Though granted, this was also the same guy who murdered a million Indians at the end of his long campaign for the basic purpose of making a bullet point in the history books and took most of the credit for military advances and strategies that his father had created previous.
But, we probably digress. Your actual point stands quite well, regardless of who may or may not have said it.
Learning about this news not only makes me melancholy and somewhat frightened, it also remindes me of the truth behind this statement that was (supposedly) stated by Alexander the Great during his youth:
"There is something to be said about keeping one's eyes on the earth."
(Mind you, he was learning about the stars at the time this was spoken. I would be more specific and put down "astronomy" or "astrology," but I forgot which of the two I learned that from. ^^;)
No need to remove the news bit. Controversy is bound to spark on the internet. When people disagree, a debate inevitably follows. The article is not at fault here, it is the human tendency to have differing opinions. The article is there to help us form those opinions. If anything, its existence should help the situation by helping both parties become more informed.
That being said, I'm done arguing. I feel I've proven my point to the most extensive degree I can and any further debate would be frivolous. It's become a waste of my time and I have better things to do at this point.
Now both Ace and Allamorph have covered it nicely in their last two comments so I'll not bother to do the same. There is one thing I do wish to cover and it is this part of one of your comments Kyrianne:
Don't try to assume things about me.
You would do well to take your own advice and wish for someone to not assume things about you. I suggest you turn around and apply it to the current debate and not assume things about the family or anyone involved in this tragedy.
It's ever so easy to make statements from the comfort of one's home when you are not affected by the event whatsoever. Just as it's easy to think your own life experiences somehow equate to being a professional trained to evaluate a situation like this when they don't.
No one here has that kind of training and even if they did, they lack the necessary access to all of the details pertaining to this case. So let's stop looking foolish by pretending that we do with such broad sweeping statements, m'kay?
Anyway, the more I read up on this, the sadder it is.
Jesus, guys, don't get so pissed at me. I said I was using conjecture, I never said that any of my arguments were a done deal, written in stone, the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth. Just that it was HYPOTHETICALLY the causes,
Bull.
If a kid is like that, it's because of his parents. I know that may be mean to say in this situation, but... it's because of how they raised him that he reacted to that punishment in such a way. >>;
I don't see any "hypothetically" here. I don't see any "probably." No "maybe." All I see is a big, fat "is." That ain't hypothetical. That's stating a fact. And this fact is unproven.
and I was just reminding people that the video games weren't the ones to blame,
See, I understand the sentiment here, but I don't think anyone needed reminding.
but how he was raised, by whoever raised him the most, if you want to be stupid about it and say that his parents had nothing to do with it.
And once again, you have no proof of this claim. This could have been the result of anything. He could have been abused. He could have been mentally ill. He could have been doing drugs. Don't assume that good parenting is a magical cure-all for every problem ever. People are different. Everyone has different triggers and you have no right to blame someone for something they have no control over.
Obviously I just shouldn't get involved in debates anymore, since people don't seem to realize that IT'S PURELY INTELLECTUAL, and THERE'S NO NEED TO GET SO FREAKING FLIPPED OUT OVER IT, OR WHAT I SAY.
Sorry, but people tend to become offended when you directly attack the victims of tragic murders. And if it were purely intellectual, sentiment wouldn't be involved at all. Since you're pointing fingers at a murder victim, there tends to be a huge difference of opinion here.
I mean, usually I like being the Devil's Advocate in debate situations just so we can think about stuff from both sides. In this case, there's really no way to say the parents were in the wrong either way, though there is probably more evidence leaning toward them being good.
And this is exactly what you haven't been saying this whole time.
I was mostly trying to say that it's the parents, not the video games, that generally cause this kind of stuff to happen.
Again, no one needed reminding that Halo wasn't to blame here. And I still require some form of evidence pertaining to your assertation that these parents are so horrible.
NOW GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY.
It's like Allamorph said. Stop Projecting yourself. You spoke of things you do not fully understand as if you did. As a consequence, I tried to correct you.
The minute someone decides to insult someone's rationale or reasoning behind an argument instead of just arguing against their argument, the minute debates become NOT COOL and total flame wars. Let's please keep that in mind, mmkay people?
When the reasoning behind an argument is fundamentally flawed, it becomes grounds for arguing against the argument. Flaming has nothing to do with it.
@ Allamorph
You have no right to speak.
Um, actually, I do. First Amendment, freedom of speech and expression? Ever heard of it?
The First Amendment was never meant to protect slander. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Last edited by Aceburner at 7:17:14 PM EST on January 14, 2009.
