The killer was vainglorious, lethal, meticulous and utterly callous

The description of the Norway massacre seems to me to describe very well the content of games and films readily available and marketed aggressively. Once I used to buy music I liked from HMV but now it’s pages are dominated by games and films promoting the violence. The title of this article is a quote from today’s Independent and it could well describe leading game called “The Call of Duty”, which provides impressionable people precisely the excuse that seems to have prompted the Norway killer’s activities.
During earlier reports it was stated that the perpetrator of the mass killings, to which world wide revulsion has been made manifest in the mainstream media, was in the army. Presumably then that is where he learned his facility with arms.
To those living in war zones there is nothing unfamiliar about this terror. It is a daily feature of life. While many may not hold the political views underpinning the terror armies provide a haven for those who do giving them the ability to carry out killings on predominantly Muslim people – those the Norway killer identifies as alien and undesirable.
Private firms commissioned increasingly frequently to operate in war zones are known to harbour sentiments associated with the far right. Erik Prince of Blackwater (now changed to Xe) had a mission against Islam which he was able to realise through sending staff to Iraq. The company carry out secret missions involving assassination in places like Pakistan, not officially a war zone so far.


The killer (= hero) was (is) vainglorious, lethal, meticulous and utterly callous could quite easily be an ad for movies of the past and present and now games played by the very young. Play is part of our education preparing for adult life and preparing us for its reality. It should not be unsurprising if some play the game for real.

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