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a jack thompson email with kotaku

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http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/q-a/jack-thompson-declines-to-speak-out-on-gaming-violence-025471.php

the way this jack thompson speaks bothers me.

i think he is too concerned with being right than trying to help. the fact he is a lawyer doesn't really help him look any better. granted he's a smart guy, i just think he's playing the sensation card too often with his comments. he's very blinded, i understand why he has to be, but it isn't helpful.

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  • Prs-Phil
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    Prs-Phil polycounter lvl 18
    what I don't understand how someone like that can become a lawyer, I don't see an indication that he is smart in any kinda way.
  • killingpeople
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    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    he can argue a point. but i still think he's wrong. and a bag of douche. blush.gif
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/24/tech/gamecore/main676446.shtml
  • JonMurphy
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    JonMurphy polycounter lvl 18
    There was another email exchange which I caught in the comments on Blues News last Monday, when Jack went after the Sims 2

    [ QUOTE ]
    This is a dialog between myself and Mr. Tjhompson, the first part is at the bottom and works up...enjoy. Sorry about the length...

    I have met Col. North and he thinks I’m a great patriot. Just FYI now this is MY last warning. DO NOT RESPOND!

    Original Message
    From: Jack Thompson [mailto:jackpeace@comcast.net]
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:58 AM
    To: hvarn@sc.rr.com
    Subject: Re: Open letter

    You're a disgrace to the Corps. Ollie North would want you to know

    Original Message

    From: Cpl Hansel Chad Varn
    To: 'Jack Thompson'
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:43 AM
    Subject: RE: Open letter

    Closed minded? That’s the pot calling the kettle black. In history the voice of ONE has changed the world, shame you forgot that. Nerd? Thank you for the compliment, my God you are a bully. I HAVE FORWARDED THESE TO Senators Clinton and Lieberman, so they may see how rude you are indeed.

    Kind Regards,

    Cpl. H. C. Varn

    Original Message
    From: Jack Thompson [mailto:jackpeace@comcast.net]
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:31 AM
    To: hvarn@sc.rr.com
    Subject: Re: Open letter

    you're right. you're an audience of one. if you do the math, Einstein, you can see I am wasting my time bothering with a close-minded nerd. bug off. last warning

    Original Message

    From: Cpl Hansel Chad Varn
    To: 'Jack Thompson'
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:27 AM
    Subject: RE: Open letter

    Because you have no substance to your charges, I’ll bet if I was MSNBC, CBS et al you’d have some great comment pre-typed and ready to go. You see you should make the time, as the politicians you’re trying to bring on board are the ones we citizens elect and as constituents we can make or break political careers. I think you have some serious childhood issues you may want to sort out.

    Regards, Semper Fidelis,

    Cpl H. Chad Varn

    hvarn@sc.rr.com

    www.chadvarn.com

    Original Message
    From: Jack Thompson [mailto:jackpeace@comcast.net]
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:21 AM
    To: hvarn@sc.rr.com
    Subject: Re: Open letter

    I don't have time for your "charges." Go semper fidelis yourself.

    Original Message

    From: Cpl Hansel Chad Varn
    To: 'Jack Thompson'
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:20 AM
    Subject: RE: Open letter

    No sir, you embarrass the nation. Pity you can’t respond to my charges against you. Like a bad B-movie you can only offer pithy one liners. I’m making sure all communications to and from you are forwarded to the many arms of the gaming and national press.

    Regards, Semper Fidelis,

    Cpl H. Chad Varn

    hvarn@sc.rr.com

    www.chadvarn.com

    Original Message
    From: Jack Thompson [mailto:jackpeace@comcast.net]
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 9:15 AM
    To: hvarn@sc.rr.com
    Subject: Re: Open letter

    get lost. you embarrass the Corps

    Original Message

    From: Cpl Hansel Chad Varn
    To: 'Jack Thompson'
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:58 AM
    Subject: RE: Open letter

    Actually sir, I am an English major, 6 year veteran of the US Marine Corps and the parent of two loving children. Too many games my arse; I figured why bother with correct grammatical form when you haven’t bothered with correct thinking and logic, instead you offer a subtle insult. Oh by the way, how do you fit into those goose-stepping boots? To think the six years I spent defending folk’s freedom you would like to just throw away. Not on my watch Mr. Thompson, my brethren and I have paid too dear a price. Oh here is the first sentence reworked with your precious damned verb. You sir, are a blithering idiot! (Blithering is a verb intransitive BTW). In your day, politicians attacked comics, now games are the new scapegoats. Pity your ilk won’t blame the real culprits of society’s woes and the many Columbines theretofore produced; POOR PARENTING. Your scarcely even understand the media you are so quick to attack. When was the last time you played a MODERN video game, without being guided through it by those who cater to your goal? A majority of the gaming industry produces quality, entertaining and less controversial titles.

