The Very Definition of Lost Freedoms

Now I haven't contributed anything like this before on ATS, but I did a search and couldn't find any topics on the matter.

This is something we should all be aware of as our Artistic freedoms have been TAKEN away.

Just because video games give you the tools to recreate your school as a battlefield doesn’t mean you should use them. This morning five Louisville, Kentucky, middle school students learned this lesson the hard way.

The five Stuart Middle School students will be disciplined and could face felony charges after a teacher discovered a map detailing the possible placement of bombs on the school grounds earlier this morning. An email from the school district’s public information officer Lauren Roberts explains that following the teacher’s discovery the school was swept by bomb sniffing dogs. No explosives were found. She also notes that the map did not contain any sort of date for when a plan to bomb the school might go into effect.

See Kotaku for full article.
Originally cited from Courier-Jo urnal

So does this mean that if I create a movie based on the assassination of the POTUS, that I am therefore by extension a Terrorist Assassin?

I mourn for the world and liberties that we have lost.

Originally posted by Sovaka
Now I haven't contributed anything like this before on ATS, but I did a search and couldn't find any topics on the matter.

This is something we should all be aware of as our Artistic freedoms have been TAKEN away.

Just because video games give you the tools to recreate your school as a battlefield doesn’t mean you should use them. This morning five Louisville, Kentucky, middle school students learned this lesson the hard way.

The five Stuart Middle School students will be disciplined and could face felony charges after a teacher discovered a map detailing the possible placement of bombs on the school grounds earlier this morning. An email from the school district’s public information officer Lauren Roberts explains that following the teacher’s discovery the school was swept by bomb sniffing dogs. No explosives were found. She also notes that the map did not contain any sort of date for when a plan to bomb the school might go into effect.

See Kotaku for full article.
Originally cited from Courier-Jo urnal

So does this mean that if I create a movie based on the assassination of the POTUS, that I am therefore by extension a Terrorist Assassin?

I mourn for the world and liberties that we have lost.

edit on 14/1/2011 by Sovaka because: Added Content

I saw this on a gaming forum I go to, yeah its pretty ridiculous.
And I have seen maps that recreate real life places all the time, from Times square to Tiananmen square.

They have maps of recreated office buildings, schools, homes and even the white house.

They are just bullying these kids.

reply to post by Sovaka

So does this mean that if I create a movie based on the assassination of the POTUS, that I am therefore by extension a Terrorist Assassin?

Not necessarily, however if you make a move detailing a plan to assassinate the POTUS, I am sure that the Secret Service would probably like to have a word with you.

Do people really think this sort of behavior is actually appropriate? I am sorry, but this is a different world, and you might think that it's all cool for these kids to make a video game where they blow up their school, today, that can actually be construed as a training aid.

Would you think that it was all good if someone took detailed pictures of you and used them to make a video game where the goal was to hunt down and murder you? Don't you think that might be a bit threatening?

While I don't think these things should be necessarily illegal, I think they are in very poor taste and the people thinking of them should really be ashamed of themselves.

Originally posted by whatukno
reply to post by Sovaka

 

So does this mean that if I create a movie based on the assassination of the POTUS, that I am therefore by extension a Terrorist Assassin?

Not necessarily, however if you make a move detailing a plan to assassinate the POTUS, I am sure that the Secret Service would probably like to have a word with you.

Do people really think this sort of behavior is actually appropriate? I am sorry, but this is a different world, and you might think that it's all cool for these kids to make a video game where they blow up their school, today, that can actually be construed as a training aid.

Would you think that it was all good if someone took detailed pictures of you and used them to make a video game where the goal was to hunt down and murder you? Don't you think that might be a bit threatening?

While I don't think these things should be necessarily illegal, I think they are in very poor taste and the people thinking of them should really be ashamed of themselves.

Huh? There is nothing to be ashamed of. Its just a game. I would do the same thing in their place, its more fun to play when the map is based on some place you know.

There is a profound difference between incinting violence (example: lets go and blow up the school!) and depicting violence without incinting it. According to your logic, almost every action movie would be moraly wrong, because they are shot in real places.

These kids are just playing and shame on the teachers or anyone invovled in trying to criminalize normal teenage fantasy type game play.

Lost Freedoms, is in the title, so is this suggesting that we have lost the freedom to allow children to play as they normally would.

I suggest everyone ignore the NAZI's and one by one make huge issues of any stupidity and ignorant cases they find, ie in this case, the teachers and officials are acting WAY IGNORANT, so they need to brought down a peg or two by the citiizens.

