A Penny Arcade strip you like and why

Sebmojo · 2011-02-04T16:53:02.000Z

erikg88:

Everybody has a right to react to this how they wish. As malkav pointed out to me, and as I saw further examples of elsewhere, some rape survivors found no problem with the comic. So it’s fine some can laugh at this. It’s also fine that some can get really, really righteously furious about it. She set up a straw man? Well sure, why not? That strikes me as therapeutic; especially when she makes no pretension to be changing anybody’s minds or playing by the rules of debate club.

Also, the shit about neckbeards is funny.

Well for certain values of funny. Strikes me as a male version of the classic “sorry couldn’t read that last post, you’re too fat”.

And maybe if either g or t actually had any kind of neck beard.

erikg88 · 2011-02-04T17:21:48.000Z

Sebmojo:

Well for certain values of funny. Strikes me as a male version of the classic “sorry couldn’t read that last post, you’re too fat”.

And maybe if either g or t actually had any kind of neck beard.

It’s weird how “well let’s see how you like it” has actually been very effective in this debate. Gabe calls foul when it’s his family being threatened, gamers bristle at being called “neckbeards.”

Zylon · 2011-02-04T18:05:17.000Z

Mighty Ponygirl:

The problem is that I was not at that time recovering from a sexual assault.

Some people wish they had that problem.

Mighty_Ponygirl · 2011-02-04T18:12:59.000Z

Precisely the point of my post.

Brad_Grenz · 2011-02-04T23:21:37.000Z

fuckpalady:

I know many people will think to themselves, “Why post a rebuttal at all? They apologized; now it’s over.” Here’s the thing, though: they do not get to dictate when this is over.

Good point. A lot of people have conveniently forgotten that it’s Penny Arcade has actually been playing defense this whole time. People continue to hold them responsible for extending the controversy, but they’ve always been the ones responding to attacks on their character. It’s hard to divine what the end game is supposed to be when the original complaint is literally irrational. Obviously it has turned into a whole big, ugly thing at this point, but someone like the fucknopalady cannot be satisfied. And, frankly, that one person’s mental health is not Penny Arcade’s responsibility.

It’s all well and good to complain about Penny Arcade’s “PR missteps” since then, but what we’re really talking about are all too human responses to unfair, vile accusations.

Athryn · 2011-02-04T23:29:23.000Z

I fail to see how putting outt t-shirts is going on the defensive.

erikg88 · 2011-02-04T23:31:33.000Z

Athryn:

I fail to see how putting outt t-shirts is going on the defensive.

Maybe they were collecting cash in anticipation of a lawsuit. Lawyer fees are crazy, I hear!

Brad_Grenz · 2011-02-04T23:40:29.000Z

Athryn:

I fail to see how putting outt t-shirts is going on the defensive.

They never would have made the shirts if no one had complained about the original strip. It was purely a reaction to what they felt were unwarranted attacks on their art/business. They also just seemed to think the term “dickwolves” is funny. That the shirts automatically transformed into some kind of pro-rape symbol was rather out of their control.

Athryn · 2011-02-04T23:48:39.000Z

Seems to be more reactionary than defensive.

quatoria · 2011-02-05T02:18:51.000Z

Athryn:

Eh, I find it to be much the same as this one, except for more female gamers posting.

No, you’re right, but I’m glad you said it, instead of me. QT3 doesn’t really have a shining track record when it comes to issues involving women, but referring to that even tangentially always derails into the same old goddamned argument, with the same people coming out of the woodwork. I’ve already given up, here.

quatoria · 2011-02-05T02:27:40.000Z

Brad Grenz:

They never would have made the shirts if no one had complained about the original strip. It was purely a reaction to what they felt were unwarranted attacks on their art/business. They also just seemed to think the term “dickwolves” is funny. That the shirts automatically transformed into some kind of pro-rape symbol was rather out of their control.

You really, honestly believe that how the shirt was received was ‘rather out of their control’? A sports jersey indicating one as a fan of Dickwolves, the fictional characters from their comic that exist for no purpose other than rape, that being ‘transformed’ into a pro rape symbol wasn’t in their control? Seriously, Brad? Seriously?

Let me ask you a question. If you, as an artist, put out a piece of art that causes pain and mental trauma to a portion of your audience - people who are, by definition, your fans, followers, and supporters - and they communicate this fact to you, what do you think the appropriate response is? Even though you didn’t intend to hurt them, even though you never even considered that what you were creating could lead to their pain and suffering - how would you, as a human being with a functioning ability to empathize, appropriately react? Is putting out a sports jersey lionizing the thing that hurt them ANYWHERE on the spectrum of appropriate responses?

Sebmojo · 2011-02-05T02:55:09.000Z

erikg88:

It’s weird how “well let’s see how you like it” has actually been very effective in this debate. Gabe calls foul when it’s his family being threatened, gamers bristle at being called “neckbeards.”

We… do? My point was that it’s lame on the level of saying ‘you’re fat’. It’s a cheap bullshit playground move.

And… eh, forget it.

Sebmojo · 2011-02-05T02:56:55.000Z

Brad Grenz:

They never would have made the shirts if no one had complained about the original strip. It was purely a reaction to what they felt were unwarranted attacks on their art/business. They also just seemed to think the term “dickwolves” is funny. That the shirts automatically transformed into some kind of pro-rape symbol was rather out of their control.

No, I disagree. The shirts were Mike (I presume) trolling. So there’s some karma there.

ckessel · 2011-02-05T08:11:41.000Z

Sebmojo:

No, I disagree. The shirts were Mike (I presume) trolling. So there’s some karma there.

At PAX last year people were asking for them to make shirts/sweatshirts. Someone asked if they’d make them in a Q&A and a TON of people in the crowd roared approval. I doubt it had much to do with anything other than them making what they thought people wanted.

Gabe drew a Dickwolf live on the screen because people asked him to.

Bahimiron · 2011-02-05T09:02:18.000Z

Brad Grenz:

They never would have made the shirts if no one had complained about the original strip. It was purely a reaction to what they felt were unwarranted attacks on their art/business.

If they had ignored the ‘unwarranted attacks on their art/business’ after the first strip and never made that followup strip, the situation would not have come to this.

MattKeil · 2011-02-05T09:37:12.000Z

Bahimiron:

If they had ignored the ‘unwarranted attacks on their art/business’ after the first strip and never made that followup strip, the situation would not have come to this.

True, but they don’t do that. Ever.

Dave_Perkins · 2011-02-05T10:05:48.000Z

What is a Penny Arcade strip you like, and why?

erikg88 · 2011-02-05T10:27:31.000Z

Sebmojo:

We… do? My point was that it’s lame on the level of saying ‘you’re fat’. It’s a cheap bullshit playground move.

And… eh, forget it.

Nah, I know what you mean. It’s incredibly childish… and very effective. Feels appropriate, considering how many of these guys use “radical feminist” as a derogatory term.

Mrenda · 2011-02-05T11:03:33.000Z

erikg88:

Nah, I know what you mean. It’s incredibly childish… and very effective. Feels appropriate, considering how many of these guys use “radical feminist” as a derogatory term.

What derogatory term would you like? Fundamentalist feminist, extremist feminist?

MattKeil · 2011-02-05T11:15:15.000Z

How about just “nut”? No need to associate “feminist” with it and taint the term further than it already has been. It’s gotten to the point that many people just stop paying attention as soon as the word “feminist” is used for any reason.