GamerGaters claim they’re on the side of truth and righteousness, but they sure do love monologuing like cartoon villains.
They claim to be shocked by alleged evidence of journalistic collusion, yet they happily plot strategies and “operations” together both in secret and in broad daylight. They claim to be about ethics, but regularly employ not-so-subtle subterfuge to try to disguise their carefully coordinated propaganda campaigns as spontaneous uprisings.
This week, GamerGaters on 8chan launched a new “operation” to win over the hearts and minds of the masses on Tumblr. And it’s as ethically bankrupt as anything they’ve ever done.
Operation Firefly, as it’s officially known, is an attempt to take the GamerGate “fight” to a “new frontier.” Tumblr. As the originator of the initiative explains it in a somewhat less-than-stirring manifesto:
In recent weeks the revolt has been getting bogged down in a stalemate. Useless drama and e-celebrity happenings are sidetracking us and sapping our strength. We’ve become demoralized and are losing momentum. …
Time for a new frontier, a new fight, a new chance to spread the truth.
Apparently, the GamerGaters are beginning to realize that their current strategy of being dicks to people on Twitter isn’t paying off quite as well as they had hoped.
While Twitter can be considered an important part of the movement, it is one of the worst places to focus our efforts. Too much time, energy, and attention is currently being wasted there. … The only things twitter is good for are out-of-context quips and angry outbursts.
Twitter is wearing us down, and it’s becoming a red herring/albatross around our neck. It’s time to use our limited resources where they will be more effective.
So they’re Tumblr-bound.
As a group we’ve done a horrible job at reaching out to others and spreading our message. That’s a problem. Instead of waiting for people to come to us, we need to go to them. That’s why we need to go to Tumblr. Going forward, only 25% of the people who are currently on Twitter should continue to post and debate there. 25% should redeploy to fight on Youtube and defend our home turf while the other 50% should go to Tumblr.
But isn’t Tumblr full of, you know, girls? Well, yes, but even this obstacle can be surmounted with some calculated pandering.
Most users on Tumblr are teenagers between 12 and 20, and most of them are girls. They are very interested in fandoms, anime, and other memes. … A good idea would be to use popular anime characters and pokemon to get the #Gamergate message out. Another idea would be to create crossover fanart with Vivian James in it.
That’s right: use an imaginary girl to win over the real girls. Just try to avoid being too logical, because, as everyone knows, girls don’t logic.
Tumblr enjoys appeals to emotion. While rational debate is important, make sure you are making it personal.
And remember to use GamerGate’s “female and minority” members as your shield! Oh, sorry, as your totally not a shield.
A major effort will be spent on pushing our female and minority voices to the forefront via #notyourshield. the goal is to discredit and debunk the narrative and shut it off at the source.
Operation Firefly doesn’t have to limit itself to the GamerGate hashtag on Tumblr. Go ahead and flood all discussions of vidya games with your propaganda. Just don’t make it too obvious, guys!
In order to be effective, you must also talk about Gamergate in other relevant hashtags, such as popular video game titles like “Mario”.
And make a bit point of pretending to be a victim. Sorry, not pretending. Authentically being a victim.
Tumblr is a different place than what you’re used to, so take time to lurk if you must. You are the victim in order to gain sympathy and support.
Remember to support your comrades!
Any time you see a pro-gg post, you need to follow the poster and reblog it in order to signal boost. This increases solidarity and cohesion. Build numbers and stay in contact with each other.
Just don’t lay it on too thick with your propagandizing, lest the Tumblrites catch on to the fact that you’re part of an invading propaganda army. Maybe reblog some kitten pics too.
It’s important to be a real person and not some faceless nobody. This means you should round out your blog by reblogging interesting content you like from other, non gamer-gate related things.
And try to lay off the scary skull imagery.
[T]umblr enjoys relatable and homely things. Consider when conveying your opinions to produce approachable and likeable art pieces. Look at the “art motivation” comics, high reblogged and non sexual fan art, cute stories and the like. …
Don’t be afraid to turn Vivian James into Hello Kitty or a pony.
When cynically setting up a throwaway blog to spread GamerGate propaganda, try to avoid looking too much like a GamerGater cynically setting up a throwaway blog to spread GamerGate propaganda.
[H]aving a profile say why you love video games, why you’re a decent person and concluding with “I am a person and I support gamergate” will show you’re human. … If you are making a new account, don’t choose a name that has anything to do with video games or gg.
Yeah, the “Tumblrinas” will never be able to figure out what’s going on.
Oh, and do your best to not make it too obvious what a hateful dickweasel you really are.
[T]alking like a cunt can be really fucking hostile even if it sharply nails the point. I get some of you guys enjoy the shitslinging language and the fuckyouisms of the prominent youtuber, but it’s not inviting. That’s not to say you have to read like a Disney script, but the language you use will be one of the deciding factors in who you appeal to.
Sounds like a foolproof plan!
On 8chan, some of the regulars put forth suggestions of their own.
CUTE KITTENS ASSEMBLE!
Meanwhile, another 8chan anon tried to convince the GamerGate invaders to ix-nay the ane-Bay memes, at least on Tumblr.
So, y’know how Bane is basically the mascot of GamerGate in the chan community? He’s a good fit: A brutal revolutionary and since he’s a Christopher Nolan character, he’s automatically a man’s man, which for some reason appeals to a community defined by their love of a sedentary hobby. …
Bane will not work on tumblr. He’s a bad guy. He’s all big and beefy and while some subset of tumblr’s mostly female audience will like him, most prefer dexterous pretty boys (hence the neverending love for Benedict Cumberpatch and David Tennant).
So what can GamerGaters do to get around the Bane ban?
