CraveOnline: I’m 10-15 years out of the video game culture as it is now, but I get a little nervous whenever we blame violent video games as an easy target. Video games could be a healthy outlet, right? If we weren’t already a violent culture they couldn’t sell violence to such a degree.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom: Yeah, they all fit together and that’s true. The U.S. was founded in a history of violence if we go back to the Native Americans and the slave trade and Japanese internment camps. That’s a film that’s in my pipeline of films to make. But, but, but, but, you combine a history of violence with being at war decade after decade, with a capitalistic culture or capitalist economy, and it’s all about sell, sell, sell, there’s a lot of damage that’s being done.
Unfortunately, the people that are losing out are our boys and future generations because it’s not just our boys, but when our boys consume this violence and they become inured to violence and addicted and aroused by this violence, they want more and more and they separate themselves. As Professor Phil Zimbardo described in the film they’re in a room, alone, playing video games, not in relationship with others, not interacting, reconnecting their hearts and their heads, not in nature, not studying. They’re doing all the things that are not contributing to a better society, a better culture. So we really have to examine this and envision and imagine the culture of young men that we’re socializing and how damaging that is going to be for the future.
I guess it would be a lot better for my point if that culture hadn’t come out with such violent rape threats.
Exactly. Yeah, exactly.
“The more that take action, that’s how we change culture.”
Lastly, you asked a lot of your subjects to answer the question, “If you really knew me…” Is that really what we’re asking all around, for people to really know us?
Yes, exactly. Every boy and man, every woman and girl for that matter needs to ask themselves what they’re hiding behind, what’s behind the mask? Who are they really and how can they reconnect to their whole true authentic self.
You might find this funny, whenever we talk about the media, I start to imagine THE MEDIA as this kaiju monster that comes and attacks our cities. It does start to seem like a singular entity, but really it’s a whole lot of individuals.
Yes, exactly. That’s where the Representation Project, we’re all about inspiring the individual and the community to take action. If the individual speaks up and speaks out and challenges the status quo, you can create that snowball effect and that inspiration that further encourages others to take action. The more that take action, that’s how we change culture.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
