I have no idea what the solution is. Waiting for Jack to consign himself to the pits of absolute irrelevance sounds good, but who decides when he's hit bottom? If he is disbarred, as many observers expect is inevitable, will we find ourselves free of him? Or will he instead become an even more high-profile foe of the industry, unfettered by the (arguably impotent) restrictions of his profession? Despite his extreme fringe behavior and alienation of even those who would otherwise consider him an ally, he continues to hang around, somehow managing to hold our attention even as we wonder why we're giving him the time of day.
Which, of course, is a big part of the problem. We, the news guys of the world, bear some responsibility for Jack's staying power, but a greater portion of the blame has to go to you, the people who read this stuff. "Giving them what they want" is a bit of a trashy justification, responsible for Jerry Springer, Judge Joe Brown and Spike TV, but it's also a very truthful rationale behind Thompson's ubiquitous presence on gaming sites around the world. We write about him, but you love him.
Yes, you love him. You flip him the virtual bird at every opportunity, shake your fists in anger whenever he speaks and call him names so vile I'm embarrassed to have my mom using the same internet you are, but you also follow his every step and misstep with an enthusiasm that can only be described as gleeful. His resolute stand against the videogame industry (and First Amendment rights along the way) has turned him into a bit of a Mussolini figure, swaggering, brash and completely ineffectual, in way over his head and still digging madly. Even recognizing his inherently mean spirit, his presence is welcome for the comic relief it provides.
So ultimately, the answer to the Thompson conundrum lies not with the news sites, but with the news readers. Jack is hits, and hits is good; it's what keeps this whole thing rolling, so I'm told. If you think it gets tiresome reading about the man, try writing about him some time. In fact, try writing about him all the time. I think most of us would be quite happy to move on to other things, if you'd just let us. Which makes it all quite simple: Want us to stop talking about Jack? Stop reading about him.
In other news, Jack Thompson will be attending this year's VideoGame Expo in Philadelphia. Details to follow.
