It seems like only yesterday that HuffPost SA was facing its biggest crisis in its still young editorial life. They published a piece that suggested white men should be stripped of their ability to vote. It was followed up by its then, editor-in-chief Vershani Pillay, who gave the submission piece glowing praise and full support.
The public backlash was swift and vitriolic. It wasn’t long before the author of the controversial piece was found to be fake and it all came tumbling down for Verashni and her team. The editor chose to resign and public trust in HuffPost SA was shattered.
When the author of the controversial submission was outed, a white male, his justification for writing the piece and his sentiment was shared by many. He felt that if you target the right group, you can get away with saying anything. It was obvious who he was referring to. Target the white man in South Africa in an article and everyone will sing its praises.
When opinion pieces are written around the issues of gaming culture, at the core of these articles, is a fundamental dissatisfaction with the status quo enabled by gaming culture.
His viewpoint does not tell a new story. That white men are being attacked from all sides is a concept that has struck a chord for some in South Africa for quite some time. In fact, the idea of white people being in danger is so overwhelmingly real for some that they have rallied behind a narrative that suggests there is a white genocide happening in this country for the last couple of years.
Gaming is no exception to this accusation. Article after article is perceived to depict white men as this insidious force that is deliberately ruining the gaming culture for everyone. Despite how the majority of white men feel and despite the HuffPost SA’s horrendous handling of the ghost writer saga, we cannot derail the real discussions around white men and gaming.
White men are not the enemy
Gaming culture is an incredible and wonderful place to be in. It is that very thing that drove me to become a gaming journalist. However, there are some very real issues with our culture that need to be, and often are, addressed.
- The way women are treated and depicted in the scene, both in-game and out.
- The constant barrage of racism that permeates most local servers
- Problematic language that makes the scene exclusionary and unwelcoming for many
The above are just a handful of issues that stem from the gaming culture. These are not issues that are exclusive to South Africa either. Also note that in not one of those issues, were white men mentioned.
When opinion pieces are written around the issues of gaming culture, at the core of these articles, is a fundamental dissatisfaction with the status quo enabled by gaming culture. These articles are often attacking real, widespread norms and issues. To deal with the root of these problems, however, it is also important to understand who or what exacerbates and perpetuates them. One demographic seems to come up time and time again. White men.
Instead of the constant occurrence of white men serving to raise warning signs and creating the foundation upon which to have difficult but honest conversations, it becomes a personal attack and the core issues are sidelined. This was clearly illustrated in the way the HuffPost SA saga was handled by the public.
Bad editing and journalism allowed the submission piece on disenfranchising white men to be published online and supported with a follow-up article. A lack of journalistic integrity and subpar fact-checking showed up serious issues at HuffPost SA. But the narrative of the scandal wasn’t around bad journalistic process, it was about white men being attacked and that was the source of the anger. It became personal.
Likewise, when issues around the local gaming scene are raised, they become a backdrop to the same narrative over and over again. Why are white men always being attacked? Discussing general issues becomes a personal affront to every white man who feels individually singled out and berated.
When this is the reaction to legitimate issues being raised, there can be no growth, no progress. When questioning is always around why white men are being attacked and not how the status quo came to be and continues to be perpetuated, there can be no problem solving, no solutions. Gaming cannot move forward if we continue to dance out this cycle every time real issues are raised.
White men are not the enemy, but they do play a large role in the majority of issues in gaming. This is a truth you cannot overlook or disconnect from the discussions around how to fix them. Singling out a single demographic is not new to dealing with issues. When people discuss the issues of misogyny in rap culture, it’s not white men that come up constantly. Yet you don’t see black men depicted as an oppressed group in the context of that conversation.
The danger of echo chambers
The HuffPosta SA saga was full of learnings and hard truths that have major relevance to the discussions around social issues in gaming. Digressing momentarily from the perceived victimisation of white men, let’s look at an issue that is often raised in social politics, both in gaming as well as non-gaming scenes. Echo chambers.
