I‘m on a brief blog hiatus, but I wanted to direct your attention to idledillettante’s definitive account of how Eron Gjoni, Zoe Quinn’s vengeful ex-boyfriend, not only launched what became #GamerGate but has shaped and directed it both in public and behind the scenes. And it’s all carefully documented with screenshots of Gjoni’s own words online — on 4chan, on Reddit, on Twitter, and on his own blog, often in direct violation of the restraining order that’s supposed to prohibit him talking about Quinn online.
Here’s idledilletante’s summary of the whole sordid story:
1. Eron knowingly promoted his tell-all blog post about Quinn on 4chan, knowing it was likely to cause harassment.
2. Rather than try to quell the harassment (As he might have you believe), Gjoni actually basked in the attention, to try and stir up even more agita against his ex.
3. Once confronted with his actions, Eron tried to distance himself from #gamergate, and move his involvement of Quinn behind the scenes. Unfortunately we have evidence of this string-pulling.
4. Eron’s fight against his restraining order is merely a continuation of the harassment he was already engaging in. If he wins his legal battle he’s likely to post even more private info about Quinn as a reward for his backers.
5. Gjoni has essentially ruined his good name in pursuit of this revenge quest. He knows this, and it makes him bitter that his plans to sideline Quinn in her own industry have backfired so spectacularly.
6. Gjoni sexually harasses women critical of him; especially when caught in a lie or backed into a corner logically. I find this a telling clue about his real attitude about women, although Gjoni claims to be a feminist.
But I suggest you read the whole thing; the details are creepy and revealing indeed.
If Mackey comes back, we can link to this thread as an example of he or she should have acted.
Hopefully next time I’m a positive example I won’t inadvertantly piss off a couple dozen people first.
I think we all need this:
Thought experiment: if Gamergate likes to No True Scotsman the harassers and stalkers in their midst, then why can’t I No True Scotsman the *koff* reasonable GGers?
I, too, am concerned with ethics in gaming journalism—by which I mean, the ACTUAL ethical problems in games journalism, not whether a LW said mean things about gamers or slept with guys for a review that didn’t happen. Why is my opinion on what makes a “real” GamerGater less valid than theirs?
If GamerGate a “leaderless revolution” then its values and goals are decided by the people that claim its mantle: the harassers and and stalkers get a vote, too.
(Of course it’s all a crock, and everyone knows it. The GGers who claim that GG isn’t about harassment are deluded or lying.)
If you can ignore the ableism in the title, this is a pretty funny summary of JuiceBro Lawyer’s precious bodily fluids obsession.
https://storify.com/SJWIlluminati/juicebro-is-fucking-nuts
My favorite response:
https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity/status/541495600119054337
…What?
No, seriously, what? Apparently semen is the green sludge from the Toxic Avenger, or at least Mike’s is.
And has anyone explained yet how a movement concerned with ethical behavior justifies setting up sockpuppet accounts to spy on their enemies and try to trick “neutrals” into supporting GamerGate?
(How is the Great Tumblr War going for them, anyway?)
Tumblr has already moved on. Yep, that really made an impact, well done guys.
@Ira
Oh, whoops, understood now! No worries at all, I wasn’t really pissed off, just seriously confused and grumping around from a rough day. My apologies for taking it out on you. ^^;;
(You know who else could deign to learn from this other than Mackey? GrumpyOldMan.)
And now for something we all can agree on.
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f9a6d75d78845b9b7bc2ac87bc9f9549/tumblr_nf9zy5PE6y1rl1jado1_r1_500.gif
@ Ian Lippert – Please take a mulligan.
“PSA to all dudes: if a girl is not interested in you and you don’t move on immediately you are a total self absorbed idiot.”
can be fixed quite easily.
I see nothing in Ian’s comment that needs to be fixed other than a couple of typos.
DJG, what are you talking about? Like cassandra said, there’s nothing wrong with Ian’s comment.
