Game journalism backlash - the microcosm theory

[Busbecq]

the critic is an SJW who wants to ban games

This is a bit of a strawman. A better generalization of “many gamers’” beliefs would be something like this: SJW critiques generally proceed by moral suasion, linking aesthetic features of games to real social injustices with the implication (or sometimes the explicit claim) that by playing problematic games you tacitly enable these evils. From here it is a quick step to put gamers in a constellation with actual predators. It’s not that gamers think they are ‘opposing censorship’ so much as they are resisting a pejorative association.

[inactive_user]

I think it is the most salient division in society and so far an indigestible stumbling block for the identity-politics driven 21st century left.

This argument boils down to “wealth inequality/privilege is so overwhelming that race/gender/etc don’t matter at all in comparison,” which (to put it politely) I don’t accept in the slightest.

[Busbecq]

This argument boils down to “wealth inequality/privilege is so overwhelming that race/gender/etc don’t matter at all in comparison,” which (to put it politely) I don’t accept in the slightest.

I don’t understand how placing priority on class means you can’t care about race or gender either.

[Soapyfrog]

I don’t think I’m intolerant at all, besides resenting boring, dry, preaching that tries to guilt me about my hobbies.

Resenting, or fearful of? Because to me you sound fearful. Fearful people resort to gross distortions to attack what they fear, as you tend to do on a regular basis.

Don’t be afraid, otherwise you’re going to start voting conservative. Or worse, PQ.

[Busbecq]

Resenting, or fearful of? Because to me you sound fearful. Fearful people resort to gross distortions to attack what they fear, as you tend to do on a regular basis.

Don’t be afraid, otherwise you’re going to start voting conservative. Or worse, PQ.

I don’t like the implication that playing games means I have something to do with the victimization of real people. I find that claim to be either silly or offensive depending on the vehemence of the person making it. It seems like a very cynical argument made by busybodies who are trying to valorize their particularly puritanical aesthetic preferences. I am also unimpressed with the moral caliber of the people who make this argument. A lot of them seem to be overfed video game addicts who have found an ersatz religion that requires no actual sacrifice in their lives besides posturing on internet forums. Is that fearful? Maybe ego-defensive, or an instance of ‘do-gooder derogation.’

I have a lot more patience for the similarly structured argument that driving a car/using a computer made with coltan/paying taxes that support the military make me complicit in injustices, because those claims seem to be based in reality.

[LMN8R]

I’ve thought a lot about this SJW thing and I’ve come to a conclusion

Its really transparently an “original sin” argument to guilt in more followers.

Privelge is:
Something you are born with
You can never get rid of no matter what
People with less of it are better on some level
Something that prevents you from judging or speaking out
Must constantly atone and apologize for to be even remotely acceptable and must agree with every precept of a “less” priveleged person.
The guilt keeps people in the belief system.

In conclusion, the whole idea that being more privileged than someone else makes you less of a moral person than those without is really dumb.

Your conclusion is what GamerGate thinks “SWJs” are because they’re too ignorant to think otherwise.

In reality, discussion of privilege is simple:

There’s nothing wrong with having it. Just acknowledge that it exists, that you may have it, and try to empathize with those who don’t have it so that you can stop being a raging dick.

This includes just shutting the fuck up from time to time (because many who don’t acknowledge their privilege seem incapable of doing so) so you can listen to others who are describing their life experiences rather than assuming your own represents those of everyone else.

[Alstein]

This argument boils down to “wealth inequality/privilege is so overwhelming that race/gender/etc don’t matter at all in comparison,” which (to put it politely) I don’t accept in the slightest.

I think wealth privilege is the primary one in the US, though the other ones can and do exist. It often leads to the other privileges being used as wedge issues (this is the history of Southern politics- it’s all about getting poor whites to vote against their economic interests)

[Soapyfrog]

I don’t like the implication that playing games means I have something to do with the victimization of real people. I find that claim to be either silly or offensive depending on the vehemence of the person making it. It seems like a very cynical argument made by busybodies who are trying to valorize their particularly puritanical aesthetic preferences. I am also unimpressed with the moral caliber of the people who make this argument. A lot of them seem to be overfed video game addicts who have found an ersatz religion that requires no actual sacrifice in their lives besides posturing on internet forums. Is that fearful? Maybe ego-defensive, or an instance of ‘do-gooder derogation.’

