catch22girl | Very Disturbing (Reply)

I heard the worst thing on the news earlier this morning before class. It was terrible on so many levels that I didn't even want to believe it was true. Apparently, these "kids" (20 and 15) killed their mom somehow and then dumped the body the way they saw on the Sopranos.

The media, of course, jumped on that like it was a gift from above. CBS asked HBO for comment, like it was somehow their fault. I saw that episode of the Sopranos, but I strongly doubt the killers got their idea for killing their mom (almost beyond comprehension) from seeing Tony and Christopher dispose of a body. The level of violence is almost unthinkable. I can't even imagine a motive for this...I don't want to imagine a motive. But, I think blaming a tv show, even in a small part, in this kind of crime is beyond reason. To blame a TV show for the way the body was disposed is insane. I'm sure there have been many other cultural documents that have shown the exact same thing.

Unless HBO physically told these "kids" to kill. Unless there was a message during the Sopranos where Tony turned to the camera and went "Kill your mom, eat some lasagna" there is no reason to bring TV shows into the equation at all. It's a cheap way to try and replace the blame. This isn't a situation where there is any correlation. No one ever knows what is going to set off anyone. The sickest mind could see motives for murder in an episode of Friends. A really sick mind could get ideas from Antiques Road Show -- that 18th century vase would make a great weapon.

For too long, the media has been made to be held accountable for things that are completely beyond its control. I hope that today is the last time the Sopranos connection is mentioned and I hope that HBO does not dignify CBS or NBC or any of these media outlets with a response.