By all rights, the furor over rocket scientist Matt Taylor’s cheesecake shirt should have died down by now. After being chided earlier this week for marring the celebration over the landing of a space probe ON A GODDAMNED COMET by doing interviews in a tacky shirt covered with half-naked ladies, Taylor offered a brief but heartfelt apology. You would have thought we’d all be able to move on.
Not so fast. Because these days apparently no controversy can ever be over as long as it serves someone’s interest to keep it going. And so a loose but very familiar coalition of reactionaries and antifeminists and angry techies have started flogging an amorphous cause they call #Shirtgate or, more popularly, #Shirtstorm, purporting to be outraged that Taylor was “humiliated” into apologizing.
So many of the angriest voices in this, er, conversation are #GamerGaters it looks a lot like a sequel. Call it GamerGate Part Two: The Straw Graspening. And it’s not just me making the connection: #GamerGaters and #Shirtstormers, often one and the same, are making the connection:
So radical #shirtstorm SJW have attacked my games my #gamergate revolt and now they are attacking #science. Am i allowed to be mad ?
— Anti-ProcrusteanBed ☀️🏴 (@antiprocrustes) November 16, 2014
I am a man. I'm sick of hearing that because of my gender, my opinions don't count and sexism towards me isn't real. #GamerGate #shirtstorm
— Lord Inquisitor Ineptus Astartes (@AstartesIneptus) November 16, 2014
https://twitter.com/Scrumpmonkey/status/533409838207078400
Heck, our old friend Milo is making the connection:
Note to those infuriated by poor Dr Matt Taylor and #shirtstorm: this is what #GamerGate has been fighting against. Are you getting it yet?
— Milo Yiannopoulos (@Nero) November 15, 2014
Oh, it’s a veritable #GamerGate Old Home Week! GG mainstays Thunderf00t and Mundane Matt have rushed out videos about The Shirt.
People are making graphics covered with hard-to-read text:
There are giant complicated conspiracy theory graphics covered with red lines and angry red text. This one notes that Chris Plante, who wrote an article criticizing Taylor’s shirt, also wrote one of the now-notorious “Gamers are Dead” pieces.
https://twitter.com/Reyeko_/status/533482641774100480
Apparently there were a few dudes who were none too pleased with Plante’s story on The Shirt:
https://twitter.com/plante/status/533244307105648640
#Shirtstormers wrote angry “letters” in too-small-type. (Click here for larger, more readable version and here for one with angry graphics, too.)
https://twitter.com/Alpha_duck1/status/533698520100777984
While others tried to draw a parallel between Taylor’s alleged “humiliation” and … rape.
#shirtgate #SupportMattTaylor #GamerGate pic.twitter.com/L8s1GrOow7
— Mark 🐸 🗑 Samenfink (@MSamenfink) November 16, 2014
#ShirtStorm #shirtgate Matthew 7:1 pic.twitter.com/bRXr7bA1Si
— Be Just & Fear Not | Let None Survive (@SuperNerdMike) November 16, 2014
Neo-reactionaries and “Dark Enlightenment” types see opportunity in the #Shirtstorm hashtag.
https://twitter.com/voxday/status/533336186535030784
Don't judge me because of what I'm wearing – unless I'm a guy. Then you can define my personality and try to ruin my life. #shirtgate #NRx
— VDARE (@vdare) November 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/antidemblog/status/533341319184531456
https://twitter.com/BernardChapin/status/533628518077186049
As do MRAs:
https://twitter.com/deanesmay/status/533758421158227969
As does this familiar name:
Women do not face a hostile climate in science. And they can handle seeing a guy in an edgy shirt. #GamerGate https://t.co/8gvTyo0bg6
— Christina Hoff Sommers (@CHSommers) November 16, 2014
They’re all there, all hoping to turn a debate over a shirt into another endless internet Benghazi.
Gah. OK, I told myself I wouldn’t. I told myself that I would just side-eye the C.H.Sommers video and NOT WATCH it because of the high risk that I would end up face-palming so much that my face, or reality itself, might break.
And then I watched it anyway.
Teh stoopid, it burns mightily. And it’s not just her ridiculously weak ‘Studies have shown, right, and I’m not going to reference where or what most of these studies are but I AM going to use them to back up my opinions, which I won’t openly refer to as opinions because studies, so facts’ attempt to justify her assertions, it’s the Sheer. Excruciating. Smugness.
In arguing the claim that men are just better at mathematics and have a ‘natural’ preference for working in STEM fields as opposed to women (who have ‘a propensity’ for work in humanities), she states, “These days it’s politically radioactive to deny that everyone is good at everything and no one is better than anyone else”, and then ends with a little mocking laugh to herself. I can’t even.
Is that IT? Is that your idea of critical analysis of the gender divide in professional fields, to conclude that men and women like different things? You aren’t even aware enough to recognise that ‘gender preferences’ is not a conclusion, it is an opener to the next stage of analysis, which is to ask and explore ‘why?”. Why have these preferences come about? Are they linked to culturally reinforced sex-role stereotypes? Could gender-role expectations be influencing the “different paths” chosen by men and women, distancing women from male-dominated spaces like STEM fields?