Yes, it was a real compliment, and yes, I "pretend" to be Edgeworth in real-life roleplay situations. It's still roleplay, just more spontaneous and can start at any moment. And I get extremely in character, so that sometimes I find myself thinking like them, or thinking about how they would think in certain situations.
I never said mentioning my own randomness was to make the boy look any better. AND, thank you for calling me 'freaking creepy.' I know the atmosphere around here might be kind of... intense, but that still doesn't warrant a blatant flame like that. It's all good, though, I've been called much, much worse things in the past.
~Kyrianne
(I noticed you changed your avatar. If it's because I scared you away from Edgeworth, well... I find that pretty hilarious.)
Last edited by Kyrianne at 6:39:17 PM EST on January 14, 2009.
Jesus, guys, don't get so pissed at me. I said I was using conjecture, I never said that any of my arguments were a done deal, written in stone, the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth. Just that it was HYPOTHETICALLY the causes, and I was just reminding people that the video games weren't the ones to blame, but how he was raised, by whoever raised him the most, if you want to be stupid about it and say that his parents had nothing to do with it. Obviously I just shouldn't get involved in debates anymore, since people don't seem to realize that IT'S PURELY INTELLECTUAL, and THERE'S NO NEED TO GET SO FREAKING FLIPPED OUT OVER IT, OR WHAT I SAY. I mean, usually I like being the Devil's Advocate in debate situations just so we can think about stuff from both sides. In this case, there's really no way to say the parents were in the wrong either way, though there is probably more evidence leaning toward them being good. I was mostly trying to say that it's the parents, not the video games, that generally cause this kind of stuff to happen. NOW GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY. The minute someone decides to insult someone's rationale or reasoning behind an argument instead of just arguing against their argument, the minute debates become NOT COOL and total flame wars. Let's please keep that in mind, mmkay people?
@ Allamorph
You have no right to speak.
Um, actually, I do. First Amendment, freedom of speech and expression? Ever heard of it?
That kid could've waited 'til he's 17 or 18 to buy that video game, then he would not have to face being punished for buying a video game not for his age and then murdering his poor mother.
A very shocking true story of revenge indeed! Also, it demonstrates the downside of revenge by mentioning about the kid being given a jail sentence for his illegal actions.
Last edited by stararnold at 10:24:13 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
I'm glad people are looking into this story and all the unique insanity inherent.
I'm just gonna highlight a piece that absolutely blows my mind about this whole story from a Cleveland news blog:
Petric was allowed to visit his son in jail over the past year. He said his son has apologized. "Dad, I'm so sorry for what I did to Mom, to you and to the family," Daniel said, according to his father. "I'm so glad you are alive."
"You're my son," Petric responded. "You're my boy."
He said his wife and their son had a very close relationship.
"He was always her little boy," Petric told the judge.
Heidi Archer said the family has forgiven her brother and want him to come home because the family cannot heal until they are all together.
THAT, blows my mind.
As for this whole theory that the parents were bad . . . they tried to enforce a rule to keep Mature-rated games (17+) out of the hands of minors. That's probably more responsibility than most parents in cases like these. That's just one of the other factors that just makes this whole case more and more twisted.
Last edited by SomeGuy at 8:20:45 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
1) You are in the extremely NON-unique position of being completely separated from this case. Nothing you say or do in this instance will have any effect on the youth, the surviving parent, the rest of the family, the court, the system, or anything actually related to the incident. You have no need to speak.
2) You possess only the information garnered through the media, and none that is firsthand. You do not know the truth regarding the youth's environment, his social habits, his personality or his convictions. You do not know the truth regarding the same of his parents. You have no right to speak.
3) The arguments you have given thus far are not your own, but are paraphrases of arguments you have heard in the past. Although your intentions are to bring to light what others could have or might have or should have done to prevent this tragedy, you are focusing in on a single aspect of a very very large-scale issue with which I doubt you are prepared to adequately cope. Parents may be the primary shapers of a child's mind, but this was a youth of sixteen years, and parents have not had that large a degree of influence for many years—and even beyond that, there is no guarantee that the parents did not make use of childcare services before public education, which further decreases their influence. So just as you can claim that there was parental negligence, I can also rebut that the people who did have influence misused their privilege as well. Because you have not demonstrated an ability to observe all points of the issue objectively and in conjunction, you have no grounds on which to speak.
There is no reason for you to continue your defense of your point or yourself. Cease.
Just wanted to mention to you that one of the various articles on this matter, someone (IIRC, Daniel's lawyer) stated a theory that the boy was under heavier stress due to being confined in the house for a year thanks to a snowboarding accident. It seems he was quite active before then, and so he turned to TV and video games.
