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#gamergate

Vox Day: #GamerGate-rs "are the only defenders of freedom and Western civilization who are causing enemy casualties."

But mom, I'm saving Western Civilization
But mom, I’m saving Western Civilization

Is there some sort of contest out there to see who can sing the praises of GamerGate in the most floridly self-important, over-the-top  and un-self-aware manner possible?

If so, we seem to have a new contender: the racist, woman-hating fantasy author and actual adult human being who goes by the name Vox Day, who may have even out-melodramatized 8chan’s pretentious pontificators in a post on his Vox Popoli blog today.

At this point, #GamerGate is about more than games now. It is a Schwerpunkt in the ongoing cultural war for the West. And the gamers of #GamerGate are the only defenders of freedom and Western civilization who are counterattacking and causing enemy casualties. That is why it is more than important, it is vital to see non-gamers joining the cause rather than sneering from the sidelines.

Because if the pinkshirts haven’t come after you and yours yet, they assuredly will so long as you have not submitted to them.

I know that Vox writes terrible fantasy novels for a living. Does he think he lives in one as well?

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Wetherby
Wetherby
10 years ago

I daresay you’ve all seen this a gazillion times, but it seemed apposite.

bbz
bbz
10 years ago

drummosquito ftw

skywardslew
10 years ago

I’d be really interested to know the average age of the typical gg “supporter”. I think I’ve been under the misapprehension that they were older, like the MRA types, but now I truly wonder if it isn’t mostly teenagers. I wonder how one could get stats on that kind of thing. I’d love to know the average age, ethnicity, and marital status of MRA participants.

Since you all have been plugged into this longer than I have, I was wondering what the impressions are about “who is the average MRA (or gg troll)”? How many people, realistically, can be involved in this?

This really makes me think about privacy on the internet. While I enjoy my anonymity online, and have never thought I’d willingly give it up, I am forced to consider whether it’s worth it when that same anonymity protects misogynistic terrorists.

I just wonder if we’d be seeing so much of this if they were all publicly identified (I do not mean doxxed, exactly, but if they had to use their real names).

sparky
sparky
10 years ago

And the gamers of #Gamergate are the only defendants of freedom and Western civilization who are counterattacking and causing enemy casualties.

So I read this, and I felt like my brain was imploding. There’s just so much wrong with this one little sentence. The idea that the people who are doxxing and harrassing women who have opinions about video games are the people who are supposedly defending “freedom and Western civilization.” That women who have opinions about video games have done something so awful that outright war is declared against them. Because they’re women and they have opinions about video games. It’s just, this is like a telegram from Opposite World, y’know?

It’s just so much wrong.

Nequam
Nequam
10 years ago

Oh, and may a thousand sharp-clawed little kitties play with his balls.

How can you be so cruel to kitties?

Steve
10 years ago

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Gamers, and I–
Wait a minute, that’s clearly a load of horseshit. Nevermind.

schwadevivre
10 years ago

It was teh wimmenz that made Beale’s War Mouse into the laughing stock it became

From Wikipedia

Beale holds the design patent[21] for WarMouse, a computer mouse with 18 buttons, a scroll wheel, a thumb-operated joystick, and 512k of memory.[22]

Shiraz
Shiraz
10 years ago

Pinkshirts, what a dumbass.

Zolnier
10 years ago

Maybe he believes an alien armada is about to invade and bland space action games are vital training devices.

kittehserf - MOD
10 years ago

Whatever gamergaters represent, it’s not civilised and it’s not worth saving.

kittehserf - MOD
10 years ago

I hope Scalzi has time enough to properly handle this.

Oh, yes. Especially given what a rageboner little Teddy gets over Scalzi anyway. Did you read Scalzi’s post telling the GG idiots they should boycott him properly? That was hilarious.

Shiraz
Shiraz
10 years ago

You got a link to that post, kitteh?

strivingally
10 years ago

Here you go Shiraz! How To Boycott Me, I Mean, Really Boycott Me:

So, in short, in order to effectively punish my business partners for me having thoughts you don’t like, all you need to do is boycott three of the five major US publishers, two of the five major film/television studios (plus selected product of one of the other ones), and the largest single online retailer in the world. Which, well. It will keep you busy, at least.

