The 80's "Moral" Panic- D&D and WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!

Oh, the horror!

Most of you who lived through the 80's probably remember a bit of particularly shrill, loonwankish ninnyhammery to do with Dungeons and Dragons. The mere mention of the game sent some otherwise rational (and many rationally.... otherwise) religious folk into an ironically demonic-aspected conniption of rage, hyperbolic rhetoric, and characteristically, nigh-comically flawed reasoning. D&D was the tool of Ye Divill, whose grand plan evidently revolved around rolling dice, drinking caffeinated beverages, and discussing the effects of  +3 arrows on gazebos through a mouthful of potato chips. (The most Eeevil of all salty snacks!) 

This came to be known as the '80's D&D Moral Panic,' and it was bullshit for many reasons. Let's explore some. 

1. It's factually inaccurate. 

Many of the early incidents that were erroneously linked to fantasy gaming involved troubled kids- the tragic cases of  James Dallas Eggbert III and Irving Lee Pulling are some of the best-known examples. They share the unfortunate link of both having committed suicide. They also both played Dungeons and Dragons. The other link they share is that neither of their deaths had anything to do with fantasy gaming. Both had psychological problems and other issues long before they rolled their first twenty-sided die. 

Suicide is an awful thing. It nearly always leaves those left behind reeling- consumed with grief, confused, angry- and it's only natural, at a certain point in the process of recovering from any tragedy, to attempt to come to terms by answering the lingering question of 'why.' It's also a natural response to attempt to externalize blame- the thought of being responsible for someone's suicide is not an attractive one, and many people unconsciously seek a scapegoat in order to assuage their latent guilt. 

"It's that devil music!" 

"It's the school!" 

"It's those violent video games!" 

"Urban culture!"

We've all heard these excuses and more bandied about after some young person (or people) has done something nearly incomprehensibly awful. Whatever bogeyman the commentator seems to have a beef with is trotted out as the obvious cause. To quote the brilliant creators of South Park in their Oscar nominated song, "Blame Canada..."

"We must blame them and cause a fuss

Before somebody thinks of blaming us!"

2. It's shamelessly opportunistic. 

There's nothing quite like using others' grief and misery to promote your hysterical ideology. The fact that their minds may be too befuddled to engage in any kind of critical thinking is good news for anyone trying to push irrational conclusions. It's also pretty much one of the douchiest, most manipulative and possibly sociopathic tricks you could possibly pull. Way to go.

3. It's terribly weak logic. 

In order to arrive at the conclusions espoused by the panic-mongers, one has to make several fairly acrobatic logical leaps- ones that likely have poor Socrates doing barrel rolls in his grave. Here are a few of the logical errors I've noticed.

Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc. Since it happened after they played D&D, it must have something to do with it. 

Why it's wrong: It assumes a causative link where even a basic correlation hasn't been proven. It's akin to saying "I drank a glass of water, then stubbed my toe. Water leads to foot pain."

Begging the question. Of course fantasy games make kids go crazy. I know because of all the kids that have gone crazy because of D&D!

Why it's wrong: It depends on unproven premises, which one must assume to be true in order for the conclusion to be valid. What proof was there that D&D could cause or even worsen psychological problems? 

And speaking of assumptions...

Occam's Razor.  Assumptions undermine arguments. Wacky assumptions do so even more. The more numerous and wild the assumptions, the less likely an explanation is to be true.

Why it's wrong: What makes more sense? A kid had psychological problems and made a terrible, drastic decision- or his principal put a curse on him? Someone who needed help, seeing no other way out, took things into their own hands- or a dice-and-paper game caused evil spirits to take hold of them? 

Does the sun's light get periodically blocked from reflecting off the moon by the closest celestial object, creating the lunar cycle- or is it a wheel of cheese that is slowly eaten every month by a dragon, only to reappear again?

These are a few I've spotted. Can you find any more?

