Revd Jesse Jackson dismisses video game link to violence

Reverend Jesse Jackson has dismissed the views of Keith Vaz, the UK MP who previously linked video games with violent crime.

Civil rights veteran Jesse Jackson spent yesterday afternoon speaking to the UK's home affairs committee, chaired by Vaz, about violent knife and gun crime.

Revd Jackson, 67, described knives and guns as the "weapons of choice" in Britain and the US respectively. But in doing so he failed to back up the views of some of the MPs on the committee.

Keith Vaz has become infamous for linking violent video games to crime, raising serious concerns about the negative influence of the portrayal of violence in popular media.

However, when questioned about this issue Revd Jackson had a different emphasis.

"Those who grow drugs in Afghanistan – they don't listen to music," he said.

"There is some link. Is art imitating life, is life imitating art? We want artists not to use their skills to desensitise people...but the economic impact of life options determines whether one is headed up or down."

Rvd Jackson's main point being that many factors influence your actions in life, especially economic causes, rather than simply the media you enjoy.