GamerGaters like to loudly profess that they oppose harassment. They also like to claim that most if not all of the harassment that has occurred comes from people that aren’t “real” GamerGaters.
So what do GamerGaters do when they’re confronted with evidence that someone in their ranks — not an anonymous nobody but someone with some standing in their community — is harassing someone?
Well yesterday we had an opportunity to see just that. I wrote about a couple of instances of sexual harassment from a GamerGater known as Cameralady.
While not as famous as GamerGate celebs like Milo Yiannopoulos or InternetAristocrat or, you know, Adam Baldwin, Cameralady is, at least in Gamergate circles, a bit of a player. She was an early and especially eager opponent of Zoe Quinn, and devoted a great deal of time and energy to digging up dirt on Quinn and others. Many of her “findings” made it into GamerGate propaganda on the web and in assorted YouTube videos.
And her sexual harassment was about as blatant as it gets. In the midst of an argument on Twitter, she tweeted a crude sexual come-on to a woman who opposes GamerGate, and was immediately told to get lost. A week later, in the midst of another Twitter argument, she Tweeted another crude come-on to the same woman. The evidence was as plain as day, and I included it all in my post.
So what happened after I posted a link to my post in the #GamerGate hashtag on Twitter? Did other GamerGaters call her out on her behavior?
Well, no. Instead I was besieged by dozens — hundreds? — of tweets from GamerGaters who assured me that the harassment wasn’t harassment at all.
The tone of the discussion was set early on by Cameralady herself, who insisted that her harassment was simple “flirtation” and that anyone who thought otherwise was some sort of anti-sex puritan prude.
https://twitter.com/The_Camera_Girl/status/524967395715477504
https://twitter.com/The_Camera_Girl/status/524968506480410624
https://twitter.com/The_Camera_Girl/status/524969608043044864
I’m not exactly sure how that would absolve her for her bad behavior. If you shoot someone and you miss, you’ve still committed a crime. If you crudely proposition someone who earlier told you to get lost and they for some reason don’t hear you, well, same thing. Also, the woman she harassed did in fact see her tweet.
She also tried to explain that what she was doing really was flirting, and that I didn’t understand because I’m not a lesbian.
@The_Camera_Girl @DavidFutrelle So it's okay to sexually harass people because you've had sex with other women?
— BlackFish (@BlackFish775) October 22, 2014
Later, she tried another excuse.
https://twitter.com/The_Camera_Girl/status/525087005823483904
Apparently she sends crude sexual comments to so many women she can’t keep track!
Other GamerGaters did their best to minimize, deny and deflect.
@The_Camera_Girl @alexvdl0 @DavidFutrelle I think hes jealous
— SteamPunk_Devil (@SteamPunkDevil_) October 22, 2014
Even those who accepted that what had happened was harassment did their best to change the subject.
https://twitter.com/DanielGauss/status/524965533234393088
https://twitter.com/DanielGauss/status/524970974744039424
But if you really want a sense of the sheer horror of dealing with GamerGaters on Twitter, well, you’re just going to have to jump headlong into the middle of it.
Here you can see all of the responses to my Tweet linking to my post. Here you will encounter every type of deflection known to humankind, as you scroll downward through an argument that never seems to end.
Witness the terror of endless arguments with people who ask for proof that is already in the article they are ostensibly discussing! Hear the demands for screenshots that have already been given to them!
I never know if they’re really this obtuse, or if they’re just screwing with me.
It reminds me a lot of this classic Monty Python sketch. The only difference is that the Monty Python sketch is over in six minutes, while Twitter never ends.
I first noticed it on Skepchick over the elevator guy. Men were desperate to convince anyone who would listen that he must be a socially awkward guy and quite possibly autistic.
It was absurd. Creepy d00ds do that exact thing she described all the effing time and people on the autism spectrum are just about the least likely people to do such a thing.
It is myth creation, pure and simple. The person who was there could not convince them otherwise. Because they want a scapegoat for when they play at being “real men” who don’t whatever.
The thing is, if you come in to a feminist space and say “well, it’s not like they were sexually harassing people, they were just sending rape threats”, how do you think that’s going to come across?
@Policy of Madness
Alright, glad we got that sorted out then, thankyou. ^^;; I know have trouble explaining myself sometimes, heh.
Donovan: You might be very passionate this, but your approach sucks.
*I know I have.
And trouble typing, apparently! =P
@M. the Social Justice Ranger
I think it was a combination of miscommunication and misunderstanding, both on my part and nothing to do with you. I’m sorry for not getting it immediately.
Former tech person here, used to work with lots of dudes on the spectrum. Most of them will barely even make eye contact with random women in the elevator, must less invite you up to their room for a cup of (wink) coffee. Talk at you for half an hour about the piece of code they’re trying to debug when you have no idea what they’re on about and all you asked was “how’s it going?”, sure, but randomly proposition you for sex while in transit? Not so much, no.
“well, it’s not like they were sexually harassing people, they were just sending rape threats”
I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with that characterization. I was referring specifically to their internal politics/group dynamics, rather than attempting to somehow say that sexual violence threats are less bad than sexual harassment. I may be stupid, but I’m not that stupid.
@donovan Can you even believe, in retrospect, that you said “trust me” after we all demonstrated so very clearly that we were so totes not doing that.
#shutupwoody
Did I spot a sea lion in this thread? (I love that sea lioning is now a thing.)
Are Falconer’s babbies available? I need someone small enough to get under the couch to search for my eyeballs.
You might be very passionate this, but your approach sucks.
Duh. It’s like my 10th post, and no matter how much I want to I can’t really binge on all the comments all the time, or take a womens’ studies class until I transfer to my new school.
I sure ain’t perfect but I try harder.
@donovandigital
Do you realize that we can all look upthread and see what you wrote? That this is still available and we can see exactly what you wrote before?
Yeah, I don’t get this:
You quoted yourself:
““well, it’s not like they were sexually harassing people, they were just sending rape threats”
Then went on to post this:
“I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with that characterization. I was referring specifically to their internal politics/group dynamics, rather than attempting to somehow say that sexual violence threats are less bad than sexual harassment. I may be stupid, but I’m not that stupid.”
What on earth do you mean?
Boring obvious troll is boring and obvious.
Anyone bought any nice bras lately?
1.
I am currently in the market for (fake) fur lined booties for winter, preferably cheap ones. Any recommendations?
@Policy of Madness
yep, and now if you thought I meant A, I am now telling you I meant B. Sorry for the confusion. You can chalk it up to my crappy writing skills. Good now, or any additional questions?
donovan, I don’t know that I’d call you a troll exactly, but you do seem sort of off in your own universe here, posting little mini-rants and not really responding to what other people are saying or really participating in the conversation. Just chill a bit, maybe lurk a bit, before posting much more.
@ donovan We know what MGTOW are and, unlike you, we do not pretend that gamergators are all M who have GTOW. You effing do your own effing research and read what you wrote up thread on this very thread. Or hire a research assistant. Criminy!
Sorry David, cross posted.
You can fuck off now.
Sorry, couldn’t find the entire, original SNL sketch on YouTube, so vimeo will have to do.
Oh, vimeo embeds now too. I thought it would post a link.
Smooches!
Oh, I see. So when you posted:
and I thought that meant that you were opposing sexual harassment and sexual violence, as being not the same thing, because that’s what the word “oppose” means, that was just my flight of fancy and not at all you betraying that you need a remedial course in how to pretend that women are people.
Alrighty then!