Echo chambers occur when people interact exclusively with those that have a similar viewpoint as theirs and thus everyone echoes each other to the point that any break from a popular narrative is met with hostility. Echo chambers are seen as a large contributing factor to why politics in America has become so polarised and volatile over recent years.
The concept of echo chambers was largely introduced in the gaming culture during the rise of Gamergate and has been with us ever since. It too contributed, and continues to contribute, to polarised discussions around any social issues raised in gaming and is a problem that affects both sides of any discussion.
The creation of outrage culture is definitely one to discuss, especially in the gaming context, but that is for another time
Echo chambers arguably played a large role in why the HuffPost SA article was so widely praised by many social activists and why HuffPost SA felt the post was worth publishing. No one would have argued it critically. It’s hard to be a fair editing team when everyone has the same views and echoes one another.
So too in gaming, I often see that echo chambers play a large role in why so many fruitful discussions are derailed and unproductive. Whilst many will claim that SJWs are the sole victims of echo chambers, the reality is that both social activists and those against them fall into the same trap. This leads to extremism on both sides and ultimately makes it near impossible to have civil discussions.
Add to that, an already aggressive and toxic gaming culture and it’s a miracle that discussions occur at all. Dealing with and really dissecting echo chambers is an article in and of itself but it’s important to highlight the contribution echo chambers make to social discussions around white men and the role they play in gaming culture issues.
Outrage culture
White men are not the enemy, but they play a large role in the problems in gaming culture. The sooner this can be accepted for what it is, and not taken personally, the sooner we can work towards making the gaming scene a more inclusive space. The concept of an inclusive space is still one misunderstood by many.
Often, this concept is demonised by “anti-SJWs” as this hyper safe space where free speech is censored and white men are reviled. The common accusation levied at social activists is that they are “snowflakes” that are too fragile to interact with the “real” world. It is also argued that snowflakes and their quest for safe spaces are what led to outrage culture, another issue prevalent in our times.
The creation of outrage culture is definitely one to discuss, especially in the gaming context, but that too is for another time. It doesn’t take away from the fact that those accusing “SJWs” of being snowflakes are just as prone to overreaction. The reaction many showed to Far Cry 5 is a testament to how uncomfortable many white men feel after being subject to what is the norm for others. All of a sudden, Far Cry 5 was no longer just a game and the social context of shooting white Americans became controversial.
Never mind that these white Americans were religious extremists. When games attack brown religious extremists, it’s labelled fighting terrorism, but once it’s white American men, it’s anti-Christian and pandering to SJWs. That double standard shown by a majority of white men and the anger that Ubisoft received is a massive talking point around social issues in gaming and the context of white men in that discussion.
Gaming culture is an incredible thing to be a part of but it still has a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Derailing those discussions and those that are actively trying to fix them doesn’t help matters at all.
A similar narrative is exposed with the running commentary around Wonder Woman. First it was the women-only screenings which became a sore point for many a man. Only once men were excluded from something did gender-only screenings become a controversial issue that needed to be addressed for the greater good. Men were so incensed by it that one wrote one of the most outrageous emails I have ever read, calling for people to boycott an entire city. Another man thought it would be hilarious to buy a ticket to a woman-only screening of Wonder Woman to “prove a point” and was cheered by many.
If that wasn’t enough, many tried to play down the importance the success of a film like Wonder Woman has on the narrative of women and their place in society. Many felt that it being a woman-directed film was irrelevant. They dismissed the impact that this film being so successful has for women in film. They argued that Gal Gadot isn’t a symbol for anything or of any importance aside from being a talented actress. At every stage, Wonder Woman and everything it stands for was being downplayed. By men. Predominantly white men.