Therefore, it's unlikely that it's any mental illness that the parents could have overlooked or ignored.
Last edited by Miss Anonymous at 7:36:19 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
I never said that living in a good household would have prevented him from being traumatized, just that it would have prevented him from being the complete PSYCHO that he is. I have plenty of experience with abuse -- I've been the butt of 90% of my school's mean jokes since 4th grade, a total of 8 years. Not only that, but half the time I get the feeling that my family hates me and would rather I wasn't a part of it. Of course, I'm not a crazy murderer like this kid is, I'm just saying that it would take a lot of abuse from a lot of different places in order to cause someone to be like that.
Or, like you said, he could have been born with it, in which case the parents are only in fault because of their genes. Though, if someone has a mental illness that causes them to kill their parents over something as pathetic as getting a video game taken away from them, then there had to have been signs of it beforehand. And if it wasn't diagnosed or even noticed, than that is probably due to neglectful parenting.
Obsession taking over lives can be a bad thing, and I never said that I was obsessed to the point that he was. But I do tend to be a lot more obsessed with things I like than the average person. However, I let the obsession influence my life for the better -- I'm inspired by it, and delve deep into every little crack and idea presented by it until I feel like I know everything about it by heart. There are always two sides to something, and it all ends up on you to decide which way you want to go: good or bad. I choose the good; this kid obviously chose the bad.
~Kyrianne
(P.S. Nice Edgeworth icon, by the way. Phoenix Wright is actually one of my past obsessions, and Edgeworth was the character I spent the most time psycho-analyzing and pretending to be. :3)
Okay, my obsession isn't just the "liking the franchise" kind, either. It's not a violent kind of obsession... but if you do try to take it away from me, I will be mad to say the least. I eat, drink, breathe and LIVE the things I become obsessed with, even to the point of roleplaying characters outside of written posts or conventions, but just during everyday life. I know what obsession is. Don't try to assume things about me.
Forbidding him only after realizing his 18-hour a day streaks wasn't really that helpful though. Think about it -- has anyone even remotely weak-willed been able to quit smoking completely cold-turkey? It probably would have been better to "wean" him off of it, for lack of a better term.
considering the fact that his father is a preacher
Just because his father was a preacher doesn't mean he wasn't neglectful. I have living proof that it doesn't -- my dad's father was a pastor, and my dad is a pretty screwed up guy because of how he was treated by his father. There are always actions under the surface, and everyone has their own darkness in their heart. No one is completely righteous and free of guilt.
I NEVER SAID THE KID WASN'T SICK. I'm just saying that they had their hand in it, and it might have been avoided had they been more attentive parents. And mental illness is either a genetic or a learned thing, so pretty much the parents had to have had SOMETHING to do with it, whatever way you look at it.
I'm not talking about "liking a franchise" obsession. I'm talking about "this is serious business and if you get between me and it I will murder you" obsession. The obsession you're comparing this to is on a completely different level.
And what exactly makes you think that the parents are to blame? They forbade him from buying it in an attempt to limit his playing. They DID care about his 18 hours a day. It obviously worried them and they were trying to ease him down.
Just like how the games aren't to blame here, you would have to completely and utterly fail at parenting in order to for it to be the only thing to convince your child that they need to kill you. That kind of reaction would only stem from some kind of serious abuse, and considering the fact that his father is a preacher, I'm going to go ahead and assume that abuse was not happening.
This kid was sick. He had issues outside of home life and video games, and I wouldn't be surprised if he suffered from some kind of mental illness. Blaming the parents, especially when they're the victims, is just downright insulting. This obviously wasn't something good parenting could just poof away.
Okay, I never said the kid didn't have a problem. Obviously he was obsessed, but obsession in itself isn't a bad thing. Hell, I'm obsessed with Halo and its universe at the moment, but that doesn't mean I'd flip out and kill my parents over it.
Why do you think the kid was so screwed up mentally? If he had a stable household, I'm sure he wouldn't have been affected to that extent from being made fun of at school. Plus, if his family was nice to him and was his only "stronghold," he wouldn't have tried to kill them. Thus, it's probably the parents fault for what sounds like in this case neglect -- obviously, if the parents didn't even care to set at least SOME sort of limit on his gaming, then they weren't showing him a good example. And if they weren't showing him a good example there, chances are they weren't showing him good examples in other areas of his life.
