I think tracking down and choking a 13 year old kid for saying stupid shit online is pretty fucked up. 90% of what a thirteen year old says is dumb. he must have really, really been working with top-notch trolling material, or bradford must have extremely low patience and tolerance for annoying kids. i'm guessing the latter.

that being said, the article made me laugh out loud more than once and maybe it'll give some people pause before antagonizing people over mics, because you never know if that guy is fucking crazy.

Choking pubescant scum-bags, he says what we're all thinking!

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

Justin McElroy is, the best.

Oh yeah he really is. He knows just how to tongue the arsehole of the audience in such a way as it seems legit and honest. He's the best heartless, lying cocksucker who can sort of write I've ever half read with a listless disinterest which verges on utter fucking boredom.

Ok, cool. Nice to know you have an opinion too.

What exactly is the point of the article? To celebrate people who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction to the point that they attack people they battled on a game? Or is it to be the most offensive a person can be to generate feedback and hits on the site? Or maybe it's some perverted way of Justin proving to himself that his audience is a bunch of crass manchildren?

His twitter feed has made it pretty clear it's just a joke on the way these things are perceived. No biggie.

I'm also quite surprised you are able to be that angry at someone who is very obviously a genuinely happy and nice person. I don't read the man's writing much but between the MBMBaM podcast and various other places he exudes a lovable personality. Maybe his writing differs from that, I don't know.

It's amazing how Justin McElroy can be the best and the worst at the same time.

Man that is awesome. Some kids do deserve to get choked.

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

Justin McElroy is, the best.

Oh yeah he really is. He knows just how to tongue the arsehole of the audience in such a way as it seems legit and honest. He's the best heartless, lying cocksucker who can sort of write I've ever half read with a listless disinterest which verges on utter fucking boredom.

Ok, cool. Nice to know you have an opinion too.

What exactly is the point of the article? To celebrate people who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction to the point that they attack people they battled on a game? Or is it to be the most offensive a person can be to generate feedback and hits on the site? Or maybe it's some perverted way of Justin proving to himself that his audience is a bunch of crass manchildren?

His twitter feed has made it pretty clear it's just a joke on the way these things are perceived. No biggie.

I'm also quite surprised you are able to be that angry at someone who is very obviously a genuinely happy and nice person. I don't read the man's writing much but between the MBMBaM podcast and various other places he exudes a lovable personality. Maybe his writing differs from that, I don't know.

One can use strong language and not be angry. I'm not angry. I am, however, rather disappointed that this kind of right wing shock jock bullshit passes for journalism. His twitter feed doesn't make it clear that it's a joke, it does its best to deflect any criticism, especially from the IGDA (whom he criticises for allowing the virtual ripping of dudes in half in MK) via the use of a strawman which not only confirms his stance but also shows that he achieved what he wanted in generating traffic for his site, regardless of the moral aspirations it reflects. You say that he exudes a lovable personality but this piece exudes a slimy kind of stench I normally associate with old men who work at Fox News. Maybe that stuff reflects well with some people, I don't know.

@Ravenlight said:

@TehFlan said:

And this is why I prefer not to play online multiplayer. It's all assholes and psychopaths.

You forgot about the 13-year-old homophobic racists.

Those fall under the "assholes" category.

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

Justin McElroy is, the best.

Oh yeah he really is. He knows just how to tongue the arsehole of the audience in such a way as it seems legit and honest. He's the best heartless, lying cocksucker who can sort of write I've ever half read with a listless disinterest which verges on utter fucking boredom.

Ok, cool. Nice to know you have an opinion too.

What exactly is the point of the article? To celebrate people who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction to the point that they attack people they battled on a game? Or is it to be the most offensive a person can be to generate feedback and hits on the site? Or maybe it's some perverted way of Justin proving to himself that his audience is a bunch of crass manchildren?

His twitter feed has made it pretty clear it's just a joke on the way these things are perceived. No biggie.