The lack of self-awareness by white men in both these issues highlights why tackling issues in gaming culture and the role white men play in it is so difficult. From taking issues raised personally to lacking the self-awareness when the tables are turned, it’s difficult to see how to navigate this and have thoughtful and progressive discussions. For those of you reading this and saying “I’m not like that at all”, I hear you. Loud and clear. But understand you are an outlier, an exception to the norm.
Derail the derailment
Gaming culture is an incredible thing to be a part of but it still has a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Derailing those discussions and those that are actively trying to fix them doesn’t help matters at all.
No one is saying everyone has to agree on everything nor is anyone saying that arguments aren’t allowed. In fact, arguments are welcome as it creates discussion and learning. But derailing these discussions out of perceived personal victimisation is problematic and harmful.
With the added complexities of outrage culture and echo chambers, it seems harder than ever before to engage with one another online. Gaming culture is evident of that, with the way in which many react to any given story around social issues. Regardless, none of these problems are going away and the longer we put them off and focus on ourselves and perceived wrongs, the worse it’s going to get.
One more time for the people in the back. White men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem. White men need not feel guilty about this, but move past that and work together on being part of the solution. Stop derailing issues and making it personal but rather question why people feel this way and engage from a place of learning, not anger.
The ball is not only in the court of white men. As a community with a passion for gaming, we all need to try and move past echo chambers and outrage culture and look to engage with one another. We’re all meant to be on the same side. This is not to say that everything needs to be roses and sunshine nor that we all need to agree with each other on every single topic, but we should all be willing to at least try and understand one another. In addition, we should all be willing to see problematic behaviour and agree that it has no place in gaming. We shouldn’t need ghost writers for that.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: June 7, 2017
Caveshen Rajman
June 7, 2017 at 14:26
Nice one, Glenn.
I will contest that the Wonder Woman gender-specific screenings are a bit of a shitstorm not because “suddenly it’s excluding men” but rather because a few people online were like “what the heck?” and the internet then ran with the “CRYING MANBABIES ARE UPSET ABOUT THIS” tagline and it escalated from there. Critical Hit Dot Net actually ran an article not a week earlier that tackled the issue of gender-specific events and nobody went “OH LOOK AT THE CRYING TRACY” right? Because we’re mature enough to have a conversation, but American online culture wars are a bunch of kids screaming at each other, so naturally that shit-show happens. Just, note that it only escalates when it does in fact become a political attack. That’s especially important when looking at your point that raising issues around the gaming culture is not meant to be a personal attack on anyone in particular.
Coming back to gaming, I wholeheartedly agree with you on pretty much everything. A few years ago when the Quinnspiracy happened (the so-called precursor to GamerGate) I was very much against the entire idea of attacking someone based on their personal relationships so I wrote about it, and was immediately inundated with personal mails to discuss the issues that gamers were upset about. I’m going to put this on a new line for emphasis:
THE THING I DID THAT NOBODY ELSE BOTHERED TO DO (according to these people) WAS ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THEM.
So I ended up siding differently to most people regarding GamerGate, where I listened to the arguments people had and realised that hey, they really are upset about the abusive relationship they had with the games media, and they were just tired of being spat at over and over again by the pretentious press that felt superior because they enjoyed buddy-buddy relationships with game devs. Over time that opposition to the internet social justice did (unfortunately) attract the wrong sort of crowd (Nero, etc.) but it happened on both sides, and the whole thing turned into a shit-show. But it started the very day the games media put out a billion articles claiming that gamers were dead and nobody wanted them around any more (obviously a metaphor but I mean really now…).
Anyway back to the point, I realised that it’s not enough to simply take a side and stick to it. You have to listen to people regardless of their politics, and try your best to cut out the people who don’t want to discuss. The media doesn’t do this, because actually talking isn’t going to bring as many page views as “CRYING MANBABIES ARE UPSET ABOUT THIS” so here we are. I honestly can’t blame white men for feeling perpetually attacked in recent years, as if they are personally responsible for the bad behaviour of people. Especially the people who blame the blanket “men” for everything (including literal terrorism, without ever acknowledging that in fact it is often also men who try to help but fuck those guys because they’re probably also just doing it out of evil reasons right hashtag sarcasm).
