The following post is a re-writing/expansion upon of a series of Tweets that I wrote up last night/earlier today, trying to summarize my feelings on the hateful absurdity that is #GamerGate.
Here is the original link: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sdill6
I'm addressing this blog entry to anyone and everyone in the #GamerGate movement, however devoted you are to your "cause", and/or how far you're willing to go for it. There appear to be a wide variety of groups and people within GamerGate, each with their own attitudes on what GG should be about, and what should be done to further their supposed goals.
I invite any intelligent, cool-headed discussion and criticism. Any insults, threats, or behaviour in poor taste will be ignored/deleted. You're in my house now - show respect, and you shall receive it.
Here goes:
Why does it seem that ANY news coverage/opinion pieces/blogs critical of #GamerGate are immediately pounced upon by the pro-GG crowd as "WRONG"?
A news website (gaming or otherwise) publishes an article/commentary on the current state of affairs in GamerGate, discussing all the misogyny and threats that it has become widely known for, and almost instantly the pro-GG crowd comes storming in to denounce it as "bad journalism". Should every news outlet covering #GamerGate *not* dare mention any of that, out of fear that the mob will charge in and spew rage everywhere, and try desperately to chase their sponsors away?
Huffington Post or the New York times could post an article and/or video featuring interviews with people like Anita Sarkesian, Zoe Quinn, or Brianna Wu. Sure, they'll mention what GamerGaters claim that their movement is "actually about", maybe even interview some supporters of the movement, but just scroll down the Comments section. Though have some Tums, Gravol, and Ginger Ale with you, cuz any decent human being is going to be sickened by what they see.
A Celebrity Gamer comes out criticizing the GamerGate movement and the people within GG for acting like such asshats, and basically gets told that "your opinion sucks and you suck too."
Chris Kluwe? He's a former Minnesota Viking, known for his vociferous support of same-sex marriage, and well-known for his brutal excoriation of a member of the Maryland State Assembly over the matter. He posted an equally blistering rant against GamerGate a week or two ago, and needless to say, the pro-GG crowd wasn't happy, and came in to denounce him with their usual repertoire. Although, it never really got worse than some bad name calling (Mr. Kluwe's eloquence in this department is staggering).
Felicia Day? Actress and well-known writer on most things nerdy and gamer? She posted her own blog on GamerGate, albeit one much less blistering and profane than Mr. Kluwe's. She expressed her concerns in a very polite and well-spoken manner, saying that she'd hesitated to speak about GG out of fear of opening herself up to abuse and doxxing. And how did people in #GamerGate react? THEY DOXXED HER within an hour of the post going up. Well done, GamerHaters - you've just proven proven her point.
So which celebrity is next to be assaulted by the hate mob? Jennifer Lawrence? Kevin Smith? Anna Kendrick? Joss Whedon?
Non-celebrities (ie, people such as myself) speak out against GamerGate, lashing out against it for having caused such hatred, fear, and pain to so many people. We criticize the misogyny that's become so ingrained in the movement and how it's caused people to go so crazy, and even driven some people from their homes. And suddenly, since we attached the GG hashtag to our tweets, our Twitter Notifications explode, and we're faced with a barrage of people saying that our opinions are unwarranted, we're misinformed, sending us links to "The Truth", or just plan insulting us and claiming we're using fallacious logic. I've lost count of how many times I've been accused of setting up a "Straw Man Argument". And I've had the "SJW" label chucked at me a few times. But I've never been doxxed. Not even a threat. Just a couple nasty insults.
It's kind of ironic, isn't it? People in a movement claiming to represent "ethical behaviour and fairness" tending to forget about fairness and ethics whenever someone else doesn't agree with them.
Behaviour like this gives the impression of GamerGaters as people who are unable to tolerate any flak, accept criticism, or take any responsibility for what is said on their behalf, especially when people within this movement are using GG as an excuse to spread their hatred.
Guess what, folks? I don't have to agree with you. Don't like that? Get over it.
And while we're on the subject of doxxing:
If GamerGate isn't about sexism and misogyny, why then do women who speak out against GG have to be afraid of getting doxxed, and men don't? Felicia Day's blog came out around the same time that Chris Kluwe's did. Which one of them got doxxed?
I've heard the usual excuses - "doxxing isn't GamerGate", "doxxers are trolls", etc. Bullshit, I say. Trolls are just stupid little pranksters who come in, do something "outrageous" for the lulz, and eventually get bored and scamper off. The #GamerGate doxxers... haven't. They've stuck around, and despite the claims of other GamerGaters that all doxxes are taken down ASAP, these persistent little bastards keep posting the personal info of their "targets" over and over again. I'd say that they do believe in GamerGate, and use doxxing to shut up anyone (mostly women) who dare to raise their voices.
And pro-GGers are always saying "we get doxxed too"! That's your excuse when an anti-GGer gets doxxed? That makes doxxing anti-GGers "not as bad"? An eye for an eye, huh? Stuff it - doxxing is never right, no matter who does it - GGer or not! Doesn't matter if the info is "publicly available", or if you have to shell out cash for a background check/Private Investigator (I'm looking at you, Mike Cernovich, you f'ing a-hole).
Two stupids don't make a smart.
I've read most of the "GamerGate's Goals" lists sent to me by pro-GGers (the decent ones, at least). The goals/ideals expressed do seem to be well-intentioned, but the fact that they've been caught up in all this hatred and ranting about "Social Justice Warriors (SJWs)", feminists, and "white knighting", may have rendered them meaningless. The hatred, threats, and fear associated with the "GamerGate" banner may end up ultimately killing any chance of the change GG claims to desire.
If it hadn't taken Zoe Quinn's ex-b/f spouting a bunch of rumours out of his ass to set this whole mess off, if people like herself, Sarkesian, and Wu hadn't been made to flee their homes out of fear for their safety, and if all the ugliness and threatening behaviour had died off in the earliest days of GG OR not even happened at all, then a whole lot more people might be willing to take #GamerGate seriously.
Who knows? If women/feminists weren't even being targeted by scumbags in the first place, and if misogyny hadn't become so much a part of GamerGate, then maybe there'd even be a chance that people like Zoe, Anita, and Brianna would be willing to support a movement like #GamerGate. But as it stands, there's not a chance in Hell of that ever happening.
There's just too much hatred running around. Mention #GamerGate to anyone who's not yet aware of it, and their first impressions upon taking a look might be that it's about hatred and misogyny.
I've just seen too much anger and fear getting kicked up because of #GamerGate to take any of these "actually, it's about ethics in journalism" claims seriously. Sorry, my fellow gamers (Yes, I'm one of you), but with all the venom being spat around, I cannot throw my name behind #GamerGate. And I never will.
Maybe, back in the day, #GamerGate WAS about ethics and fairness, and exposing ACTUAL "shady connections". The only things that I've seen that I'd consider "mind blowing exposures" are just how far some people are willing to go in the name of something like this, that's not even that significant in the end.
"Actually, #GamerGate is about ethics in journalism!" No it isn't, not anymore.
"#GamerGate is not about threats and sexism!" Perhaps it wasn't. It is now.
Gamers are NOT dead. Not by a long shot.
But #GamerGate might be. Sorry, folks.
If you're still dedicated to working towards "fair and ethical journalism", developing a clear cut set of goals and methods in which to achieve them, then "#GamerGate" may not be the best banner under which to achieve that.
#GamerGate #GamerHate #StopGamerGate2014 #GamersAgainstGamerGate
@femfreq @TheQuinnspiracy @spacekatgal @ChrisWarcraft @feliciaday
Edit 10/28/2014: Corrected some names I got wrong. D'oh!
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