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
Hey, Steele, people commonly use the phrase “the immaculate conception” to refer to the conception of Jesus Christ, when it actually refers to the conception of his mother Mary.
Dishonest. These are facts; the definition and usage of “misandry” on the other hand, has no such factual basis in the critical theory approach. It’s a lens adopted for sociology.
“You’re accusing the dictionary of being explicitly incorrect?”
Oh FFS, didn’t Hershele already show how sexism was derived from racism, and ableism from those and how these all have a shared institutional implication?
cloudiah — yep, probably with some twist about how we said it was okay because feminism rapes little boys.
“You’re accusing the dictionary of being explicitly incorrect?”
I say again – my copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t include the word at all. Are you saying “my” dictionary is incorrect?
Excuse me. I would certainly disagree with you there.
Here there and everywhere. I’d do it in a box, I’d do it with a fox, I’d do it on a plane, I’d do it on a train. I will not agree with you sam I am.
I also diagree that the press would call it misandry. They’d play it up, but misandry is how the MR would talk about it. They (you in the van) would use the lack the word misandry as proof of the feminist control of the press. It would be an, “example” of how misandric the world is.
I’m just carrying your position to its logical conclusion. If you can’t ride shotgun, maybe you’re an intellectually dishonest scumbag.
The fuck? Ride shotgun? I don’t think you know what that means. I’m sure as hell not going to be the person you want to ride along to protect you. I’d do it, and do it well, but the amount I’d charge you for the privilege… one of the conditions is you can’t say a single word, or I walk; and I get to keep the money.
As to, “intellectually dishonest”, that’s fucking rich, Mr. I have no opinions on institutional misandry” and all the happy horseshit about Vietnam, and the lack of examples of men being killed for being men, and Sodoni, L&eactute;pine and what’s his name from the Amish School killings are isolated events but the SCUM manifesto is proof of endemic hatred of women.
If we’d agreed with you, THAT, would have been intellectual dishonesty. We don’t think misandry exists. To say it did, just because you invented a sick fantasy, that would be compromising our principles.
And you can’t stick the flounce. You’re weak. So in love with your own words, that even as they fail (and they’ve failed for some huge number of comments, over the course of three days, and I don’t know how many interlocutors they’ve failed, on everything from history, to etymology, to sarcasm, to the humanities, to simple googling, they’ve failed., abjectly) you come back to try again.
And you want someone to ride Pancho to this nonsense?
Good Fucking Luck
You can prove the Bible to be factual after none of us could in 2,000 years?
Coooooool.
Nope, no more than a white man who kills a black man in a car crash is guilty of a hate crime. Even though car crashes are horrible.
Because there is no such thing as misandry, unless you definition of that is “bad things still happen to the privileged class.”
You are a disgusting, vile, evil individual. You can have your disgusting crap. You are wrong.
Aw, sweetums, u mad?
Please promise me that Steele’s boy is imaginary, and he is not talking about a real person. I’ve heard enough bad stories today. 🙁 🙁 🙁
You can prove the Bible to be factual after none of us could in 2,000 years?
Coooooool.
You are, as always, a fairly stupid individual. None of the Bible is actually true; however, I am referring to the fact of the doctrine, which is objective, against simple misconceptions of said doctrine.
Steele: Fine. You consider the critical theory approach the only valid use of either word. >/i>
No.
I think the actual usage theory to be correct. And I’m working to keep that usage to the fringe group you belong too.
I’m a linguist. I care that words are used well, clearly, and with a relevant purpose.
Misandry fails those tests.
@magpie – yes, he said it was a hypothetical child, even as he was getting angry at people for not reacting to the imaginary event the way he wanted them to.
@magpie:
Dollars to really shitty shit-filled donuts he’s talking about Toy Soldier.
It’s either imaginary or it’s Toysoldier, and if I recall correctly, whenever Toysoldier comes around we sympathize with the fact that he was molested as a child but disagree with the context in which it happened. Since we don’t concede that having suffered makes him factually correct, eventually he leaves in a rage and then lies about us on the internet.