It doesn’t help either that the image of the games press for the most part is “white men” yet the games press regularly brings up the “problem” of “white men” in the games industry.
The best you can do is hope to get through to the people who *want* to have a discussion, and then try to treat them like actual human beings. It’s tough on the internet, I would know because it’s something I am regularly trying to work at for myself. But if you can manage to look past someone’s politics, you could maybe hope for a discussion.
Kudos to you for encouraging that. <3
Magoo
June 7, 2017 at 14:43
That first point that you made is particularly true. Sensible discussions surrounding these problems are way overshadowed by the “bunch of screaming kids.”
Magoo
June 7, 2017 at 14:35
Well said in many ways.
I would just like to rebut though, that saying “White men are not the enemy, but they do play a large role in the majority of issues in gaming.” Is essentially an offensive stance without any proof or constructive problem-solving to go with it.
It’s like saying “the green grass is too long.” Now the internet is echoing “Why do you need to mention that the grass is green and not brown if the problem is only that the grass is too long?” You need to tell them why the green grass is the problem and not the brown grass. Why do white men contribute more to the problem than black women?
Because, disregarding race demographics, (i.e. there being 1000 white men for every 1 black woman in gaming) we don’t understand what we do exclusively that creates the problems.
Daniel Hallinan
June 7, 2017 at 14:42
Pretty great article, I think. I agree with everything, and have observed a lot of this type of selective outrage in many aspects of life (though I’ve had to be careful when pointing to gaming culture, politics, and religion in particular).
Only part that gave me pause is “For those of you reading this and saying “I’m not like that at all”, I hear you. Loud and clear. But understand you are an outlier, an exception to the norm.”, and only because people who are often guilty of this often self-delude themselves to justify their behavior. I include myself in this – I’ve often realized I’ve acted in a manner which I loathe to see others indulge in. Many, if not most others will instead choose defend themselves to… themselves, by warping the narrative and shift the goal posts so that they are still innocent or justified in their approach. It’s quite easy to do if one relies on a black and white morality – “I can act horribly towards this person because they are wrong / the enemy”, and so on. Other times, people will spend more time defending / justifying their actions (often indulging in that echo chamber all the more as a result) then actually discussing the issue at hand – or their own defense *becomes* the issue at hand, in their eyes.
In so many of these situations, it becomes a personal matter as it’s about self-validation rather than anything else, which is one of the primary uses and comforts of echo chambers. Within the culture the majority of caucasian males swim in, the idea of self-validation definitely feels like a mental space that’s been stimulated and reinforced to an unhealthy extreme (more so than others, at very least). Arguments aren’t about reaching a point of understanding between two parties, but simply throwing shit at someone simply because throwing shit feels good and justifies both your identity as a valid shit thrower and the opponent’s identity as someone who should have shit thrown at them – and it’s all abandoned beyond that.
The concept of self-justification is so strong that even the mildest counter to it *demands* immediate defense of the self and the indulgence of the destruction of the counter, which serves to strengthen the initial concept of identity.
A suggestion that conflicts with one’s sense of self-identity is mostly ever only perceived through the concept of that conflict, resulting in all the “Not All Men” stuff, rather than any discourse surrounding the initial suggestion.
Original Heretic
June 7, 2017 at 14:45
So the gist of it is, white men aren’t the enemy, prejudiced assholes (be they male or female, white, black or any other race), those are the enemies.
miaau
June 7, 2017 at 14:47
Are the majority of online gamers / offline gamers made up of people who associate as white men?
I think that this might be the case and the big developers and publishers will, being sales and money driven entities, tend to make and market products to fit the perceived demographic and suit their own shareholders vis-a-vis, trying to turn a profit.
