Solid as a Rock

After talking about Golding and his view on human nature, we students got to look at two contradicting views of human nature through Mencius and Hsun Tzu. We learned that Hsun Tzu believed human nature to be decidedly evil and that Mencius believed human nature to be inherently good. All of us were asked to write a paper on how we feel about human nature and whether we think it is good or evil, and I couldn't help but ponder deep into the back of my head to find to try to find something I had done to sum up how I felt about it. It came to me when we were paving our poolside a couple weeks ago. I had to lay a bunch of different stone slabs in order so that they would come together and form a walk-way. They were great looking stones; comprised of shiny minerals like those seen on tops of mountains. I was told to get off all the dirt and sand off of the stones so the other workers could lay down cement and seal everything. So I brushed off all the dirt from the stones but whenever I laid one stone down to brush up another the first one would get dirty all over again. I was never able to get all the dirt off of all these stones! I believe that at the core of human nature, we are all good, bright, and strong. However we get dirty from time to time because of the earth and how many chances it gives us to mess up. When we get dirty and commit sin we try to brush off all the dirt covering our true selves through forgiveness, then we get dirty again, and do it all over. Hsun Tzu makes a good point when he says good is done through conscious activity because sometimes we do get lazy and become hesitant to brush the dirt off ourselves. However, under all the dirt we are good, strong, shiny, and solid as a rock.

Good vs. Evil

The other day i was watching a show called Lockup: San Quentin and it reminded me of our discussions whether mans nature is good or evil. In this particular show a camera crew goes to various high security prisons, in this case to San Quentin, but in other shows they go all over the country interviewing inmates whether they are on death row or in the minimum scecurity for that facility. When the inmates are being interviewed at first you wonder why they got in prison because they seem to be good hearted people but throughout the show it becomes more and more evident that they may talk smooth but in reality they aren't telling the whole truth. It reminded me of class because when we were studing Mencius everyone believed that his philosophy was right and a person always wanted to do good but when we studied Hsun Tzu everybody changed their views. I find myself doing this in these shows becuase one wants to think that they are really good people but as the show goes on it becomes harder and harder to believe that they can be good. In addition, in one case an inmate got in trouble and they always tell the cameras they didn't do and try to make themselves look better than they really are but when the evidence is revieled by the officers it almost always ends up in the inmate getting in trouble. Also when the camera crew interviews people who all they want to do is hurt people it brings in a new element that most people would like to believe doesn't exist. In one episode this inmate called himself Macgyver because he could make weapons out of anything things that would originally be thought harmless. This guy made a ice pick weapon out of Jolly Ranchers, yes the candy, he melted them down to make an ice pick them when they harden they could easily kill a person. Also "Macgyver" is always trying to hurt or kill somebody else he treats life as if it were a game and the object is to kill as many people as possible. When I see things like it is really hard to believe in human nature being naturally good but like Hsun Tzu I like to believe humans can be good with strict training and rules.

Puppy Enforment 101

About two weeks ago, my cousin Lilly got a new labrador puppy. Lilly named the new puppy "Choco" because of his chocolate colored fur. Choco is a very energetic, happy-go-lucky pup with enough energy to wear both Lilly and me. "With a new puppy, comes responsibility and patience," my aunt warned Lilly. Playing with Choco is always fun, but training him is a slow tiresome process. Lilly and I began this "Puppy Enforment 101" course and the first lesson was: Potty Training. Training Choco not to go to the bathroon on the carpet floor was tough. Choco would pee anywhere and everywhere in the house. Lilly, being younger than me, did not like the idea of scolding Choco when he used the bathroom inside the house. She said that it's mean and it hurt Choco's feelings. I explained to her that the only way to teach Choco not to pee on the living room carpet was to first teach him that what he is doing is unacceptable. After Choco had another "accident", Lilly and I used the scolding tactic. Each time Choco had an "accident", we would scold the puppy. We taught Choco that it's ok to use that yard by giving him treats or by praising him when he would follow through. Choco learned that if he peed on the carpet or inside the house, he would get scolded. Obviously, neither human nor animal likes to get in trouble and therefore tries to avoid it. Gradually, Choco no longer used the house as a lawn. Now Choco is fully potty trained! After observing this training course and how Choco reacted to the teaching styles, I realized that rules can exist but they are worthless if no one enforces them. In the article, "What Makes Us Moral" it states, "a sense of right and wrong [is] useless until someone teaches you how to apply it" (Kluger p58). Choco did not know that what he was doing was wrong, until Lilly began scolding him. Through admonishment, Choco gradually learned that using the house as a lawn was not approved by Lilly. Choco must have linked Lilly's disapproval with his actions and began to take his bladder issues outside. In the article, "Is Morality Natural?", Hauser explains " We [humans as well as animals] generally do not commit wrongs acts because we recognize that they are wrong and because we do not want to pay the emotional price of doing something we perceive as wrong" (Hauser p.65). I assure you Choco didn't like to be scolded and didn't like to see Lilly upset, therefore he began to do as he was praised and stopped doing what he was scold. Now Choco is 100 percent potty trained and graduated from the "Puppy Enforcement 101" course! ^_________^