I bet you really hate the fact that I’m getting a PhD, don’t you? In a heroic, masculine field, no less. I hope the thought warms you at night, I do.
I think the actual usage theory to be correct. And I’m working to keep that usage to the fringe group you belong too.
I’m a linguist. I care that words are used well, clearly, and with a relevant purpose.
Nope, you’re wrong. I did not make up the term “critical theory”; it is a term to refer to the sociological usage because, in fact, it is not the only usage. Otherwise, there would be no need to label it. Getting me here? I’d invite you to point me toward a reputable individual who backs you up. Allan G. Johnson is not a reputable individual.
If you think I am a “fringe group”- if you think that “misogyny” is only used to refer to highbrow, monocled “systematic injustice”- I don’t know what to say to you. I’d invite you to join me in reality, if you’re so inclined. I’d also invite you to take it up with Merriam-Webster. I’d invite you to consider efficiency and context.
Contemptible idiot. Arrogant scumbag.
I am referring to the fact of the doctrine, which is objective, against simple misconceptions of said doctrine.
language is a consensus issue. We don’t have consensus about misandry (well, in the broader sense manboobzers do). As a culture it’s a marginal word, used by a small group. You, as a member of that fringe-group would like to see it spread.
You came here trying to make us accept at least a small aspect of that usage (supra, where I positted you wanting to use a small admission, of individual misandry to justify describing it at institutional, which you later admitted to believing).
You would have made gains if we’d accepted it, because, we are, by and large, feminist. Getting feminists to buy off on misandry would be a big win.
But the broader society doesn’t agree with you about the word, and we wouldn’t accept even a narrow use of it, so u has a big sad.
Poor diddums.
Well, I had to go to Youtube for some animal therapy after that revolting little rape fantasy of Steele’s. I found a video of a dog and a crow playing ball. It was quite soothing, so I’ll share:
I bet you really hate the fact that I’m getting a PhD, don’t you? In a heroic, masculine field, no less. I hope the thought warms you at night, I do.
Don’t care. The fact that you think I do is more projection and paranoia on your part.
magpie, Steele’s boy is all his twisted little brain. And I have a lovely partner who wants me to come to bed, so I’ll be back in the morning.
I’d say not to be too hard on the boy, but he’s made of Steele, and I suspect you can’t dent his sense of smug self-righteous satisfaction.
Rayford Steele can go step on a lego for using ToySoldier’s suffering for his own amusement, and Tom Martin can go sit on a hard chair for using male DV victims for his stupid arguments. People are real and now they’re putting anti-aircraft guns on rooves of blocks of flats and politicians are happy when refugees drown and the world’s going to hell and Magpie’s going to curl up in a corner and turn into NWO. Except without the hate.
Kittens?
“If you think I am a “fringe group”- if you think that “misogyny” is only used to refer to highbrow, monocled “systematic injustice”- I don’t know what to say to you. I’d invite you to join me in reality, if you’re so inclined. I’d also invite you to take it up with Merriam-Webster. I’d invite you to consider efficiency and context. Contemptible idiot. Arrogant scumbag,” Steele huffed as he drew his katana. Many lay slain on the field of Internet this day, but the wankery was not yet complete. Oh no. He would make sure of that.
Steele huffed as he drew his katana. Many lay slain on the field of Internet this day, but the wankery was not yet complete. Oh no. He would make sure of that.
@Steele:
You know what’s much more persuasive than bluster? Sources! For example…
As a culture it’s a marginal word, used by a small group. You, as a member of that fringe-group would like to see it spread.
This is accurate. It is a fringe word. But it is not fringe in the sense that we consider “isolated” misandry to be valid misandry. It’s simply fringe in that it is not used at all. And if common parlance of “misogyny” is any indication, when misandry makes it big it will also be used to describe individual instances of anti-male bigotry.
Contemptible jackass.
It is the critical theorists who are the fringe.
Uh, Steele, I’m pretty sure that Pecunium knows that the term “critical theory” is a perfectly valid sociological term. Pecunium was referring to your use of the word “misandry”, not “critical theory.”