Joker inspired killer wipes out daycare center

[Hector]

There's no capital punishment here. The most you can get is 30 years

Wow, I hate to say it ... and nothing personal, but your system is totally F'ed Up.

Who invented these rules and why doesn't the population rebel against such an injustice ?

But then again...their crime rate is so much lower there than ours...and they have no guns either.

Imagine that loon with a semi-auto...lord knows how many more he could've killed.

So essentially what I'm saying...there's no such thing as a perfect system on Earth.

[Mikey]

When I was a kid (or even me now), no movie would make me want to go out and kill people or do harm.

That's something inside peoples heads... with or without an external influence.

External Influences may bring it out, but it's no different then someone getting the idea of killing people from watching 2 ant colonies fight on discovery channel.

I think some people are just plain born bad .. or evil
NOT crazy, just bad with no conscience

These people should be put to death if they kill somebody.

They are not redeemable and don't deserve any sympathy.

Save the sympathy for their victims

[Bizarro Amy]

What I am concerned about, is popular mediums like video games that use stuff like "killing cops" "stealing cars" and glorify them as being cool.
That is a dangerous road to travel. Lyrics like "smack my bi*** up", wouldn't be my perfect parenting tool either.
I know, it a free world. But present something as being cool to impressionable kids, and you might actually get it back in your face somewhere down the road.

That's why video games like the ones you allude to are rated "M" for Mature or even "Adults Only". As in people who play them need to be mature enough to know the difference between playing a video game and things that are cool to do in real life. I used to work in a videogame store, and we did card customers before they bought Mature-rated games. I've seen kids ask Mommy or Daddy to get it for them, which they did. And even though it was never required of me, I would always point out the rating and explain what that meant, as did many of my coworkers. Yet several of those same people came back a week later and wanted to complain about the content of the game which they chose to buy! It's like everything I said went in one ear and out the other. Especially with the Internet, parents have everything they need today to make informed choices about what to let their kids watch, play, and listen to.

[Nostalgiabuff]

it's like the saying that guns don't kill people, people kill people. the same principal is true of movies, music etc....in America we are always looking for someone to blame.....his parents abused him or neglected him, he had no friends....wah, wah...
I am so sick of all the bleeding hearts in this country who always try to justify something bad by blaming society or someone else, he is responsible for his actions, plain and simple, he is old enough to know right from wrong and old enough to know better...people like this killer should be taken into an alley and shot in the head.....nothing more to it
what he did is the most horrific of crimes, killing innocent children who cannot even defend themselves....what a coward.

[Gorn Captain]

It IS the parents's job to decide what their children should or should not see. The media should not be responsible for babysitting or sterilizing entertainment for people who don't feel like doing their job.

This crime is horrifying. No denying that. Whether or not the killer was influenced by a fictional character, he is still responsible for his actions. People who commit violent crimes styled after something they've seen elsewhere are NOT made violent by the movie, comic book, video game, etc. The choice to harm others was their own, even if they decided to base the manner in which they did it on an outside source. It's kind of like the old scares about people commiting murder because they were into role-playing games, or killing themselves because they listened to heavy metal. A person who would commit an act of violence because a rock song told them to is a person who would do so even if it hadn't.
People need to be held accountable for their actions and not be allowed to blame it on everything else.

Well put.
If someone uses a hammer to hit someone, is the manufacturer of the tool responsible? No.
Do movies encite violence? Most don't. The Joker has been around since the 1940s. If it did influence people, we would have seen dozens of Joker killings.
What I am concerned about, is popular mediums like video games that use stuff like "killing cops" "stealing cars" and glorify them as being cool.
That is a dangerous road to travel. Lyrics like "smack my bi*** up", wouldn't be my perfect parenting tool either.
I know, it a free world. But present something as being cool to impressionable kids, and you might actually get it back in your face somewhere down the road.
As I said, here in Belgium, the new Friday the 13th is "all ages". Do I want a seven year old to see this? No, I don't. It's too soon.

[Bizarro Amy]

But since movie makers are more concerned about making a buck than the welfare of kids, it's the parents' job to determine what's OK for young eyes to see.

It IS the parents's job to decide what their children should or should not see. The media should not be responsible for babysitting or sterilizing entertainment for people who don't feel like doing their job.

