GamerGate and Diversity
A week or two back, some GamerGate folks put together the following graphic to try to prove … something. I think this was meant to go along with #NotYourShield, and to show that GamerGate is inclusive and diverse and so on, whereas four of the people who have spoken out against GamerGate are white men. So there!
There are a few problems here, one of which is that whoever put this thing together doesn’t seem to know what “Check your privilege” means. More significantly, if you’re trying to demonstrate that your movement is so diverse and inclusive and welcoming, you’ve got to pay attention to who you put on that pedestal. Otherwise, someone like me might decide to post a modified version of your graphic…
That ended up getting retweeted more than 500 times, and drew a bit of heat from folks associated with GamerGate.
One critique was that Brennan’s quote about coming up with the idea for 8chan while tripping on mushrooms didn’t really fit in with the rest. That’s a fair point, and I agree. Brennan didn’t seem to have the same habit of saying nasty and/or hateful stuff as the others. I included the mushrooms quote because it made me laugh, but I probably shouldn’t have. My bad.
A number of folks claimed that I had taken quotes out of context. Which makes me wonder what context would make things like calling Zoe Quinn a whore acceptable. Of course, while GamerGate folks were busy saying these quotes were out of context, Mr. Villena jumped in to reply to me, saying, “For the record, I STAND BY EVERY WORD.” But I’m sure I’m taking that out of context as well, eh?
One GG supporter wanted to know, “What the f*** does #GamerGate have to do with diversity?” A question which might better be directed at the people who created and are promoting that original graphic.
I was amused to note that these tireless defenders of ethics in journalism also tried (and failed) to get places to cancel author events with me on the basis of my “hate speech” and harassment of minorities, the disabled, immigrants, etc. I’m not sure when pointing out hateful things someone has said became character assassination and hate speech. But I guess the assumption is that being disabled or transgender or gay should somehow shield you from criticism, or from being called on things you’ve said.
The thing is, as certain folks have demonstrated, it’s possible to be both a minority and a bigoted asshat. Weird, huh?
Jayle Enn
October 28, 2014 @ 9:45 am
Most of the people involved simply don’t know what they’re doing. They’re taking cues from instructional infographics and throwing around legal and philosophical concepts with the cargo-cultish abandon of a self-styled freeman ‘defending’ himself in court. They think that if you say the magic words, the bandit’s cave will open.
Dot
October 28, 2014 @ 10:19 am
I agree with Jayle. I’ve tried to have online conversations with a half dozen of them and they reply with knee jerk responses from 8chan but cannot supply examples or explain it themselves. Once it goes off script, they are lost. It seems to be an online mob mentality and, I believe, the mob is directed by a small committee of people who keep it going through cheerleading, threats and feeding them canned responses.
PJ
October 28, 2014 @ 11:01 am
Every blog you write allows me to be more at peace with being part of the human race (as opposed to being sick of the whole thing). Thanks.
Frances K R
October 28, 2014 @ 11:23 am
Have I mentioned recently how glad I am you are around and writing? Just checking. 🙂
Kel
October 28, 2014 @ 11:51 am
It’s not just Gamergate supporters. I had a lovely online conversation with a gentleman (and I use both terms oh so loosely) a fair bit before the whole controversy started who tried to tell me that my one public post with a picture of a gorgeously perfect loaf of banana bread among a slew of private posts, some public links to tech articles with my commentary and a couple (public) shots of my new motorcycle invalidated all other things about me… because as a woman I have to expect an interest in baking to mean that I have no other interests or value to the world(?).
And this was despite the fact that I was actively debating the relative value of various forms of disrespect women face when in public just for being women at the time.
Linda Rodriguez
October 28, 2014 @ 11:57 am
Since when is Vox Day Native American? What tribe? Or is he just one of the white people who claim it to invalidate any Indigenous concerns whenever they’re raised?
Bonelady
October 28, 2014 @ 12:00 pm
What is ironic is that Mr. Beale (Vox Day) claims that he cannot be a racist because he is partly minority – I believe he claims an Hispanic/Native American great grandmother – or great great grandmother. But of course, anyone can be a racist – it does not matter what your race/ethnicity is. Blacks can be racist, as can Native Americans and Asians, Hispanics, etc.
So claiming minority status as a proof that one cannot be racist is nonsense. The same is true of the GamerGaters – having supporters who are minorities does not justify their misbehavior.