Just quit it already. Quit it with the ‘it’s-not-sexism-it’s-because-men-and-women-are-just-different’ complete cop-out of an argument that runs as a harmful undercurrent behind every single video you make. Quit it with the incidences of self-reporting you try to evidence your claims with, thinking that people are too stupid to recognize that men and women self-reporting gender bias towards certain fields does not actually prove gender bias in career choices is naturally determined, or that sexism is not a central factor.
And don’t say “gifted females”. Ugh.
(tl;dr: Sommers is a complete idiot. ‘Factual Feminism’, my misandrist hat).
The whole “This proves why women can’t science” is extra upsetting because if these boneheads actually knew anything about the Rosetta they’d realize that the project director for NASA’s part of the mission is a woman.
Suck it, misogynists.
Don’t worry, Misha, we all have our moments of weakness. For me, it was Thunerf00t’s video.
Hooollyyy shit how did I ever think this dude was a good skeptical thinker?
Apparently, Kim Kardashian in a sexy photoshoot is the exact same thing as a dude at a scientific conference wearing a sexualizing shirt. And feminists are hypocritical (and must just think men are always wrong and women are always right) for criticizing the second but not the first.
Because photoshoots and science conferences are both equally good venues for exhibiting sexual content, and a woman choosing to take part in something sexual is the same as a man choosing to depict sexual women.
I haven’t actually watched one of his videos in a long, long time, so this was an eye-opener for me in how absurd he’s become (or always was).
Incidentally, that IndieoGoGo campaign to benefit Matt Taylor was set up by someone from GamerGate. Their only other campaign was a fundraiser for Unicef on behalf of GamerGate.
Sounds like another variation on NotYourShield.
@vbillings:
Nah, they’ll just point to that and say “See? Women can participate in science and even become head of a project, because they aren’t so delicate that they can be put off by a pin-up shirt. Therefore there’s no problem!”
Any observation about the status quo is evidence in support of the status quo, don’cha know.
Almost tempted to HT notyourshirt.
This part really creeps me out. A woman expressing her sexuality is not the same as men wearing sexualized depictions of women as decoration.
Meanwhile, none of these assholes would be defending a female scientists who showed up to those interviews in her favorite leather bustier and vamped for the cameras. They’d be saying that her attire was proof that women shouldn’t be in science, she should lose her job and be ridiculed forever. Then they’d send her rape threats.
I’ll bet there was nary a peep from this crew when President Obama got raked over the gossip-column coals for wearing an actually, honest-to-goodness, completely serious and inoffensive tan suit.
kirbywarp sez:
It’s rather amazing how they don’t get that “woman making herself look sexy” isn’t anything close to a reversal of the situation “man making women look sexy.” Also, I’ve seen a lot of guys who do not get the difference between a fictional character and a real woman. They accuse feminists of hypocrisy for standing up for actual women’s autonomy while disapproving of what cartoon women are drawn to wear.
FWIW, #shirtstorm *is* pretty clever. But trying to make it into GamerGate part 2: the Shirtspiracy is overdoing it.
Any word on Matt Taylor’s reaction to this aspect of the blowback?
I know next to nothing about the guy, but I was impressed as hell by his apology.
It seemed like he was sincerely saddened that people were hurt/saddened by his actions, and he offered up his apology unbidden (at least by the interviewer) and without excuse.
People can debate about a culture of casual misogyny (re: his choice of garments + some phrasing of his that I’ve seen people reference), but he really seems like a decent guy who was blindsided by this whole thing.
I’m willing to bet that he was just like, “I’m going to wear this shirt that my friend made for me for the landing – she’ll get so much exposure!”
I mean, I could be dead wrong – I’ve been following this at a fairly superficial level – but it’s what I’d like to think.
Now for the reason I really came here:
I thought you all would like this
https://www.facebook.com/neilgaiman/posts/10152421170311016
@kirbywarp
My “Hooollyyy shit how did I ever think this dude was a good skeptical thinker?” moment of shame is Dawkins. I’m still embarrassed to this day.
Speaking of which, someone let him on Twitter unsupervised again and he’s denouncing the protest (such as it was) of Matt Taylor’s shirt as not ‘true feminism’ or something. Because Richard Dawkins is totes the gatekeeper of feminism now and nobody is allowed in the clubhouse unless they specifically meet his super-duper-logical criteria.
Shut up Dawkins.
Re: #shirtstorm *eyeroll*
The best thing that may come out of this is that it may cause some to take a step back on their own actions and assumptions re: feminism and gender in public discourse, alá, “Shit! These people agree with me! And for those reasons! But they’re awful human beings!”
@Misha:
Ugh… Dawkins… My opinions of him pretty much track my development as a moral human being. First, I thought he was an extremist, when I was still in my “I’m gonna emulate my family and be the bestest conservative” phase.