Do I agree with that? No. I think products should just be made and we should enjoy them or not as is correct for us. BUT I know that my world view is one that is not the norm for any of the societies I frequent, online and offline.
Also, I used too many words to write this. I wonder why
RinceThis
June 7, 2017 at 14:48
Awesome piece mate, well done.
RinceThis
June 7, 2017 at 14:49
Actually I heard more women complaining about not being allowed to see the Man, Dick-only screening of Alien: Covenant. Lucky them.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 7, 2017 at 15:01
I didn’t know you put on an Alien: Covenant one-man show.
Raptor Rants
June 7, 2017 at 15:21
Is that a chestburster in your pocket?
Skittle
June 7, 2017 at 14:55
Glenn Kisela, Critical Hits resident pot stirrer
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 7, 2017 at 14:57
Cool piece, Glenn.
I think as a very white man it’s very easy to feel “attacked” by all the think pieces singling me, not me individually but the accident of my birth, out and it’s difficult sometimes not to have a knee-jerk reaction to it. I try to approach it with an open mind and understand the point someone’s making, then either agree or disagree.
One thing I really don’t think helps at all is when someone focuses on the extremists of whatever group, and then painting that entire group with a broad brush – it immediately gets the back up of those who aren’t that way and derails any kind point the writer was hoping to make, like you mentioned. Although in those cases I don’t think the writer is being entirely honest in their desire to have any kind of discussion about issues, it’s more about speaking to their echo chamber or being deliberately inflammatory to provoke extreme reactions in return. Rhetoric has it’s place, but not in a good faith discussion where people have to listen to and try to understand each other.
@SargonDotA2
June 7, 2017 at 15:02
….
Kikmi
June 7, 2017 at 15:05
Beautiful piece dude. Succinct (considering the subject matter) and concise.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2017 at 15:06
Interesting read, well written, just one thing though:
“White men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
Indeed, but if I go around saying that “Black men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem” I’d be in trouble. Which I just did say, so lets see what happens
Jim of the Banana
June 8, 2017 at 16:31
“Black men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
“Chinese men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
“Transexuals are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
“Blind people are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
“The disabled are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
“The Jews are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem”
And so we go down the rabbit hole…. :/
Admiral Chief
June 9, 2017 at 10:28
This Banana gets it
Raptor Rants
June 7, 2017 at 15:12
Thank you Glenn. Really thank you. I think you finally brought your point across without putting labels on people. That was always my main gripes with your pieces. Terms like “whitelash” were what made me angry personally when I read your articles because a label is pretty much an attack. This is shown throughout history. No one likes being labeled negatively. Whether it is based on color, race or religion. Labels create a blanket statement and includes everyone that share any of the traits the label tries to convey.
This article stayed decidedly away from labeling any group and used terms that are indicative of actions of people and not of demographics. So thank you.
So that all being said, the industry really did grow from a very male and mostly white perspective. Be that because of oppression of other demographics or that of gender, it absolutely played a part. However I feel that the industry has come leaps and bounds from those days.
The industry is becoming more accepting but is also being accepted by people as a solid industry to be in. I remember when I was still in school I was ridiculed and laughed at just for being in to computer games. And that was just from woman.
So there’s a lot to be said that white men were a part of the problem that the industry is faced with now, but I do believe the rest of society also needs to take some blame upon themselves. Many, many other people did not find it cool enough when younger and want to now suddenly be in there because it’s such a massive industry.
And no, just like white men are not all the problem, I can’t say all folk I just mentioned above are the problem either.
It carries that same weight that there were perceptions and ways in the industry’s infancy that has shaped and molded it to what it is now.
So that needs to be looked at too.
At the end of the day, to get where everyone wants the industry to be everyone has to work towards it and realise that the societal issues run deep.
Do white men need to accept that the gaming industry, for a very long time was predominantly white and male? Sure, of course. A person can’t deny that it happened. History is set in stone. You can’t picture it pretty just because it makes you uncomfortable. Must we accept that many were excluded due to oppression? Absolutely. It happened. One can’t deny it.
