On Monday, Anita Sarkeesian posted the latest installment of her Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games series on YouTube, a half-hour examination of the ways in which video game makers use sexualized violence against women as a cheap way to spice up their narratives and appeal to straight male gamers.
Her tone was measured, her analysis clear and logical and supported by dozens of clips from a wide assortment of games.
Late Tuesday night, this happened:
Some very scary threats have just been made against me and my family. Contacting authorities now.
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) August 27, 2014
I’m safe. Authorities have been notified. Staying with friends tonight. I’m not giving up. But this harassment of women in tech must stop!
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) August 27, 2014
That’s right: Sarkeesian was forced to leave her home due to violent threats against her and her family … because she made a YouTube video analyzing violence against women in video games.
She then posted some of the threats she had gotten from a Twitter account set up specifically to harass and threaten her and her family. [TRIGGER WARNING for graphic rape and death threats.]
I usually don’t share the really scary stuff. But it’s important for folks to know how bad it gets [TRIGGER WARNING] pic.twitter.com/u6b3i0fysI
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) August 27, 2014
For a larger version of the screenshot, see here.
Sarkeesian has also been tweeting some of the other threats she gets on a daily basis from anonymous gamers who are incensed that a woman has anything critical to say about their precious video games.
It’s especially amusing that this misogyny laced email is unironically signed “See you soon m'lady. *tips fedora*” pic.twitter.com/rLk3CvoxXV
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) July 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/504437681527353344/photo/1
I get so many emails like this I could publish a coffee table book full of them. pic.twitter.com/qMoYOtV9tT
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) July 15, 2014
Unfortunately, this is an all too typical twitter response to my observations about video games. #E32014 pic.twitter.com/aWmwtQZLnm
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) June 9, 2014
You’ll notice that several of these threatening comments mention videos by Thunderf00t, a “skeptic” videoblogger best known, at least in the corner of the internet I write about, for a series of videos in which he viciously attacks some of the women who’ve drawn the most internet hate from angry misogynists – from skeptics like Rebecca Watson and Melody Hensley to video game maker Zoe Quinn and video game critic Sarkeesian.
Thunderf00t’s attacks have won him kudos from assorted Men’s Rights activists, from the regulars on the Men’s Rights subreddit to A Voice for Men “operations manager” Dean Esmay, who has praised his videos and urged other MRAs to subscribe to them.
In other words, the harassment of feminist women on the internet is directly linked to antifeminist propagandists like Thunderf00t – and his MRA fans and enablers.
The constant, vicious, personal attacks on Sarkeesian you see not only in video game circles but from Men’s Rights Activists – on Reddit, on A Voice for Men, on YouTube, and so on – have helped to create a hostile environment in which critiques of sexism in games result in real-world death and rape threats against women. This has an undeniably chilling effect on the free speech of women. That in fact is the intent of the harassers.
Margaret Atwood once famously observed that
Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.
I think we need an internet corollary to Atwood’s observation:
Men posting on the internet are afraid that women will block them. Women are afraid that men will treat them like Anita Sarkeesian.
Thing is, Sarkeesian keeps moving forward, diligently researching and putting forth the videos she promised she would. All the huffing and puffing of her critics and attackers hasn’t shut her up. Each new video she puts out is a testament to her courage and her perseverance. Each new video is a blow against those who would shut women up. Each new video helps to inspire others who’ve gotten similar threats to continue speaking up and speaking out.
Supporting Sarkeesian helps to support every woman who wants to be able to speak out online without fear of violent threats. There’s no better proof of this than how angry the biggest misogynistic bullies get whenever feminists and other people of good conscience rally around her. The bullies are still angry about the money she raised via kickstarter, money that has enabled her to bring a new professionalism to her videos.
Hell, AVFM Bully-in-chief Paul Elam is still so angry about this that he’s already accusing her of “damseling for dollars,” collecting “gash-cash” because of these latest Twitter threats. Indeed, in a post that’s a lot more revealing than he intends it to be, he complains bitterly that she’s getting bigger donations than he is:
I am jealous. I have had half the major media in a couple of countries disingenuously and maliciously demonize me. Even after forcing some retractions I bet I got more threats than Sarkeesian.
My reward? Jack shit.
Maybe it was because I didn’t swoon hard enough or treat the threats like they were tickets to Disneyworld.
Oh, don’t be modest, Paul. You take in tens of thousands every year by pretending to be some sort of human rights generalissimo. You raked in $35,000 this summer by trumpeting “threats” that you were saying privately were phony.
While Elam “damsels” and fumes, Sarkeesian simply goes about doing the job she set out to do. Each video she puts out is yet another “fuck you” to her haters, and they know it.
U mad bros?
Here’s the video that caused all the stir. It’s well worth watching. CONTENT WARNING: Graphic violence against women.
I like Sarkeesian’s older stuff, and at least the first couple gaming videos, but her videos are getting really bloated and jargony. A lot of the stuff is starting to ring hollow, too. She fails in her criticism in this latest video, as she causally links violence in videogames with real world events without any evidence. I am interested in how women are used in videogames, and not really interested in lazy “media causes violence” tropes that have been around forever.
@maistrechat, real talk, I couldn’t actually get into it either! I played bits and pieces of it, but mainly ended up watching my friend finish it while I played Minecraft beside him. But it is an extremely well-made game, there are some real tearjerker moments towards the end and I thought the development of Ellie’s character was nothing short of groundbreaking in context of its contemporaries. But even if it wasn’t particularly my thing, my point is more that The Last of Us was a huge commercial and critical success which was also directly influenced by Anita’s work. Which is somewhat at odds with the fears of the dudebros shrieking about how she is going to ruin the videogame industry. Like, if the net result of her work is more games like that, what on earth does anyone have to complain about?
