How much Activision does it take to change a Blizzard?

Again, I think we should focus on what is actually alleged, not what we imagine. Nobody is accusing anyone of sexually harassing employees in this hotel suite.

And whether you think having consensual sex with a fan at a convention is OK or not, it’s not currently illegal. I think there’s room for debate and disagreement about whether this is immoral or whether it should be against company rules.

I said myself that it’s not illegal. But many companies would not tolerate this - not at their event, not on their dime.

Yeah, I get it. So would it be OK to meet a fan at a convention and then start a relationship after the convention is over? If you then get married are you allowed to have sex at the next convention?

What if you wait until Blizzcon 2022 is over to start having sex, but come Blizzard 2023 you’re still just dating, but you’re still an employee and the other person is still a fan. OK? Not OK?

Just trying to suss out what the limits are.

You’re picking a hell of a hill, entirely dependent on how aware of these things you are vs whoever named the room. I don’t think it’s possible to say with certainty which one is it, but Occam’s Razor doesn’t look good for your interpretation.

Agreed. The Cosby’s sweater thing doesn’t pass the smell test.

Response from Greg about the pic:

I throw up my hands. These are basic concepts you can learn via any company’s sexual harassment training. Clearly we still have a very long way to go.

Henson vs. City of Dundee

Sexual harassment which creates a hostile or offensive environment for members of one sex is every bit the arbitrary barrier to sexual equality at the workplace that racial harassment is to racial equality. Surely, a requirement that a man or woman run a gauntlet of sexual abuse in return for the privilege of being allowed to work and made a living can be as demeaning and disconcerting as the harshest of racial epithets.

And from the U.S. EEOC’s Policy Guidance:

In determining whether harassment is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile environment, the harasser’s conduct should be evaluated from the objective standpoint of a “reasonable person.”

The reasonable person standard should consider the victim’s perspective and not stereotyped notions of acceptable behavior. For example, the Commission believes that a workplace in which sexual slurs, displays of “girlie” pictures, and other offensive conduct abound can constitute a hostile work environment even if many people deem it to be harmless or insignificant.

Oh man, you’re looking for black and white rules? Good luck.

Personally, I’d say that a bunch of guys having what appears to be a “Get women drunk and fuck them” room, now that it’s come to light that the company treats women like trash, I dunno, makes the whole thing very much look bad.

The whole context matters. Maybe it’s not illegal and will never be illegal, but it’s also not illegal for public opinion to paint a person as being trash and treat them accordingly.

They’ll probably be fine though. Maybe less sexually active…

Yes that does look bad. But throwing a party to get laid with non employees is not what the lawsuit is about.

And what did they do? No specific allegations in the lawsuit. Unfair to burn everybody in the picture at the stake, to destroy those people.

I was expecting the Jimquisition!
NSFW language abounds: Activision Blizzard And Industry Abuse: Burn It All Down (The Jimquisition) - YouTube

Specifically to the ‘have sex with fans’ (I still chuckle at the idea that this could be a thing for video game devs, but anyway) - is it considered nowadays immoral for rock stars to have consensual sex with groupies (who are of age)? Or is it different in this case because the guys wanting to score with fans are working for a corporation and doing it on said corporation’s dime?

I really do have a hard time keeping up, sometimes.

It’s scummy, sure. Amoral, I dunno.

And maybe Street is just a quiet guy who kept his head down and didn’t make waves at a party, who didn’t see anything untoward. Until there’s evidence or even allegations to the contrary, should his life be destroyed?

Ha ha, yeah stands to reason he’d be all over that.

Is the rock star a member of a group known for abusing female staff, getting women drunk so they can have sex with them, etc, etc?

If he is, people might have a different opinion than if he isn’t.

It seems really really unlikely that the leaders at a company which apparently is rife with discrimination and sexual harassment , including allegations of groping, quid pro quo offers, passed around nude photos of a coworker, etc, ever did anything remotely unethical in their Fuck Room at Blizzcon.

Drinking together builds teams. That’s fine. You just need to set boundaries and not allow even the bigwigs to breach them.

Ahh, okay. I don’t know if that’s true or not but at least it’s an explanation. Thanks.

I agree with this. Our company has a full bar downstairs in our lunch room and I’ve never seen any problems surrounding it. The company’s probably about 70% women though, which helps avoid any sort of frat boy environment!