While I was going about my summer reading, I realized that I had unconsciously been making character comparisons from one book to another. The LOTF and The Kite Runner have no similiar plots but the characters in the book have a lot of similiarities. Assef, the protagonist in The Kite Runner, reminded me a lot of Ralph. Both have a lot of inner problems that they both need to address but neither one seems to be capable of doing so. Jack and Assef, who is one of the antagonists in The Kite Runner, also have many things in common. They are both extremely sadistic and like to be in control of others. The adult that Assef becomes is exactly what I would imagine Jack would have been would he have stayed on that island for much longer.

Leadership By Force

This week in class we spent a day around the Harkness Table discussing leadership and exp owed by great leaders. The discussion we very productive and there was great insight from everyone. The leadership qualities that were shared included charisma, good speaker, courage, and leading by example. The night after the discussion I went home and I talked leadership with my parents. I told them that during the discussion two people came to mind with very similar leadership style. These to people are Jack from The Lord of the Flies and the President of the United States Barack Obama. Jack was a very forceful leader who instilled fear in the people that followed him. President Obama during the campaign was a very good speaker, had great charisma, and was a very likable person. To this day, President Obama has led by force. He is not a forceful leader in the sense Jack was but President Obama is a very manipulative leader. The president is a great speaker and this helps him to manipulate people into whatever he wants. People are so in awe of his wonderful charisma and verbiage that they do not think for themselves and they go with whatever he says may it be right or wrong. Jack was also a forceful leader but he led by putting fear in people and then taking violent actions against his rivals. Jack was savage unlike President Obama and Jack had a great following. Jacks' piers always complied with what he said and they never questioned him. Neither of these people has true leadership qualities like leading by example, or being able to listen to someones' ideas. Jack and President Obama always have their way; their way or the highway. By no means am I saying that President Obama is violent or savage, I just think he leads by force and so did Jack. These two men exemplify how to lead by force but they both have completely different ways of going about it.

Interconnection between Rules and Ethics

The beginning of this year has set off with a bang as we dive deeper and deeper in to what Golding has to say in his book, The Lord of the Flies. I believe the greatest point Golding instills in his book is how we all take better to ethics than we do rules. In other words we should be expected to rely on the pre-existing ethical principles of people more than the enforcement of laws when trying to make a well-established society. I think this statement is true but I look at all these other countries around us where poverty is abundant and suicide bombs go off, and I think to myself, "why aren't we like that?". Is it because we're all forced to go to school and practice proper etiquette? Or is it because we are better at enforcing laws than other countries are? I don't think I'm mature enough to fully understand every aspect of forming a well-to-do society but I think I have a theory. I have an explanation that truly voices my opinion on the subject. I believe at the heart of a strong nation there has to be standards and principles, but in order for that heart to work there has to be laws that act as the blood that that heart pumps through the body that is society. That blood nourishes and cleans that body and keeps it intact. Without the heart the blood cannot be pumped and without blood the heart becomes useless. I believe Golding was trying to say that laws enforced on people without ethical understandings to back them up become hollow and are easily broken. This concept applied to my friends and I a couple summers back. One day we decided we would improve our treehouse in our backyard by adding a roof , carpet, tv, xbox, dvd player, disco ball, and a couple kids who were too adventurous to stay inside the house. We lived in our own little world away from our parents when we were in that treefort. We could talk about whatever we wanted and do anything we wanted, as long as we didn't get caught. So we made rules to make sure none of us would ever make a catastrophic mistake and get us in a lot of trouble. Our rules were: 1. Take your shoes off before you come in, 2. Don't spill your drink anywhere, 3. Don't do anything Jesus wouldn't do. But after a while we forgot to take our shoes off, we spilled a lot of drinks and stained the carpet, and we did do a lot of things Jesus wouldn't do. So the treefort became a place where we would try to bend the rules. One day we bought a mega-phone and yelled at our neighbors telling them they were ugly and another day we threw urine-filled water balloons at them. The treefort became more about having fun than making sure we were taking care of ourselves. If we ever had a conch up there it would have been gone by that time. Much like in The Lord of the Flies, we stopped caring about rules, we just wanted to live our lives in the most lively ways we knew how, because we didn't fully understand the ethical principles of proper behavior, the rules were easily broken.

