Over on Twitter, a small army of #GamerGaters and their pals have shown up in my mentions to assure me that the only reason Anita Sarkeesian was attacked after offering her opinions about the Marysville shootings was that it was somehow inappropriate for her to discuss the possible causes of the shootings so soon after the shootings, and so, naturally, people were angry at her.
And angry people, I guess, just can’t help but send rape threats and call women c*nts! There’s nothing misogynistic about it at all!
Well, this is an argument, I guess. Too bad it’s not really borne out by the facts.
Because, the thing is, Sarkeesian gets harassed pretty much every time she says anything.
Case in point: Last Thursday, she announced that Twitter had, after much delay, officially “verified” her account. As you might imagine, she’s had to deal with innumerable malicious impersonators. Now people will have an easy way to confirm it’s really her posting.
It’s hard for me to see how this could be considered controversial. Yet here are some of the responses she got to her announcement:
https://twitter.com/richardcranium_/status/525480407798939649
https://twitter.com/EnglishToff/status/525559860969373696
Later on, in response to one of her comments about the Marysville shooting, another of her non-fans managed to work a snide reference to her verified status into his harassing Tweet:
https://twitter.com/Bworth69/status/525817761558437889
So, yeah. Anita’s haters don’t just hate her for having opinions about video games and school shootings. They pretty much hate her for verifiably existing.
PS:; Oh, that guy complaining that it’s in “incredibly poor taste” to discuss the possible causes of a shooting on the day that it happens? He apparently thinks that posting this is in good taste:
https://twitter.com/AlrightAnon/status/526453952993570816
DD Alin (@AlrightAnon) has frequently messaged me via Twitter. We deal with the same trolls. Here is a new subreddit to make fun of them. http://www.reddit.com/r/antigamergate/
Like I keep saying, they spend so much time in the /pol/ echochamber that they don’t realize that most of society considers these views to be beyond repugnant.
WOW i am so glad I did not hit post comment before realizing what I wrote
The obsession over making her Jewish is so telling and weird…
I LITERALLY just made a comment today about how Anita Sarkeesian could tweet anything at this point and receive death threats. Thanks for proving my point, nerdlingers!
UJames1978 can explain why. His video summarizes the way every reactionary group thought, decade after decade.
Rotten doggy biscuits! Wrong video! Here’s the right one.
Not for anyone who knows a bit about 4chan. /pol/ has always been a playground of anti-Semites.
Thing is, Cat of Many Faces, she isn’t even Jewish – she’s ethnically Armenian. She just happens to “look Jewish”, whatever the fuck that actually means…
As someone who is Jewish, it is pretty offensive when others claim there’s a certain “look” amongst Jews to differentiate them from everyone else. It doesn’t make sense given many actual Jewish actors – Orlando Bloom, Andrew Garfield, Eva Green, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Prepon – lack the stereotypical “Jewish look” those people think are somehow universal. I’ve gotten it myself quite a few times when bringing it up with people, who seemed surprised I also did not have curly locks as sideburns and wearing a yarmulke 24/7. Just like in the film School Ties, the reality is most people cannot notice that someone is a Jew by sight alone and the fact they only know once it’s brought up vocally proves that assumption false.
Here’s an idea: maybe Jews, like any other ethnic group on the planet, is made up of people who all look different despite often sharing similar traits. Especially so with Hebrews given how much they’ve migrated to different parts of the world when not just staying in the Middle East (they were there before the founding of Israel too).
I want to see what happens when she tweets about having enjoyed a delicious, nutritious bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.
Wait. Maybe I don’t want to see that.
…says the aptly-nymmed troll who probably registered that account solely and for the express purpose of trolling anyone with whom he cluelessly disagrees.
At least the dude calling himself Richard Cranium is displaying truth in advertising.
Hm, so as one that talks about the Israel Palestine conflict and gets called an anti Semite for *nothing*, I would just like to point out that the scope pic there at the end- yeah that is real Anti Semitism, in case anyone is confused.
@vaiyt:
Ah, that explains it. I’ve seen that same stupid hateful cartoon all over the net in the last couple weeks. If I never see it again, it’ll be too soon.
And the supreme irony is that the very same people who blithely compare Anita to Hitler…are acting awfully similar to him themselves. Jewish-stereotype-on-the-radar ‘toon as case in point. The fact that you have to pick one argument and stick to it consistently is still lost on them.
Such is life when your “radar” lacks an irony meter.
I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out the editorial cartoon.
Is that a rifle scope or a radar display? Is the anti-semitic caricature the target, or are we seeing his reflection as the operator? Do the square/triangle/circle represent the Electronic Arts logo? Is “Greatest Ally” being used seriously or ironically? Does the artist believe that the “state of #gamergate” is getting better or worse?
I dunno, but lurking on 8chan has convinced me that they’re all getting these graphics from the same few places, since folks periodically popped in to say “I’m arguing with some sjw on (x topic) anyone have anything?” And then someone would post one of those horrible graphics they keep sending everyone.
@chaos engineer:
I’m pretty sure you’re overthinking it. I believe the correct exegesis is, “DA JOOOOOOOOOOOOZ!!”
She just happens to “look Jewish”, whatever the fuck that actually means…
it means sweet fuck all, just like most bigotry.
I regularly get mistaken for “not WASP”, it confuses the hell out of me as to why it’s so important to someone I don’t know’s life…
Won an argument with a Misandrist on Twitter. And by Misandrist I mean “Dude who thinks that allowing men the full gamut of emotional release and expression is misandry”. I called him misandrist until he quit mansplaining misandry to me.
Of course. It just puzzles me that people are using anti-Semitism as mockery as if this is the 19th century or something – but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, given many of GamerGaters themselves and allies happen to have leanings toward white supremacy and “racial realism”.
There does some to be a craving on the political far right to get back to the 19th century. They love unregulated capitalism, the confederate flag, anti-Semitism, scientific racism and sexism etc. I find it puzzling too. I’m just waiting for them to try and bring back hoop skirts and stove pipe hats.
NickNameNick – well, hell, they’re using racism and sexism, which are pretty 19th c too. I’m kinda surprised they made it that far.
The stove pipe hats would be cool, though.
@takshak couldn’t be any worse than the fucking Trilbies and Fedoras.
True. Many of them act like women’s suffrage is the worst thing to ever happen, which would suggest they prefer the 1800’s – a century which sucked for just about everyone save for the richest, whitest men in society.
And, yes, stove-pipe hats are awesome. Especially in Steampunk…
If they’re going to troll using steam age stereotypes I think they should be required to do so in full steampunk costume.