Of course, this is pure conjecture. But no, I wasn't being sarcastic. And just a word to the wise -- anyone, no matter who they are, can be thrown into the worst of situations, but that still doesn't change what they did before getting there. So, even if that guy's dad is mourning his family and in the hospital in intense pain, if he was a neglectful and bad parent, he's still a neglectful and bad parent. End of story.
but, i will say that halo is not the main cause of this. but that's the thing, it's not the MAIN cause. (aka, it had something to do with it, let's not kid ourselves and say halo 3 is free from blame)
i will say i'm a huge advocate of saying that it's not the video game's fault for making people violent, for most it's a form of stress reliving. but clearly this kid (after reading someguy's description of what happened) has some mental issues, or has been taking drugs, or hangs around the wrong crowd. halo 3 was simply the catalyst for what would eventually occur in this kid's life, because stuff like that doesn't spontaneously occur because he didn't get halo. teenagers may dislike their parents at time, but i've never (and neither have any of my friends) gone as far as to even try to get a gun to them. clearly something is messed up in this kid's brain and someone needs to try and figure it out. i think he should get tried as an adult, and i think he should sentenced to jail for life. any person that kills their mother deserves to be damned. sorry, that's just how i feel. i hope God forgives him, and that someone finds out what's wrong with him.
haseo
Last edited by haseo luver92 at 4:26:20 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
Please tell me you're being sarcastic on both counts.
This is a link to the MSNBC article, which goes into further detail about how Petric played 18 hours a day, a fantastically unhealthy habit to get into even by the standard of most gamers. Also, guess what the only thing he took with him when he fled the scene was? Yup, Halo 3. This kid was obsessed, which means that forbidding him to buy the game was probably in his best interest.
And I'm sure his father, who is recovering from a gunshot wound, a recent widower and, to top it all off, the father of a psychopathic, obsessive murderer, would love to know how this is all his fault.
Last edited by Aceburner at 3:10:23 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
And that is why he should have been let to buy the game, because THAT would be how he got out his anger, instead of killing his parents.
And he needs counselling, AND VIDEO GAMES WEREN'T AT FAULT. If a kid is like that, it's because of his parents. I know that may be mean to say in this situation, but... it's because of how they raised him that he reacted to that punishment in such a way. >>;
Plus, Halo is awesome and not nearly as violent as everyone seems to think it is.
I don't think I can accurately sum up how pissed off this situation makes me. Leastaways, I'm pretty sure the act itself leaves me speechless.
And if I were a judge who had to listen to a defense attorney rattle on about how "LOL THE VIDYA GAEMS MADE HIM DOO IT," I'd tell him to get the hell out of my courtroom and then proceed to find a way to get him disbarred.
It's not even what he did (which is horrible enough), but the way he did it.
He's 16 at the time, and his parents are trying to do the responsible thing by forbidding him from buying the M-rated Halo 3. He buys it anyway behind their backs, so they confiscate it and ground him.
He then breaks into his dad's lock box, taking both the game and his dad's pistol. Then he goes into the living room and tells his parents to "close [their] eyes" because he "has a surprise for [them]" - he then shoots them both in the head, killing his mom and critically wounding his dad.
After shooting them, he tries to put the pistol into his dad's hand to make it look like a murder-suicide, but fails when his sister and her husband arrive at the house at about the same time (for a football game). After trying to get them to not come in, it ends with the guy running away from the house, a short manhunt, and his eventual capture.
So that's messed up enough as is.
But THEN you learn that his family is actually incredibly forgiving and just wanted him to come back home because "the healing can't begin until we're all together again."
I don't know as I'd automatically say that he shot them because he was a video game addict, but this is a frightening example of what addiction to anything can do to a person's mind. I'm more concerned about his morals though if he was crazed enough to justify shooting his parents over what is, in the end, just a game.
SomeGuy
Canadian Liaison (Team) | Posted 01/15/09 | Reply
@:
Get rid of this news? A story that people have taken an active interest in, that has drawn so many people to actually comment on?
As the poster of this particular nugget, this suggestion kinda hurts my feelings, I gotta say..
SomeGuy
Canadian Liaison (Team) | Posted 01/15/09 | Reply
@Shadweh:
Though granted, this was also the same guy who murdered a million Indians at the end of his long campaign for the basic purpose of making a bullet point in the history books and took most of the credit for military advances and strategies that his father had created previous.
But, we probably digress. Your actual point stands quite well, regardless of who may or may not have said it.
Shadweh
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
Learning about this news not only makes me melancholy and somewhat frightened, it also remindes me of the truth behind this statement that was (supposedly) stated by Alexander the Great during his youth:
"There is something to be said about keeping one's eyes on the earth."