But there were so many other factors that led to where the industry is now and just like needing to accept certain facts so that healthy discussions can occur, the facts that things other than gender and race played a part. Namely public perception and how people were made to feel like outcasts for wanting to be in to computer games.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that yeah, I agree, people need to accept what has happened to move forward and you know what, I actually think that hurdle has pretty much been crossed. There is so much around this topic in the industry I don’t think there is a single person in the industry who hasn’t said “Yeah, you know, the industry really was predominantly white and male”.
This feeling everyone has of being attacked, in my opinion, is now because the same drum is being beaten with the same rythm. The constant flow of “Accept what happened in the past”. Many people have and would very much like to move forward and have things made better. I know I’d love to see some real solutions develop now. I just feel that constantly getting stuck at this one hurdle to try convince everyone that they must accept the past is now getting too worn out.
Those that have already been mature enough have already accepted the facts. Those people are all ready to move forward to the next hurdle: The solutions or planning for them.
So let’s all try move forward to get solid solutions in place.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2017 at 15:14
tl;dr (just because I actually read all your rants and we are friends)
Raptor Rants
June 7, 2017 at 15:14
in b4 Admiral tl;dr
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2017 at 15:14
TOO LATE HAHAHA
Raptor Rants
June 7, 2017 at 15:15
DARNIT! I MISSED ……. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3cdd1b8281c476d5784e42595499c94397604d17fd40a32a05880b0ab2d04c8f.png
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2017 at 15:15
OH MAN I’M DYING HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 7, 2017 at 15:15
Not for mine though. tl;dr.
HvR
June 7, 2017 at 15:18
*Sorry if this doesn’t read well had a lot of different points I wanted bring together.*
On the points you are making you are continuously stepping in the same political BS, frist proclaim that white men aren’t the the enemy and then proceed taking individual opinions (10% irrational vocal minority) to generalize the group (WTF??) ….. which is actually racist and whole reason why people feel attack and get defensive. Also take in the wider context of South Africa, where there is clear racial bias even in persecution and reporting. A white person makes comment that “colonialism wasn’t so bad” and loose their job…. hundreds of black south africans openly calling for rape, killing even killing of children on social forums and nobody bats an eyelid. At least you stopped with the catchy CNN phrases.
Also recently your vocal SJW side (see what I’m doing here) showed its true colours that they precisely the same as the extreme racist vocal anti-SJW side with the Laci Green saga. She changed her viewpoint from stop being outraged the whole time and blaming white straight men fro everything and start directly engaging with more tempered rational personalities on the other side and she was prosecuted online by the SJW for it. She basically laid bare as the newest whore for the anti-SJWs.
You are going on it the wrong way, you solve problems through debates and rational conversations. Not by chucking the flaming turd of blame at the other side and expecting to come sit with you around the table. And this is possible as a lot of the regulars on the Discord group can attest to, on there are people from polar opposite sides of political scales and when we say it is serious debate it is just that. I’ve even slightly changed my viewpoints on certain things as I’m sure my points have others also self reflecting on things.
Some technical points on your examples, it looks like majority of the Far Cry 5 outrage was 4chan trolling gaming journalists. Also I somehow missed the all th WonderWomen outrage, most people were just pointing out the hypocrisy of the single sex screening; the only mass outrage I’ve seen was from Muslim community that the lead actress is Isreali and a veteran and supporter of the Israeli army.
WHO IN THEIR RIGHT THINKING MIND HAD ANY TRUST IN HUFFPOST????? IF YOU DID TAKE A DAMN RED PILL!!!
It is self proclaimed and obvious propaganda rag like WND, Breitbart(??) and Bloomberg.
Gavin Mannion
June 7, 2017 at 16:05
when did Bloomberg become propaganda? also.. who are WND?