So it’s just a thing for you to be angry on the internet about, even though the implication you are mad about literally cannot hurt you or constrain you from playing and enjoying games whenever and however you like, without any fear of repercussion.

I have a lot more patience for the similarly structured argument that driving a car/using a computer made with coltan/paying taxes that support the military make me complicit in injustices, because those claims seem to be based in reality.

Everything is interconnected and yet still we must somehow live our lives.

[Timex]

This includes just shutting the fuck up from time to time (because many who don’t acknowledge their privilege seem incapable of doing so) so you can listen to others who are describing their life experiences rather than assuming your own represents those of everyone else.

Are you just talking about the normal mechanisms usually associated with civil conversation, where the various participants all get to talk and participate, or something else?

Because it seems so obvious that it seems unnecessary to state, and the way you phrased it as “shutting the fuck up” seems intentionally antagonistic and aimed at suppressing the views of others.

[LMN8R]

Are you just talking about the normal mechanisms usually associated with civil conversation, where the various participants all get to talk and participate, or something else?

Because it seems so obvious that it seems unnecessary to state, and the way you phrased it as “shutting the fuck up” seems intentionally antagonistic and aimed at suppressing the views of others.

I’m talking about people who are incapable of reading or listening to the life experiences of other people without always butting in when they weren’t asked to, which usually involves men explaining to women why issues they face aren’t real issues, or white people talking to people of color about how racism isn’t real anymore, or Brad Wardell never allowing any other developer to speak about gendered harassment without him making sure everyone else knows that he gets harassed too.

So yes, I’m being intentionally antagonistic, because I’m pretty fucking sick of seeing people who refuse to acknowledge their own privilege just shut the fuck up from time to time and let others speak without immediately becoming a self-obsessed narcissist.

[playingwithknives]

I’ve thought a lot about this SJW thing and I’ve come to a conclusion

Its really transparently an “original sin” argument to guilt in more followers.

Privelge is:
Something you are born with
You can never get rid of no matter what
People with less of it are better on some level
Something that prevents you from judging or speaking out
Must constantly atone and apologize for to be even remotely acceptable and must agree with every precept of a “less” priveleged person.
The guilt keeps people in the belief system.

In conclusion, the whole idea that being more privileged than someone else makes you less of a moral person than those without is really dumb.

Drop the SJW thing, its a useful label, but its triggers to many people now and distracts from the argument.

The issue is identity politics, and mainly the millennials use of identity politics on social media.

You can be pro-equality, and anti-identity politics, although of course, the adherents of identity politics will deny this. Just look to the second wave activists, the gay rights campaigners, anti-racism campaigners and feminists of the 70s and 80s. They attacked systems and institutions, they brought about change to society and ensured new legislation to enshrine equality in law. The ones who themselves are under attack from the millennials, who believe attacking people will bring about change more effectively, but due to social media, are unrestrained in their targets and in their level of extremism.

Identity politics has created an army of vicious, narcissistic cowards

If leftwingers like me are condemned as rightwing, then what’s left?

Rock, Paper, Scissors of PC Victimology: Muslim > gay, black > female, and everybody > the Jews

The White Students Burden-PC Racialism on Campus

Let’s just say it: online death threats are rarely credible

Spiked-Online is one of the better resources for anti-identity politics, and represents the libertarian left. It is of course, decried as right wing by the outrage mob, buts the magazine itself arose from the ashes of the now dissolved Living Marxism, and try as they might I’m not going to be convinced Karl Marx is right wing.

Peter Tatchell: Twitter mob who vowed to kill me over transgender letter have it all wrong

Peter received 5000 abusive tweets in 72 hours. Sarkeesian is appearing on TV and doing talk circuits and is citing the 200 tweets received in a week as a culture of misogyny present in gaming culture*.

If that is the case, how does 5000 abusive tweets and threats in 3 days reflect the culture of those who promote identity politics?

• as are the adherents of identity politics in this thread.

[Timex]

I’m talking about people who are incapable of reading or listening to the life experiences of other people without always butting in when they weren’t asked to, which usually involves men explaining to women why issues they face aren’t real issues, or white people talking to people of color about how racism isn’t real anymore, or Brad Wardell never allowing any other developer to speak about gendered harassment without him making sure everyone else knows that he gets harassed too.

But you aren’t boss of the internet and get to decide who has the right to talk.

[playingwithknives]

I’ve thought a lot about this SJW thing and I’ve come to a conclusion

Its really transparently an “original sin” argument to guilt in more followers.