Bonelady
October 28, 2014 @ 12:06 pm
@Linda Rodriguez. He announced it in his blog a month or so ago (possibly longer – all his posts tend to blur together). Apparently, one of his brothers had a genetic check done – I’m assuming one of those companies that offer to trace your DNA if you send them a cheek swab – and it came back that they were partly Native American. I’m not sure if the trace identified the tribe, or if they did some research to track it down, but he claims to know what tribe it is. As I said in my post above, I think he said it was a great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother. He has not revealed the tribe, I’m not sure why. But of course this reinforces his claim to be a minority and thus immune to any accusations of being a racist.
Siobhan KS
October 28, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
As I heard it (being personally unwilling to go visit his blog, even through a proxy), Beale had a 23-and-me-type DNA test done, and it showed some percentage of his DNA as originating in North America, sufficient by at least some blood quanta rules to qualify for tribal membership… except, of course, that qualifying for tribal membership takes a lot more than blood quanta. And, more to the point, like many, many white Americans who have some nontrivial amount of Native American ancestry, he’s never once faced any of the hardships or discrimination actual tribal members deal with on a daily basis.
G Man
October 28, 2014 @ 12:51 pm
I don’t know what his exact argument is, but do have a theory. Some academics define racism as prejudice (or hatred) plus power. So, as a member of a minority, he may think that he lacks power, and therefore his prejudice isn’t “real” racism.
However, as this definition has problems, such as making reverse racism (or racism against the majority impossible), I don’t agree with this definition/theory of it.
nm
October 28, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
I’m assuming Slade Villena is a virgin, right? Otherwise, his not keeping his dick in his pants embarrasses his cabal.
Leah Petersen
October 28, 2014 @ 1:27 pm
Exactly how does one shut their vagina? For future reference.
Pat Munson-Siter
October 28, 2014 @ 1:45 pm
There are times I am glad my gaming still consists of playing D&D and Traveller in various friends’ living rooms, with real dice, maps, pencils, etc. Only gaming I do on computer are mah jong, various types of chess, and solitaire… I have a game console of sorts, but just to use one of the “learn to play guitar/bass” and “rock band” type games… Yeah, that means I’m not a ‘real’ gamer. And with the attitudes of the gamer gate types, I’m just as happy I’m not their type of ‘real’ gamer.
Amanda June Hagarty
October 28, 2014 @ 2:23 pm
As a Canadian living in the US, I sometimes find that certain kinds of Americans don’t understand the definition of “hate speech” because they are so obsessed with “free speech.” And in fact they don’t really understand what free speech means either. It’s a real shame that a founding principle of the country has become so misunderstood and maligned by a few very loud and very ignorant people.
Siobhan KS
October 28, 2014 @ 4:05 pm
@G-Man: While it’s a different question whether or not the academic definition of racism (i.e. institutional racism, or prejudice + power to enforce it, however you want to say it) is one that should be adhered to in non-academic contexts, if that’s Beale’s logic, it’s … well, sadly typical of his thinking.
1) For the purposes of political power and such, he’s white like sour cream and swimming in privilege.
2) His own rants have long been explicitly racist. Including the academic sense.
3) Even if one were to accept his argument, there’s another word that suits him perfectly well: bigot.
KatG
October 28, 2014 @ 7:50 pm
Here’s maybe a better quote from Brennan from this article: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/10/gamergate-supporters-party-at-strip-club.html
“I’m not much of a gamer, but it’s really amazing how they’ve used the platform to really go after these fuckers,” said Brennan… “Like, I encourage it.”
That’s basically the whole root of the thing — not games — but civil rights and diversity activism. The guys who organized this thing, their main intent was to sow doubt and interfighting among those they see as SJW’s, and to portray them as hypocrites and extremists seeking attention, publicity and money and trying to enforce their particular politics to create dire imaginary horrors like getting all white male characters from games banned and such. (Kind of like, if we let gay people get married then we have to let people marry their dogs, and similar.)
So the lie was made up about Quinn that she traded sex for media coverage, to show her a PR seeking hypocrite and that ethics in journalism was really what was important — said ethics seeming to mean that anybody who they feel is a SJW isn’t ethical. And they finally got around to attacking some male reviewers and critics after it was pointed out they weren’t attacking reviewers and men. And they are painting themselves as the truly diverse and those critiquing them as hypocritical with the graphic, while having basically the demographic make-up of the Republican party.
