Yesterday I wrote about a vile online game in which players were invited to “beat up Anita Sarkeesian,” the feminist cultural critic who’s faced endless harassment because she had the temerity to ask for donations to fund a video project looking at sexist tropes in video games.
The game, which (happily) has been removed from Newgrounds.com, where it was originally posted, was put together by a young Canadian gamer named Bendilin Spurr. On the game’s page, he offered this explanation as to why he created the game:
Anita Sarkeesian has not only scammed thousands of people out of over $160,000, but also uses the excuse that she is a woman to get away with whatever she damn well pleases. Any form of constructive criticism, even from fellow women, is either ignored or labelled to be sexist against her.
She claims to want gender equality in video games, but in reality, she just wants to use the fact that she was born with a vagina to get free money and sympathy from everyone who crosses her path.
That doesn’t really explain much, as asking people for voluntary donations to a video project is a far cry from “scamming,” especially since she’d asked for far less, and that the misogynist backlash to her project began long before she’d collected anywhere near this amount.
It also doesn’t quite explain why Bendilin felt that a Sarkessian-punching game was the best format to make this, er, critique.
Last night, after learning from the comments here that young Bendilin had a profile on Steam and a Twitter account, I decided to peruse both to see if I could find more clues that might explain his foul game.
On his Steam profile, he’s set forth his basic philosophy of life, video games, and how much women suck:
I think it’s just adorable how absolutely no girls are any good at video games, just like how no woman has ever written a good novel. They are nothing but talk and no action, probably because girls are such emotional creatures and base everything they do on their current feelings and then try to rationalize their actions later. How pathetic.
You know what’s priceless? When a gamer girl posts a pic of herself looking as slutty as possible and then throws a fake fit when people talk to her like she’s a whore. What did you think was going to happen, you dumb broad? Lose thirty pounds.
Sadly, these aren’t terribly rare or original opinions for a young male gamer.
Over on Twitter, Bendilin has offered a number of conflicting explanations for why he felt so much hostility for Sarkeesian and her video project that he felt justified in creating a video game devoted to punching her in the face.
There’s the fiscal argument:
There’s the laziness argument:
There’s the rather strange argument that Sarkeesian is not taking the proper time to research the subject, although she has not yet started the project. (Also, one of the reasons she was asking for money was so that she could take the time to research the subject properly.)
The “nuh-uh you’re wrong” argument:
The “she won’t listen to me argument.” Part one: The Lego Incident
And Part 2, in which our hero explains that making a video game about punching someone in the face is a great way to open a dialogue with them:
Naturally, Bendilin, like most misogynists, fervently denies that he’s a misogynist:
Yep, that’s right. The guy whose Steam profile claims that “absolutely no girls are any good at video games” and that “no woman has ever written a good novel,” and who decided to express his criticism for a video project that hasn’t even started by making a video game in which players punch the woman behind it in the face, is angry that anyone might conclude that he hates women.
Well, Bendilin, if you wanted to defend video games and the gaming community at large from charges of sexism, you’ve done a bang-up job of it.
UPDATE: Bendilin is also an artist! Here, Virgil Texas takes a look at Bendilin’s erotically charged Sonic the Hedgehog art.
That last paragraph and the update contained
“Spergin’ out” is actually a pretty ingenious way of marginalizing aspies, because, by its very nature, it minimizes any emotional reaction it evokes. “What, it makes you upset when I say ‘spergin’ out’? Of course it does, because you’re an angry aspie who spergs out all the time! It’s not because there’s anything wrong with the term, you’re just being irrational as usual.”
“You’re obviously on your period” is a very similar attack that’s directed at women.
I realize this thread is already too long, but I want to mention another man who killed only girls, Charles Carl Roberts IV (the Amish school killings). From the Wikipedia entry on him:
“He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard and released the 15 male students present, along with a pregnant woman and three parents with infants. The remaining 10 female students he kept inside the schoolhouse.”
He shot all ten of the girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 13. Five of them died, the rest were injured, but recovered to varying degrees.
Another “isolated” incident of girls being targeted for murder.
“The Ransom of Red Chief” was fiction, honey.
