Before he decided to attach himself to the #GamerGate “movement,” Breitbart writer and all-around douchebag Milo Yiannopoulos took a certain pleasure in baiting gamer “nerds,” a demographic he once described as a bunch of “pungent beta-male bollock-scratchers and twelve-year olds.”
He’s not the only self-appointed #GamerGate savior who doesn’t seem to have much respect for the group he’s ostensibly championing. Over on Reaxxion — the atrociously written pro-GamerGate game site run by pickup guru and non-gamer Roosh — one writer implores fellow gamers to quite literally put down their controllers and pick up weights.
In 5 Reasons Why Gamers Should Life Weights, Alexander Anderson urges gamer nerds to become gamer jocks, and not just because regular exercise is good for your health. In Anderson’s mind, weightlifting nerds can also challenge the stereotype of gamers as “socially awkward, passive, uncool, and physically unappealing” nerds by not, you know, embodying the stereotypes so completely themselves.
Go to a gaming gathering event and pay attention to the other people around you. Look at how they dress and how they communicate with each other. Pay attention to their body language, tone of voice, mannerism, and what they talk about. Then go to a sporting event and repeat the process. Which group of people would an average person prefer to be around?
HINT: You’re supposed to pick the sports fans.
The solution? Lifting, bro!
If all gamers start lifting weights, it will help combat the public perception of gamers as unsociable cave dwellers.
And even if Anderson can’t convince every World of Warcrafter to hit the gym, at least those who do lift will have “an edge over other gamers.”
Humans subconsciously prefer the company of those who are bigger, stronger, and smarter than the rest. You will stand out among your gamer friends if you are the only one in the room with muscles. Your social standing will increase, your health will improve and you will gain more confidence from regularly exercising.
Huh. I thought GamerGaters wanted gaming to be a “safe space” for nerds, not another arena in which jocks get to lord it over them.
Gator logic is like, fuck, an Escher painting printed on a Möbius strip. Just endless impossible waterfalls, only the water is sewage.
Sports: I would love to be better at horseback riding, but (as observed upthread) perfect equestrian skill might also require the perfect horse and that might be asking too much of the universe. I’d definitely take perfect parkour/freerunning/gymnastic skill though.
Or yoga. I took a class over the summer and it for real ranks among the top ten hardest things I’ve ever done. Just the thought of plank makes my core hurt.
I have two good friends (now married) who are not only into yoga but this was one of the things that they first bonded over.
I’m too old and arthritic now, but I reckon circus skills would do me.
To satisfy competitive urges, I’d really, really have liked to take up competitive kite flying. There used to be a competition near where we took the kids camping for Xmas holidays and several people were down at the water’s edge going through their training routines every morning. Spectacular watching the kites just pop up out of the sand straight into the air.
Off topic, but too good not to share: Have you seen this?
http://www.alternet.org/media/game-reviewer-strikes-back-male-stalkers
Re: lifting instead of yoga or marathons — I think it’s because they have this notion that women find developed biceps, shoulders, and pecs more attractive than, say, endurance or balance.
But, for all that, I seem to recall that in my college days that the lifters were not as popular with women as guys with any number of other hobbies: the Ren-Faire guys for example.
The media that caters to a male demographic like video games, comic books, and action movies depict heroes as gianormously muscular. They don’t realize that those depictions are selling a power fantasy for men, not a sexual/romantic fantasy for women so they assume that’s what’s attractive to women. If they paid even a little attention to anything outside their manosphere bubble, they’d notice that the majority of women aren’t into huge jacked up guys. If you take a look at the most popular celebrities/fictional characters with women, they tend to be fit but not in a bodybuilder. Of course, as much as PUAs want to get laid they’re really more about impressing each other than they are into impressing women.
I’m still reading the wordpress of that baby pua we had in here a while back, myredpillmemoirs. It’s hilarious and simultaneously sad. The most recent post describes how this dude was dating up all last year because most of his girlfriends had their own cars. I’m not sure if I should laugh or pity him.
estraven: Haha yes I did read that. Remember the other story of when a guy sent a dick pic to a girl and she forwarded it to his mum? Just goes to show that for all the posturing these macho men do they’re still at a loss when faced with the wrath of their mothers.
Seriously, mums can be fucking terrifying when they’re angry. O_O
“Humans subconsciously prefer the company of those who are bigger, stronger, and smarter than the rest.”
DO they? Not in any civilized society I’ve ever lived in or read of. Not to mention “smarter than the rest” isn’t something traditionally associated in our society at least with “bigger, stronger.”
MRAs, PUAs and all them other acronyms are really toxic towards men. I have no time for the misogynistic gamer-gaters, obviously, but any advice that comes down to “change your body and people will like you better” makes my blood boil. And as someone who likes weight training, it pisses me off how many people give fitness a terrible name. It should never be about feel superior to anyone else, you do it because it feels good and makes you happy! And if you don’t want to do it, then don’t do it and find things in life that do make you happy.