(Mind you, he was learning about the stars at the time this was spoken. I would be more specific and put down "astronomy" or "astrology," but I forgot which of the two I learned that from. ^^;)
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
@:
No need to remove the news bit. Controversy is bound to spark on the internet. When people disagree, a debate inevitably follows. The article is not at fault here, it is the human tendency to have differing opinions. The article is there to help us form those opinions. If anything, its existence should help the situation by helping both parties become more informed.
That being said, I'm done arguing. I feel I've proven my point to the most extensive degree I can and any further debate would be frivolous. It's become a waste of my time and I have better things to do at this point.
SunfallE
Nyaa~ (ZE MEANIE) | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
That's enough with the bickering people.
Now both Ace and Allamorph have covered it nicely in their last two comments so I'll not bother to do the same. There is one thing I do wish to cover and it is this part of one of your comments Kyrianne:
Don't try to assume things about me.
You would do well to take your own advice and wish for someone to not assume things about you. I suggest you turn around and apply it to the current debate and not assume things about the family or anyone involved in this tragedy.
It's ever so easy to make statements from the comfort of one's home when you are not affected by the event whatsoever. Just as it's easy to think your own life experiences somehow equate to being a professional trained to evaluate a situation like this when they don't.
No one here has that kind of training and even if they did, they lack the necessary access to all of the details pertaining to this case. So let's stop looking foolish by pretending that we do with such broad sweeping statements, m'kay?
Anyway, the more I read up on this, the sadder it is.
In the name of the tune I will punish you!
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
Jesus, guys, don't get so pissed at me. I said I was using conjecture, I never said that any of my arguments were a done deal, written in stone, the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth. Just that it was HYPOTHETICALLY the causes,
Bull.
If a kid is like that, it's because of his parents. I know that may be mean to say in this situation, but... it's because of how they raised him that he reacted to that punishment in such a way. >>;
I don't see any "hypothetically" here. I don't see any "probably." No "maybe." All I see is a big, fat "is." That ain't hypothetical. That's stating a fact. And this fact is unproven.
and I was just reminding people that the video games weren't the ones to blame,
See, I understand the sentiment here, but I don't think anyone needed reminding.
but how he was raised, by whoever raised him the most, if you want to be stupid about it and say that his parents had nothing to do with it.
And once again, you have no proof of this claim. This could have been the result of anything. He could have been abused. He could have been mentally ill. He could have been doing drugs. Don't assume that good parenting is a magical cure-all for every problem ever. People are different. Everyone has different triggers and you have no right to blame someone for something they have no control over.
Obviously I just shouldn't get involved in debates anymore, since people don't seem to realize that IT'S PURELY INTELLECTUAL, and THERE'S NO NEED TO GET SO FREAKING FLIPPED OUT OVER IT, OR WHAT I SAY.
Sorry, but people tend to become offended when you directly attack the victims of tragic murders. And if it were purely intellectual, sentiment wouldn't be involved at all. Since you're pointing fingers at a murder victim, there tends to be a huge difference of opinion here.
I mean, usually I like being the Devil's Advocate in debate situations just so we can think about stuff from both sides. In this case, there's really no way to say the parents were in the wrong either way, though there is probably more evidence leaning toward them being good.
And this is exactly what you haven't been saying this whole time.
I was mostly trying to say that it's the parents, not the video games, that generally cause this kind of stuff to happen.
Again, no one needed reminding that Halo wasn't to blame here. And I still require some form of evidence pertaining to your assertation that these parents are so horrible.
NOW GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY.
It's like Allamorph said. Stop Projecting yourself. You spoke of things you do not fully understand as if you did. As a consequence, I tried to correct you.
The minute someone decides to insult someone's rationale or reasoning behind an argument instead of just arguing against their argument, the minute debates become NOT COOL and total flame wars. Let's please keep that in mind, mmkay people?
When the reasoning behind an argument is fundamentally flawed, it becomes grounds for arguing against the argument. Flaming has nothing to do with it.
@ Allamorph
You have no right to speak.
Um, actually, I do. First Amendment, freedom of speech and expression? Ever heard of it?
The First Amendment was never meant to protect slander. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Last edited by Aceburner at 7:17:14 PM EST on January 14, 2009.
Ryo
Otacon (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
This is a forum, not a cagefight. Seriously, enough is enough.
Last edited by Ryo at 7:16:04 PM EST on January 14, 2009.
