Before 2022, few people had heard of Uvalde, Texas. To those who had, it was best known as the birthplace of singer and actress Dale Evans, as well as Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey.
Now, it’s also the birthplace of a massive lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook; Activision, a video game producer; and a gunmaker, Daniel Defense. You can guess the reason.
A Uvalde resident and former student, aged 18, shot up Robb Elementary School and killed 19 children and two teachers there on May 24, 2022. The lawsuit alleges that Meta, Activision and Daniel Defense have been “grooming … socially vulnerable” boys and young men by promoting first-person shooter video games and gun ownership, and these companies are therefore legally and financially responsible for the carnage at Robb Elementary.
Salvador Ramos, the perpetrator, was indeed a frequent user of Instagram, which is owned by Meta. He played “Call of Duty,” which is a combat-based video game released by Activision and enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. He also bought a rifle, a DDM4V7, from Daniel Defense mere minutes after his 18th birthday. None of this is in dispute.
Now, reasonable people may question why so many young people (and not-so-young people) are obsessed with social media. They may question why so many boys and young men are spending so much time shooting fake people in virtual combat. They may also question the degree of access to firearms that ordinary citizens, especially between the ages of 18 and 21, should have.
Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that using social media, playing video games, and owning guns are all completely legal, acceptable and even normal activities for American adults. Neither separately nor in combination do they routinely add up to tragedy and bloodshed. This lawsuit is therefore riddled with logical and legal fallacies, and it ought to be dismissed out of hand.
First off, why not sue Ramos himself, or his parents, who are, quite obviously, much more directly responsible for this tragedy than Meta, Activision, or Daniel Defense?
The question answers itself: Ramos died at the scene, and no big cash payout can be had from his estate, or from his penniless family members.
Second, why should the deaths of 21 people, however horrific and avoidable, become a pretext for taking away the rights of hundreds of millions of Americans who bear no responsibility for the actions of Salvador Ramos? And, if taking away our rights is not the object of the lawsuit, how would the transfer of millions of dollars to the victims’ families honor those victims or atone for their deaths?
One of the most odious features of modern American society is our monetization and commodification of suffering and victimhood. We put on a pedestal almost anyone who can make a case that they are aggrieved, and we shower the disadvantaged and downtrodden with preferments, praise and payoffs. It’s frankly disgusting, and, when it’s done on the behalf of those who have died, it debases their memory. Indeed, it turns them and their legacy into a means to an end, and the end in sight is almost always … money. It’s stomach-turning, if we’re to be honest.
Now, it’s extremely unlikely that any of these companies will ever pay a cent because of these lawsuits, and nor should they, but, even if they did, how would this serve the greater good? Does anyone think that violent video games, or TV shows, or movies, or songs, are going to disappear? Does anyone think that “AR-15 style” guns (whatever those are!) will wink out of existence because a bunch of trial lawyers start keening about it? Heck, no!
At most, the Uvalde victims’ relatives (and their stable of lawyers) will get rich because of these lawsuits, and the companies in question may add little disclaimers to their products: “WARNING: Shooting actual people, as opposed to avatars, may violate our community standards.” Otherwise, Americans’ fascination with, and unhealthy proclivity for, violence will continue.
If you ask me, the true causes of incidents like the shooting in Uvalde aren’t social media applications, or video games, or guns. What’s really behind the phenomenon of mass shootings is human frailty and pure evil, exacerbated by atrocious parenting and a culture of entitlement and egoism.
This boy, Salvador Ramos, felt that nothing in the world mattered except his suffering, and he decided to take it out on anyone and everyone, without any concern for their lives and dignity. He’s an extreme case, but a lot of modern Americans have similar attitudes about themselves, society and other people. They feel aggrieved, and they want payback, no matter what the short- or long-term consequences may be. It’s best understood as a form of vengeful narcissism run amok.
In that sense, I’m sorry to say, Salvador Ramos and the relatives of his victims may have something in common: a very modern and increasingly universal fixation on their own pain, and an indifference to the interests and views of others, and to the good of society as a whole.
What happened at Ross Elementary was appalling and unacceptable, but blaming social media companies, video game producers and gun manufacturers makes no sense. In fact, going after these companies is part of the problem, because it deflects responsibility from Ramos, the man who pulled the trigger, and who was therefore the genuine perpetrator and evildoer.
Is that really the message these Uvalde families want to send? That Ramos was a bit player, and, as long as Meta, Activision and Daniel Defense pay up, justice has been done? I should hope not!
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