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:
They basically have no response when challenged on the fact that gender is based on biology, and not just a social construct. Look at Anita’s entire Youtube archive. Is there even one vid there that’s actually a misogyny issue? Like most “cultural criticism”, it’s little more than a list of whines.
Oh and, sex sells. Deal with it.
This lovely Kotaku commenter, Torbrex, should be nominated for the “Yeah, you’re totally not an irrational sexist looking for any excuse to smear Sarkeesian. I totally believe you.” Award.
Oh look Abnoy is entering himself into the contest, how convenient for us. Don’t worry Abnoy, we will be voting shortly and you will be given more than a fair chance to win.
By speaking out against it, pressuring marketers not to use it, etc. it we’re dealing with it. Or by “deal with it” do you mean “bow your head and accept the status quo?”
The kyriarchy’s gonna be a thing of the past soon enough. Deal with it.
But I don’t want to exclude the girls from my clubhouse! Why would I do that? It’s not like they have cooties. Not to mention, I also want to play games in which women are fully fleshed out characters rather than just a heteronormative prize to be collected.
Has anyone ever bought a mainstream game (as in not a game that is actually porn) because it was sexy? I mean I think Kratos is one sexy dude, but I wouldn’t play God of War if it weren’t a fab game at the same time.
Abnoy makes a good point. After all, why would a feminist ever want to examine or critique media directed primarily towards a male audience? It just makes no sense. Women should just set up their own parallel society in a separate dimension if they’re so unhappy with Man Things.
You mean like those fenced segregated camps they were talking about before? Yeah, those sounded superfun.
LOL, “speaking out”.
Feel like a grassroots hero yet?
Hierarchy and all its implications are here to stay. If not the same hierarchy today, then a different sort tomorrow. Think you can fight the universal male sex drive, and market force that comes with its demands? Go ahead and try. Once you realize the world isn’t made entirely of simpering, pampered white “men”, you will learn to bow down and accept the status quo.
Oh and, don’t use made-up words.
Abnoy reminds me of Will Turner from “Pirates of the Carribean” when he tells Jack Sparrow “in a fair fight. I’d kill you.” and Sparrow replies “Then that’s not much incentive for me to fight fair, now is it?”
We’re not gonna’ unilaterally disarm, Abnoy. We’ll make and criticize games at the same time because fuck you, making the world a better place is more important than following rules you’re clearly just making up as you go along.
Okay, so guys are only playing video games with their penises? You are a slave to your sex drive and your sex drive is a slave to shallow consumerism? The whole brain thing is just an overrated counterweight for your cock?
Straight guys are weird.
and LOL, made up words. *coughcoughcoughmisandrycoughcough*
Khantron said:
“By speaking out against it, pressuring marketers not to use it, etc. it we’re dealing with it. Or by “deal with it” do you mean “bow your head and accept the status quo.”
Also, by speaking out about it the design companies know that women are interested in playing and will spend money on their product in order to do so, which, of course, means more sales for them. The male players who seem to think they are entitled to keep women out are soon likely to find that the companies are (of course) out to make a profit and will sell to anyone with the money. The players don’t have control over who buys the product and so can’t keep women out no matter how much they threaten and whine.
Of course. Men are more than capable of self-control, and aren’t so feeble-minded that they’ll buy anything advertised by a sexy figure. At least according to my philosophy, a philosophy that unlike yours doesn’t despise men.
All words are made-up. Dictionaries don’t grow on trees, you know.
You’re all sharing the same one?
I make awesome comics that bring joy to the world. Am I allowed to complain about sexist stuff, or only sexism in comics?
Also, these male players may only be a vocal minority I’m quite sure there are plenty of other players who would be quite happy to move over and make room, the same way they did with roleplaying games in the early 1980s.
Yeah, any sensible person would see that the more people enjoying a medium, the more people paying for it, the more of it you get. Who could complain about more games getting made? I know I go through times where there isn’t a single new game I’m interested in and wish there were more.