4. It's hypocritical. 

Imagine a book that taught kids about demons, witchcraft, pagan gods, idols, heroes with magical powers, murder most foul... Imagine this book had lurid tales of adultery, incest, drunken shenanigans, and explicit descriptions of amorous acts. Its pages are populated with fantastical beasts- dragons, unicorns, even talking animals. It tells tales of great and bloody battles, sieges, ransacking of entire cities, all portrayed in a positive- even heroic- light. Wielders of divine forces cure wounds and diseases, sorcerers and soothsayers create dazzling magical effects and predict the future. Daring deeds, dastardly villains, deadly foes with horrendous supernatural abilities. High adventure!

"Hoo, boy. Better keep that out of the hands of impressionable kids," right, largely Evangelical Christian D&D alarmists? After all, reading stuff like that could really mess up someone's ability to discern fantasy from reality.

Well, congratulations- we agree on something. There's just one problem. I've just described the Bible.

5. It gets things completely backwards. 

I can't overstate this. There are many stereotypes of gamers. Not all are favorable, none are universally applicable, and most of them unfairly stigmatize a group of people who, in my experience, are generally pretty awesome. Sure, we've got our bad eggs like any other group, but by and large I find gamers to be easygoing team players (why else play a group cooperative game?) who are very accepting of others' faults and foibles. It makes for a diverse and interesting experience.

This kind of accepting and non-judgemental environment is a welcome change for people with certain kinds of social and psychological problems. Stories like this one are fairly common, and many psychological professionals recommend tabletop fantasy games- the social interaction aspect can be helpful to some, while the simple opportunity to engage in a pleasurable fantasy can be just what others need. I've personally seen it give a boost to the depressed many, many times, and it's incredibly useful in cases of autism-spectrum disorders, most notably in developing 'Theory of Mind,'- essentially the ability to understand and differentiate mental states in the self and others. 

Do not take this to say I think fantasy gaming is a miracle cure, or good for everyone, or has no drawbacks. Surely time spent rolling dice or flopping cards at a table should, optimally, be balanced out with time spent in the great outdoors, in more physical exercise, in social interaction not governed by rules, in quiet reflection-and, hopefully, in consuming foods not in the 'bags and cans' nutritional group. 

There are definitely people for whom fantasy games aren't right, as well. This is another thing that Panic-ers get inside out and bass-ackwards- if any problem arises from a person with D&D, they assume the issue is with the game. Given the number of people who, despite being fantasy gamers, live otherwise normal lives (aside, perhaps, from being prone to using words like 'owlbear'), it seems exponentially more likely that the problem arises because the individual isn't a good match for the hobby. 

6. It persists to this day. 

Now, I realize we're dealing with people who aren't exactly known for their ability to adjust their understanding of reality based on new information, but seriously- every link anyone has tried to draw between fantasy gaming and mental illness has been thoroughly debunked. Yet people still believe it's true. This is partially due to books like Phil Phillips' Turmoil in the Toybox, a hysterical (in more than one sense of the world) and deranged rant about how toys, games, cartoons, and basically everything fun ever is being used to introduce children to the Occult. See my earlier point about the Bible. Also, check out the reviews on Amazon here. I can tell you from experience they're a much better read than the book.

Essentially, what charlatans like Mr. Phillips are doing is selling fear to the fear-prone. I can only imagine that he spends the money made selling this alarmist tome to replace all the bullet-ridden barrels he has accrued, and to keep them constantly stocked with new fish. 

The end result of this is that kids- and adults!- are losing out on a lot of opportunities for education in things like math, teamwork, and vocabulary, unknowingly foregoing lessons in ethics, patience, awareness, organization and creativity, and just generally passing up an opportunity for a lot of harmless fun (After all, wizards don't tend to join gangs!) simply because of prejudice and 

unwillingness to look into an issue beyond shrill, paranoid talking-point rhetoric. 

