Every once in a while I am amazed by the way people will embrace a cliche, and express a willingness to be “that guy.” You can probably guess that when I heard the news that a group of people wanted to have a violent video game burning in Connecticut, I was somewhat annoyed.
Newtown Shooting Video Game Buyback
Connecticut Town to Buy Back and Burn Video Games
Now, I was probably not as annoyed as this guy…
…but I was still annoyed.
How many books, films, and news articles about prudish censorship and book burnings do we need to see before people realize that they are on the wrong side of history? When, in history, has a group of people involved in a book burning been remembered as the heroes of the story? Has anyone ever reflected on their lives and said “Thank goodness I destroyed all of those books 50 years ago?”
The thing that really hacks me off, though, was that the group ultimately decided not to follow through. So they got their 15 minutes of fame at the expense of the art form of the 21st century, but they didn’t have the integrity and the courage of their convictions to follow through the burning. So they got what they wanted now, but won’t have to look back on it in 10 years with the shame of knowing what they participated in. It’s a strange world we live in where people are able to take on an obligation, then break that obligation, and still call themselves the winners.
By the way, if you want to read more about the legacy that these people are heirs to, check out this link.
EDIT: Here’s an additional follow-up article that dials it in beautifully: