violence in video games. Apparently, another kook opening fire on his high school has given the mind police an opportunity to rationalize restricting the ways we're allowed to fantasize and engage in escapism. As I listen to Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) express his complete ignorance on the subject of modern youth culture, from the significance of Doom to what Goths stand for, I can't help but feel my gorge rise. I wonder: Could the Senator's accusations that violent games are causing the "cultural pollution" of our youth possibly be more damaging to young people than his televised display of disregard for structured, rational thought?

I see it regularly in the press, but it bothers me when our government starts engaging in selective interpretation of cause and effect. Let's begin with the premise these guys want you to believe: The psycho teenager liked playing Doom, therefore Doom was partially contributory to him opening fire on his schoolmates.

Hello?! Everybody plays Doom. I'll bet the kid has a nose, too, and you know there's a high correlation between having a nose and committing murder. I grew up in Alaska, where close to 1 in 5 natives unde

I'm going to walk way out on a limb here and say, "Hey! Men are just

Before the government condemns violent video games as "cultural pollution," I would like them to answer for all the other forms of sanitized violence that are equally accessible and popular among our youth culture. Should Warner Bros. cartoons be restricted because they depict sexual harassment (Pepe le Pew), little Martians fanaticizing about the destruction of the world, and characters who've spent years chasing each other around with shotguns and dynamite? Should comic books that depict characters pounding the daylights out of each other be sold only to people 17 and older? And what about the alternative? Consider the consequences of having kids turn off the TV and computer and pick up a book. Is there a PG-rated fantasy, horror, and science fiction section at Barnes & Noble? Because I've definitely read some books from those genres that go places no TV show, comic book, movie, or video game has ever dared to go.

counterparts, boast twice as much active muscle tissue, and have much higher levels of aggression-inducing hormones coursing through our veins. Why is it that when male goats grow huge horns and spend their courtship periods smashing their heads into other male goats, science deems it perfectly acceptable to say "That's nature," but when human males exhibit similar characteristics there are cries of "cultural pollution"?

men have violent fantasies, a fascination with weapons and conflict, and a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Doom I'll, Noble I've, Warner Bros, Doom Goths, , Brownback R-Kansas, Doom Doom, violent games, video games, cultural pollution, cause effect, male goats, playing doom, youth culture, human males, advertisers targeting,
Approximate Word count = 1006
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)