You don’t have to be an activist to ask for more diversity in games so that they are more interesting to play, and you don’t have to prove your bonafides with social activists to do it either. Most game players have no idea all of this is going on. But these folks are having a great deal of fun making up an Illuminati of fakely pious, dangerous, ahem, “game-changers” out to destroy all they hold dear. So you know, Jim, you must be up to something, surely you must. You’re trying to make the New World Order, yes you are, fess up. 🙂
Cora
October 28, 2014 @ 8:39 pm
With a chastity belt, how else?
And I just bet those dudes would like us all to wear one.
Jessi Benwhoski
October 28, 2014 @ 9:45 pm
Those have got to be some _serious_ kegel exercises.
Becca Stareyes
October 28, 2014 @ 10:47 pm
From what I understand, it’s a lot more about defining what is harmful and pervasive. If I’m biased against men, I can be dismissed as a lone man-hating harpy. If I am biased against women, I can get benefits from men, often in power, who want the appearance of equality for non-equal positions. So, often the influence of biased-against-minorities is magnified over those biased-against-the-majority. Even when minorities are speaking.
mjkl
October 29, 2014 @ 12:54 am
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cartoon/2014/oct/29/first-dog-on-the-moon-racist-carrot
D. D. Webb
October 29, 2014 @ 8:18 am
A sad aspect of this whole brouhaha is how disgraceful it makes the gaming community look. I’m a “real” gamer, and I’m also a relatively decent human being. At the least, I don’t hate or discriminate against anyone, and nor do any of the people I play with.
It’s always been a sad truth that vocal minorities tend to set the tone for how any group is perceived. I’m rather disappointed, not that the gaming community has an extreme wing of nuts and monsters, but that the rest of the community isn’t pushing back harder.
lkeke35
October 29, 2014 @ 1:26 pm
I do prefer the term “bigot” over the term “racist” . It encompasses so many different phobias and isms and absolutely anyone of any gender, race, or class can be one. I’m uncomfortable with using the term “racist” because I prefer the dictionary definition for that word.
lkeke35
October 29, 2014 @ 2:02 pm
I think it’s hilarious (but not in a good way) that the Republican. Party are trying to do the same thing. Convince the rest of the nation that they’re more diverse than they actually are.
(Getting caught using stock photos of Brown people because they refuse to use actual Brown people. It’s embarrassing.)
http://www.dailydot.com/politics/republicans-are-people-too-stock-photos/
Jacobtk
October 29, 2014 @ 3:50 pm
Out of context quotes are rarely insightful, however, if you are going to quote-mine, should you not do it to the other side? Or are people to assume that none of the anti-gamers featured in the meme wrote anything others might find objectionable?
Cat Sittingstill
October 29, 2014 @ 4:40 pm
Really, the original meme should be #gamergatetargets on one side and #gamergate on the other. Except of course, #gamergate could include a few famous gamergaters, but also someone in a white hood representing all the anonymous purveyors of rape and death threats. Just sayin’
Dana
October 29, 2014 @ 5:25 pm
You win.
Dana
October 29, 2014 @ 5:26 pm
Thank you for this.
Jim C. Hines
October 29, 2014 @ 5:32 pm
A number of folks claimed that I had taken quotes out of context. Which makes me wonder what context would make things like calling Zoe Quinn a whore acceptable. Of course, while GamerGate folks were busy saying these quotes were out of context, Mr. Villena jumped in to reply to me, saying, “For the record, I STAND BY EVERY WORD.” But I’m sure I’m taking that out of context as well, eh?
roger tang
October 29, 2014 @ 10:14 pm
One recurring meme is that minority and women critics of Gamer Gate are just props and pupils for “white hipster SJWs.” When I pointed out how racist and patronizing that was, they had no idea what I was talking about.
It also didn’t help that a number of them kept on confusing three different critics as being the same person. Their only common characteristic was that all three were Asian.
Naturally, when this was pointed out, they accused others of playing the race card.
KatG
October 29, 2014 @ 11:03 pm
None of the people featured in that graphic on the left are anti-gamers, or more clearly, anti-games. Scalzi co-designed a game. Chris Kluwe plays games and has been involved with several gaming companies. Sam Biddle writes about games and tech and plays games. Max Read is EIC of Gawker, which is pro-games and pro-tech, just not pro-harass and try to harm women who are deemed too liberal. They’ve also all pointed out that GamerGate has no interest in game reviewers getting swag from gaming companies and instead just goes after women targets and then critics of their tactics against women targets.