I'm also quite surprised you are able to be that angry at someone who is very obviously a genuinely happy and nice person. I don't read the man's writing much but between the MBMBaM podcast and various other places he exudes a lovable personality. Maybe his writing differs from that, I don't know.

One can use strong language and not be angry. I'm not angry. I am, however, rather disappointed that this kind of right wing shock jock bullshit passes for journalism. His twitter feed doesn't make it clear that it's a joke, it does its best to deflect any criticism, especially from the IGDA (whom he criticises for allowing the virtual ripping of dudes in half in MK) via the use of a strawman which not only confirms his stance but also shows that he achieved what he wanted in generating traffic for his site, regardless of the moral aspirations it reflects. You say that he exudes a lovable personality but this piece exudes a slimy kind of stench I normally associate with old men who work at Fox News. Maybe that stuff reflects well with some people, I don't know.

Hahah. Dude. Chillaaxxx. He's definitely not right wing at all, if you listen to his podcast. You really don't know what you're talking about here.

Points of interest:

• Parent allows kid to play rated M game
• Child with terrible manners, mercilessly taunts another
  
• Man goes way too far with his anger
• Mother taunts man with " If you can’t handle losing to a child then you shouldn’t be playing games." (Rather than simply focusing on the bad behavior of both the man and her son.)

Quit gettin' mad at video games.

I would give this Mark Bradford a brofist. Combating the annoying xbox live squealing teen demographic one peasant at a time.

Some people take the internet and video games way to serious.

Maybe it's just because I spend so much time on the internet and I've become attuned to it but...how do people not get sarcasm and satire? Reading tones through the internet isn't THAT hard and I don't understand how so many people can be awful at it. 

Fking pyscho should be in a mental institute.

This should happen more often. All these little shits hide behind this wall of anonymity. This is how the real world works. If you walk down the street and call some a "cocksucking faggot" then you're probably going to your punk ass choked out.

That is fanastic news. I'm glad he didn't kill him, though.

A real hero.

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

Justin McElroy is, the best.

Oh yeah he really is. He knows just how to tongue the arsehole of the audience in such a way as it seems legit and honest. He's the best heartless, lying cocksucker who can sort of write I've ever half read with a listless disinterest which verges on utter fucking boredom.

Ok, cool. Nice to know you have an opinion too.

What exactly is the point of the article? To celebrate people who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction to the point that they attack people they battled on a game? Or is it to be the most offensive a person can be to generate feedback and hits on the site? Or maybe it's some perverted way of Justin proving to himself that his audience is a bunch of crass manchildren?

His twitter feed has made it pretty clear it's just a joke on the way these things are perceived. No biggie.

I'm also quite surprised you are able to be that angry at someone who is very obviously a genuinely happy and nice person. I don't read the man's writing much but between the MBMBaM podcast and various other places he exudes a lovable personality. Maybe his writing differs from that, I don't know.

One can use strong language and not be angry. I'm not angry. I am, however, rather disappointed that this kind of right wing shock jock bullshit passes for journalism. His twitter feed doesn't make it clear that it's a joke, it does its best to deflect any criticism, especially from the IGDA (whom he criticises for allowing the virtual ripping of dudes in half in MK) via the use of a strawman which not only confirms his stance but also shows that he achieved what he wanted in generating traffic for his site, regardless of the moral aspirations it reflects. You say that he exudes a lovable personality but this piece exudes a slimy kind of stench I normally associate with old men who work at Fox News. Maybe that stuff reflects well with some people, I don't know.

You're just using words and have no idea what they mean. I know you think you're really smart right now but it was a joke. That's it. There's nothing "right wing" about it. There's no "strawman." Just calm down, relax and have a nice refreshing Choke-a-Cola.

@TooWalrus said:

Man chokes 13 year old because he's an unstable, insane human being.

This should have been the title.

@Chop said:

Maybe it's just because I spend so much time on the internet and I've become attuned to it but...how do people not get sarcasm and satire? Reading tones through the internet isn't THAT hard and I don't understand how so many people can be awful at it.

SORRY

@Mark Bradford. Y u mad tho??? Come at me bro

/awaits knock on door followed by stabbing.