Also, ideal sport: I’d love to be great at gymnastics. I always liked it, but knee injuries from martial arts make it a bit of an extra challenge.
And on the whole “prepper” thing. I don’t know any hardcore survivalists at all, but a few of my friends are getting quite into living in a more self-sufficient way. And really, they’re coming from the angle of trying to reduce the consequences of mass consumerism. One of my best friends is learning a lot about permaculture and trying to apply that knowledge around her home. She’s creating a really nice, mostly edible, urban garden.
Ok, I will change “swimming” for “synchronized swimming”.
NOW I can be awesome! 😀
Proxieme,
That clip was very cool. It does seem that it must be a pretty major retcon, thought? In the first dragon age game, Sten says that men and women have different jobs under the Qun — soldiers are male, priests are female, and so on. The second game goes to great pains to emphasize that you can never leave the jobs you were born to. I wonder how that works out in practice — if transgender people *are* allowed to leave their birth caste, and in fact are the only people able to?
While playing Unreal Tournament, I always wondered why the designers decided to make all the (male) characters into musclebound brutes. Why did they think that game-playing nerds would identify with the kinds of guys who used to push them around in high school? I decided that the decision must have been made by marketing types, former frat boys who were convinced that the nerdy kids always aspired to be just like them, because who wouldn’t? Meanwhile, the player-made models for the game were usually along the lines of James Bond, Batman and Bender the robot.
@weirwoodtreehugger: “If you take a look at the most popular celebrities/fictional characters with women, they tend to be fit but not in a bodybuilder.”
I’ve noticed that the most popular characters tend to be skinny guys who seem somehow wounded and are generally outsiders. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, David Tennant’s Doctor and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Holmes. Add to that the androgynous men of anime/manga and you get a general picture.
@markb
Power fantasy, presuming that many of the stereotypical scrawny bullied nerd types would want to be musclebound meatheads not to be just like their bullies, but to have the strength to fight them back. It’s true, too (see: James Bond, Batman – hell, that’s why kiddie-me used to dress up as Batman =P).
I mean, obviously Bond and Batman aren’t musclebound meatheads, but they still play into the same power fantasy. Whoo, 3:45 am.
@Social Justice Ranger
Didn’t Arkham Asylum and it’s sequels turn Barman into some barrel-chested brawler, and also do the same to the crazy doctor who was his antagonist for a good part of the series?
@sunnysombrera
Arnis/eskrima, boxing, or any similar martial art that endorses a healthy amount of sparring. Not that I’m violent or anything, but just seem to have more fun with sports that allow me to attack my opponent.
Our arnis school’s also pretty good at teaching hand-eye coordination, since the earlier “anyo” (Think “Kata” Karate) movements require dual-wield drills. And the more advanced drills involved a lot of training the proper use of and defense against knives.
I used to do weight back when I had time for a gym, but these days I got an exercise program from my arnis coach (We call them “guro”, much like how kung-fu practitioners refer to their teacher as “sifu”) that uses my body weight. And lots and lots of running and repetition drills.
Also, Alexander Anderson’s article disgusts me, both as a gamer and as a martial arts practitioner.
@markb
And ballet dancers. Don’t forget those guys.
There’s the “stout” kind of strong like TF2’s Heavy Weapons guy, and there’s the “wiry as steel cable” strong, like Bruce Lee or Manny Pacquiao. The problem I have with GG and Anderson’s article is that he seems fixated on the former.
Which of these is more useful for sex? I rest my case.
Wait, this sounds suspiciously like hypergamy. Hyperfriendy. Isn’t that what they’re always accusing feeeeemales of doing? Ignoring the physically unimposing “nice guy” in favor of the musclebound jock?
It’s also completely wrong, and terrible advice. Make sure your friends feel inadequate! The judges are watching! You can’t win the friendship competition unless you can outbench everyone else!
I use to take dance class like ballet, jazz and tap. I did because I wanted to be fit and meet new friends I was happy. I wasn’t doing it to be alpha female.
Buttercup
“Wait, this sounds suspiciously like hypergamy. Hyperfriendy. Isn’t that what they’re always accusing feeeeemales of doing?”
No you see everything a female does is wrong unless she agrees with everything a man says because we all know that no man could do no wrong but if he did something wrong it’s because of a female.
Hmm, why were these guys annoyed at Leigh Alexander again?
Alexander: Stereotypical gamers are over.
Gamergate: Waaagh, corruption-collusion, discrimination. Stoppit, stoppit, boycott now.
Anderson: Gamers should be over being stereotypical gamers.
Gamergate: *awkward silence*
My favorite Marvel hero as a kid was Dr. Strange, because he won by knowing things. Arcane, mysteeeerious things.
Now he’s drawn as an extreme mesomorph with bulging thews. Why?! Why does the Sorcerer Supreme look like that? I am not happy about that.
Pretty much says it all….