Brazilian President Lula sparked controversy when he recently said that video games “teach children to kill”a statement “simplistic”according to an open letter signed by more than 70 specialists on Monday, April 24.
This statement by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 77, dates from April 18, a week after the Blumenau tragedy, when a man killed four children with an ax in a crèche in the south of the country.
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“There are no video games that talk about love or education. Only video games that teach kids to kill”he said at a ministerial meeting where measures to prevent violence in schools were announced. “These days, kids spend the night playing, and the result is this violence”he added.
“Simplistic Association”
University professors, researchers and video game creators believe that “This simplistic association between video games and violence is not only misguided, but may also deflect the debate on the roots of violence”can we read in the letter which has brought together 71 signatories since its publication on Thursday.
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“The assertions of President Lula (…) run counter to all research on the subject.add the specialists, who “urge” the Head of State to dialogue with the sector to ” see again “ in position.
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Famous influencer Felipe Neto, followed by more than 45 million subscribers on YouTube, judged Lula’s comments “exceeded”castigating “a grotesque communication error by the president” which he nevertheless supported during his election in October against his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
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One of the president’s sons, Luis Claudio Lula da Silva, admitted that this association was unwelcome, but felt that his father’s comments should be put into perspective: “He watched his children and grandchildren grow up playing video games. He knows it didn’t make us violent. It was a hot statement on a controversial subject, and he ended up generalizing. »