Privelge is:
Something you are born with
You can never get rid of no matter what
People with less of it are better on some level
Something that prevents you from judging or speaking out
Must constantly atone and apologize for to be even remotely acceptable and must agree with every precept of a “less” priveleged person.
The guilt keeps people in the belief system.

In conclusion, the whole idea that being more privileged than someone else makes you less of a moral person than those without is really dumb.

Drop the SJW thing, its a useful label, but its triggers to many people now and distracts from the argument.

The issue is identity politics, and mainly the millennials use of identity politics on social media.

You can be pro-equality, and anti-identity politics, although of course, the adherents of identity politics will deny this. Just look to the second wave activists, the gay rights campaigners, anti-racism campaigners and feminists of the 70s and 80s. They attacked systems and institutions, they brought about change to society and ensured new legislation to enshrine equality in law. The ones who themselves are under attack from the millennials, who believe attacking people will bring about change more effectively, but due to social media, are unrestrained in their targets and in their level of extremism.

Identity politics has created an army of vicious, narcissistic cowards

If leftwingers like me are condemned as rightwing, then what’s left?

Rock, Paper, Scissors of PC Victimology: Muslim > gay, black > female, and everybody > the Jews

The White Students Burden-PC Racialism on Campus

Let’s just say it: online death threats are rarely credible

Spiked-Online is one of the better resources for anti-identity politics, and represents the libertarian left. It is of course, decried as right wing by the outrage mob, buts the magazine itself arose from the ashes of the now dissolved Living Marxism, and try as they might I’m not going to be convinced Karl Marx is right wing.

Peter Tatchell: Twitter mob who vowed to kill me over transgender letter have it all wrong

Peter received 5000 abusive tweets in 72 hours. Sarkeesian is appearing on TV and doing talk circuits and is citing the 200 tweets received in a week as a culture of misogyny present in gaming culture*.

If that is the case, how does 5000 abusive tweets and threats in 3 days reflect the culture of those who promote identity politics?

• as are the adherents of identity politics in this thread.

[Courteous_D]

Sure, but he can voice the observation that other people are talking and it’s time for you* to hold your tongue.

Which can be irritating to hear, certainly, if you’ve always enjoyed the privilege of other people just naturally shutting up when you decide to start talking.

• The generic “you,” here.

[rhinohelix]

Sure, but he can voice the observation that other people are talking and it’s time for you* to hold your tongue.

Which can be irritating to hear, certainly, if you’ve always enjoyed the privilege of other people just naturally shutting up when you decide to start talking.

• The generic “you,” here.

“Enlightened individual” deciding when someone has enough freedom of speech: check.
Twitter/Facebook/Forum mob deciding to “encourage” silence as next step: check.

[Soapyfrog]

“Enlightened individual” deciding when someone has enough freedom of speech: check.
Twitter/Facebook/Forum mob deciding to “encourage” silence as next step: check.

Overwhelming fear of slippery slopes: check!
Afraid of basically everything despite being incredibly safe and firmly ensconced in power: check!

[Dan_Theman]

“Enlightened individual” deciding when someone has enough freedom of speech: check.
Twitter/Facebook/Forum mob deciding to “encourage” silence as next step: check.

I have the freedom to shove the entire contents of my refrigerator into my mouth in one sitting. Somebody telling me I shouldn’t do that because my kid may want something to eat, the toilet might get clogged, and my intestines might explode does not impinge upon that freedom.

[Timex]

Overwhelming fear of slippery slopes: check!
Afraid of basically everything despite being incredibly safe and firmly ensconced in power: check!

It doesn’t seem like it really requires a fear of a slippery slope here, given that the statement seems to jump directly to the point where it’s bad… Where people are being told to not engage in free speech.

And frankly, it’s unnecessary.

[Scuzz]

Are you just talking about the normal mechanisms usually associated with civil conversation, where the various participants all get to talk and participate, or something else?

Because it seems so obvious that it seems unnecessary to state, and the way you phrased it as “shutting the fuck up” seems intentionally antagonistic and aimed at suppressing the views of others.

That kind of attitude combined with the negative connotation of the word “privilege” are part of the problem. Telling people in an antagonistic way that they should apologize for something they had no control over is never going to work.

[inactive_user]

Nobody outside of cartoon strawmen has ever asked anyone to apologize for being white, or male, or whatever.

Christ, why did I start posting in here again?