[O]ur tumblr mascot needs to be Katniss. She’s in an upcoming movie which means even tumblrites with extremely short attention spans know about her. She’s a revolutionary fighting against a corrupt government. She’s a teenage girl which makes her easier for the average tumblrite to associate with her. On tumblr, GG is Katniss.
Uh oh, nobody tell Vivian James she’s got some competition.
So how is the invasion going? Well, if you go to the GamerGate tag on Tumblr, you will indeed see a bunch of GamerGate spam in it.
So by GameGate standards, I guess they are WINNING.
Alias:
It only seems “vaguely defined” because you missed the cut scene that explained it all. After being mortally wounded (by a woman, no less), Bane’s eyes grow more unfocused as he uses his last breath to say, “actually, it was about ethics in games journalism.”
Bane was the first Gamergater.
@weirwoodtreehugger, that was one of my fav moments tonight! (of the episode, lol)
I thought it was an unfortunate response to finally finding, or perhaps not finding, Gallifrey.
Thus Spake Zarapallygirl:
No, rational manly STEMdudes they are not. I’ve talked tech with a few gamergitz — they really have no idea how software development works, or what the industry looks like from the inside.
I should clarify, I found it the best moment because it was one of those moments that I really felt the story (this season hasn’t impressed me), and was totally immersed in the scene.
I was on the edge of my chair, and then, and then, nope. Doctor smash. I expected the master/mistress was lying. I also think that discombobulator of the master/mistress is a vortex manipulator and they were time transferred and not killed.
Like you, I have been deeply disappointed with the writing this series.
you all should check out the gamergate tag on Tumblr. It is a hoot. There are more anti gamergate tags than gamergatos but the gamergator sock puppets are, well, called sock puppets. Yep.
K i don’t know about you guys but i swear if i see gamer gate show up on my dash i will completely abandon the internet.
This is like a 1950s concept of women, but with Pikachu added for some reason.
“Yes, men, it’s terrifying, but the time has come to communicate instructions to the females. Try to talk about feelings, because their tiny brains can’t handle ideas and logic. And can you pretend to be vulnerable? Females are so gullible, they’ll fall for that. What else? Pokemon! Right, they love the anime cartoons, so put all the pokemons in there. Oh, and don’t call them cunts and fags to their faces, because it gets them all emotional for some reason. All right, we’re ready to talk to ladies!”
Five minutes later, they’re back on Twitter complaining about how unfair it is that people think they’re sexist.
Folks, how long do you honestly reckon it’ll be before these people start to get bored with GamerGate and eventually abandon it, causing it to fizzle away out of the media spotlight? Stuff like this doesn’t just stick around forever. It couldn’t be over before the end of the year, could it? No, I don’t think it could. By the end of next January, then? By next February?
Holy gods these guys are strawmen of themselves. Bane is their mascot? Ahahaha make it stop, this is almost as funny as skullgate.
@Aebars I’m pretty sure it will lose momentum and shed members like a balding chicken, but there will be a few tenacious feathers still stuck to the pink, bumpy ass, whispy reminders of what once was “majestic.”
Dis idea is dildos…
So is it really slowing down? Seems to still have a ton of twitter posts, and checking tumblr there’s also a number of people spamming it (like the person who keeps posting that meme of “dyed hair = bad person” thinking it’s somehow relevant.
The #Gaters who actually do play video games will drop out as soon as the Christmas release rush starts (so, in about two weeks). The question is whether that’s a decent percentage of them or not.
Thus Spake Macha:
So is it really slowing down? Seems to still have a ton of twitter posts, and checking tumblr there’s also a number of people spamming it (like the person who keeps posting that meme of “dyed hair = bad person” thinking it’s somehow relevant.
I’ve been looking around on tumblr through the GamerGate hashtag, and you can probably guess how it’s been going: reblogs upon reblogs of the same old, tired points from Twitter, and the pro-GG blogs have names like “cincopeenis,” “featurelengthdk,” and “parti-archie-comics.” My personal favorite is “actuallyaboutethics.”
Policy of Madness: or “Oculass acts out stereotypical good or bad behavior. Vivian is her own person who makes her own choices and mistakes.” Free Vivian!
Lol, I don’t know why I liked the Doctor smash moment so much, it just seemed really appropriate. And I thought the red-orange flash for everyone else and blue flash for the Mistress was way too obvious for a Doctor Who episode. I wish they’d go back to really good plot twists again.
Lol. Love it
I’m sure Jennifer Lawrence bill be thrilled to hear that her image is being used to promote a movement that supports harassment through spreading private nude photos.
Off-topic, but did you guys hear about this?
http://groupthink.jezebel.com/richard-brittain-violently-assaults-book-reviewer-1649170122
Yeeah, I can see it now. “Er hai, I haz cute pictures of kitties-don’t you think Vidya games should be less PC and more about short haired white guys with three day growths…Gamergate, never heard of them-cute kitties?”
Jfc pallygirl and hellkell, I AM one of the hoary (as in ancient) old feminists on tumblr.
Howard – holy fuck. I hope a mob beats him to death while he’s out on bail. He’s a fucking danger to all around him.
@Cyberwulf
Erm… We don’t wish violence on people here (very long prison sentences, yes, but not violence). Even aside from the horribleness and inappropriateness of it and the fact that it doesn’t help anyone, it’s kinda hypocritical all things considered, y’know?
Would it wildly piss off Gators if we started making “GG vs. Vivien” comics in the style of their Oculass vs. Vivien comics? I see someone mentioned it earlier, I was just wondering if this would be something fun to do to make them rage and shriek. Would it be effective? Or a #VivienIsNotYourShield hashtag?