Men have sex drives, therefore Princess Peach can’t be a playable character. The logic chain seems to be missing some links here.
Kim:
Exactly and the next thing you know they’re catering to women too. I really hope they’re keeping up with Anita’s vids because it looks like she’s going to lay it all out for them. We play and have fun with each other and the grown up guys, the companies make a nice profit and the entitled manchildren just keep right on whining but nobody pays them any mind.
After all it’s foolish to give way to childish tantrums.
I have like video games just as much as my brother. And I’ve spent far more buying the systems and the games. I bought the Gameboy Advance as soon as it came out: bought the puzzle games and the pokemon games for it. I bought a gamecube and a ton of games when that system came out too. I bought the PS2 as soon as I saved enough to buy it. And bought accessories and games for it too. The problem is there aren’t enough games that I want to play. I bought an xbox and I’m considering buying PS4 or and xbox 720 and which one I buy will depend heavily on the games I see for the systems.
I play pc games too.
I know plenty of female gamers and male ones too. Sex appeal isn’t everything. I want characters I can relate too. It is hard when I always have to play a male character.
Xiaobaobao said:
“Hierarchy and all its implications are here to stay. If not the same hierarchy today, then a different sort tomorrow. Think you can fight the universal male sex drive, and market force that comes with its demands? Go ahead and try. Once you realize the world isn’t made entirely of simpering, pampered white “men”, you will learn to bow down and accept the status quo.”
You really think that the “universal male sex drive” can overcome 1. The profit motive of the design companies 2. women with money to spend on their product and 3. Rational men who actually kinda like having woman players around?
Market forces flow to where the money is and if that’s with women then that’s where it will go.
You can burble all you like about about male sexuality and how unstoppable it is but it doesn’t get to chose who plays computer games. Only people’s wallets can do that.
Think about the car market. Originally it was aimed all at men, but then most families had one car and companies realized that there was still money to be had by targeting women.
Sometimes companies don’t realize where there is money to made initially.
Nope, we play games for fun. The sex appeal just makes it all the much better.
Why so strawman, WeeBoy? Are you having trouble being rational? It’s okay. Even though I never said misandry, I’ll entertain you.
Here, look up misandry then “kyriarchy”.
http://www.merriam-webster.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/
Checkmate.
“making the world a better place”. Hey look, the femmi has a superhero complex.
Sorry, most men aren’t stupid enough to forego buying a game just because there’s are scantily glad women in it. Not even white men. In fact, neither are most women. Of course, you could be forgiven for imagining that when you live in a bubble of western liberalism. If anything, ridiculous Duke Nukem styles of sexualization are only opposed because its male consumers find the approach outdated and hamfisted. So please give the credit where it’s due – to the men.
But by all means ladies, consume more games. You wanna talk money? The rise of the pragmatic, politically incorrect East and its legions of consumers will crush your precious white liberal sympathizers. How long do you think you can maintain your moral luxuries while your economy declines against the world’s? See David’s fat face? That’s what the past will look like.
Oh and just to clear up any confusion: We do understand your trivial concerns. We just don’t care about them. See also: South America, India, Southeast Asia. Not a single fuck is given in any of those places.
No, the internet makes it easier to objectify and sexualize women every day. And probably men too. Now we happen to think that opposing western feminism is more important than whining about sexual imagery, but if it upsets you so much then go ahead, howl and whine to your white enablers. See if the rest of the world cares.
“Hierarchy is always going to be around, no matter what form it’s in, so quit challenging this one and just accept it!”
Hahaha!
Xiabaoboobie, you seem to be forgetting that you’ll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes!
In other clueless asshat news, there was a panel about Reddit at SXSW that seems to have garnered some controversy:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/reddits-victim-complex
Panelists include Rebecca Watson of Skepchick and Adrian Chen of “outed that guy who set up the jailbait section on reddit” fame. It’s a real full house of an article, as even Anthony Zarat makes an appearance.
If you’re so unconcerned about this, why are you trolling a feminist blog, hmm? Insecure much?