Lord of the Flies/Aniaml I Have Become

The boys on the island have become monsters, which is caused by man's essential illness, which states all humans contain evil. In 3 Days Grace's "Animal I Have Become", Adam Gontier, the vocalist of 3 Days Grace, sings that even he has " become...this animal" that he "can't control". He continues saying "it's not the real" him and pleas for "somebody [to] help [him] tame this animal". In Lord of the Flies, all the boys, except for Simon, turn into the beast/animal that is created due to evil. Because the boys have become so evil, they cannot control themselves for they don't understand what is right from wrong. Only the boys with conscious, Ralph, Piggy, and the twins, ask to be released from the beast/animal inside them. Like Adam who says that he "can't escape this hell", the boys are trapped and cannot escape off the island. Adam wishes he "could get through this nightmare" like the littluns wanting to stop the nightmares of the beast. Although Adam and the littluns believe that it is a nightmare, the beast/animal is real. Because the animal/beast "still [has] rage inside", it strives for more. Jack is constantly wanting to strive for his wants, and goes with his instinct which is to become leader and to kill. Adam begs for someone to "help [him] believe it's not the real" him. When the boys are rescued, the boys come to their senses and cry because they understand what they have done and their real selves come back.

The Most Dangerous Game

A few months ago, I read a story called the Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. This is a story about a man who also gets left on an island while going on a hunting expedition. He falls off his yacht and finds the nearest island. Long story short, he meets another hunter and that man decides that he is going to hunt the the most dangerous game, that being a human being. The main character, Mr. Rainsford is being hunted and he must make smart decisions or else he will be killed. He uses his knowledge to outwit and defeat his opponent. I chose this to represent the Lord of the Flies because of the savagery that was implied for humans to hunt humans. Both Ralph and Rainsford are being hunted by humans and both actually make it out alive. Although the tactics and opponents are different, both of these humans find a way to save themselves from the horror that would come had they been captured. They were both suited for the mental composite for both of their opponents, Rainsford was a well respected hunter and was even on his way to go on a hunt, he had been all over the world hunting all kinds of animals, so he used the techniques that he had learned on his adventures on his enemy. All Ralph knew how to do was run, and that is all that he needed. Jack and his clan were not as smart as the other enemy but since they were kinds it was reasonable. As Ralph ran and ran, the group that followed was still chasing him all the way to the beach. Once there he stumbled to the feet of a naval officer, who saved the children. Rainsford on the other hand had to save himself with clever wits and ingenious tactics. Both of these humans had to avoid the savagery that was forced upon them and overcome it with something that could over come the savage human nature that was chasing them. The savagery only come out in the most sincere occasions when only violence can solve the issue for that particular person. Ralph and Rainsford were not overcome by savagery but yet they knew how to counter act it and finally escape the clutches of the enemies.

Travis Conine

Similarities to Football

In a way I can compare football to our discussions over Lord of the Flies and how the boys give the impression like they will never be go home to their parents. The boys on the island are stranded and it seems like they will never get saved and will have to stay on the island forever. For a week of our football two a day’s we went to Detroit, Texas (I still don’t know where that is) and I especially knew that week was going to suck when our coaches started calling it hell week. Every day was degrading I remember counting off the practices with my teammates until we were leaving that Friday and finally going home. It seemed like an eternity everyday waking up early going through two painful practices, two hours each, and then the easy but still annoying special teams practice. Even though none of the guys cried at night wanting to go home I remember a couple of guys calling their parents asking them to come pick them up just so they could get out of the misery of practice. I don’t know how the boys on the island could survive without air conditioning especially on a tropical island with humid temperatures. In our two a day’s the Texas heat was unbearable the humidity was god awful and we were physically being tortured but to manly to admit it until after practice. The boys on the island must have been miserable because at least we had something to look forward in leaving they had no hope and were just sitting there hoping and hoping to be saved. Also on the island the boys turned more and more like savages everyday and in football people turn into different people when they step out onto the gridiron. In football as one of our coaches says, “You have to get nasty so you can turn your swagger on at the end of the game.” In addition to that everybody seems to turn on this new aggression against their opponent like they just killed your best friend and you just want to pound them to the ground. Football is a special game you have a few rules but other than that you’re free to hit each other as hard as you want with no consequences but are actually rewarded when you make a big hit. For example, this year we get Slurpees if we hit a kid hard enough or make a big play like an interception or a fumble recovery. I guess this is kind of like Jack becoming the center of attention for killing the pigs because when you get a Slurpee everyone is surrounding you asking for a sip or asking, “How did you get a Slurpee?” In Lord of the Flies the boys turn into savages because that’s the way they seem right to live and in Football its promoted to hit hard or be nasty but once practice is over or the game we all snap back into reality and become normal human beings just like when the boys were rescued.

