So Anita Sarkeesian, who apparently didn’t run off with all her Kickstarter money to found a Misandist Gynarchy in the wilds of Canada, has released the first video in her Tropes vs Women in Video Games project. (I’ve embedded it below.)
Naturally, this is causing great consternation in certain corners of the Internet (*cough* Reddit *cough cough* everywhere else that misogynistic nerds congregate *cough*). In the Man Boobz forum, Katz has started a contest to see who can find “the whiniest, brattiest, most entitled response” to Sarkeesian’s video on the Internet. So far Katz and Myoo have found a couple classic comments from irate Sarkeeianaphobes:
[H]ow does one go about stating that genders and gender roles are social constructs? I mean is evolution nothing to her? Does the patriarchy make male peacocks dress provocatively?
Yes. Yes it does.
And:
I’m gradually losing respect for the opposite sex. I’ve unfollowed people on tumblr who talk about how great she is, because it actually causes bile to rise in to my throat.
Yeah, that’s a totally reasonable response to a woman making a video about video games.
So anyway, I’m thinking we should bring the contest over here.
See what you can find! Consider it a sort of scavenger hunt.
Here’s my contribution, from the Men’s Rights subreddit, complaining that Damsels in Distress are the truly privileged ones:
Amazingly, this acutally got called out on r/mr as being pretty damn stupid.
Also, I have another question, to add to the stack of other questions I’ve been asking lately: Just why do you think so many guys get so angry when girls and women invade what they consider a male sphere, like gaming? (Also, why do they consider gaming to belong to boys and men?)
Oh, and here’s the video that’s causing all this hubbub:
RE: Clifford
Logically, you’d think that it would be a golden opportunity for her to engage the idiots in a debate and beat them, and make herself look good. Instead the comments are disabled. Hmm. Maybe they aren’t so incoherent?
Clifford, this might shock you, but web creators are not in fact required to debate with every single asshole who claims we should kill ourselves. We’re artists, not fucking Argument Dispensers.
I mean, we do that here with dumbasses like you and NWO because we WANT to. It’s a hobby, not an obligation.
RE: Shiraz
I know, right? I mean, what is she supposed to say? “Well, you see sir, I should not die because according to Kant every human life has worth unto its own, and boiling people down to their anatomical parts is rather hateful, because it assumes that’s all the worth we have.”
I mean, I know every troll I’ve used that on has been nothing but polite and generous after that!
Cliff, comments like “Die cunt, die” don’t exactly qualify as Jedi debating skills.
“I see your point, sir, about the inevitability of death; truly we shall all inescapably meet our end at some time, but I do submit to you that I am not a cunt. Perhaps we could discuss this further offline? We could meet in a secluded place for coffee for a meeting of the minds!”
*Giggling*
LBT, Bagelsan, you guys are killing me.
No wait, can we just back up the “maybe the death threats weren’t incoherent” bus? Because HOLY FUCK!
They’re death threats — you don’t debate with death threats, you don’t reason with death threats, they’re death threats! This isn’t “why do you say that?” or “please explain why you think that” this is “die cunt, die!” — option 1) ignore it, perfectly suitable if it’s one lone idiot; option 2) block the idiot(s), if possible; option 3) block everyone if you can’t block the idiot(s); option 4) disappear from the internet.
So, which was she supposed to do when boatloads of people where threatening her life in public forums she had no control over? Debate with each and every one because failing to do so gives them (the death threats, you know, those things saying “you should die” and “I want to kill you”) legitimacy?
In what fucking world do death threats ever have legitimacy?!
No one is required to do anything. But if Sarkeesian wishes to impress her audience, I would think she would take the opportunity to fisk the idiots. Unless MRA are more potent than you think.
No, you guys have all the impact of a limp noodle. Sarkeesian doesn’t have to impress anyone. You fools, on the other hand…
Obviously they are very coherent, sensible, and totally reasonable death threats. The MRM, ladies and gentlemen!
RE: Clifford
Unless MRA are more potent than you think.
That’s right, sweetheart. The only reason for ignoring someone is because they’re powerful. Spambots secretly control the universe, and that is why I block them from my website.
You shame my gender, dude. You really do.
When someone in a nice suit walks past a homeless person and ignores them as if they don’t even exist, it’s definitely because the homeless person is powerful.
But are they death threats at all? We will never know, because, Sarkeesian blocked them. They may have been logically rebuttals like this:
Or, maybe not. They could be incoherent death threats- that’s another perspective.
My point is we can’t know, because Sarkeesian blocked them. That’s her error.
Responding to threats and insults often gives them a veneer of legitimacy. It also feeds the trolls. Not doing that is the smartest option.
Nothing that she does with the comments on her own channel is an error, because it’s her channel and she can do whatever she wants with it. If she wants to post nothing but Nyan Cat for the next month, well, I don’t want to watch that, but she has every right to do it.
@Clifford
I don’t think misogynists would be impressed with Sarkeesian no matter what she did. But lots of other people are cool with her. ;P
Um, clifford. She was getting death threats before she made the video. They were kind of all over the place. It’s not a secret. And I fail to see why you care so much about her comment section.
No! Do not be shamed! From what I’ve seen of you, you are too awesome 😀
@CassandraSays
I would totally watch nothing but Nyan Cat next month!*
*Well, not really, but I an easily amused.
Poor Clofford has a rage boner about everything, but especially about women with opinions wanting nothing to do with him. AW.
RE: Clifford
It is my perspective that you, sir, are a cockbite.
Clofford? Hahahaha
Only if there are variations. Death metal Nyan Cat? Sign me up!
Cliff, are you the only person who doesn’t know that MOST YouTube comments are sewage anyway?
How dare Sarkeesian not want to talk to him and his friends! She should be punished. With more death threats, which she won’t read. I suspect that this cycle will repeat itself for a while.
This amused me way more than it should have XD Maybe it’s time I should go to sleep…
RE: Marie
You flatter me. Me and my husband shall simply have to pump out more awesome to make up for it.
Yes, death threats are such a good way to get people to talk to you.