The young men who opened fire at Columbine High School, at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., and in other massacres had this in common: they were video gamers who seemed to be acting out some dark digital fantasy. It was as if all that exposure to computerized violence gave them the idea to go on a rampage — or at least fueled their urges. |
Carey uses the rhetorical device, Ethos, as an attention
grabber. The article begins with the author comparing people that “open fire”
in public places, as “video gamers who seemed to be acting some dark digital
fantasy.” The opening of the article evokes sadness from the reader. When there
is a shooting of a public place, it is usually a sad time. The victims’
families are sympathized with along with the shooter because they are labeled
as a misunderstood loner. He makes the claim that violent video games increase
the likelihood of violent behavior in young people. Carey refutes this claim to
making a distinction between the effects of violent video games exposure over a
long period of time and the “Newtown-like massacre.” The Sandy Hook school
shooting, was a devastating time for many families in America. This example
evokes sadness and anger from the readers. The author uses the word “massacre”
to associate the shooter of the school to a savage. By making a distinction
between the two, the author appeals to the readers’ empathy it allows the
readers to realize that exposure to violence does not create a psychopath who
is able to kill kids. This makes the reader humanize video game players that
display aggressive behavior but make a distinction when the behaviors turns
from aggression to psychopathic, causing them to rethink their position on the argument on violent video games. Carey utilization of emotions to set up and
support the author’s position on video games.
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