Evil yet Effective Leaders

Last week in English Class, we discussed the leadership style of Jack. We decided that he manipulated the kids to join his tribe. And through fear he forced them to stay with him. Last year we learn all about Adolph Hitler and how he did the same thing. He used propaganda to manipulate millions to join him against the Jews and many other victims. Jack did not use propaganda like hitler, but he did say things to the kids like, “My tribe is more cool,” so that the kids would join him instead of Ralph.

In addition to talking about their leadership styles we discussed some of the most important attributes that make up a good leader. The one we all agreed on as being the most important was understanding humans. Jack understood humans, so he used it to his advantage. He knew that usually when humans are scared they will do things that they would not necessarally do otherwise. After manipulating the boys on the island into joining his tribe, he showed them what he could do. He(Roger did, but it proves the same thing) killed Piggy and at one instance he had Sam and Eric tortured. This put fear into the boys, so that they would never leave him, or else they might face the same pain. Hitler understood humans too, just as Jack did(on a smaller scale), he manipulated millions to join him. Then, since they were afraid of the consequences of leaving, they stayed even if they did not want to.

John Teeter

Leaders

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, brings many issues to question. We can see these issues though in our own lives around us. Everyday we go to school and we all see the same thing happening, cliques are forming and leaders are being made. We may not realize it but it is happening. The same thing happened in Lord of the Flies, the boys became split up and leaders were made. In almost anywhere in society there is a leader. You see it with the government, clubs, sports, work and so much more. Having a leader is just natural for us as it was for the boys on the island. One of the first things the boys did on the island was decide a leader. They thought with Ralph as a leader things would get done and decisions would be made, but that wasn't necessarily the case. The boys all wanted different things and couldn't even decide on what to do. This soon lead to the group being separated into two groups, the boys who wanted Ralph as their leaders and the ones who wanted Jack. We see this same idea in our own government when it comes to republicans and democrats. At school there is the same group segregation, some people like one person and others like another causing people to go their separate ways. Many times you will even see trouble between two groups just like there was for the boys in Lord of the Flies. Either way we all have different ideas on what we think is right and who we agree with.

Mind Domination!!! DX

Last night, my father was talking to me about the importance of being in control of your life. My dad has always told me to never be afraid to speak my mind or standing for what I believe in. He tells me to never be intimidated by anyone because intimidation is a weakness. He warns me to keep my guard up and under any condition not to let weaknesses be shown. He explains: some people are just waiting for an opportunity to pounce and gradually they break you down. That's if you let them of course. My dad has a saying, "Quien la mente domina, la vida domina." In other words: he who lets his mind be dominated, lets his his life be dominated as well. Dad sets an example, if someone's negative comments about you gets to you and you have a weak spirit, soon you yourself will begin to believe those comments about you. Then you won't be able to stand up for yourself, because you've let a person's false comments break you down. My dad tells me he strives to guide me to become a strong, independent woman, who won't let anyone's (negative) comments affect her.
Piggy is ridiculed by the other boys due to his pathetic appearance. Being pudgy, wearing huge thick glasses and suffering asthma "ass-mar" is prone to be a reason for taunting. Despite being disrespected and made fun of, Piggy always has something to say, and he always wants his opinion to be heard. Piggy always fought for his voice to be heard, and the conch assured him that it would, that's why he really admired and respected the conch. The conch encourages him to speak without fear of being silenced. Although Piggy is called names, he does not let this affect his opinionative self. The conch and the protection it gave Piggy from being silenced, allowed Piggy's thought to be recognized. With the conch, everyone had to hear to Piggy's ideas, point of view and opinions. Piggy neve let the other boys' comments go to his head, and he never stopped being who he was.