This crime is horrifying. No denying that. Whether or not the killer was influenced by a fictional character, he is still responsible for his actions. People who commit violent crimes styled after something they've seen elsewhere are NOT made violent by the movie, comic book, video game, etc. The choice to harm others was their own, even if they decided to base the manner in which they did it on an outside source. It's kind of like the old scares about people commiting murder because they were into role-playing games, or killing themselves because they listened to heavy metal. A person who would commit an act of violence because a rock song told them to is a person who would do so even if it hadn't.
People need to be held accountable for their actions and not be allowed to blame it on everything else.

[Joe90]

Wow. I got crucified for posting a song talking about John Lennon's killer. This takes the cake.

Must've been in PM's because I don't see any hostility against you in the Springfield thread.

But this nutcase in Belgium is the same kind of action as what'shisface -- do something so that whenever somebody thinks of Heath Ledger, or The Dark Knight, they'll think of him. Famous for the wrong reasons.

There's no capital punishment here. The most you can get is 30 years (and you can get time off for good behaviour). There are some exceptions that get "life". Our most famous "serial killer", Marc Dutroux, held young girls in his basement, abused them, and let some starve to death. Yet what do we hear? The guy complains about the kind of chocolate spread he wants for his sandwiches. Personally, I'd let some inmates have their way with him for a few months, and then starve him to death in a hole.

Belgium's justice system sounds like Canada's: protect the rights of the accused while trodding upon the rights of the victims. If the population complains, then unfairly accuse them of being intolerant, reactionary, racist, or possessing some type of currently Politically Incorrect attribute.

I remember when the slur "Communist" was used to shut people up for complaining, or asking too many questions...

[Cosmicman]

Wow. I got crucified for posting a song talking about John Lennon's killer. This takes the cake.

I would definitely go insane if my kid was in this daycare. There are serious nut bags out there that take comic books and movies almost too serious.

I knew a guy that actually bought a life like rubber body suit from the first Batman movie with Michael Keaton. He did have plans to parade around and become a local vigilante.

Last I remember, he still has the suit, lives in his brother's basement and takes high doses of Lexapro and Zanetx these days.

[Mikey]

My idea is the punishment should fit the crime.

If it doesn't, then there is no justice.

Everybody then loses

With laws like that, i'd be afraid ever criminal in the area would run to Belgium... Not unlike criminals from the USA running away to nearby countries

[Gorn Captain]

There's no capital punishment here. The most you can get is 30 years

Wow, I hate to say it ... and nothing personal, but your system is totally F'ed Up.

Who invented these rules and why doesn't the population rebel against such an injustice ?

I'm not against capital punishment. At all....
Sometimes, people are way too soft....

[Mikey]

There's no capital punishment here. The most you can get is 30 years

Wow, I hate to say it ... and nothing personal, but your system is totally F'ed Up.

Who invented these rules and why doesn't the population rebel against such an injustice ?

[Gorn Captain]

I don't know how the prison system and prisoners are in Belgium...perhaps Meule can gives us some info on that.

There's no capital punishment here. The most you can get is 30 years (and you can get time off for good behaviour).
There are some exceptions that get "life".
Our most famous "serial killer", Marc Dutroux, held young girls in his basement, abused them, and let some starve to death.
Yet what do we hear?
The guy complains about the kind of chocolate spread he wants for his sandwiches. Personally, I'd let some inmates have their way with him for a few months, and then starve him to death in a hole.

Meule is right on the media thing. Newspapers look for a "gimmick" to sell the story. And Batman is high profile with the movie. It's so easily linked.
And true. The guy has cherry red hair, and didn't paint his mouth in a grin.
But during questioning, he just sits there and grins.

Thing is: anybody can "adopt" a reason for soing something. Chapman killed Lennon. Do we blame "the music"?
Some people are just crazy. Or evil.

I still wish, however, that people would be more careful with what they expose young kids to. To me, The Dark Knight was too "adult" for young kids.
A young child in my family (five years old), was saying "I'm going to get behind you and cut your throat from ear to ear".
Man, that made me take notice....

[goldenryan]

a "movie buff" that is obsessed with the joker. oh man

[Hector]

man
that is just ****ed up on sooo many levels

they had better hold him in solitary if they want to get him to trial.
even the incarcerated don't take kindly to baby killers

I don't know how the prison system and prisoners are in Belgium...perhaps Meule can gives us some info on that.

[rche]

man
that is just ****ed up on sooo many levels

they had better hold him in solitary if they want to get him to trial.
even the incarcerated don't take kindly to baby killers