Outrage over Virginia Tech game

http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/outrage-over-virginia-tech-game/2007/05/16/1178995212668.html

A thousand dollars for an apology – that’s what a 21-year old Australian, Ryan Lambourn, wants from the global community.

Shocking, indeed, seeing as Lambourn is the creator of an online game, V-Tech Rampage, which is sadistically “modelled on the exploits of South Korean-born Cho Seung-hui”, an incident which requires no further explanation.

The price? $2000 US to remove the game, and with another $1000, the global community gets an apology – internet extortion at its worst. Lambourn made the game “because it’s funny”, and that it was “a joke”, but this is no laughing matter. Although this one-off incident does not say anything about the youths and young adults of today, it certainly raises some worries. The fact that someone could actually do this, and be allowed to do so by a games website, is repulsive. Is this really what society has become?

In some forum threads I checked, it seemed that a few people do feel sympathy for Cho Seung-Hui. From some angles, there’s nothing wrong sympathizing with a bullied, ignored, foreigner, but most people would agree that what Lambourne has done is simply abominable. If humans are supposed to have feelings like sympathy and empathy, then Lambourne is no more than a beast. If he indeed has any “sympathy” for the victims of this incident, he certainly doesn’t show it. Anyone with his head screwed on right would be able to feel for the victims, their families, and even more so those who survived that horrifying afternoon and who are still scarred and mentally traumatized by it.

Lambourne’s flimsy stance, that he feels remorse for the victims, but also for the perpetrator of these crimes, is quite obviously a blatant lie. He clearly feels nothing for those who have suffered, his online game being an obvious encouragement for further violence, letting the victim relive the psychological hell and shattering the pieces they’ve been trying to piece back together.

But the very worst he could have done was to try and extort money from people around the world, demanding two thousand US dollars to remove his piece of work, which should rightfully never have seen the light of day. The very fact that he does so is that he is simply doing this for his own gain, an abominable motive indeed. Could this really be what we have degenerated to? Hopefully not, or our society is lost. The presence of even one such person mars my view of humanity in itself. Even though my understanding is limited, I will not deign to disregard this act of utmost cold-heartedness.

And his defence? The commonly cited excuse of Freedom of Speech. Even though he does have Freedom of Speech, but when this freedom results in the mental trauma of others, does Lambourne still have this right? Surely Lambourne must realize that this is only a technicality, and nothing stands against the power of humanity.

Singapore Muslims in donor ruling

Singapore's Muslims should be treated as willing organ donors when they die, the country's Islamic authority says.

BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6919879.stm

Comments:

As the times progress, so does society, and sometimes the notions of “tradition” and “customs” get thrown out of the window. In the past, Muslims were exempt from the donation law, restricting doctors from curing those with organ failure. But now, all this has changed drastically, with a new ruling by the Fatwa Committee.

This, of course, impacts many in our society. Muslims make out 15% of our community, yet only 16000 out of 300000 pledge their organs for donation, making it even more arduous for those with organ failure to receive organ donations. A major change indeed, seeing as religion and tradition play important roles in every person’s life. This, of course, is a turn for the better – a clear example of humanity at work. For the greater good, The Fatwa Committee has issued such a ruling, thus giving those who are in dire straits another silver lining.

However, we have to see from the point of view of those who have been rudely shaken by such a ruling. In any religion, in any community, there are some who see the changes and disregard for customs and tradition as a sign of ill times, not momentous ones. Their worry and views are not without reason, for undoubtedly some Muslims feel that their bodies should still be buried intact, as I their belief. A route out, is, of course available, as Muslims, like everyone else, have a choice to actively opt out of the donation program.

“…will significantly enhance the access of Muslims with organ failure to donated organs" is one of the advantages of this fatwa, and significant it is. With just over 5% of eligible Muslims currently donating their organs after death, it is clear that people who desperately need these organs are in for good news. This is the crux of organ donation, as it is of this new fatwa. Whether or not we can change tradition, or dispose of it entirely, for the betterment of a universal tradition, humanity. Whether we, as people and not as religion or race can benefit ourselves and our world.

There are many various viewpoints that we can see this from – People in need of new organs, The Fatwa Committee, Muslims staunchly rooted in their beliefs and those not as much so. But one thing that I know, for all my limited understanding about other religions, is that this is a turn for the better. Because this is an issue not so much about Muslims as about humans. Who we are, and what we feel for those who need our help, and how we can help them.

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