I beat up trees. >_>
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
@:
Yes, it was a real compliment, and yes, I "pretend" to be Edgeworth in real-life roleplay situations. It's still roleplay, just more spontaneous and can start at any moment. And I get extremely in character, so that sometimes I find myself thinking like them, or thinking about how they would think in certain situations.
I never said mentioning my own randomness was to make the boy look any better. AND, thank you for calling me 'freaking creepy.' I know the atmosphere around here might be kind of... intense, but that still doesn't warrant a blatant flame like that. It's all good, though, I've been called much, much worse things in the past.
~Kyrianne
(I noticed you changed your avatar. If it's because I scared you away from Edgeworth, well... I find that pretty hilarious.)
Last edited by Kyrianne at 6:39:17 PM EST on January 14, 2009.
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
Jesus, guys, don't get so pissed at me. I said I was using conjecture, I never said that any of my arguments were a done deal, written in stone, the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth. Just that it was HYPOTHETICALLY the causes, and I was just reminding people that the video games weren't the ones to blame, but how he was raised, by whoever raised him the most, if you want to be stupid about it and say that his parents had nothing to do with it. Obviously I just shouldn't get involved in debates anymore, since people don't seem to realize that IT'S PURELY INTELLECTUAL, and THERE'S NO NEED TO GET SO FREAKING FLIPPED OUT OVER IT, OR WHAT I SAY. I mean, usually I like being the Devil's Advocate in debate situations just so we can think about stuff from both sides. In this case, there's really no way to say the parents were in the wrong either way, though there is probably more evidence leaning toward them being good. I was mostly trying to say that it's the parents, not the video games, that generally cause this kind of stuff to happen. NOW GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY. The minute someone decides to insult someone's rationale or reasoning behind an argument instead of just arguing against their argument, the minute debates become NOT COOL and total flame wars. Let's please keep that in mind, mmkay people?
@ Allamorph
You have no right to speak.
Um, actually, I do. First Amendment, freedom of speech and expression? Ever heard of it?
chibimaster
Otakuite++ | Posted 01/14/09 | Reply
After reading the article, I'm in complete shock...I mean wow just wow.
stararnold
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
That kid could've waited 'til he's 17 or 18 to buy that video game, then he would not have to face being punished for buying a video game not for his age and then murdering his poor mother.
A very shocking true story of revenge indeed! Also, it demonstrates the downside of revenge by mentioning about the kid being given a jail sentence for his illegal actions.
Last edited by stararnold at 10:24:13 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
SomeGuy
Canadian Liaison (Team) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
I'm glad people are looking into this story and all the unique insanity inherent.
I'm just gonna highlight a piece that absolutely blows my mind about this whole story from a Cleveland news blog:
THAT, blows my mind.
As for this whole theory that the parents were bad . . . they tried to enforce a rule to keep Mature-rated games (17+) out of the hands of minors. That's probably more responsibility than most parents in cases like these. That's just one of the other factors that just makes this whole case more and more twisted.
Last edited by SomeGuy at 8:20:45 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
Allamorph
Spiritus Memorae (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
Let's try this.
STOP PROJECTING.
1) You are in the extremely NON-unique position of being completely separated from this case. Nothing you say or do in this instance will have any effect on the youth, the surviving parent, the rest of the family, the court, the system, or anything actually related to the incident. You have no need to speak.
2) You possess only the information garnered through the media, and none that is firsthand. You do not know the truth regarding the youth's environment, his social habits, his personality or his convictions. You do not know the truth regarding the same of his parents. You have no right to speak.
3) The arguments you have given thus far are not your own, but are paraphrases of arguments you have heard in the past. Although your intentions are to bring to light what others could have or might have or should have done to prevent this tragedy, you are focusing in on a single aspect of a very very large-scale issue with which I doubt you are prepared to adequately cope. Parents may be the primary shapers of a child's mind, but this was a youth of sixteen years, and parents have not had that large a degree of influence for many years—and even beyond that, there is no guarantee that the parents did not make use of childcare services before public education, which further decreases their influence. So just as you can claim that there was parental negligence, I can also rebut that the people who did have influence misused their privilege as well. Because you have not demonstrated an ability to observe all points of the issue objectively and in conjunction, you have no grounds on which to speak.
There is no reason for you to continue your defense of your point or yourself. Cease.
Selene Shri
Grand Otaku | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
That's really sad. Just as trying to blame the parents when we don't know the full story is sad too. -_-
I get frustrated with my parents, but I'd never want to hurt them.
