GP project

This is our GP project wor~
feel free to leave some comments ba, since my presentation will be like, next year? If TSl continue at this rate we think we are so free we can edit Edit EDIT until this is perfect .

2004 Social Event
Background– June 1 - Twelve-year-old Satomi Mitarai, a Japanese schoolgirl attending Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo is murdered. It involves the slitting of Mitarai's throat and arms with a box cutter. It has come to be known as the "Sasebo Slashing".
– September 15 - 11-year-old classmate identified by Japanese authorities as "Girl A" is sentenced to be institutionalized due to the murder.
Possible reasons for murder– There were negative comments left on "Girl A"'s website by Mitarai (specifically that she was "heavy," i.e. overweight) which may have been the immediate motive for the murder.
– A police psychologist stated that "Girl A" was not mentally ill, and already had a history of violent incidents, from punching and kicking other classmates, to an issue with a knife the month before the murder.
– From her site she had linked shock flash movies and bizarre ASCII movies “that would unnerve even the most hardened internet warriors."
– Her website showcased her interests, which included fanfiction about her favourite film, Battle Royale.
Impact/Response– The murder sparked an ongoing debate in Japan about whether the age of criminal responsibility, shifted from 16 to 14 in 2000 due to the 1997 Sakakibara murders in Kobe, needed to be shifted again.
– It also raised questions regarding the exposure of the Internet to young children, and the effect of the Internet and hikikomori subculture on youth in Japan.
– The killer, "Girl A" (Nevada-tan), becomes the basis for the Nevada-tan Internet meme.
Why it was significant/Relevance
This murder issue points out three increasingly worrying social problems:
1) Juvenile criminals are getting younger and their crime more serious. According to US juvenile crime statistics, murder accounted for five percent of violent crimes committed by juveniles.
2) Internet violence and violent movies like Battle Royale are affecting how teenagers think and act. This might lead them to use violence, even murder, as a way of solving problems.
• E.g. the murder of James Bulger in 1993 - One of the aspects of the case that gained much media attention was whether Venables and Thompson had been watching violent films prior to the murder, and whether or not those movies had contributed to making the pair act in the way they did.
• Bulger's death was similar to the death in the film Child's Play 3, and the father of one of the boys had been known to hire this film the week before the murder.
3) This case gained morbid public fascination, like the continuing interest in similar violent murders like English Jack the Ripper killings of 1888. “Girl A” gained internet popularity after this murder case was published.
• Japanese web communities fixated on this story. Her personal website's popularity rocketed, and when it was taken down, mirrors were established.
• Fan songs appeared. The online store that sold the University of Nevada hooded sweatshirt reported it to be their best-selling item.
• Cosplayers created "Girl A" costumes. Artists on 2channel soon turned "Girl A" into a cute "chibified" character dubbed "Nevada-tan."
• The Nevada-tan character is often depicted with short brown hair, the trademark pullover, and a crazed, murderous smile. She is rarely seen without a box cutter or other sharp implement nearby.
• Inevitably, this spilled over into 4chan and from there to other English language imageboards, introducing Nevada-tan to the United States and the rest of the world.
Possible Questions– How does internet violence affect the mentality of teenagers?
– Should juvenile criminals be fully punished for their crimes?
– Is it fair for criminals to be judged differently due to age for the same crimes, especially serious crimes like murder?
– Why is the public fasinated with grisly, morbid issues?(horror movies, murder cases, etc)

Conclusion
The moral values of the public, especially of the teenagers, are shifting. E.g. violent games like Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat, movies like Battle Royale series and Final Destination series, animes like Apocalypse Zero, are popular among many,especially teenagers, and they are very accessible online. This may affect the way teenagers act and think hence they may become more prone to violence. They may turn to violence and even murder in order to solve disputes of simply out of boredom because they’re already numbed to the blood and gore in the movies and games.
The public’s fasination and over-publicising of these terrible acts may somehow encourage more of such violent cases to occur, and affect teenagers’ attitude towards such gruesome, violent cases.