Thing is, ‘sperging out’, or the more accepted term ‘meltdown’, does happen. Generally as a result of emotional or sensory overload. In my case, it involves violent twitching, arm flapping, and incoherent wailing speech with stuttering. (I’ve actually found that (unintentionally)going into meltdowns in public spaces when dealing with creepy or invasive people helps, because it makes the creepy/invasive people look like a horrible person for being mean to the mentally disabled.)
So it also marginalises other problems (‘they’re just “sperging out”, don’t worry about it’), even if that problem is just shiny decor, flourescent lights, and loud music. It may be an irrational response, but there is a rational problem.
The stuff that whatshisface was saying? Way too coherent for a meltdown. That’s called being a wanker.
Sorry, this is a bit of a sore point for me. Doubly so, people tend to think my meltdowns might be caused by hypoglycemia (diabetic) and try to give me orange juice. Not helping.
I think I’ve seen what Ithiliana describes: a phenomenon in Women’s Studies classes where women who are new to feminist thought begin to get in touch with their (justifiable) anger at patriarchy and specifically at men who have treated them badly and who then turn around an take that anger out (unjustifiably) on the generally simpatico male students in the class. While not a tragedy, this phenomenon is unfortunate, since it can turn off generally well-meaning men to feminism.
For what it’s worth, I’ve found Women’s Studies professors to be quite welcoming of men in their class–and quick to address gratuitous male-bashing (as opposed to critiques of patriarchy) when it crops up.
Uh-huh. This is why a overwhelming TWELVE PERCENT of tenured English lit professors in the U.S. are women. The other 88 percent? Men. Most-often-published literary critics? Men. The majority of the NYT’s 20 Under 40? Men. Seventy-five percent of the U.S. poet laureates and poet-laureate consultants? Men.
Even in the less-encouraged-for-men fields, men still dominate. Get off it.
In the 12 hours since I looked at this post there’ve been 420+ comments, and I read all of them. I culled the stale responses before posting this (except when I was particularly eloquent) but this is still pretty long.
Steele:
What’s the difference between an isolated incident and part of a larger pattern?
Other than whatever best makes your point, of course.
The system that puts men in most positions of political power — oh, sure, you can point to a head of state here, a minister there, a commission chair somewhere else, but even just counting actual secular democracies/republics there’s nothing remotely like parity — is the same system that puts men in leadership tracks in general more than women. And it feeds into itself, the more leaders who are men, the more leadership is seen as a male quality, thus primarily men are groomed for leadership, and so on. This tends to reinforce a societal belief that it is the role of The Man to lead and to have power and agency, and the role of The Woman to accept that power and do what she’s told. When women start entering traditionally male fields (such as the students at the École Polytechnique) or exercising agency (such as Thomas Ball’s ex-wife or, in Sodini’s mind, the patrons at L.A. Fitness) there is widespread anger. The anger may only erupt into violence at scattered points, but they’re not isolated incidents. It is in this system that there is misogyny.
As almost all men are not women and almost all women are not men, the existence of a system benefitting men like this means that women do not get the same benefits. Thus, there is no systematic misandry. And that is the difference I see.
Steele:
Misogyny has prevented women from excelling in many fields — not completely, as I’m sure you will leap to point out, but not at parity. What similar widespread effects has supposedly institutional misandry had?
ibid:
Storytime! Tell us about your victimization at the hands of the system run by and for women, Unca Steele!
Steele:
So even you acknowledge this as an isolated incident. Do you see why that’s not something you can logically and reasonably condemn feminism for?
Kirby:
I don’t know if I’d call him “dishonest”, actually. I’m can believe that when we said “you weren’t raped by feminism, or under orders from the Feminist Overvagina, or as a feminist act, you were raped by one disturbed woman,” what he genuinely heard was “you weren’t raped.”
I mean, you won’t find any quotes bearing that out, because no one actually did say that, but that doesn’t mean his belief that we did isn’t sincerely held. Considering his difficulties in accurately recounting his own words, it’s not surprising he had difficulty with other people’s.
But I’m not getting in another 12-page argument with someone over whether evidencelessly blaming your mistreatment on feminism is anti-feminist.
Steele:
Shit like this is why people think you lack reading comprehension.
Steele:
Ok, so you agree that there is a difference between incidents of anti-male prejudice and systemic anti-female bigotry.
Systemic, institutionalized prejudice exists against people who are or are perceived as women and does not exist against people who are or are perceived as men. This does not contradict your report of having been a victim of prejudice as a man, and it does not contradict TS’s report of having been raped, and no one here said otherwise, though again, it’s possible he believes we have and probable he claims we have.