~Sarah
Miss Anonymous
Vagrant AI (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
Just wanted to mention to you that one of the various articles on this matter, someone (IIRC, Daniel's lawyer) stated a theory that the boy was under heavier stress due to being confined in the house for a year thanks to a snowboarding accident. It seems he was quite active before then, and so he turned to TV and video games.
Therefore, it's unlikely that it's any mental illness that the parents could have overlooked or ignored.
Last edited by Miss Anonymous at 7:36:19 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@:
I never said that living in a good household would have prevented him from being traumatized, just that it would have prevented him from being the complete PSYCHO that he is. I have plenty of experience with abuse -- I've been the butt of 90% of my school's mean jokes since 4th grade, a total of 8 years. Not only that, but half the time I get the feeling that my family hates me and would rather I wasn't a part of it. Of course, I'm not a crazy murderer like this kid is, I'm just saying that it would take a lot of abuse from a lot of different places in order to cause someone to be like that.
Or, like you said, he could have been born with it, in which case the parents are only in fault because of their genes. Though, if someone has a mental illness that causes them to kill their parents over something as pathetic as getting a video game taken away from them, then there had to have been signs of it beforehand. And if it wasn't diagnosed or even noticed, than that is probably due to neglectful parenting.
Obsession taking over lives can be a bad thing, and I never said that I was obsessed to the point that he was. But I do tend to be a lot more obsessed with things I like than the average person. However, I let the obsession influence my life for the better -- I'm inspired by it, and delve deep into every little crack and idea presented by it until I feel like I know everything about it by heart. There are always two sides to something, and it all ends up on you to decide which way you want to go: good or bad. I choose the good; this kid obviously chose the bad.
~Kyrianne
(P.S. Nice Edgeworth icon, by the way. Phoenix Wright is actually one of my past obsessions, and Edgeworth was the character I spent the most time psycho-analyzing and pretending to be. :3)
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Ace:
Okay, my obsession isn't just the "liking the franchise" kind, either. It's not a violent kind of obsession... but if you do try to take it away from me, I will be mad to say the least. I eat, drink, breathe and LIVE the things I become obsessed with, even to the point of roleplaying characters outside of written posts or conventions, but just during everyday life. I know what obsession is. Don't try to assume things about me.
Forbidding him only after realizing his 18-hour a day streaks wasn't really that helpful though. Think about it -- has anyone even remotely weak-willed been able to quit smoking completely cold-turkey? It probably would have been better to "wean" him off of it, for lack of a better term.
considering the fact that his father is a preacher
Just because his father was a preacher doesn't mean he wasn't neglectful. I have living proof that it doesn't -- my dad's father was a pastor, and my dad is a pretty screwed up guy because of how he was treated by his father. There are always actions under the surface, and everyone has their own darkness in their heart. No one is completely righteous and free of guilt.
I NEVER SAID THE KID WASN'T SICK. I'm just saying that they had their hand in it, and it might have been avoided had they been more attentive parents. And mental illness is either a genetic or a learned thing, so pretty much the parents had to have had SOMETHING to do with it, whatever way you look at it.
~Kyrianne
animeye101
Grand Otaku | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
I agree w/ chibi-anna-chan.. how awful that he would kill and wound his parents over a video game...
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
I'm not talking about "liking a franchise" obsession. I'm talking about "this is serious business and if you get between me and it I will murder you" obsession. The obsession you're comparing this to is on a completely different level.
And what exactly makes you think that the parents are to blame? They forbade him from buying it in an attempt to limit his playing. They DID care about his 18 hours a day. It obviously worried them and they were trying to ease him down.
Just like how the games aren't to blame here, you would have to completely and utterly fail at parenting in order to for it to be the only thing to convince your child that they need to kill you. That kind of reaction would only stem from some kind of serious abuse, and considering the fact that his father is a preacher, I'm going to go ahead and assume that abuse was not happening.
This kid was sick. He had issues outside of home life and video games, and I wouldn't be surprised if he suffered from some kind of mental illness. Blaming the parents, especially when they're the victims, is just downright insulting. This obviously wasn't something good parenting could just poof away.
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Ace:
Okay, I never said the kid didn't have a problem. Obviously he was obsessed, but obsession in itself isn't a bad thing. Hell, I'm obsessed with Halo and its universe at the moment, but that doesn't mean I'd flip out and kill my parents over it.
Why do you think the kid was so screwed up mentally? If he had a stable household, I'm sure he wouldn't have been affected to that extent from being made fun of at school. Plus, if his family was nice to him and was his only "stronghold," he wouldn't have tried to kill them. Thus, it's probably the parents fault for what sounds like in this case neglect -- obviously, if the parents didn't even care to set at least SOME sort of limit on his gaming, then they weren't showing him a good example. And if they weren't showing him a good example there, chances are they weren't showing him good examples in other areas of his life.