Maybe DJG means that ‘girl or boy’ might be more useful advice? Might have been a bit more polite to just say that though, instead of making people guess, I think.
The only reason I can think of to fight a restraining order is if you need security clearance for your job. EG doesn’t need that. Also, it is clear by his actions that Quinn was right in filing that order. The whole thing stinks of an abuser finding ways to hurt his intended victim by using the idiot asshole internet misogynists as weapons. It worked too. They eagerly danced like puppets on his strings. For some men and even a few women, any excuse to harm a woman will do.
I love that kitty chasing snow. Dracarys chases leaves blowing around from indoors so it reminded me of her.
My old cat once chased snow around on a windowledge, but with his mouth wide open trying to catch flakes.
@Jay Elmore
In the main I agree with you, but I’d like for you to think a little bit about why you chose to refer to human beings with the dehumanizing label “literally who.”
Forgive me if this seems like lashing a dead horse but I’m not as quick with reacting to things in ‘Net Time. WRT my earlier comment and the replies, the point iI was trying to make is that ethical problems and corruption does exist in the game journo world. Paid for reviews, blackmail, intimidation by AAA studios… It is this kernel of truth that the hate mongers are exploiting to lure in unsuspecting people. They take this seed and cover it with the SJW crap along with the plethora of manufactured “proof” (I’m constantly inundated with links on Twitter and in forums). If there was some way to separate out the legitimate issues from the hate it would go a long way towards killing off much of this mess.
GOBACK,
The problem is GG started as a misogyny and harassment campaign and only used journalistic ethics as a cover. If someone wants to discuss any ethical issues, they should not be using the label gamergate. Choosing it is choosing to identify with misogynists and harassers. One shouldn’t throw all the people GG has targeted (not just women, there’s a load of racism, homophobia, transphobia and anti-Semitism too) under the bus in the name of ethical game reviews. Human beings are more important. Anyone who is truly concerned with the ethics of others needs to be acting ethically themselves.
LOLwut?
Sorry, dumbro, but neither of those things is going to keep you from becoming a festering fever swamp of AIDS, HPV and Bog only knows what all else. Put on a condom and get tested, you idiot.
(Also, ladies, avoid this one like the plague he is.)
I think everyone who is in more than tangential contact with gaming is aware of this, and has been for a long time. I knew game reviewers were just paid advertisers the first time I picked up a gaming magazine to discover if Sonic 2 was worth the money, and discovered that the “review” was 5 or 6 pages of breathless gushing. That was, like, 1992 or something.
There are two kinds of people in GG: the ones whose purpose is to harass women, and the ones who aren’t in it to harass women but who nevertheless think that the harassment is no big deal. It is impossible to follow or participate in GG for any length of time at all without noticing the harassment. There are no innocent, deluded GGers; at best, there are some GGers who really care about game journalism, but who also don’t mind that GG is a harassment machine.
Enablers of misogyny are also misogynists, and there’s no point in trying to separate the active haters from the ones who just hold a casual contempt for women, because there really isn’t a difference.
Policy of Madness:
I’m sorry, I was trying to emulate a GamerGater there for a moment. I think the whole “Literally Who” thing is repulsive; I’ve said so here before.
You wouldn’t catch me calling myself a GamerGater or claiming sympathy for them if my life depended on it.
GOBACK:
The way to separate the discussion of ethics in gaming journalism from the harassment is to divorce oneself from GamerGate entirely.
GamerGate was not the first group to ask these questions, and it won’t be the last. Heck, some of the journalists and sites that GG targets asks these questions, too!
Bina:
Assuming he’s not just making that crap up, it doesn’t surprise me that he doesn’t give a damn whether or not he gives the women he meets an STD.
He’s not looking for a life partner or a loving, intimate relationship, he wants a cheap lay. I can see him as the kind of guy who thinks he’s “leaving his mark” on the women he sleeps with. (Ew.)