This blows my mind.

Totally on the side of the 46 year old loser. You are involved in the one thing that has meaning in your life besides cheap beer or wife beating, and not only do you suck at it(soooo sympathetic!) and lose, but is is accompanied by an endless high-pitched trill of URGAY!URGAY!URGAY!URGAY!URGAY!URGAY!URGAY!!!.....I would kill the little fuck face myself, well not I'd probably kill myself first.

lol this thread

So there's no mute? I guess he would be missing out on the important tactical teamwork that COD requires it's players to take part in.

Both people involved are shitheels.

You fuck with the world, the world'll fuck you back. Bitches.

A 13 year old, who was admittedly a brat, was tracked down and choked by a 46 year old man, and you guys are siding against the kid.
 
What the fuck is wrong with you people.

Sure, kid was the typical douche bag on Xbox Live, but in no way does that mean he should be choked to death! Come on internet.

I'm sure this will cause that kid to think twice before he talks smack online, if his parents even let play online anymore.

I dont even care if he went too far, this is fucking hilarious

The kid lived, therefore this story is funny. If the kid had died than this story would be less funny

Boring! Jay and silent Bob already did this and they did it better....

Wait just a fucking minute here.

How is there anyone who thinks, no matter what the kid was saying, that he deserves to be choked? Even an adult who should be held much more accountable for his words does not deserve to be choked because he said something mean, racist, homophobic, sexist, or whatever other filth he could have spoken. But this isn't even an adult. It's a damn kid.

Seriously, what the fuck?

@Milkman said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

@SeriouslyNow said:

@EuanDewar said:

Justin McElroy is, the best.

Oh yeah he really is. He knows just how to tongue the arsehole of the audience in such a way as it seems legit and honest. He's the best heartless, lying cocksucker who can sort of write I've ever half read with a listless disinterest which verges on utter fucking boredom.

Ok, cool. Nice to know you have an opinion too.

What exactly is the point of the article? To celebrate people who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction to the point that they attack people they battled on a game? Or is it to be the most offensive a person can be to generate feedback and hits on the site? Or maybe it's some perverted way of Justin proving to himself that his audience is a bunch of crass manchildren?

His twitter feed has made it pretty clear it's just a joke on the way these things are perceived. No biggie.

I'm also quite surprised you are able to be that angry at someone who is very obviously a genuinely happy and nice person. I don't read the man's writing much but between the MBMBaM podcast and various other places he exudes a lovable personality. Maybe his writing differs from that, I don't know.

One can use strong language and not be angry. I'm not angry. I am, however, rather disappointed that this kind of right wing shock jock bullshit passes for journalism. His twitter feed doesn't make it clear that it's a joke, it does its best to deflect any criticism, especially from the IGDA (whom he criticises for allowing the virtual ripping of dudes in half in MK) via the use of a strawman which not only confirms his stance but also shows that he achieved what he wanted in generating traffic for his site, regardless of the moral aspirations it reflects. You say that he exudes a lovable personality but this piece exudes a slimy kind of stench I normally associate with old men who work at Fox News. Maybe that stuff reflects well with some people, I don't know.

You're just using words and have no idea what they mean. I know you think you're really smart right now but it was a joke. That's it. There's nothing "right wing" about it. There's no "strawman." Just calm down, relax and have a nice refreshing Choke-a-Cola.

I'm really not. Other people see it from exactly the same perspective I do. People who are respected in the games journalism industry. The right wing aspect is a reference to Fox News as is shock jock as is...Fox News. It really helps to have a broad perspective when you read, that way you're not taken in by bullshit exercises in increasing readership like this one. McElroy can kiss my arse.

Joystiq, Justin McElroy: Guy chokes a kid after being made fun of in Black Ops, we’re … upset [September 30th, 2011]

The number of emails I’ve had about Justin McElroy endorsing someone tracking down someone who made fun of them online and strangling them have been phenomenal.

One of the emails I received raises an interesting point: “I wonder if AOL knows that one of its publication is expressing the editorial opinion (site-wide, he says ‘we’) that choking children is something to be celebrated?”

