kids don't realize is they're actually taking away their own power of choice. Like one of your vids talked about widening our vision around us to see the real options. It's like having fingers so solid you can't hold onto things! no feeling to make real connections.

Who would want to kill, no one does.. they just feel threatened.. if they could unlock them selves from these mind numbing violent games they could actually take an active roll in the world of change which is constant. Just being in nature and appreciating it is an active role.. They could effect positive change towards a balanced world. They could see all the little things around them that add up to the problems in the world..

Violence is very predictable.. only time it's not is when it's suppressed and when enacted that creates very predictable violence on the other side. it's just a crazy unproductive feedback loop..

..this is why biofeedback works very well for therapy both physical and mental. It's just like video games drug the mind, but biofeedback with your own body and intent of healing rather then violence is truly powerful. This is how I believe psychedelics probably work, as biofeedback. That's what I get from your blog posts=)

Anyways, sounds you've been good and busy.
Take care,
Josh"


The best explanation I have read up to now as to what is being done to young bodyminds jacked up to this stuff is here:

"Teaching Kids To Kill"

"This virus of violence is occurring worldwide, and the explanation for it has to be some new factor that is occurring in all of these countries (Grossman, 1999b). Like heart disease, there are many factors involved in the causation of violent crime, and we must never downplay any of them. But there is only one new variable that is present in each of these nations, bearing the same fruit in every case, and that is media violence being presented as “entertainment” for children."

"CBS President Leslie Moonves was asked if he thought the school massacre in Littleton, Colorado, had anything to do with the media. His answer was: "Anyone who thinks the media has nothing to do with it, is an idiot." (Reuters. 2000, March 19). That is what the networks are selling, and we do not have to buy it. An educated and informed society can and must find its way home from the dark and lonely place to which it has traveled." Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold both played violent video games: "Harris and Klebold enjoyed playing a game called Doom, which is licensed to the US military to train soldiers in lethal combat."



Th author of Teaching Kids to Kill, shows how the same psychological behavioural techniques used in the military are being used via violence in TV programming and film, and violent videos, such as:

Brutalization ( Whereby the child from very young is saturated in violent images, and at a time when they cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality);

Classic Conditioning (Where children, youths, are trained to associate watching and taking part in violence as fun) " "After the Jonesboro shootings, one of the high school teachers told them that someone had shot a bunch of their little brothers, sisters, and cousins in the middle school. "They laughed,"she told me with dismay, "they laughed." We have raised a generation of barbarians who have learned to associate human death and suffering with pleasure"" (Grossman &DeGaetano, 1999).

In this respect I am reminded when I was at art school , and there was a so-called 'fashionable' film released then that was truly horrific called Man Bites Dog. The 'hip' thing, especially with the post modern 'ironic' art crowd pose was to laugh at the really sickeningly violent scenes. I went with two art-school friends to see it, and they dutifully laughed where they were supposed to. I was appalled, and didn't laugh, and this exposed the falseness and they didn't like it. I just 'didn't get it'.
The same was so for the film Reservoir Dogs, et al, which also was of that ilk!

Evil also comes with conformity. People are more prepared to laugh at horror and accept it than stand out from the crowd. I am guessing it would have been like that at such blood-letting events such as the infamous ancient Roman Games. Some people may have been really shocked, but would deny that to themselves so as to be seen to fit in with the crowd, becoming more and more sadistic as they forget their initial disgust!

Continuing, then, with the manipulation of young peoples minds comes, thirdly:

Operant Conditioning ( An example in the military is when they use human-shaped targets for shooting practice and have the solidiers trained constantly having to shoot at them when they appear. What this does is causes the soldiers to go into killing mode, in real life, if they see someone with a gun, or think they have a gun. Often anyone that suddenly appears, especially in paranoid situations will be in grave danger.)





So let me imagine, then, I have taken a psychedelic and am observing a youth playing his/her nasty video game. What do I see and feel?

I see them transfixed to the screen, and the frantic robotic hand movements manipulating their virtual reality. I see and feel a sadistic glint of power in their eyes and expression and body language as they immerse themselves in a sadistic and murderous and depraved virtual reality. I see this is some real heavy shit magic spell 'courtesy' of the major corps pushing this sadism. Teaching kids to kill directly says it how it is. I am very disturbed that this is happening!


Someone at the Shroomery claimed he loved video games, and said "how come then, if your right, more people aren't going out killing people?"

Well, violence is not just the extremities but is the soil from which they arise. The psyche or souls (interelated with all around), especially even more so of growing children, and youths, and their still forming brains, can be likened to soil, and the more we make it toxic with what is put into it or take out of it the more dead and toxic it becomes.

The practical thing is to make sure your child does not indulge in violent videos games, or even too much video gamery, and not allow them to cheat and play at their mates, or arcade, etc, but this means being strong, nonconformity, and showing discipline which is also part of love!