I do agree that Huffpost is normally crap and Breitbart should be ignored entirely
HvR
June 7, 2017 at 16:12
WND, do not even go there you will get brain cancer
When Bloomberg started burying some stories and highlighting other according to financial dealings of the Bloomberg holding company
Jim of the Banana
June 8, 2017 at 16:22
If you make Russia Today look like a fair and balanced news source, then you’re definitely on the wrong side of history.
HvR
June 8, 2017 at 16:28
To be honest when I still had DSTV I watched RT, CNN and BBC to get a balanced view because the latter 2 clearly also went down that road of clear political bias; I found especially CNN to be on the same level as RT.
These days I stick to guys like Phillip Defranco each morning who gives a good balanced overview and provide actual first hand sources to the main stories if I’m interested and want more detail.
Jim of the Banana
June 8, 2017 at 16:30
Philip DeFranco is surprisingly good. I enjoy his stuff. I’m not a fan of Steven Crowder though.
Dresden
June 9, 2017 at 06:53
Steven Crowder can be a bit much at times, but he has his moments from time to time. I usually stick to Sargon of Akkad myself if he covers the topic.
Sageville
June 7, 2017 at 16:10
I’ll boil down my issue with this discussion, yet again.
It’s about generalization. I fucking hate it. Most of the media/society fucking loves it.
If you want to generalize you must realize that in doing so, it is easier, it is useful, but it’s also harmful (To the innocent in said grouping). Now this part of media/society will weigh the pros and cons and then dismiss all the cons cause the group being generalized are perceived to be part of the problem and as such can be dismissed at leisure.
Basically, the expedience of that media’s views is more important than the hurt caused in generalizing.
So invariably, because that part of media/society is lazy, they continue entrench these divisions and isolate the group being generalized. Amazingly, they also appear bewildered and cannot fathom that innocents have the gall to not want to be grouped with the guilty.
Frankly, #GeneralizationsAreTrash, and if you want to try defend generalizations then come at me!
Allykhat
June 7, 2017 at 16:13
Agree with this, 100%. I love being a sack of shit by association 🙂
miaau
June 7, 2017 at 17:01
Actually no. I change my mind.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
I want to talk about games.
Is the game fun or not?
Is the game propaganda to get you to change the way you think about the world?
is the game offensive in some way to you, personally?
Can you see yourself enjoying the game beyond the initial hype?
Is the game OBVIOUSLY and deliberately crossing some sort of line? (yes, yes this is the one the SJW will say yes to)
Is the game of a genre you enjoy?
Would you, personally, be embarrassed to explain the game to your gran?
Is the game propaganda to get you to change the way you think about the world? (twice, yes)
If yes to most and no to OBVIOUS, bloody get it, play it and enjoy it. If not, allow others that may answer yes to enjoy it.
Are these not the questions that matter, personally? Really? Is everything else not bumfluff?
Why we care what everybody else thinks, ultimately? Sheep?
Jim of the Banana
June 7, 2017 at 17:29
I always chuckle when I look at this picture of the Huffing Paint Post editorial boardroom (with all those white female faces – and two or three Asian smiles) staring back into the camera, and then I remember them berating others for not being “diverse” enough. #HuffingtonPostSoWhite
As for Huffington Post SA, I have the greatest respect for Ferial Haffajee, and I hope that she’ll be able to turn that sinking ship of SJW shit around… and bring some much needed respectability to the Huffington Post name. If anyone can do it, Ferial can. She’s arguably one of the most ethical and fair journalists South Africa has ever produced.
http://prntly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Ci7V02mXIAAs3eN.jpg
Skittle
June 7, 2017 at 19:52
Huffpost (all editions) is such utter trash
Jim of the Banana
June 8, 2017 at 01:23
Yeah, they are pretty shite (tbh) 😀
Admiral Chief
June 8, 2017 at 10:54
FILTHY MACBOOKSES! Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew!
