Game Gallery Amusements

By Brooks A. Mick, M.D. Aug. 28, 2005

Reports yesterday and an interview of four of Julie’s friends revealed some interesting information. She was using someone else’s driver’s license as an ID to get into Ledo’s Lounge. That driver’s license has been found at Hoover Reservoir, a large body of water nearby. Julie was seen with a fellow described repeatedly as “dark complected.” Certainly the finding of her borrowed ID is not a good sign, and police are searching Hoover Reservoir. It is a recreation site for many people in the summer. Small sailboats skim over the usually calm surface. Interesting, perhaps, is that it is in the northeast section of Columbus and not all that far from the Reynoldsburg home of Julie Popovich. If Julie were, by some odd chance, staging her own disappearance, she wouldn’t have used someone else’s ID to plant. Which brings us back to the “dark complected stranger.” Is this another example of political correctness carried too far? Just how dark was this dark complection? Perhaps he was one of the Beach Boys who had spent the past two months riding the surf at Hoover Reservoir? Just kidding, folks. There’s no surf there. Or was he more NATURALLY dark? Perhaps Hispanic? Perhaps, in today’s terminology, African-American? Heck, perhaps really African? I am sure there are students from Ghana and elsewhere in Africa around Ohio State University. So if we keep using euphemisms such as “dark complected,” how are the people around Columbus supposed to know whom to keep an eye peeled for? All of which brings me to rap music and video games. I use the term “music” loosely, as their isn’t any significant melody involved. I note photos of Joran van der Sloot doing the funny hand gesture bit resembling those frequently seen in “music” videos of rappers. I note that rap music frequently glorifies beating and sexually abusing and even killing women. I note that Grand Theft Auto and its followups make light of stealing and maiming and killing. In fact, to “win” at these games, one has to become adept at such antisocial behavior. The number of bizarre disappearances and murders we have seen in recent months could seem so high because of several reasons: 1) Perhaps just more reporting. Or 2) Perhaps the incidence of such is actually increasing. If actually increasing, why? Could the coarsening of society have anything to do with it? Could the glorification of such anti-social behavior have made it more acceptable? Is the increased reporting encouraging similar copy-cat behavior? If Tupac were not already caput, which is, fittingly, Tupac spelled backward, then we might blame him for at least part of the coarsening of society. There is no gain in blaming dead rappers, however, any more than there is gain in blaming Julie Popovich. However, there might be gain from recognizing past bad, dangerous, destructive behavior and trying to prevent future disappearances and deaths. How about everybody stop purchasing rap music and violent video games? If there is no profit in it, they’ll stop selling it and be forced into more beneficial occupations. Perhaps garbage collecting, since they are creating so much garbage now. Ludacris and Fitty-cent could be consigned to the garbage heap where they belong. I grieve for the abused and murdered women. I have only contempt for those who glorify such treatment of women. One Natalee Holloway or one Julie Popovich is one too many. How many more rapes and murders will it take before we stop treating those who glorify rapes and murderers as role models? Yeah, sure, I know much of this is based on incomplete information and a fair amount of supposition. Do you have a better idea?