    Regards, Semper Fidelis,

    Cpl H. Chad Varn
    hvarn@sc.rr.com

    www.chadvarn.com

    Original Message
    From: Jack Thompson [mailto:jackpeace@comcast.net]
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 6:51 AM
    To: hvarn@sc.rr.com
    Subject: Re: Open letter



    your first sentence is missing a verb. too many games, no doubt.

    Original Message

    From: Cpl Hansel Chad Varn
    To: jackpeace@comcast.net
    Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 6:41 AM
    Subject: Open letter

    Mr. Thompson,

    You sir an idiot. You are about as educated on the video game industry as I am on nuclear medicine (big hint, I’m not!). One again you and your pundits of political lunacy are using the video game industry as your whipping boy. Funny how Hollywood churns out vulgarity after vulgarity yet you raise not one eyebrow? Funny how your kind forced the music industry to put labels on albums with obscene language. At least the video game industry self imposed ratings on it’s product. Thus far it had worked. As a worker in the industry I see idiot parents buy stuff for their kids without regard for the warnings. Perhaps you should blame them not the ESRB or its leadership. Being a republican myself, you make me sick. After reading your open letter I was reminded of the McCarthy hearings in the 50’s and how witch hunters such as yourself almost turned America into the spitting image of Nazi Germany. Video games DO fall under constitutional protection. DO NOT go down that road you are trying to go down. It leads to a place our forefathers would definitely fear. People like you are book burners, no better than Hitler’s goose-stepping SS. I can only pray that your efforts fail.

    Submitted,

    Cpl H. Chad Varn

    hvarn@sc.rr.com

    www.chadvarn.com


    [/ QUOTE ]
  • MoP
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    MoP polycounter lvl 18
    That guy sounds like a self-serving, self-important ass.

    Thompson says "Kids took guns to school for 200 years in this country without turning them on one another."

    I don't see how he can possibly argue that there would be as many school shootings (or just kids with guns) if the USA had stricter gun laws.
    I'd say that even if some messed up kid who's been playing too much Manhunt and getting delusions wanted to kill a bunch of his peers, if he didn't have access to guns, it would be much more difficult.

    It's not like they're giving away free semi-automatics with every copy of GTA.

    I find it interesting how this is pretty much confined to America. I'd guess that the UK and Canada have, proportionally, just as many kids playing the same games, yet I haven't heard of anywhere near as many incidents of school murder or kids going on rampages.

    The difference? Tighter gun laws.
  • jzero
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    jzero polycounter lvl 18
    I still like to play this little tune: Dr. Frederic Wertham

    Ignorance keeps the CD player of human history stuck on 'Repeat'.

    I noticed that in one of the above-referenced interviews, Mr. Thompson claimed that GTA was being used as a 'gang activity trainer'. I've only played GTA3, but I expect that the sequels are similarly unrealistic as carjacking simulators.

    /jzero
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    [ QUOTE ]


    It's not like they're giving away free semi-automatics with every copy of GTA.


    [/ QUOTE ]

    maybe they should
  • Foehammer
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    Foehammer polycounter lvl 18
  • palm
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    palm polycounter lvl 18
    What a self-righteous fucking tool.
  • Asherr
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    Asherr polycounter lvl 18
    so does/has someone representing the game industry ever make a concerted effort to go pulic/national (on tv/radio, before a senator/congressman) and call these people on their mis-information? or are the retaliations limited to when/if some news broadcast decideds to give them 5minutes of air time?
  • Rick Stirling
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    Rick Stirling polycounter lvl 18
    The media want soundbites to get attention. They go to him. They don't care about a rebuttal.
  • palm
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    palm polycounter lvl 18
    It is a dead-end for the game industry to speak on the
    matter. If they do they have to point out the real
    problems to all these hypocritical assholes.
  • JO420
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    I seriously have a hardtime believing a lawyer would even bother to respond to such a barrage of emails. Given the amount of time to read through them (time is money), even more so since such responses could come back to haunt as a lawyer well knows.

    How do we know this address is simply made up or even more someone simply answering for/as him versus being him?

    Simply put, why would he even bother to respond? (More importantly why the fuck did that bluesnews guy have to start conversation with a putdown - Yea, thats really helping our case there. shocked.gif Thanks. I think his own term would apply in how he acted towards the lawyer. He just added fire versus trying to break down barriers.
  • MoP
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    MoP polycounter lvl 18
    oXYnary: Yeah, I'm fairly suspicious of that account actually being real, or those responses being made up. It really doesn't strike me as something a lawyer would write, and is there any proof that's actually Jack Thompson's email address? This sounds like a job for Snopes...
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    On second thought:
    (whois website)
    Organization:
    Jack Thompson
    Jack Thompson
    1172 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 111
    Coral Gables, FL 33146
    US
    Phone: 305-666-4366
    Email: jackthompson@attbi.com