FloS
June 7, 2017 at 18:25
You started out so good, but at some point seem to have lost your path. My personal issue with a lot of such articles targeting “White Men” is that it seems like dishonest scapegoating at worst, or an extremely superficial analysis at best. They are blamed, without any reason given for why they are to blame. The general – most basic reason is – that they are the single biggest demographic in gaming and therefor have the collective responsibility to make it a pleasant experience for all, but also the guilt if they fail to do so. If you word it like this, I assume you notice how flawed that idea is, as it takes away all agency from them – they are meant to act in the general will, while ignoring their own particular will, all solely because of how they were born.
This point is emphasized in this article at one point. Initially you so freely say don’t just blame all men. Then you go to the FarCry5 topic and link to previous articles that showed outrage by some about it. The article on this page you link states clearly at the bottom “Bear in mind, this is just a vocal few so far”. There is no proof that the people outraged are “White Men”, but I’m fine with taking it as an assumption. Yet now comes your huge leap of logic and the point at which I can nothing but completely object to your logic:
“[…] but once it’s white American men, it’s anti-Christian and pandering to SJWs. That double standard shown by a majority of white men and the anger that Ubisoft received is a massive talking point around social issues in gaming and the context of white men in that discussion.”
The article you linked states it’s a small, but vocal minority – which suddenly turns into a majority? I completely agree that there are people that are vocally opposed to FarCry5, I even accept that assumption that they are all “White Male”, but how do you arrive at the majority? Or to re-phrase it in a more provocative (but hopefully still acceptable way):
Hey, you know, there’s a small but vocal group within Islam that advocates for violent Jihad. That means the majority of Muslims are terrorists. Yet we shouldn’t just blame all Muslims for being terrorists – even though I just did it.
epy
June 8, 2017 at 00:55
“White men are not the enemy, but they are the enemy” Oh you white people’s self hatred is amusing, but also so destructive for society at large.
typhoeus971
June 8, 2017 at 05:07
“Muslim men are not the enemy. But they are part of the problem.”
How does is sound, condescending, patronizing, offensive …?
Well, I guess generalizing about large demographics only works when it’s about white men, doesn’t it?
Praise KEK
June 8, 2017 at 10:08
Agreed. Anything else does not fit the narrative, and is counter productive to the SJW agenda. At least we got Laci Green somewhat red pilled.
Chapman Baxter
June 15, 2017 at 21:07
Out of curiosity, when rap music is singled out for its misogyny, does anyone specifically refer to ‘black men’?
Moreover, in the UK, a sixtysomething white man is currently leading a socialist revolution that seeks to engage the young, the poor, the LGBT community, religious minorities, immigrants and women, whilst the right-wing Prime Minister Theresa May is engaging in a deal with a socially conservative Northern Irish sectarian party that is anti-abortion, anti-gay and in denial over climate change, and is also, incidentally, led by a woman, Arlene Foster.
Maybe we need to move away from identities and focus on values. Is Ben Carson a more progressive figure than Bernie Sanders, for instance, because of his black skin?
Alice
August 21, 2017 at 19:04
Well, other than the fact that this article is kinda badly written (sorry for being so blunt) and could use some editing, it does make a fair enough point. The internet allowed people with ‘radical’ points of view (whichever they may be) to unite in a safe space where they can express said opinions without being ‘attacked’.
However, as many mentioned earlier, claiming that ‘white men are part of the problem’ is somewhat inclusive, and reeks of echo-chamber politics… There are all kinds of white men out there, just like there are all kinds of non-white men out there who rise all manners of havoc. White men are not the dominating force behind the gaming industry, and in all honesty, while I have no idea what is going on in Asia or how gamer women are treated there (are they also subjected to Gamergate politics?), I find it hard to believe there’s a status-quo in existence.
I think the main problem is that humanity in general is obsessed with race and gender, no matter at which part of the globe. I’m sure that similar crap is taking place all over the world, so the problem is not really *insert ethnicity/gender*, but the human condition in general.