I myself experienced some of the blowback from this kind of numbskullery over a decade after it had all supposedly blown over. Like several of my high school friends, I discovered a cool card game called Magic: The Gathering. The art was impressive, the concept was cool, and I quickly discovered that it was a heck of a lot of fun. Of course, one obstacle needed to be overcome- the cards cost money. So, I decided to make a small sacrifice for something I wanted (a good life lesson, if you ask me) and started skipping school lunch a few times a week and putting the savings toward packs of new cards. I soon had a rather crappy but functional deck built, and was glad to spend my lunch period summoning imaginary monsters and exchanging volleys of spells rather than grubbing on bland, government-issue aberrations that fit the loosest legal definition of 'food'. 

Except on taco day. Because, come on, tacos. 

However, when a certain family member (who shall remain unnamed) discovered my cards in my guitar case, things got pretty wacky in short order. After a (very short) search for information, this family member decided that since "You summon MONSTERS. You start out with twenty LIVES!" that meant it belonged in the murky category of things "of the devil." Our church's pastor was consulted, and to his credit, his response was quite non-hysterical... but it made no difference. Other members of my family were quickly recruited to the cause (despite being Magic players themselves) and our cards were confiscated and subsequently burned. To add insult to injury, the ringleader deliberately sought me out (I wasn't interested in watching my property burn, for some strange reason, and wasn't nearby to easily gloat at) and smugly asserted that it was, and I quote, "a holy flame." Needless to say, I felt quite betrayed, as well as bewildered as to why a card game afforded such a severe, Third-Reich overreaction. 

To put it mildly, this incident didn't help my family life any.

So, obviously, I haven't forgotten this incident over the last two decades. I still play Magic- indeed I now have over thirty functioning decks, many with silly names like 'Meow Mix,' 'Waiting for the Wurms' 'The Green Machine' and the ever beloved "Spaddily Wadgets"- and I never actually quit. The other players in my school, horrified at the over-the-top shittiness of the card-burning, donated cards to get me playing again, in another testament to the extent to which gamers rock socks. This, as well, has not been forgotten! 

So there you have it. Anti-gaming hysteria is bullshit. It's not based in any kind of reality, it hijacks people's better intentions, it makes zero sense, it's got its head jammed in a place where only proctologists dare to venture, it has real potential to harm relationships and put up walls between loved ones, and it's gone on far too damn long. 

Thanks for reading, and sorry about whingeing- now get out there and game!



Special thanks to Robert Bevan for writing this blog  that inspired me, and to Twitter's @RPGadvocate for sharing it with me. 

Spoiler Alert: 

The Con Game of "Religious Freedom" Laws

It's a predictable cycle. "Conservative" lawmakers craft bills clearly designed to pander to religious voters. From laws legalizing discrimination against gays to bans on non-believers holding public office, illegal restrictions on abortions to a nearly infinite  stream of "one man, one woman" marriage-inequality laws, a seemingly endless supply of attempts to legislate based on religious belief streams through our legal systems.

These laws inflame the passions of their target audience- a group known for having an enlarged Amygdala, the center of the brain responsible for fear, aggression, and emotional reasoning. The tactic is extremely effective in manipulating a desired reaction- and so these constituents, their higher faculties overcome by emotional fervor, make their wishes known. They write letters and emails. They make phone calls. They stage demonstrations. 

In essence, democracy happens. 

The message is clear: We support these laws, and if you don't want angry voters on your hands, you'd better sign off on them. And given that nearly 80% of the American public identifies as Christian, it's a viable threat. 

So the bill gets signed. Other politicians, just as keen to curry favor with such a large and vote-happy section of the population, send it on. Many of them go on to become laws.

Then,  a few months (or years) later, the law is struck down.

There is almost inevitably an angry backlash. Terms like "judicial activism" and "tyranny" are dusted off and trotted out. Grand conspiracy theories are woven. Comparisons to historical dictatorships are thrown about and swallowed wholesale without any thought for factual accuracy. 

The incident is taken as proof positive that religion is "under attack" and that the religious are victims of the worst kind of discrimination. "This is what happens when you don't vote for extreme enough representatives," the pundits stealthily imply- or, in some cases, state blatantly. Any other narrative is derided, not unironically, as simply a part of the conspiracy. 

So what happens in this cycle? Is it really such a miscarriage of justice? The people certainly seem to think so.

