Kierkegaard

" @Kierkegaard said:

" @blacklabeldomm said:

" @mr_moustache: Yeah you've obviously never witnessed actual gun violence. If that scene disturbed you I don't know how you were just fine with shooting thousands of dudes in the face.   Also there's an option to turn off "disturbing content" in the menu, maybe that can remove the scene? "

Yeah, that's kinda a weak argument there. See, in war, killing the enemy isn't considered murder because you are each armed and employed to kill each other--you just got the shot off first. Shooting someone is absolutely disturbing whether you are in a conflict or not, but it is not illegal nor, as we have determined in the civilized world, unethical.   Torture, on the other hand, is the active abuse of a helpless individual. Pulling fingernails of an enemy if you're both trying to do it in some terrible combat is one thing. Pulling fingernails from a person chained to chair to make them answer questions is another. It's wrong. Plain and simple. It also doesn't work. People will say what you want them to, not what is true.   Torture has become hip and that is fucking sad. We don't expect video games to push the culture forward, just to reiterate their film and television brethren, which is worse. So far this year, Medal of Honor and CoD have both failed miserably at representing historical and moral issues in an intelligent, thought provoking manner. At least in COD 4 I felt some regret while I crawled around helpless in a radiated environ. The cynic in me expects these sensationalist scenes, but the optimist hopes developers will try to educate instead of entertain the sickos.  "

Hang on, nowhere in my argument was I talking about the legality or the ethical dilemmas of gun violence/torture. I never once wrote murder in my reply. The OP was disturbed by the act of putting glass in one's mouth and then punching them. My response was that there are things just as bad in that game, such as shooting bullets into people's heads (not depending on the scenario) and my surprise that this particular action did not disturb him. I was careful about avoiding the ethics behind the scene. "

As far as I'm concerned, hate speech is not protected expression because it does harm.  
 
If I hold a sign and a megaphone in front of a church and argue that Christianity is immoral because its holy text advocates misogyny, slavery, and homophobia, then I'm freely expressing a point of view for which I should not be arrested.  
 
However, if I scream "Kill all Christians! Kill the killers of doctors, women, blacks, and gays!" then that's not speech--its an incitation to violence. If I burn a Bible, same thing. Sure that's a protest of a kind, but it contains no civil message, just hate.  
 
Also, we can't lump all religions into one qualification. Respect is a really cool thing. The Qu'ran as an object is given much reverence in Islam, and that should be respected whether you believe in it or not.  
 
If this girl burned her own store bought Qu'ran in her fireplace at home for whatever reason and then went about her day, so be it. Since she burnt it in a public space and posted in on the web for the world to see, that's hate speech and she deserved the slap on the wrist she got and maybe more.  
 
Now, as for burning flags, that's different. Flags are symbols of nationalistic identities, not holy texts. So, as long as the fire doesn't endanger anyone, burn away. 

" @mr_moustache: Yeah you've obviously never witnessed actual gun violence. If that scene disturbed you I don't know how you were just fine with shooting thousands of dudes in the face.   Also there's an option to turn off "disturbing content" in the menu, maybe that can remove the scene? "

" @Bruce said:

" @kishan6:   Just don't sign up until Obama pulls us out of Iraq. After that, you're pretty much safe. "

this seems like the smart thing to do... but i actually kind of want to serve my country instead of sitting on base waiting for shit to go down i mean either way im getting a experience i could most likely talk about when im older "

Torture is illegal and ineffectual, but it's been accepted in pop culture as long as it seems justified in the fucked up logic of the narrative. In reality, the ticking time bomb case never happens. In reality, 24 is bullshit. But, in reality, administrations that use torture and basically brag about it are not brought to justice and allowed to write memoirs about it instead, so I can't blame the public for being so open to its inclusion in war. 

" I will keep my thoughts on the U.S. military out of this discussion out of respect, but I will certainly encourage you to reconsider college. If you're currently taking AP classes, then you are surely intelligent enough to enter many respectable American universities. Some people claim that what you learn in 4 year college is BS, that none of it really matters in the "real world," that you don't learn job skills, but to such people I would happily disagree. I've read so many brilliant things in college, I've had so many great experiences (both intellectually and socially), I've engaged myself mentally in many ways - there's simply no way I could consider my 4 years a waste by any means. Sure, there are infamous horror stories about cramming sessions before exams, late night paper writing, etc. If you avoid procrastination, however, then the experience could be a truly beautiful one on many levels. That having been said, you know yourself best. Perhaps college really isn't for you; this is certainly a respectable position. But just keep in mind that college courses are much more diverse and engaging than most of your boilerplate, teach-to-the-test high school courses. This is coming from an English Lit./Poli. Sci. student, though, so maybe the sciences are different. Still, college is always worth considering deeply, in my humble opinion. "

I like hip-hop/rap quite a bit, and I appreciate The Chronic and 2001 for what they are. I actually like them quite a bit. But, I've really fallen off with Em and the Aftermath crew. That Kush track is a good reason why--Snoop sounds like he's trying to return to a 90s style, but, like you sad, their is little musicality and so much extraneous sound and crap. Weed raps can be great, but everything I've heard from most everyone out of Aftermath feels artificial and soulless.  
 
Even though Eminem got a little better on his latest, after the truly uninteresting and one-note effort that was Relapse, Recovery has a lot to make up for and still doesn't quite cut it. At this point, the Detox album that I remember being stoked about when they referenced it on Encore just feels too little too late. I'm not sure what Shady/Aftermath is bringing to rap anymore. Give me The Roots any day.  
  
Oh, and while the instrumental of I Need a Doctor sounds cool, I can't judge much from it. I like Em when he does slow, thoughtful stuff and when he's actually rapping about something he cares about. His serial killer and personal demons bullshit is old, and was getting old even on Marshall Mathers. 

Is censorship of any kind dumb? Yes. Do I trust Activision to handle controversial topics with poise and grace? No.  
 
But, whether it's narrative is poignant or pedantic, every country and every (adult) citizen should be able to see it as intended and judge for themselves. No government needs to limit that power for its citizens and, if you as a developer have any moral core, you should either release your product as is and accept the ban, or petition the government to change their standards. The Japanese sales do not justify bowing to censors. 

Maybe? Never!