Of course, this is pure conjecture. But no, I wasn't being sarcastic. And just a word to the wise -- anyone, no matter who they are, can be thrown into the worst of situations, but that still doesn't change what they did before getting there. So, even if that guy's dad is mourning his family and in the hospital in intense pain, if he was a neglectful and bad parent, he's still a neglectful and bad parent. End of story.
~Kyrianne
haseo luver92
Otaku Legend | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
this was a horrible and tragic story.
but, i will say that halo is not the main cause of this. but that's the thing, it's not the MAIN cause. (aka, it had something to do with it, let's not kid ourselves and say halo 3 is free from blame)
i will say i'm a huge advocate of saying that it's not the video game's fault for making people violent, for most it's a form of stress reliving. but clearly this kid (after reading someguy's description of what happened) has some mental issues, or has been taking drugs, or hangs around the wrong crowd. halo 3 was simply the catalyst for what would eventually occur in this kid's life, because stuff like that doesn't spontaneously occur because he didn't get halo. teenagers may dislike their parents at time, but i've never (and neither have any of my friends) gone as far as to even try to get a gun to them. clearly something is messed up in this kid's brain and someone needs to try and figure it out. i think he should get tried as an adult, and i think he should sentenced to jail for life. any person that kills their mother deserves to be damned. sorry, that's just how i feel. i hope God forgives him, and that someone finds out what's wrong with him.
haseo
Last edited by haseo luver92 at 4:26:20 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@Kyrianne:
Please tell me you're being sarcastic on both counts.
This is a link to the MSNBC article, which goes into further detail about how Petric played 18 hours a day, a fantastically unhealthy habit to get into even by the standard of most gamers. Also, guess what the only thing he took with him when he fled the scene was? Yup, Halo 3. This kid was obsessed, which means that forbidding him to buy the game was probably in his best interest.
And I'm sure his father, who is recovering from a gunshot wound, a recent widower and, to top it all off, the father of a psychopathic, obsessive murderer, would love to know how this is all his fault.
Last edited by Aceburner at 3:10:23 PM EST on January 13, 2009.
Kyrianne
Otaku Eternal | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
And that is why he should have been let to buy the game, because THAT would be how he got out his anger, instead of killing his parents.
And he needs counselling, AND VIDEO GAMES WEREN'T AT FAULT. If a kid is like that, it's because of his parents. I know that may be mean to say in this situation, but... it's because of how they raised him that he reacted to that punishment in such a way. >>;
Plus, Halo is awesome and not nearly as violent as everyone seems to think it is.
~Kyrianne
7yasuna7
Otakuite | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
that is amazing i never thought it would happen
well not at least on this extent
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
I don't think I can accurately sum up how pissed off this situation makes me. Leastaways, I'm pretty sure the act itself leaves me speechless.
And if I were a judge who had to listen to a defense attorney rattle on about how "LOL THE VIDYA GAEMS MADE HIM DOO IT," I'd tell him to get the hell out of my courtroom and then proceed to find a way to get him disbarred.
SomeGuy
Canadian Liaison (Team) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
@cougarsama:
It's not even what he did (which is horrible enough), but the way he did it.
He's 16 at the time, and his parents are trying to do the responsible thing by forbidding him from buying the M-rated Halo 3. He buys it anyway behind their backs, so they confiscate it and ground him.
He then breaks into his dad's lock box, taking both the game and his dad's pistol. Then he goes into the living room and tells his parents to "close [their] eyes" because he "has a surprise for [them]" - he then shoots them both in the head, killing his mom and critically wounding his dad.
After shooting them, he tries to put the pistol into his dad's hand to make it look like a murder-suicide, but fails when his sister and her husband arrive at the house at about the same time (for a football game). After trying to get them to not come in, it ends with the guy running away from the house, a short manhunt, and his eventual capture.
So that's messed up enough as is.
But THEN you learn that his family is actually incredibly forgiving and just wanted him to come back home because "the healing can't begin until we're all together again."
There's a pretty messed up story in all of this.
Kaerlyn
Tea pixie (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
... I can't believe someone would do something like that. How terrible...
cougarsama
LDS Fangirl! (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 01/13/09 | Reply
I don't know as I'd automatically say that he shot them because he was a video game addict, but this is a frightening example of what addiction to anything can do to a person's mind. I'm more concerned about his morals though if he was crazed enough to justify shooting his parents over what is, in the end, just a game.