Lord of the Flies

Lately we have been talking about Lord of the Flies in english class. We talk have talked about how if the boys couldn't work together, they would get no were and probably wouldn't survive. In there little community, I saw that the boys didn't necessarily have to like each other, they just needed to get there jobs done. Jack and Ralph certainly didn't like each other but if it weren't for Ralph's leadership they would have fallen apart, and if it weren't for Jack's hunting abilities they would be starved. Every summer, I go to Camp Greystone for 5 weeks. Of course I have my 4 best friends that are always there for me, but after 5 weeks in a cabin with all girls it can get pretty catty. Even after two weeks you can start to dislike people. There was one girl in my cabin, this past camp session, that i really didn't like because she wined about everything. We were at camp we were suppose to be having fun. Although I didn't like this girl, I had to deal with it. She was there to stay. I didn't have to see her during my classes, but we did have to do our job in the cabin to keep it clean for the benefit of both of us. We would set our differences apart for 45 min a day to help clean up the cabin as a group. We sometimes even learn to cope with the people we don't like. Jack and Ralph tried this at first and then Jack couldn't take it anymore. This girl would always whine to my friends about how she wanted to go home and blah blah, but I never said anything, I just found some of my other friends and left the cabin. Jack turned into a monster trying to take everything from Ralph, while Ralph just let him have it his way and carried on with what he was doing before. We all have to deal with people we don't like but it is best just to leave things alone than make a scene. Just distance yourself and maybe have a friend to vent to, then you won't have any enemies or people chasing you through the woods trying to kill you.

Lord of the Flies compared to "Lost"

Over the past few weeks we have been discussing The lord of the flies in class. We have discussed the difference in Jack and Ralph's way of leading the kids. Also we have talked about how the kids create their own microcosm on the island. As i was reading the book i realized that there were many similarities between the book and the unrelated show. First both of the survivors were stuck on the island because of a plane crash. As they grouped together the adult survivors on lost picked a leader that they thought would help them the most, yet unlike the kids there was less tension between the people because they all got a say in what they would put their efforts toward and they all agreed on it. Also on the island in Lost, the survivors find out that there is another 'tribe' on the island and the people that make up the tribe are not afraid to kill the survivors. Even on the island the adults seem to find man's violent nature in effect. The survivors looked to their leader to help them survive and hopefully get off the island. Unfortunately the other tribe had no plans to let any one off the island. Also when other people finally come to the island, they save some of the survivors, but their real mission is to kill the people of the island. Just as in The lord of the Flies the survivors cannot seem to escape the violent ways of humans. The survivors on the island were thrown into another world (microcosm) where when they try to survive in a civil way they were forced to show some savagery toward the mysterious other tribe.

Two Islands, Both With No Order

For the past few days in English class, we've been discussing about Golding's reference to "mankind's essential illness," and the monstrosities that man is capable of doing when all order is lost. On August 29, 2005 America was soon about to experience a devastating natural disaster that would end up changing peoples' lives. In Lord of the Flies, a group of English choir boys are stranded on a deserted island, because while flying, their plane was shot down. The boys to some extent relate to those that were trapped in New Orleans during and after the hurricane. Those trapped found themselves literally and figuratively on a island, where help was far far away. New Orleans soon became a deserted island, similar to the one the boys were stranded on. In both cases, there was no order, laws, police, punishments, and regulations, only ordinary people. The boys soon were able to do whatever they wanted only because no one had control over them (mainly Jack did). In New Orleans, the people that stayed behind were capable of doing anything. They were above the law, only because there was no law. Like on the island, Roger was able to get away with the murder of Piggy, and Simon's death was somewhat ignored. Before that dreadful day of August 29, New Orleans was a lively city, filled with zest and tons of energy. The city was ALIVE!!! but after Katrina, the lovely city of New Orleans suddenly became a ghost town. People robbed abandoned stores, and took whatever they could have of value. When there is no order or law people that were once civilized become animals. This also happened with Lord of the Flies. The boys were very polite and civilized, but once they were left alone on the island their animalistic state overpowered them; and they did things that if they were back home, they would have never done. Laws prevent man from doing evil acts, but when the law is absent, so is the humanity within man. However, although times seemed rough and harsh for both the boys and the citizens of New Orleans, they never gave up. They stood strong and believed that help would eventually come. In the end, the boys were rescued from they hell they lived in, and the people of Katrina were saved. Today, New Orleans is back to how it once was, thanks to those people of New Orleans who never gave up and the continual help and support of those outside of New Orleans. Although New Orleans and the island the boys were on are very different, and so far away from one another, they are merely mirror images of each other. One in the 1940s and the other in 2005. Both experienced bad, but overcame the evil by good.