Update: Joystiq have updated their post with this little footnote:

[Editor’s note: The above is clearly a work of satire, most obviously denoted by its support of a 46-year-old man who choked a 13-year-old child – that sort of gives it away – but also thanks to comedic cues like “Choke-a-Cola.” While it may not have hit the comedic high-water mark of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, we won’t stop working until we get there. – C.G.]

Saying something ridiculous doesn’t automatically make something satirical in nature. Case in point: Fox News.

@SeriouslyNow: You're going to cite that blog as being "respected in the games journalism industry?" Really? That guy is a fucking joke. He's a glorified troll who think he's better than everyone else because he can call people "fuckwits." He's a totally up his ass, pathetic jackass so don't try to tell me that "Oh, this Game Journos says it, so it must be true." Justin isn't attempting to shock anyone. He's trying to make them laugh. Obviously, he didn't succeed with you and that's fine. I thought it was pretty damn hilarious so to each his own and move on.

People that play CoD be crazzzzzzzzy.

Choking somebody is not cool. Not at all -- let alone a thirteen-year old. If the article is satirical or not is irrelevant; a large portion of the comments in this thread are idiotic.

@Milkman said:

@SeriouslyNow: You're going to cite that blog as being "respected in the games journalism industry?" Really? That guy is a fucking joke. He's a glorified troll who think he's better than everyone else because he can call people "fuckwits." He's a totally up his ass, pathetic jackass so don't try to tell me that "Oh, this Game Journos says it, so it must be true." Justin isn't attempting to shock anyone. He's trying to make them laugh. Obviously, he didn't succeed with you and that's fine. I thought it was pretty damn hilarious so to each his own and move on.

I appreciate that you toned down the jerk-a-cola from 'you don't know what you're talking about' to 'this brand of humour is not for you', so thanks.

Personally, I'm just glad to see that video games are STILL serious business. Both regarding the choke-a-cola delivery and the backlash of the article.

I ain't saying what he did was right...but I understand.

@Marokai said:

A 13 year old, who was admittedly a brat, was tracked down and choked by a 46 year old man, and you guys are siding against the kid. What the fuck is wrong with you people.

i'm sure most don't actually support his actions. it's just that we've all experienced the trash-talking 12 year old first hand, and have probably imagined doing stuff like this if we found said 12 year old.

It's satire, you gullible manchildren.

I'm pretty sure 90% of people who hear this sort of stuff online want to do exactly that. That being said, while the story was pretty funny, the guy who did the choking is a dumbass and the kid, while probably an annoying ass, obviously didn't deserve it.

Hilarious mental picture though.

Justin is my fucking hero! Alpha FTW! Long live MBMBAM!

If you talk shit, make sure you can back it up when the guy shows up to test you... Kid deserved everything he got. If only there were more Choke-a-cola's for people on the internet.. Mainly for shooters... and for those mainly Halo.. Fuck those little pricks. Makes me wish Jay and silent bob strike back was true for everyone (Ending of the movie at least)

I personally don't know any of these people, so I say... a job well done there Mark.

Because he's the hero gaming deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

@swamplord666 said:

it's such a tricky question.

On one side, people need to take responsibility about the things they say online and he was right in bringing a reality check for that kid.

On the other hand, tracking down and choking a kid is going way too far.

This. It's ridiculous what people will say when they believe they are completely safe and anonymous. Things that they would never dream of saying to a person, most likely bigger, than them face to face. I really hope the internet isn't just training this younger generation to be a bunch of assholes with no sense of restraint.

I think its pretty stupid someone would become so obsessed over a video game to find someone in real life and do this, but in the back of my mind I only wish Jay and Silent Bob were around to find all these kids and show them they can't act that way without threat of consequences.

Theirs your lesson kids, don't be a jerk online or insane middle aged doods might try to come kill you. lol

I don't approve of his actions myself either, but man, I definitely feel like doing the same to the little shits I've come across online some times. Damn whipper snappers, GET OFF MY LAWN.