The truth is much, much sneakier.

The lawmakers who create this cycle are not unaware of its existence. Many of them are profoundly well educated in law, and those who aren't certainly have access to advisers and lawyers to help them with their homework. This is not some accident, a mishap caused by a simple oversight or misinterpretation. 

These laws are deliberately crafted as to be unconstitutional. The legislators and figureheads know they won't stand. Their sole purpose is to elicit an emotional response- first on their passing and again (and more importantly) on their repeal. The narrative of a grand secular conspiracy to erode religious rights is extremely useful in manipulating a voting population that is predisposed to seek persecution- which, due to the magic of cognitive bias and skillfully-spun contrivances, seems to be everywhere. 

In essence, they are designed to fail. The entire point is to create a law that will be simultaneously popular with the voters and completely, unsustainably flawed, in order to "fire up the voting base" and keep the ballot box crammed with low-information votes. 

This kind of deliberate abuse of our lawmaking structure is not uncommon enough to be the exception. False narratives framing checking of unbridled privilege as tyrannical repression are nothing new. Voter gullibility is not a recent phenomenon. The only thing that has changed in recent years is the ability for this sort of mendacity to be quickly and easily disseminated to millions of willing parrots. 

We have passed the information age, and come to the next step. 

The Disinformation Age.

Sooty pot, meet clean kettle!

***UPDATE*** As of January 11th, 2015, Sockerdoofus, AKA Manny the human virus, having been rendered inconsequential on Twitter, is up to his old tricks again. This time he's concocted a sophomoric attempt at appearing to be Rosa Rubicondior, the well known atheist blogger, and desperately trolling my comments. A simple check reveals, of course that they are two completely distinct accounts which are not even superficially similar. 

One has to wonder at the kind of mind that would believe such schoolyard antics would fool even the most naive of observers, but we are all well aware of Manny's track record in this area, which has variously ranged from attempting to claim to be multiple people, none of whom- of course- are him, to claiming everyone and their cat IS Rosa. Never mind that this would require the ACTUAL person running the blog to have a near-infinite supply of time in which to run hundreds of alternate blogs and Twitter accounts. Of course, the only real link between the massively popular Rosa and myself are the seemingly unending erection Manuel seems to have for us. (Somebody should really tell him that you're supposed to call the doctor if it lasts more than 4 hours.)

**************************************************************************************************************

In my time as a Twitter user, I've some in for some abuse at varying levels of ineptitude, from the brilliantly stated 'Your Stupid' to the really dedicated and slightly more intelligent types that throw half-formed arguments out like seed for pigeons, expecting the same to come and gobble them up, thankful for the "wisdom" they've received- for free, no less!

First, let's talk about this 'for free' thing. 

When you swallow this kind of garbage, you're not only allowing yourself to be fooled, but you're feeding the charlatan's ego and encouraging them to continue. You're paying a price, and forcing others to do so as well- a price of admission to a rigged psychological game run by people with a vested interest in disinforming you, so that their next scam works all the better.

One of the main tactics used is illustrated very well by the known troll and fraudster Sackofshitvs, in his "Manny" incarnations  and permutations. (A very well compiled list of the evidence that he so vehemently denies is here on the blog of one of his favorite targets for harassment and lies, Rosa Rubicondior). 

In various guises, all claimed to be different (though in reality, like the many degrees he claims to possess, nonexistent) people, this dedicated liar and manipulator variously claims that there is no Manuel (the evidence refutes this), that everyone else is making things up (classic projection), that Manuel AND Rosa are inventions by a priest in the UK (this poor priest, having been contacted, was totally unaware that his identity was being used to spread such ridiculous lies), and many other blatantly, obviously untrue narratives that in and of themselves form a solid pattern of evidence. 

Lately, he has taken to using his faux-atheist account to attempt to sow disinformation (seeing a pattern yet?) and create another platform from which to drag various red herrings across the path, thinking that no one will be smart enough to suss out his lies. Recent posts on his beg-a-blog include accusations of pedophilia on the part of people who continually expose those lies- and encouragement of others to file false official reports on his behalf. Evidently he is too cowardly to do so for himself- or, more likely knows he will not be believed because of his well-documented chronic lying problem. 

