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Scary Barry, Wacky Jack Continue War On Violent Games

Posted by simoniker on from the oh-dear dept.

Thanks to the Palm Beach Post for its article discussing Florida-based lawyer Jack Thompson's teamup with Barry Silver to continue a war on violent videogames. Thompson's anti-gaming history is well-discussed, and Silver is no less flamboyant during previous lawsuits, since he "had a bikini-clad hot dog vendor deliver a subpoena to Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty during his well-publicized fight over the vendor's right to sell hot dogs while partly clothed." Thompson says: "You can call us Scary Barry and Wacky Jack", and is helping Silver with the Florida-based lawsuit again GTA developers Take Two, following furore over the alleged depiction of Haitians which is still simmering in North Miami, with a new local law to restrict violent games planned. The article also notes that the two lawyers have a lot in common, commenting: "Both are frustrated politicians - Silver, a former state legislator, and Thompson, a failed Miami-Dade County state attorney candidate. Both love the limelight, take cases that are destined to make headlines and are famous for publicity stunts."

11 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. This is BS. by DAldredge · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since when do people have a right not to be offended?

    1. Re:This is BS. by wolf- · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Think its in the US Bill of Rights next to "right to healthcare", right to "no interest down home loans", right to "everything everyone else has" and right "not to work if I dont want to but you need to help take care of me".

      --
      ----- LoboSoft specializes in Digital Language Lab
    2. Re:This is BS. by DAldredge · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't forget "right to hire highly skilled workers for 3.75 per hour"

    3. Re:This is BS. by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Many people in this country want to benefit from public healthcare like people in other countries do. The only people who are apposing it are greedy doctors who want to charge as much as they can from poor sick people, and people who's minds are still stuck in the McCarthy era.

      And people who realize that it would never work. Do you know how long the waiting lists and lines are for free healthcare in Canada, which has one of the best socialized healthcare systems in the world? Keep in mind that Canada only has a tenth of the population of the US.

      Rob (Though, on the other hand, anything would be better than the HMO)

    4. Re:This is BS. by Senjutsu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And people who realize that it would never work. Do you know how long the waiting lists and lines are for free healthcare in Canada, which has one of the best socialized healthcare systems in the world?

      Yes, since I happen to live there. And the answer, in case anyone was wondering, is "Not particularly long". I've had relatives in the states wait much longer to have necessary procedures cleared by their profit grubbing insurance companies.

  2. Not much to this... by rhetoric · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Both are frustrated politicians - Silver, a former state legislator, and Thompson, a failed Miami-Dade County state attorney candidate. Both love the limelight, take cases that are destined to make headlines and are famous for publicity stunts."


    And there you have it. This will get them attention, name recognition, and a number of supporters in the right, oh and it will save children from bad parenting... or not. I think political games should be banned, wish I could afford to win that suit...

    Aside: I do think the portrayal of Haitians in GTA:Vice City is quite unecessary and in bad taste, even in the context of the game. Whether or not this should be legally relevant is another post.
    --

    "where words meet intent, lies rhetoric's lament"
    1. Re:Not much to this... by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 2, Insightful
      What about the portrayal of Cubans in GTA: VC and what about the portrayal of Italians in GTA III? What about the portrayal of Russians in your average Bond movie? What about the portrayal of white people in the miniseries Roots?

      I mean, honestly, do you want a group of enemies in your games/movies/television shows that are composed of one white guy, one black guy, one gay guy [any race], one Indian, one Canadian, one Asian, etc., etc.? If you do, you might want to check out the Village People, you might enjoy their work.

      --
      I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    2. Re:Not much to this... by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Innacurate portrayals? You're going to tell me that no Cuban has ever been involved in gang violence? Or that no Italians have ever been involved in organized crime? Or that no white people ever beat slaves?

      The fact is that just because you show a black guy stealing a car, doesn't mean that you're trying to tell the world that all black people steal cars. It's people like you who jump to the conclusion that concern me. If I show you 20 Cubans who are in a gang, why does that lead you to believe that all Cubans are in a gang? That's what you're saying it does - by furthering the stereotype.

      --
      I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    3. Re:Not much to this... by Danse · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Umm... ALL the haitians aren't gang members. The gang happens to be called the Haitians, because its members are Haitian. This is what most gangs are like. They consist primarily of a single ethnic group. Again, its people who make moronic leaps of "logic" that are the problem. Just because there is a Haitian gang in the game doesn't mean that the developers are trying to portray all Haitians as gang members. That's just plain stupid and people like the jackasses that are causing all the trouble over this are just trying to get attention with their stupidity.

      --
      It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
  3. sue 'em to death by bigbigbison · · Score: 2, Informative

    Recently I ran across an interesting posting on Buzzcut.com Apparently, according to the article Thompson recently appeared at U of Colorado. Afterwards, a student emailed him about what he thought should be done. His answer? Laws are nice, but he would rather see lawsuits. So it seems that rather than try to pass laws which would theoretically prevent videogame related violence he would rather wait untill something bad happens where people die and THEN sue to do something about it. Nice. Real compasionate. A cynical person would be tempted to think that he had an alterior motive or something...

    --
    http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
  4. Sweet, Poetic Revenge Plot... by Undefined+Parameter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If any Florida Slashdotters are reading this, do me a favor: get a girl you know (yourself, if applicable) to go each of these guys' offices with a copy of the U.S. Consitution (including the Bill of Rights, #1 being highlighted), a (legal) copy of an "infamous violent video game" (say, Quake 2... something that will work on the likely outdated and underpowered computers of conservative lawyers), and printouts of the following articles: This one and this one.

    Also be sure to get the local television crews, and newspaper writers and photographers to follow (and make sure that they're informed of the one lawyer's bikini vendor stunt)... because the whole idea here is to embarass these two ugly fellows using their own tactics, except bolstered by evidence.

    The downside is that this will get these two the attention they crave; the upside is that it won't get them positive attention and might just make a laughingstock out of them.

    Or just hit them both with a pie in the face at a press conference. (Hey, it worked with Bill Gates for the French!)

    ~UP

    --
    Eat the Path.