The Oslo Massacre and Violent Video Games: the Facts 343
An anonymous reader writes "Media hysteria is once again blaming a real life massacre on violent video games. But looking at every single gaming reference in the Oslo killer's manifesto shows that such accusations are ridiculous. He played games to unwind from plotting and used them to mask his activities."
Pft (Score:5, Informative)
His manifesto actually (readily available in english) makes a big deal out of how pretending to have a gaming addiction is really usefull for hiding nefarious activities. He wasn't a gaming addict, he was using it as a cover.
Also, if your media is one of those who kept harping on about this being muslims long after it was clear he was Norwegian you're probably better off without them either (I'm looking at you NY Times). The american coverage of this incident has been pretty much abysmal, and I'm sorry for being able to read english. I wish I couldn't.
However, while his gaming certainly didn't affect him, it's pretty clear that the fact that he was taking a coctail of anabolic steroids did. He even described it himself in his manifesto. To which extent we won't know until later, but we'll figure it out. There's plenty of time, and we have to grieve a bit of first.
Signed
A Norwegian
(Also; Glenn Beck; May you burn in hell)
Not a big topic in Norway (Score:3, Informative)
It has been mentioned in the media here in Norway, but it's really not part of the discussion about why he did this. His political beliefs (anti-Islam, anti-Labour Party, etc) is the focus now. In addition to how much of a lunatic this guy really is.
The manifesto is full of details about just about everything, so it's easy to pick one small thing and focus on just that. Remember that this document is something he put together and published before the bomb and shooting, knowing that it would be read trying to find an explanation for what he did. If he expected to die, this was to be his legacy, I guess. So who knows how much of it is true and how much is how he wanted us to look at things.
Re:Where is the Manifesto? (Score:4, Informative)
Found it. Thanks Wikipedia:
http://www.kevinislaughter.com/wp-content/uploads/2083+-+A+European+Declaration+of+Independence.pdf [kevinislaughter.com]
In looking for this, I found a Right Wing blog arguing that he was motivated by the belief in Evolution, another blog arguing that he was a liberal Al Queda sypathizer, a liberal blog arguing that he would be a member of the Tea Party if he lived in America and all of them using this 1500 pages of batshit insanity to justify their positions.
Media hysteria blaming video games? (Score:4, Informative)
The facts are, he was a right wing nationalist, conservative christian and idolizing the Knights Templar and the crusades.
Re:Massacre (Score:5, Informative)
It wasnt "downgraded".
Here in Norway it is still being described as a terrorist attack.
The attack at Utøya is described as a massacre while the bomb was obviously a bombing.
These two attacks has to be differentiated when described for clarity so they are described that way.
Overall it is described as "the terrorist attacks" or a variation of that.
Do not for a second think this is some "downgrading" because of the nutjob being Norwegian.
I dont know who you feel are pushing it under the rug, but I dont see anything like that happening -here-.
Re:Well (Score:2, Informative)
Not to troll here, but Hitler and Stalin were both atheist AFAIK.
Re:There hasn't been media hysteria (Score:5, Informative)
But let's not fool ourselves that like-minded people are going to look to Breivek's writings the way oodles of self-proclaimed revolutionaries have poured over Mao's Red Book or Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Perhaps not, but they might look to his writings the way people looked at Osama bin Laden's writings. Or Geert Wilder's Fitna. The new European right-wing have constructed a narrative where immigration and Islamification simultaneously represents both an invading army and the ultimate evil to be confronted, and one which the "liberal" governments of Europe are unwilling to fight, leaving brave determined indigenous people as the only resistance.
It is a compelling narrative for people who are that way inclined, and I expect we will be seeing much more violence of this type in the coming decade; the Guardian obtained some illuminating undercover videos of the EDL [guardian.co.uk] (who Breivik has been associated with) , which has been called "the most significant far-right street movement in the United Kingdom since the success of the National Front during the 1970s". They have successfully attracted all sorts: skin heads, disenfranchised youths, football hooligans, etc. and are stepping up the game by attacking mosques and planning marches through areas with large numbers of non-whites [guardian.co.uk] in an obvious attempt at provoking violence.
The Tea Party sought an alliance with the EDL [guardian.co.uk] last year. Oddly, some right-wing Jewish organisations also seem to be supporting the EDL - you'd have thought that encouraging European ethnic-nationalism was a dangerous game for an ethnic minority to play, but apparently they forget history and believe "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".
Re:There hasn't been media hysteria (Score:5, Informative)
(Maybe his aversion to "marxism" explains his distancing himself from "national socialism"?)
He distances himself from National Socialism because it is anti-Jewish. In his ideology, Israel is the frontline in a global fight against Islam, and Jews are the foot soldiers. They aren't Christians, and he probably doesn't want them living in Europe, but he's quite happy for them to be fighting his war in the Middle East.
There has been a very odd change in European extremism since 9/11 - the Jews, who were traditionally seen as the underhand enemy, manipulators of the banks, purveyors of the New World Order etc., have been embraced as brothers against Islam. This change isn't universal among extremists, but it is significant. I suspect the switch is purely one of convenience, and if these people were ever to gain power, then the Jews would be removed from Europe shortly after the Muslims and black people.
Re:Well (Score:4, Informative)
LOL
By killing Jews he did not put himself into conflict with the Christians, 5 min. looking into European history will tell you; Killing Jews is the great Christian pastime.
Re:Well (Score:4, Informative)
Christians are eager to mod you up even if your claim has no base in reality. That's so typical of religious folks.
Hitler was Christian in his public life. His mother and father were Catholic, but he personally identified more with teachings of Martin Luther. Maybe this was because Luther had very anti-Jewish views. In his book Von den Juden und ihren Luegen (On the Jews and Their Lies) Luther described jews as:
"base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth."
Seems like Hitler found a soulmate in Luther.
In Mein Kampf Hitler wrote:
" The folkish-minded man, in particular, has the sacred duty, each in his own denomination, of making people stop just talking superficially of God's will, and actually fulfill God's will, and not let God's word be desecrated. For God's will gave men their form, their essence and their abilities. Anyone who destroys His work is declaring war on the Lord's creation, the divine will. "
Those aren't words of an Atheist, are they?