Which, to be clear, I am fine with. While you are off whining to these corporations about me, perhaps you will be too busy to, you know, threaten death, rape and assault against women who also dare to express thoughts you don’t like. And you know what? I think that’s a fair trade.

magnesium
magnesium
10 years ago

@skywardslew

I wish it really were just a bunch of misguided teenagers, but whenever I wish that, I’m always disappointed. I know of at least two GamerGaters in real life. Both are grown men who I have worked with. The revelation that they are GamerGaters was hardly a surprise. They are both generally unpleasant, unprofessional people who act as though the regular rules don’t apply to them and for whatever reason get away with it.

strivingally
10 years ago

Oh sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster, these GermerGoats lose their shit with anyone who claims the movement isn’t *solely* about Effix In Geymz Jerlizm, but embraces these two douchecanoes [content warning for some fucked-up victim blaming and “no means yes” mentality]:

https://twitter.com/CranBoonitz/status/527978782570065920

strivingally
10 years ago

Actually that really shouldn’t be an embed. If mods want to delete that and I’ll just link to the creepy convo between Cernovich and Milo instead I’ll understand. Sorry for not thinking that through, I just couldn’t believe that these disgusting people would carry “she’s mean to you because she likes you!” primary-school thinking into their adult lives and assume that women only insult you because they secretly want some kind of BDSM romp with you. I mean, WTF. I can’t even wrap my head around that type of thinking. 🙁

M. the Social Justice Ranger
M. the Social Justice Ranger
10 years ago

@strivingally

I think you’re being way too generous about their intentions. I’m pretty sure those sick fuckers are talking about “Corrective” rape and trying to hide it behind language that won’t get them kicked off Twitter.

skywardslew
10 years ago

True, I don’t at all believe it’s just a bunch of teenagers. I had assumed, though, that it was a similar demographic but skewed to the younger end of the MRAs – youngish men from late teens to mid-30s.

Just a WAG, do you think there are more than 100? More than 1,000? More than 10,000? I just honestly don’t have a clear idea. It seems that there is a core of 8channers/reddit trolls and then a vast number of sockpuppets, but that’s just an impression i get.

Also, this from Chris Plante on the Verge about Anita Sarkeesian’s appearance on The Colbert Report made me smile: “Gamergate died ironically from what it most wanted: mainstream exposure.” (sorry, I don’t know how to embed links or format block quotes or anything etc.)

samantha
10 years ago
Reply to  Nequam

Oh, and may a thousand sharp-clawed little kitties play with his balls.

How can you be so cruel to kitties?

(Hanging my head) I just could not resist imagining a thousand kitties, with sharp little claws, batting his balls like a ball of yarn…I am a baaaaaad woman.

Skye
Skye
10 years ago

Vanir, pretty sure “freedom” to him means “the ability for me (& certain folks exactly like me) to do whatever we want whenever we want to whomever we want.” From that perspective, it’s (& that he doesn’t feel women or people of other races matter/are really people) unfortunately not as contradictory as it seems. 🙁

Bina
Bina
10 years ago

It is a Schwerpunkt in the ongoing cultural war for the West.

Stop abusing my mother tongue, you shitty little fascist fuck.

And wow, that exchange of vile tweets! Yeah, right-wing garbage guys, please DO keep your rapey flags flying. We “SJW” women will know you all the better by your fungal smell. And avoid you accordingly.

Binjabreel
10 years ago

So here’s the thing: I swear it can’t be more than a few dozen people total on twitter, ignoring anyone who actually believes it’s about ethics. I see the same ten names over and over again and I keep getting comments that read exactly the same way. At the core of the movement there are very, very few distinct voices. One guy on 8chan was bragging that he had at least 18 email accounts that were auto-mailing for the boycott.

strivingally
10 years ago

There were a few graphics suggesting that the bulk of the GG tweeting was done by like, 300 or so accounts. Sadly those numbers were obtained by some slightly flawed methodology so now the well is poisoned. Hopefully those who’ve actually paid for Keyhole accts will be able to provide some more complete figures in the near future. But given the way the swarming tactics have worked on people who’ve used the hashtag I have no trouble believing it’s a few hundred max.

Which is why they panic to try and clean up the hostility on the hashtag whenever a new MSM article covers GG – they want to look halfway reasonable to the uninformed. Not much different to Paul Elam trying to get the misogybros to rein in their natural impulses when the conference happened. And just like that incident, the Gators are now blaming Teh Meeja for their negative coverage, never once considering that the press coverage might actually be somewhat accurate.

sylviaplant
sylviaplant
10 years ago

They so desperately want a war to feel as badass as their maxed out level 80 necrothingy, but a war in which they don’t have to leave the comfort of their ergonomically designed chair and minifridge full of Bawls.

AltoFronto
AltoFronto
10 years ago

Melodrama, sense of over-importance and lack of self-awareness from a guy who named himself “voice of God” in Latin, and misspelled the “dei” part? Colour me shocked.
I’m assuming he meant us to pronounce his blog’s title “vox populi”, but fucked that one up, too.

This guy seems to view the entire cultural output of a global hemisphere to be spiteful, bigoted internet trolling. It just proves how culturally illiterate he really is.
N.B. The North-South divide at the equator is pretty straight-forward, but have you ever wondered why the globe is split into East and West around the two meridians? It’s apparently an arbitrary division between “us” white, Western, ‘civilised’ people and “them” Asian and Slavic folk, because of 19thC racist imperialism.