Whereas Milo Yiannopoulos is not only not a gamesplayer but for years railed against electronic games as causing moral degeneracy and violence as part of the right wing media. It’s only the fact that GamerGate has gone after feminist women that led him over to them to miraculously change his mind. Sommers is not a feminist and has written extensively against feminism — Jim could have picked from hundreds of anti-feminism quotes from her easily. These people are largely not part of the gaming community at all — they just came over because GamerGate is pushing right wing rhetoric. Mr. Villena continues to promote (and apparently stand by,) claims about Quinn that were already shown to be lies. And Brennan took in the gaters when they got kicked out of 4Chan for advocating violence and hate crimes against Quinn and others.
Being critical of games is not being anti-games. Wanting more diversity and more interesting depictions of women in games because otherwise it gets boring is not being anti-games. Making games is not anti-games. And criticizing a movement used to send death threats to women and now filled with right wing media hacks who don’t work in gaming isn’t anti-games either. The only ones trying to shove people out of the gaming community and limit the types of games available are the folks in GamerGate.
Which is why they doxxed Jim.
Leah Petersen
October 29, 2014 @ 11:11 pm
Kat wins the internet tonight.
G Man
October 30, 2014 @ 1:16 pm
<>
Curious, as per her Wiki page (and other writings), Christina Hoff Sommers self identifies as a feminist. Are you saying that she is not? And if so, is that just your opinion? As it seems to me that anyone can claim the label, though some are denounced when their actions don’t match their words (such as with the tumblr “feminists”).
My understanding is that Ms. Sommers has written against some of the ideas/movements in current feminism, but not the entirety of the label (as feminism is a very broad set of ideologies and not a monolith). Which is splitting hairs with your comment, but an important point in my mind.
KatG
October 30, 2014 @ 2:36 pm
You mean the ideas/movements in feminism that the right wing makes up or deliberately distorts to portray their targets as man-hating, overly excitable harpies? (I’m splitting hairs, but it’s an important point in my mind.) Sommers can identify as a feminist just as Day can identify as Native American, because they are free within their rights to do so, and yes, it is my opinion she is not, because her writings and activism seem to consist of attacking other women with claims of being humorless, man-hating hysterical harpies and championing men as an oppressed group under women. None of which particularly seems to me to promote equality for women, which, broad as feminism activism is, is the central definition of feminism. And Sommers has little to do with the gaming industry as well.
What’s interesting about that graphic is that they felt compelled to do it and that they picked mostly people not involved in the gaming industry for the gaters, while cherrypicking four guys, none of whom they’ve targeted with the amount of abuse and harassment that they have for women. And implying that the criticism that the four guys have had of GamerGate has involved anti-women, anti-gay, anti-non-white vitriol, which it hasn’t.
GamerGate seems to have no interest in game reviews or the marketing actions of gaming companies. Instead, it’s simply a political campaign, claiming there’s a progressive cabal who are trying to ruin games by asking for more variety, kick out white male characters, form an exclusive clique, etc., etc. Which is why it’s attracted right wing political activists, many of whom used to regard games as a liberal and thus evil bastion and rail about them, like Yiannopoulos.
GamerGate followers are free to say whatever they like — homophobic slurs, calling women whores, etc. — and the rest of us are free to have opinions of them as well, including pointing out that the actual written words of those they picked do not show any checking of privilege, as Jim did. The doxxing threat to Jim, however, isn’t free speech. It’s just an attack of identity theft used for blackmail to scare him and shut him up.
Beroli
November 2, 2014 @ 1:14 pm
I’m also amused to note that the makers of the original graphic apparently think “jock” is a sex–and that picking and choosing four cis white…um, non-females…to show as Gamergate’s opponents actually makes it look like Gamergate’s opponents lack diversity, not like Gamergate’s supporters lack the integrity to put, oh I don’t know, Quinn or <Sarkeesian's face there.
A day like any other day with puppies | Fraser Sherman's Blog
November 2, 2014 @ 8:33 pm
[…] Hines explains that just because some supporters of the Gamergate harassers include women, nonwhites and gays […]
Katie Berger
November 7, 2014 @ 8:55 am
Footles are one of the more embarrassingly amusing pieces of legalistic gobbledygook to have come out of this century.
Katie Berger
November 7, 2014 @ 8:58 am
That’s depressingly amusing considering that the primary thrust of resistance to the gotchagators are women and minorities, with the occasional man (like our esteemed host) chipping in here and there.