Steele:
Present some, please. I can’t promise to believe it, but I see this evidence I’ll happily acknowledge that you believe it. Right now you seem to be doing a marginally more adult verion of “I’m rubber and you’re glue.”
Anathema:
Technically, we all are, since misandry — as a parallel to misogyny — in institutional by definition. I can’t speak for other people but I at least acknowledge the existence of episodic werhassery.
Steele:
The issue is not that a woman violently raping a man because she hates men is somehow not anti-male. It’s that it’s not institutional. I mean, if you replace the word “misandry” with a different term that you say means the same thing and that we say means the same thing without the institutional component, I think we’d all agree.
I hate the “semantic argument” dodge as much asanybody, but this is literally a semantic argument.
Steele:
I don’t, but I don’t agree that episodic misogyny exists either.
Steele:
Ok, so you’re admitting you have no evidence orarguments to bring out. Fine.
cloudiah:
Being the object of concern is feminizing, and no MRA would do that to a brother.
You can’t think there’s evidence… it doesn’t work like that…
There has to actually be evidence.
Steele’s argument totally works if you imagine it in the Timecube fonts!
Misandry is both ISOLATED and INSTITUTIONALIZED just as the Timecube is both ALWAYS ROTATING AND ALWAYS STATIONARY. The anti-Timecube educational-feministory-industrial complex has brainwashed you so you cannot accept that Misandry is CUBIC. YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH OF CUBIC MISANDRY!
Captain Bathrobe- Personally, I condemn instances of bullying, abuse, and harassment equally, wherever I see it. I don’t consider some people (and I’m expressing the implication here) as “more deserving” of bullying, abuse, and harassment. Likewise, I don’t think that bullying, abuse, and harassment is “less bad” depending on the source of the bullying, abuse and harassment.
Just so we’re clear on my position. I don’t think it’s unreasonable.
My writing skills aren’t great, obviously- because I was told by a misandrist, bullying, abusive authority figure that I couldn’t cut it, as a male. As an impressionable young kid, I bought it. My lack of writing ability is a direct result of misandry in my life.
The issue is not that a woman violently raping a man because she hates men is somehow not anti-male. It’s that it’s not institutional. I mean, if you replace the word “misandry” with a different term that you say means the same thing and that we say means the same thing without the institutional component, I think we’d all agree.
I hate the “semantic argument” dodge as much asanybody, but this is literally a semantic argument.
You know- fine. I disagree with your assertion that “misandry” inherently must carry an institutional component. That’s not borne out by the dictionary or the real world, in my opinion. But you’re right- you’re arguing semantics. It seems to be unduly important semantics to feminists, indicative of a victim complex… but whatever.
@Dani: Depressing stats — given that for some time now (when I got my doctorate in 1992) the percent of doctorates in English awarded to women was reaching 60%–but yes, women are highly over represented in the adjunct/temporary/exploited teaching areas, and competely under-represented in the promoted/full professor with tenure areas, let alone in administration.
The major reason most of our majors are women is that we have a Liberal Arts track and a Secondary English Certification track, and girls are just supposed to be English teachers (my partner’s History dept, with the same two tracks more or less is dominated by men).
*sighs*
@Hershele: The fact that Steele wants to claim EPISODIC misandry for himself (women been mean to me) and dismiss violence against women as ISOLATED INCIDENTS is proof of………………the amount of custard pudding he has between his ears?
His oh I don’t know COMPLETE AND FUCKING MISOGYNISTIC TROLL SHIT?
Misandry is both ISOLATED and INSTITUTIONALIZED
You do realize that words can actually have more than one meaning, correct? “Misandry”, in everyday jargon, would in my opinion refer to isolated cases.
If it’s understood that we are speaking in a sociological sense, “misandry” would refer to “institutionalized prejudice”.
Again- words can have more than one connotation. For example, “Wood” can refer to lumber or erections, for example. Depending on the context.
Idiot.
The everyman may think that some incidents are ISOLATED, but no, because of the Cubic nature of MISANDRY they are actually INSTITUTIONALIZED, but ordinary people CANNOT see it.