Its time to really dig in our feet because the bills and statutes they pass, they're not LAW, and they're not LEGAL. They're actually fascism and crimes against humanity, and we need to let them know, WE KNOW THIS, that we're informed and make them back down.

I'm gong to find some Max Igan videos to add to this.


Fight the New World Order with Global Non Compliance 1/3


Fight the New World Order with Global Non Compliance 2/3


Fight the New World Order with Global Non Compliance 3/3

We're not powerless and getting unglued from complacency is a big first step!

reply to post by whatukno


While I appreciate all of your comments wukky, I don't agree with your thoughts.
So what about all the cable network shows that depict real assassinations?
Say the show "24" perhaps?
Or even the show CSI?
Where the actors and story plot are extremely close to real life drama.
Although they disclose in the beginning of the show, "These events are fictional"
Pure bollocks.
These writers know exactly where they get their storylines from.
The MSM.
Do you think the just because they change the names that its fair?

I just think people are doing the same as usual.
Overreacting.

These are just kids.
And we all know how rational children are.

reply to post by havok

These are just kids.
And we all know how rational children are.

You are right, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were completely rational and innocent children.

These kids went to the school they were creating, don't you think it might have been inappropriate to plan even a fantasy bombing of the school they went to? In a world where REAL bombings happen and REAL people get killed?

I understand your point, but there's a difference between ripping a story off of real life and changing the facts around, and using your own school as a setting for a bombing.

Originally posted by whatukno
reply to post by havok

 

These are just kids.
And we all know how rational children are.

You are right, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were completely rational and innocent children.

These kids went to the school they were creating, don't you think it might have been inappropriate to plan even a fantasy bombing of the school they went to? In a world where REAL bombings happen and REAL people get killed?

I understand your point, but there's a difference between ripping a story off of real life and changing the facts around, and using your own school as a setting for a bombing.

I dont see the difference. Both are violent fantasies for amusement taking place in real places. The only thing that may be inappropiate is that 6th graders play violent games. The fact that it happens to be bombing set in their school is not important at all, and is just sensationalism.

I remember mapping my town for Quake back in high school. Certain buildings were accessible like friends houses, our school, the downtown hangouts etc...

We loved playing that map. Occasionally I'll put up a server for it and we'll get together all these years later as a sort of reunion.

I guess today we'd all have been dragged in by homeland security and our property confiscated as evidence.

As a side note it sucks how developers are locking all of that functionality out of their games. No access to server files, no custom maps, no LAN, no anything. They've all been dumbed down to console levels. Do dumb kids need dumb games or will these dumb games make a generation of dumb kids?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
I remember mapping my town for Quake back in high school. Certain buildings were accessible like friends houses, our school, the downtown hangouts etc...

We loved playing that map. Occasionally I'll put up a server for it and we'll get together all these years later as a sort of reunion.

I guess today we'd all have been dragged in by homeland security and our property confiscated as evidence.

As a side note it sucks how developers are locking all of that functionality out of their games. No access to server files, no custom maps, no LAN, no anything. They've all been dumbed down to console levels. Do dumb kids need dumb games or will these dumb games make a generation of dumb kids?

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

Yeah. I used to play Counter-Strike (that is a game we are talking about in this thread, bombing etc.) since I was about 12 years old, along with classmates. We talked about making a map of our school, altough then we lost interest. It is actually very clever and creative from these young boys to actually make a map like that.

When this political correctness stupidity starts to infest childhoods of our children, that is a warning sign for us all that something is wrong, IMHO..

Boys will be boys. After all the dramas they would have got over this I reckon they will think twice next time.

reply to post by whatukno


WUK, you realize I was being sarcastic right? About kids being rational.
I didn't think I'd have to use the [/sarcasm] with you.

Point is, kids are kids.
When I was in 6th grade we all played with toy guns and had fake 'explosions'.
If we drew a map and acted like it was real, its because our imagination ruled then.
I know that times are different. Way different.
Maybe violence is influencing children more and more these days. I don't know.
Either way, you can't predict who will go crazy.
And you can't tell kids to drop their imagination because of video games.

Good grief.
The people in the OP are just scared from events in the past.
We can all thank the MSM for that.

Maybe this world is finally losing its collective grasp on morality.

reply to post by whatukno


I can understand where you are coming from... But doesn't that mean that all video games are training aides?

If we play Call of Duty, are we not training ourselves to be soldiers?
If we play Command and Conquer, are we not training ourselves to be generals in a theater of war?
If we play World of Warcraft, are we not training to be elves?