    Still very well could be faked information by someone. Highly illegal, but even so.
  • parasyte7
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    parasyte7 polycounter lvl 19
    i work for tom buscaglia "the gameattorney" and his office is right down the road from there. funny how the biggest game attorney and biggest anti-game attorney are right down the road from each other, in miami florida nonetheless
  • Mishra
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    Mishra polycounter lvl 18
    actually at this point i dont blame the guy. hes incorrect about a lot of things but wont give gamers the time of day since, whenever there is a story out there like the gta thing, he gets hundreds, maybe thousands of emails along the lines of "SUCK MY COCK U FUCK U DNT NO GTA" so he has taken up responding coldly to all emails from gamers, ones that mean good as well as ones that dont so much.
  • jzero
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    jzero polycounter lvl 18
    No, Thompson doesn't want to talk to gamers of any kind because he doesn't want to be confused by the facts. Facts would distract from his sensationalist screed, which gets him media soundbites, talk show appearances and, ultimately, better publicity than money can buy. And then the tall dollars start rolling in.

    Satan keeps that special Circle of Hell nice and scalding, for impressive attorneys (words which here mean, "scumbag media ho's") like this guy.

    /jzero
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    I wonder if theres a defamation law suit in this. the guy's arguments are clearly unfounded and damaging our industry. Surely EA for example, could slap him with a massive lawsuit... right?
  • Mark Dygert
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    1) He's not in it for the cause, he is in it for the money and fame.
    2) He's a tool that doesn't know what to say, to who or when to say it.
    3) Has anyone baited this guy to see what his response would be. Something along the lines of a thank you letter from some sally-hearthrob-soccer-mon thanking him for being so brave and couragous? He would more than likely tell her to F-off too. I bet he would fall all over himself if some news anchor shot him a mail...
  • Sean McBride
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    Sean McBride polycounter lvl 18
    I'm confused accualy. Why would he reply to such emails in the firstplace? It doesn't make sense.

    If they are real he is absolutely retarted. It's just amazing how many people want to point the finger at so many other things than parents not paying any attention to their kids anymore.

    Sure, if you dont teach your child that injuring or killing someone is wrong... your kids not going to cary that deeply rooted in his logic. Kill people in real life -> bad idea.

    How many times are we going to go after the first hair-brained idea that pops into our heads and accualy research from the broad scale to figure out whats really going on here.
  • sledgy
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    sledgy polycounter lvl 18
    "I'm too busy destroying Best Buy and Rockstar"

    Ok whatever buddy. Just ignore this chode goblin.
  • Dravalen
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    Dravalen polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    I wonder if theres a defamation law suit in this. the guy's arguments are clearly unfounded and damaging our industry. Surely EA for example, could slap him with a massive lawsuit... right?

    [/ QUOTE ]
    It's been suggest at where I work, althought I don't think anyone has actually passed the suggestion off to EA(who's our publisher).
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    Ok I think it is him because..

    [ QUOTE ]
    During his career, he has been asked to submit to psychiatric testing by the Florida Supreme Court, while undergoing a bizarre First Amendment campaign. He made some accusations against Janet Reno after losing his bid to become Dade County State Attorney. But let's not get into that.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    http://www.tomshardware.com/column/20050730/index.html

    So its worse and sadder than him simply looking for fame. He may be really mentally fucked up.
  • jzero
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    jzero polycounter lvl 18
    The issue raised by the Tom's Hardware article is interesting, that modding might be made illegal, given the opportunity allowed to create pornographic content that could be added in. But this is preposterous. Following on with the Marvel vs City of Heroes lawsuit analogy, that would be like banning crayons because they could be used to create dirty pictures.

    There's a simpler solution that wouldn't hurt anyone but porno-mod makers. Simply insert language in the EULA that prohibits you from making and distributing dirty mods. The stock photo industry already does this, making it a violation of their license if you make porno pictures with, or even near, their stuff: "Pornographic, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful use of Licensed Material is strictly prohibited whether directly or in context or juxtaposition with specific subject matter." In doing this, the maker of the porno mod is held responsible, and the original creator is held harmless.

    Then, to prove this point, somebody should sneak into Jack Thompson's house and steal his digital camera, take nekkid pictures with it, and then return it... Ban cameras, Jack!

    /jzero
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    "Pornographic, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful use of Licensed Material is strictly prohibited whether directly or in context or juxtaposition with specific subject matter." In doing this, the maker of the porno mod is held responsible, and the original creator is held harmless.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I would take offense to that because you are limiting digital/web artists. There are a few contemporary artist who use game engines in their digital work. In placing the same limitations on them versus a group of guys making a game would really kill the potential of this media to house critical ideas.

    Even more because I wanna be one of them someday AND my artwork is dirty birdy. laugh.gif
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    Do bear in mind, however, that this is the guy who once said that Grand Theft Auto allows players to rape and kill pregnant women and/or children.

    [/ QUOTE ]There, thats a flat out lie. Why wasn't he sued to a pulp for that one?
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