I'm going to let one of the grandfathers of philosophy field this one for me. 

But, all legally actionable mendacity aside, this is not the only thing that stinks in Manny's sock drawer. 

Recent discoveries (Including IP addresses from his various accounts, all of which originate from the Bronx, NY in clear contradiction of his claims to be from various other places) have shown even MORE of his lies to be what they are- the frantic scramblings of a man who is desperate to disown his past and create a new identity. His response to this: Claim that anyone who believes the evidence is "not a TRUE skeptic!" by his own nebulous terms. Apparently only accepting his claims without evidence (and despite the clear evidence that he is incapable of being truthful) is "True" skepticism, while taking the time to read through the scads of proof that have flocculated out of his smokescreen and shown him up for what- and who- he is, is not being a Scotsman at all. Again by his own definition. 

The picture that all of this forms of SackerNvttus, aka Manny, failed priest and career liar, is not a kind one. First there is the utter lack of truth value to everything that comes out of his mouth- not very Christian when you consider what's said about bearing false witness. Second we have the maniacal glee he seems to gain from telling those lies- in my days as a Christian, this would have been seen as a sign that he was possessed by Belial. Nowadays, though, I (and humanity in general) know better, and such behavior is attributed to mental disorders rather than demons. 

Thirdly, the assumed arrogance with which this man presents his fallacious nonsense suggests yet another thing- that he knows damn well that his beliefs aren't remotely true, and need false bravado and posturing in order to shore up their lack of alignment with reality. This behavior, too, is highly unbecoming for a supposed "man of god." 

Finally, we have the large amount of projection in which the liar engages. From his own tactic of attempting to create the illusion of consensus (again, see the evidence here) to his attempts to claim he's being defamed (all the while defaming others with the kind of vile lies that help to define his Modus Operandi), from his cowardly "challenges" to a debate which, on acceptance, are invariably and hilariously met with any and every means of weaseling-out, to his own personal obsession with sexual deviancy (the lady, it would seem, doth protest too much- did I mention that kicked-out-of-seminary thing? I wonder what the correlation is!), the man forms the most apt of his feeble collection of quasi-insults, it would seem, by searching for all his own worst attributes and attempting to assign them to others. Thus, it's not just MANNY who creates innumerable sock puppets- it's everyone- ESPECIALLY those who disagree with him or expose his lies. It's not just MANNY who relies on libel, defamation, and threats to silence his opponents- oh, no. All the people who are telling the truth about him are the ones who do that. 

Similarly, it's not MANNY who is scared to death of an actual debate on a neutral forum- no, it's the people he 'challenges' to a debate via his blog, while conveniently forgetting to inform the challengee- or the people who, having gotten wind of the challenge, he refuses to contact, or the people who, having contacted him, are given the option of debating via his beg-blog, where clicks earn him money and he can delete and edit replies (and is well known for doing so!), or the people who, insisting on a forum where this wouldn't be allowed to occur, are given a list of times and conditions that are clearly, deliberately meant to make such a debate impossible- no, it's not MANNY.

It's not HIS fault that the conditions he's set are unworkable, or ones into which no sane person would enter. It's not HIM that is a coward, hiding behind a constant stream of bullshit, fake identities, attempts to bully his detractors into silence... of course not. No, it's everyone else.  Human psychology being what it is, his attempts to paint others as homosexuals (not that outside of Manny's sexually conflicted, bigoted, nightmarish mind-scape this is even an insult) or worse, would be best explained by him yet again engaging in projection. 

Simply put, on some level, he knows he's a turd in the punch-bowl of life, and, knowing that the things that are TRUE of him are some of the worst things you could say about a person, he attempts to slap those labels- the deeply disturbed and maniacally hateful liar, the fraud, the creator of false identities, the coward, the deviant- onto others... so that he, in his own mind at least, can console himself with the thought that he's not the only one in the world who is such a rank piece of human garbage.