There is EVIDENCE of this, by the feminteacher-psychiactric intistutional OVERLORDS prevent me from telling it, and your lower consciousness prevents you from UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH. YOU MUST accept the TRUTH of CUBIC MISANDRY BEFORE YOU CAN COMPREHEND THE EVIDENCE.
@Wisteria
I realize this thread is already too long, but I want to mention another man who killed only girls, Charles Carl Roberts IV (the Amish school killings). From the Wikipedia entry on him:
“He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard and released the 15 male students present, along with a pregnant woman and three parents with infants. The remaining 10 female students he kept inside the schoolhouse.”
He shot all ten of the girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 13. Five of them died, the rest were injured, but recovered to varying degrees.
Another “isolated” incident of girls being targeted for murder.”
So ya’ll got 3 or 4 example over the last 20 years. Sounds pretty isolated to me. Or is it a culture now?
Why are you so insistent about using “misandry” when you have at least two other words you can use? This isn’t about context, it’s about false equivalence.
By the way, your context argument is stupid: “The lumberjacks down the road gave me wood.”
Hey guys, is psychology a humanity?
Yeah, Steele is such an awesome guy, calling out shit like harrasment( nothing to say about my daughter getting her first taste of being sexually harassed), and bullying (nothing to say about the threats Sarkesain is getting) or outright taken to the extreme misogyny ( mass murderers of women as targets are “isolated” cases)!!! Why won’t you listen when he says one teacher ruined his glorious writing career!
Dude, that only happened to you once? I’ve know plenty of women who were and are never expected to finish highschool, because a womans job is to marry and stay home. I’ve been told many times about how women aren’t cut out to be graphic artists, fine artists, aren’t suited to learning how to repair various things, aren’t loigical enough to handle philosophy, math or science and are too emotional to pursue careers that involve stress. I’ve been repeatedly threatened with beatings,rape and death while taking care of my job as superintendant because being a woman means its my place not to tell men they must pay rent, or respect their neighbors and turn down the party.
Steele, you wouldn’t last a day as a typical woman.
@creativewritingstudent:
I was definitely not trying to dismiss this. Without revealing too much about my brother’s personal life, I know that he has different stressors than I do, because (in part*) of his Asperger’s; and that he reacts to those stressors differently than I do, also because (in part) of his Asperger’s. However, I don’t think it’s at all okay to dismiss those reactions as illegitimate and not worth adjusting to or considering, like “rational” reactions that “normal” people have; and that’s what I feel was happening here.
Not to mention, a lot of when my brother gets accused of “sperging out” it’s when he reacts emotionally to people treating him like a freak. Fuck those people for treating him as less than human and then telling him it doesn’t matter if he’s hurt by it, because freaks get hurt for no reason.
*some of it’s just… people are different, y’know?
Dear Steele,
Trees and erections do not mean opposite things.
Love,
The Internet
WHAT ABOUT THE MOOOOOOOOOONZ?!?!!?!?!??!?1
(Has anyone said this on this page yet?)
Anyone here wanna take bets on how long Man O Steaale here would last as a waitress? What with all the ass pinching, groping, demanding your time despite having other people to serve, demanding that you appease their ego whilst they hit on you, guys that follow you hame from work, guys that give you graphic details about what they want from you in bed, guys that call you a cunt or a bitch when you politely and firmly tell them no, guys that try to get you fired when you won’t fuck them, and finally bosses who believe that putting up with that shit. And looking happy about it is part of your job.
You had a teacher whoi turned you off from writing. I’ve had a lifetime of being told that my vagina disqualifies me from doing anything “important” unless its putting up with the small percentage of men who think I exist to sexually appease them. Quick, someone hand me a hanky for his man pain.
http://whataboutthemoonz.wordpress.com/
You’re Welcome.
Steele, you are boring and tedious. Why don’t you make your own blog where you can write all day about “isolated yet institutional misandry”? You could also mosey on over to the manosphere and talk about that. This is supposed to be a thread about Anita Sarkeesian.
If that was true, why did you hijack this thread about the people harassing and threatening Anita Sarkeesian? If you thought that her abuse was serious, you wouldn’t have changed the subject to make it all about you.
Steele, As a person suffering from a high functioning autism spectrum disorder, I resent your use of the term “spergin out” as being a negative matter. I and most aspies I know are very rational and level headed people, who rarely if ever “sperg out” as you so eloquently put it.