This is her best video yet.
Tinyorc: they don’t want developed female characters in games. It’s yet another reminder that they might have to start thinking of women as people and not objects for their viewing pleasure. These guys are more defensive of their views than young earth creationists – despite all evidence to the contrary they will fight tooth and nail to avoid changing their beliefs.
Misogynist gamer #1
“Misogyny in games isn’t an issue! Gamers aren’t sexist. We just shit talk everyone. You’re just being an oversensitive feminazi SJW out to ruin our fun! People are mean to men sometimes too so stop talking about this!”
Misogynist gamer #2
“You are a lying whore and a c*nt. I know where you live and I will rape you and kill your family.
Comment number 2 invalidates comment number 1. And yet there are still plenty of people who try to make the argument that being a woman, especially a feminist on the internet doesn’t invite harassment and there couldn’t possibly be an issue with sexism in the gaming industry.
Oh, and for the last fucking time. Criticizing a game is not in any way a call for censorship. These videos aren’t ruining games. I doubt sexist tropes in games are going away anytime soon. Don’t worry assholes, you’ll still get to see as many dead hookers as you like.
I think the most thought provoking section of the video was talking about WatchDogs, and how the player was actively discouraged through gameplay from doing the actions that help most in real life: Stopping the harassment before it becomes assault, and helping the woman after the assault has taken place. Gotta do the macho vigilante thing and beat up the bad guy yourself.
That’s one of those ways that violent gaming has shaped the narrative which gamers and developers in. Like much of the patriarchy, the bulk of the work is done out of ignorance, not malice. It’s a hopeful thought in some ways. Me might not be able to stop shitlords like the MRAs from hating, but change is possible.
Ever heard of FAIR USE, you blithering idiot?
“Oy, Exuin.exe who does not believe in citing anything, care to do so? Or actually, don’t.”
Oh no no no don’t back down on my part.
http://victorsopinion.blogspot.com/2013/07/anitas-sources.html
If there were a campaign to raise fund to get Anita a security detail, I’d donate to it.
How fucked up is that, that the situation would have gotten so bad that I’d even think that?
I really hope Anita’s okay and she stays safe.
It’s funny, because I’m listening to the Best of the Left episode from August 24, about Ferguson. As I was reading this, a bit from Radio Dispatch came on in which John and Molly talked about how we now live in a society where it takes not just the death of an unarmed black man, but days of protests and police brutality to actually get this society to notice.
And I realize… terrifyingly, this applies here, as well. And that thought scares the fucking shit out of me, and makes me really worried…
“Ever heard of FAIR USE, you blithering idiot?”
Ok I see you then choosing to ignore that what you say implys that she did take the footage and is making money off of the ad revenue and not crediting sources. And then you ignore that discredits all of her statements cause she didn’t play the games to begin with. And that means she really is a con artist cause all that money she got did not go into her studying games.
P.S. Sorry if i cant do the quote things right i don’t know how to use this site.
Wh… wha.. (From that Thunderfoot video)
“In Watch Dogs, where you have to shut down an sex trafficking ring. How can you possibly portray that as objectifying women?”
what.
what.
Sorry, I think parts of my brain just blew out the back of my skull.
Exuin.exe: That’s not how fair use works. Most of the time, you can just say what game it came from and the publisher and you’ll be fine, same as with movies. Besides, it’s the Library of Congress and the publisher who get to decide what fair use is, not you, and making money off of commentaries is not illegal in the slightest; At the Movies would have been off the air before the first show aired if that were the case, not to mention a whole mess of local newscasts.
Oh yes, a blog and some anti-Sarkeesian YouTube videos. Such truthiness!
“We’re not objectifying them, we’re saving them from being sexual objects for other people! The bad people. But hey, if we see some tits in the process of liberating them, well, it’s just part of the job, really.”
So, you don’t know what fair use is.
I accept your concession.
Here’s the door.
Exuin,
Even if everything you’re saying about Anita Sarkeesian is true (your sources are extremely dubious and I don’t believe you, but just for the sake of argument) how does this justify rape and death threats? Do you really think it’s OK to make graphically violent threats against someone just because you disagree with them?
“Exuin.exe: That’s not how fair use works.” I’m not saying it’s illegal and she should get flagged I’m saying that she lied to her viewers (essentially her customers) and thats what i call shady business.
And let’s be clear, this is the only reason you think she’s a “con artist,” not your dubious claims. We saw through this bullshit years ago. You have no high moral ground here.
I advise you to leave now. You are in over your head.
It would be shady if she implied that she had created these games, but, um, no. I guess you should start taking down every other game and movie reviewer on Youtube as well for their “shady business.”
Answer weirdwoodtreehugger’s question: even were this true, does this justify death and rape threats?
“how does this justify rape and death threats?” Do you know a kid in Texas is sitting in jail right now, emotionally broken, cause he “threatened” to goto a grade school to shoot and eat babies over a game of League of Legends. Excuse me if i take matters of security more realistically, and even then for no matter what your cause is once you step up on a soapbox you’d best watch for snipers or else you’ll end up like JFK.
Damn, answering questions is not your strong suit, Exuin.exe.
Answer the question.
“So my thesis is that women are often used, in sexualized ways, to help portray the essential qualities of other people, mostly men. For instance, in this game, you break up a sex trafficking ring…”
“But that’s not objectification! You’re helping these poor women and killing all the evil bad dudes who are doing this to them!”
“… yes. That’s… what I just said”
“It would be shady if she implied that she had created these games”
Ah but she does make up her own misogyny to make to center videos around.