Eek, how far does this have to go before we wake up and go 'OI! It's just harmless ole fun you nutter'.

When do we put the shoe back on the right foot and start approaching situations with a bit more common sense and logic.

This world is consumed by fear. Fear of itself, fear that some 10 year old is going to make a thermo-nuclear suitcase bomb and destroy Washington.

C'mon people time to wake the frack up and realize that this kind of policing ISN'T for your own good.

reply to post by Unity_99


Very much so... How much longer will it be before kids playing in the front yard are arrested for playing cops and robbers under the guise of conspiracy to commit grand larceny and conspiracy to commit murder?

How many times do we have to say "Oh that will never happen", to only see it happen several years later?

Originally posted by whatukno
reply to post by havok

 

These are just kids.
And we all know how rational children are.

I understand your point, but there's a difference between ripping a story off of real life and changing the facts around, and using your own school as a setting for a bombing.

So what you are saying is that it's okay to make such a map if it is of another school?
That, just as long as it has nothing personally to do with you... It's all okay?

Hell, I would see it as the other way around!

Like if I were to make a CS Map that the entire goal was to kill the POTUS.
CT side would be SS spawned in random locations around a recreation of the White House.
T side would be of course "terrorists" that spawn outside the White House.

It's an age old story that we tell and retell in one form or another.

These kids have just adapted it to our modern times.
Sure they made a map of their school, sure it was designed so that "terrorists" could destroy it.
Who's to say the kids didn't want to play as the CT's the whole time to DEFEND their school?
If this map is seen as a teaching aide, would we not want our fellow citizenry to know how to best DEFEND certain locations?

Enough is enough ;\

reply to post by Sovaka

When do we put the shoe back on the right foot and start approaching situations with a bit more common sense and logic.

When kids no longer ACTUALLY go into their schools and kill other students.

And yea, it would have been completely fine if they say made up a fictional school. Or used a school somewhere else. Using your own school? Well that just screams that you're planning something.

Say these kids actually took their little map and blew up the school, putting bombs in the locations depicted, wouldn't we all be here saying, well, the teachers and law enforcement should have done something to prevent this tragedy? After all, the teachers saw the map with the bomb locations.

I don't think the kids should necessarily face criminal charges. I do think that they should be expelled. And I do think that they should have their homes searched for bomb making equipment. Now you have probable cause to do so.

Today reality for these kids is much different than when I went to school and in 6th grade we took our guns to school for the hunters safety course. Today they no longer even offer that class and the idea of a kid actually being instructed to bring their guns to school is considered insane, but that's the world we live in.

Originally posted by whatukno
reply to post by Sovaka

 

When do we put the shoe back on the right foot and start approaching situations with a bit more common sense and logic.

And yea, it would have been completely fine if they say made up a fictional school. Or used a school somewhere else. Using your own school? Well that just screams that you're planning something.

Say these kids actually took their little map and blew up the school, putting bombs in the locations depicted, wouldn't we all be here saying, well, the teachers and law enforcement should have done something to prevent this tragedy? After all, the teachers saw the map with the bomb locations.

What a load of bull. Designing a map around an already constructed building does not denote any desire to do that property harm.
As a game designer, if I were to model the town I grew up in as the basis for a GTA style game.
Does that then mean I want to cause all its inhabitants harm and that I personally want to rob them, kill them and burn their houses?
No.

All it means is that instead of trying to be creative and designing something from scratch. These kids took an already well designed building and replicated it.
Nothing more to it than that.

If if if... We can spout IF scenarios till the cows come home.
How about this one;
If someone flew some planes into a couple buildings and killed several thousand people, and if that Government knew of it and let it happen...

See how easy that was?

reply to post by Sovaka


It's the reality of the age we live in, sorry, but it's the truth.

Should we just let bad things happen and then bitch about how the authorities did nothing to prevent it? Even when evidence was present before hand that something was going down?

Or do we investigate the matter and find out for certain if something is really up or if it's nothing to worry about.

Reply to post by whatukno

Ladies and gentlemen, Rumsfeld posting on ATS.

All your liberty are belong to us. Trust no one (in the creepy totalitarian way).


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by whatukno


No but these kids should be sat down and talked to, to find out the intentions.
If their records have been clean thus far and there is no indicator that they have intent to cause harm.

Then;
A) Do nothing, warn the kids, move on.
B) Do a search of those areas, warn the kids, move on.

That's it... That's all that needs to come from it.