(20.05.2003 - 3:41 p.m.)
This makes me angry. Very angry indeed. I'm going to go Hulk on their ass: Matrix Films Blamed For Series Of Murders By Obsessed Fan
Duncan Campbell, Los Angeles. "One of the attractions of The Matrix, the film whose sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, opens in Britain this week, was it's blending of fantasy and reality. A series of murders in the United States suggests that some people have been unable to distinguish between the two.
Josh Cook, a 19-year-old in Oakton, Virginia, owned a trenchcoat like the one worn by Neo, the character played by Keanu Reeves in the movie, and kept a poster of his hero on the bedroom wall. Then he bought a gun similar to the one used by Neo to fight evil.
In February, he shot his father and mother in the basement of their home and then called the police. His lawyers say that he believed he was in the Matrix. Cook will now be examined by a psychiatrist.
The Matrix seems to have spawned other imitators. Last week in Ohio, a woman was found not guilty of killing the professor whose house she rented, on the grounds of insanity. Tonda Lynn Ansley, 37, said she had had dreams which turned out not be dreams. The local prosecutor said that, "in her warped perception," the film played a part in the killing.
The young man accused of taking part in last year's sniper attacks in the Washington area has also cited the film.
"Free yourself of the Matrix," wrote Lee Boyd Malvo, 18, in his jail cell." Taken from The Guardian, London, May 19th 2003. Whilst I appreciate that the influence of media, and in this case in particular, films, is a contentious issue, I do not believe that The Matrix is in any way to blame for these incidents. Films are not killers. It seems quite obvious to me that the people cited above were all, in their own way, very disturbed. Yes, they latched onto The Matrix and it's iconography when carrying out these murders, but the film itself is not to blame. Reports of this kind are sloppy, lazy journalism. They do not contribute in any meaningful way to the debate surrounding the influence of media in society. Reports about how governments are failing people with psychiatric disorders might be more pertinent. Do you find yourself asking whether what you see, hear and read is newsworthy? Do you want to help set a new agenda? Then please consider finding out more about The Disseminatrix, a new forum where like-minded individuals can meet to try and make a difference.
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