Rowing Through the Waters of Hatred

Lord of the Flies is a book about boys that are stranded on an island, and some how they have choose a leader and try and survive. Ralph is the leader and none of the boys like him. They dont think that he is a good leader, and that he is annoying in how he makes them tend to the fire and keep water. In crew, we row in doubles singles and quads. In a double and a quad, there is a bow. That is the person that is the leader of the boat and tells the other people what to do. If you dont like your bow then your most likely not going to listen to them, and just ignore them. This is like lord of the flies when they dont feel the need to listen to Ralph. Even though they didnt want to listen to them, some of them had to listen to him because theyd idnt want to go in Jacks group. You may not feel the need to listen to the bow, but you have to because that is the person that guides you through the scary waters of the lake. Just like Ralph and Jack had to cope with each other even though the greatly disliked one another, we as humans have to do that. just because i do not like someone does not mean i wont listen to them. It can put our lives in jeproady. Today when we went rowing, all of a sudden it became really windy and it started to rain and lightening. we were in the water, so somehow we had to work together to get back on land, even if this ment rowing against the wind. There were people complaining and almost in tears in my boat because they were so scared, but we all had to get it together and work as a team. It worked and we got back safely to land!

Man Vs. Wild

The past several weeks in class we have been discussing about The Lord of the Flies, which is a book where many British schoolboys are stranded on and island and have to survive until they are rescued. This book and our discussions closely relate to a TV show titled Man Vs. Wild. In this show Bear Grylls is left in the wilderness with only several common items and has to survive and find his way out. In one episode Bear is adrift at see on a life raft in the ocean. Much like the children in The Lord of the Flies who crash into the ocean and wash up on a deserted island. He is adrift at sea for a long time and has to make fresh water and catch fish off his raft. He soon turns up on a deserted island where he has to build a shelter and find food. He knows that the essentials to living are food, fresh water, and shelter. He knows which fruits and plants on the island are poisonous and which have the most nutritional value. Ralph, in The Lord of the Flies, also knows that the essentials are food, shelter and fresh water. He tries to lead the others to build a shelter and help find more food and water but when Jack rebels Ralph doesn’t get to build his shelter and find more food. Jack takes most all the kids to his clan and Ralph isn’t left with enough people to build his shelter. Bear also knows another essential to survival is fire and he always keeps one going for warmth and for the smoke for rescue. Ralph understands this and tries to make the others understand but they refuse to keep a fire on the mountaintop burning. This is one of very few ways to get rescued on a deserted island. In the end Bear is rescued due to the smoke from his fire. Bear and Ralph are much alike because they understand the essentials of survival and they know that smoke and other things needed to be done to survive and be rescued on a deserted island.

Lord of the Flies compared to the outside world

Are there examples of Man's essential illness in our every day lives? Can you turn on the TV or put on a movie and witness Human beings' acting violent? Does the gaming industries' violent games affect us as an individual to the point of us cracking? Do we act like our fictional characters?

Quoting William Rupert, "Playing Grand Theft Auto IV is a great example of Man acting violent." In the game you run around the streets with the option to storm a hospital and shoot down everyone inside. You can also input codes that allow you to have better weapons, vehicles, and a helicopter that flies you around town. You can beat people up with a bat, blow up a cop car with a bazooka, or meet up with your fellow mob members. The point is can playing this game day in and day out affect you as an individual to the point of you snapping? If a kid has no education and just lives off playing this game and others like it will it make him/her go down the street and kill someone?

If gaming doesn't do the trick then why don't you just put on a fun action packed movie. We leave our reality and join in the fictional tales of our favorite films. We could be a wizard thinking we can open locked doors with our fake wands, or a gangster thinking our hands are real guns. Does watching these movies affect us like the violent games?

TV can also produce violent shows. Reality TV, Cop shows, and action packed shows illustrate how Humans can snap or go crazy.

There are many examples of Human beings acting violent, be it TV, Grand Theft Auto IV, or a classic DVD movie, you can find multiple examples in your everyday lives.