Then I thought he was an important figure that was unafraid to say what he believed in my “I just discovered I’m a liberal atheist, I guess this is rebellion time” phase.
Then I realized that “unafraid to say what he believed” really meant “said whatever he thought because he knew he was right rather than because his argument had merit” when I got more into social justice stuff and became aware that not all religion was stupid and evil.
Now it’s just getting pathetic. SJ concepts have throroughly taken hold in the skeptical and atheist community, so now that saying “raising your child religious is child abuse” isn’t kosher, Dawkins has nothing left to do but ham-handedly lash out at feminism. I do realize what drew me to him in the first place, it’s just disheartening to learn that his motivations were not the noble ones I thought they were.
Sorry if this is old hat, but this whole thing is so frustrating and weird to me that I kind of want to just state it plain to see if I am missing something. So, the timeline is something like this:
1) Dude is part of something incredible, but while announcing the incredible thing he does, he wears a tasteless t-shirt, which sort of taints the moment.
2) People point out that, while what the dude did was incredible, the shirt he wore while announcing it kind of tainted the moment.
3) Dude was like “Hey, ya’ll were right that the shirt I wore while announcing the incredible thing I was part of tainted the moment.”
4) MRA douchebags got super angry.
Is there like, a missing step there?
@proxieme:
Conincidentally, I watched “Megamind” for the first time recently. It was pretty good! I liked how many of the characters adopted this weird melodramatic tone of voice and/or speech, as if everything was a game, even during the actually serious moments. Except, of course, for the villain, who didn’t understand the situation.
But holy shitballs… your cartoon reminded me of the moment in the movie where my jaw dropped. You know the one if you’ve seen it. The movie’s resolution revolved entirely around the phrase “the good guy always gets the girl,” and I’m like “no, movie, that is not OK! That is not OK in the slightest!”
It’s amazing how some people just can’t understand that, when it comes to a big annoying argument like this, they are part of the problem by dragging it out in the name of “why are we talking about this?” it’s like all of the people who didn’t see any downside to writing the 1001st article about Renee Zellweger’s face even when it’s “why are we still talking about Renee Zellweger’s face? #reneezellwegersface #whystilltalking #aboutthewomansface”
Us womenz are so fragile we can’t handle a mere “edgy” t-shirt.
And so powerful we can BULLIED A MAN INTO TEARS and FORCE him to apologize with mere criticism.
Um–is paradoxicality a superpower? (Or a cromulent word?)
That is an excellent summation, Kat. Thank you!
The reassuring thing for me in all this is that the GamerGomers, however loud and shrill, are pretty much doing the job of fringe-ifiying themselves for the rest of us. They think they’re an oppressed minority; they’re wrong about the former, and inadvertently becoming right about the latter. Oppressed, no; a minority (and a dwindling, racketing one), yes.
Of course, I’m being hopeful here. The intimidation factor coming from that side is still considerable, and we can’t forget the doxxing and death threats and shit. But even amid all that, they’re STILL making the feminists’ point, and making it hard NOT to see that misogyny exists, it is real, it’s a problem, and it is THE problem with GamerGunk.
@Kirby: The very end-end? *squints, trying to remember*
@proxieme:
It’s the event that triggers the standard “liar revealed” trope, just before the climax. I’d find a clip if I could, though I guess it’s an old movie so should I be so worried about spoilers?
SPOILER ALERT IN THE BLOCKQUOTE!
END SPOLIER ALERT!
Really soured the movie for me.
Kirby: if they were trying to somehow subvert that trope or hang the lampshade on it they did a terrible job. Nothing says “woman as trophy” like the freaking VILLAIN trying to get his hands on her.
What kind of pisses me off most (in a list of things that piss me off about this) is that Dr. Taylor GETS IT. He said in effect “oh, hell. yeah. that really was stupid and i wasn’t thinking, and of course it is hurtful to some or most women, and I should have used my head, but ‘really not thinking” Sorry!
it’s the MRA whiny brats who don’t get it. who turned his heart felt appology into trash by saying “he was forced into it”.
and the co-opting of rape language. Really????? you do not see a difference between “no one is saying you can’t wear the shirt to a bar, to comic con, down the street, but offices have office policies to protect all workers” vs “she said no, but i did anyhow cause SEXY SKIRT!”
The shirt is not edgy. The shirt is ugly and hopefully never sees the light of day again. Shut up Sommers.
That being said, these guys talk like cartoon super villains so often I was trying to figure out what sub group of SJWs was dubbed ‘The Verge’ before I goggled it.
And whoever made that Photoshopped one with the sign needs to step on a Lego and gain some empathy. In that order. That is not cool.
Tanya,
Yep, It is that bad.
They are saying that criticizing a man is as bad as raping a woman.
More accurately, they are saying that taking exception to a man wearing images that constitute sexual harassment in the workplace is just like raping a woman for wearing a short skirt, tight blouse or anything that shows ankle (misogynists will call anything provocative to defend harassment and rape) anywhere.
It says volumes about our society, doesn’t it?
It sure highlights what was wrong with wearing that shirt.