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.
@weirwoodtreehugger:
Pretty much. He’d probably argue that Duke Nukem Forever wasn’t actually sexist, because the game didn’t print in bold letters “I HATE WOMEN I HATE WOMEN” over and over.
It seems like he was just arguing “sexism is debatable, therefore you can’t prove it exists.” He also characterized Anita’s videos as her “just talking,” dismissing entirely the content. What else do you do in a video, show examples? She had oodles.
I’ll be nice and give the flounce a 3 for the “You aren’t paying enough attention to meeeee!!”
Thoughts?
Hey, that was first experience in a real-time take-down of a troll! Enjoyable, although a bit distracting when I’m also trying to get work done.
Is Exuin saying that thoughts and actions have nothing to do with each other and we can never infer someone’s motives by what they do? That’s some bullshit.
Thunderf00t’s videos are just some guy talking, but I reckon that’s Totally Different on account of he’s … a guy.
How far does your head have to be up your ass to think there’s no sexism in video games. And if you couldn’t see it on your own, her videos spell it out. I mean it’s not controversial stuff, it’s fucking obvious! She organizes and puts language to something that’s already in your face. I just don’t get this willful ignorance. Seriously? How many games have you played where you have to beat up a hot guy in a speedo, or save him from being sodomized to move up to the next level?
Oh this was amusing:
Yes. All of us should carefully read your comments, and then organize a retreat where we go to a cabin in Lake Arrowhead to discuss them and craft a unified response. That makes sense. That would be much easier than, say, Exuin reading & distilling all the responses and then crafting hir own reply. Totally logical.
Okay this will be my last. Yes. Again while I did like the discussion I know none of you personally and if the amount of questions I have tried to answer isn’t enough for you, I don’t personally feel indebted to answer more if I don’t want to. I’m not asking anything of all you so I don’t feel responsible to return a favor that I wasn’t given.
THEY NEVER STICK THE FLOUNCE, WHY DO THEY NEVER STICK THE FLOUNCE?
So, Exuin us flouncing because we aren’t paying enough attention to him, yet we are also besieging him with too many questions. Makes sense!
Okay, standard 2 point deduction.
1
Well, xie ‘s still in the positives?
But that’s incorrect. Wrong. Factually not a situation that corresponds to the empirically measured universe.
Sexism isn’t about people’s thoughts or feelings. Sexism is about people’s direct actions in the real world. A thing we can see. A thing we can think about. A thing we can feel. A thing we can measure (using SCIENCE).
When the statistical odds of a woman in a game having armor or clothing that is both physically impossible, professionally impractical and sexually revealing is way, way higher than most mens? That’s sexism.
When women exist in video game narratives more often than not with the sole purpose of being sexy, captured or dying terribly to prove how bad the villain is? That’s sexism.
When Wolfenstein makes nazi female super soldiers who are blonde, attacking using backflips and wear reglation standard german uniforms with a corsets and a massive pair of stonking great tits, that’s sexism.
It’s visibly and tangibly proven. Discussions on sexism isn’t some thought experiment where you can raise pros and cons, you can talk about degrees and you can talk about possibilities and you can even disagree and offer your own analysis, which is all fine and possible, but it’s not some wildly mystical nominal field where you can never be entirely sure because other people are so unknowable and mystic.
I mean, come on. Duke Nukem isn’t sexist? It’s a fun, well made game, but don’t bloody tell me the moaning women in pods isn’t there because they’re meant to titilate the player. You open doors by flicking virtual tits, man. The original Duke Nukem, not the 2011 remake. If you want to claim the remake isn’t visibly sexist, I’m going to disagree by frowning so hard I’ll create a gravitational singularity with my face.
That’s the lowest possible example I can think of visibly, easily, tangibly proven sexism.
The rest is just as easy, but it doesn’t stick in my head and takes a bit longer to recall. So, yeah.
Also RE: the rageboner-wielding kid from Texas – I don’t really feel bad when people are arrested for posting shit like, “I’m fucked in the head alright, I think Imma shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent reign down.” I’m tired of the attitude that writing abusive shit on the internet is just boyish fun. If you feel oppressed because you can’t threaten to shoot up a kindergarten without repercussions, you need to do a deep dive on your priorities.
@cloudiah
I think what exuin wants is a point-by-point analysis and response. As though every word and phrase were somehow unique and special, and deserving of grave consideration and a thoughtful and individual response.
I hadn’t heard of Sorbo’s rant before it’s kind of weird I’ve actually met him a few times since we’re from the same area of Minnesota and he dated a family member of mine for a while. He actually always seemed like a decent sort when I ran into him.
Huuuuuuge pothead though. At least he was more than a decade ago, who knows now.
that’s it
that’s the whole discussion
Now that zie’s gone …
If you want to read more ranting about how feminazis are ruining vidya games, go here:
http://np.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/2etmqs/the_postzoey_quinn_antisjw_tsunami_backlash/
It’s full of hilariously angry whiners.
You’re the one who came charging in here Exuin. We didn’t seek you out. Quit acting like we’re burdening you by taking you to task for what you choose to come here and say.
Pendragon,
You’re Minnesotan? Me too!
Translation: “Your replies have convinced me that I have no fucking clue what I’m talking about and that I am just desperately making shit up as I go to prove a point I’m not even sure about, but damn if I’m going to admit it, so I’ll just feign some unsupported feeling of superiority and pretend I’m above your level.”
Get a grip, man.
Aw, poor baby. I’m insulted you came here and shit on the rug with your inane ramblings and flailings.
@ pendraegon re: Kevin Sorbo
I kinda hope it was someone else or something, I have also always heard that he was pretty down to earth and cool 🙁
I am Weirwood, go Wild. Been meaning to say I dig the name by the way, much love for the old gods.
Hey Exuin, discussing opposing viewpoints with people is a lot easier if you at least try to pay attention to what others are saying (you haven’t done this, not with the people leaving comments or Anita Sarkeesian’s videos), don’t use circular reasoning (you use circular reasoning), and put a similar amount of effort into your responses as others do (you don’t do this).
Basically, if you get your head out of your ass, you might learn something.
Sigh. Has he flounced already?
@Exuin.exe – when you were called out, nobody was ‘backing down’. I simply lost faith that you would actually be able to support your disparaging and derailing opinion piece with anything more substantial than other disparaging and derailing opinion pieces. Happens every time. And here we are.
And the slide into minimising and denying the seriousness with which threats of rape and assault should be taken, the steep nose-dive into victim-blaming, ended by refusal to adequately substantiate your arguments … yawn. Again, predictable as hell.
More of the same fresh-off-the-production-line asshattery. Someone really has to turn that thing off.