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Welcome to the first episode of MEME FAIL, a new series of posts in which I look at, well, memes that fail. It’s kind of all there in the name, huh?
Today, we look at a meme aimed at former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Wil Wheaton, who has apparently committed the egregious sin of expressing his opinion about #GamerGate on Twitter.
The MEME. (Click for a larger version.)
How it FAILS: There’s really no way in which this meme doesn’t fail.
Let’s start with the most obvious problem: Calling #GamerGaters stupid pieces of dog poop is not actually racist or sexist. Apparently, #GamerGaters feel that because there are some people in their little movement who aren’t straight cis white dudes, any insult directed at their little movement is therefore racist and sexist (and homophobic and transphobic)?
Yeah, that’s not how it works. It almost seems like #GamerGate is trying to use women and people of color (and GLBT folks) as, well, a way to shield themselves from criticism while being complete assholes and bigots?
Then there’s the whole “Eulogy” thing. Wheaton is not actually suggesting that #GamerGate should go die, literally or figuratively. He’s actually quoting from the lyrics of a song by Tool called, well, “Eulogy.”
The song in question, as best as anyone has been able to figure out, is a snarky takedown of a self-righteous, self-appointed martyr who “had a lot of nothing to say.” Tool’s drummer has suggested that it’s aimed at L. Ron Hubbard. But, as Wheaton notes, the song very well could have been written about #GamerGaters, if #GamerGaters had been a thing when it was written.
You sure could yell.
You took a stand on every little thing
And so loud.
Standing above the crowd
So loud. So very very loud.
BONUS IRONY: I ran across this meme being mocked on r/gamerghazi, but did a reverse image search to find a larger and more readable version of it. I found one in a thread on FunnyJunk.com in which one of the commenters refers to “Wil ‘Captain Mangina’ Wheaton” as “the gayest faggot in Fagtopia” and, well, let’s just say that the commenter also suggests that Wheaton enjoys anal sex.
That sounds awesome. You go, Lea, have fun!
(Do they still say “you go”?)
And also A+ gif usage, there.
I think a spiky red crew cut earns you enough feminazi points for a lifetime. Just aging is misandric enough.
I’m pretty sure that letting your hair go grey is the ultimate misandry, especially if you really don’t give a shit who notices.
@ WWTH – You’re right! Daring to exist in one’s 5th decade as a feeeeemale probably is sufficient misandry! Thanks!
@ Lea – Singing in the man tears,
I’m just singing in the man tears!
What a glorious feeling
To confirm misogynists’ worse fears!
I do hope saying ‘you go’ is still a thing, because “You GO, Lea!”.
True, enough, cassandrakitty! If it gets a bit longer, I could even come close to doing bride of Frankenstein hair! And, with the excellent hair products they have now, I might not even have to resort to starch and Elmer’s white glue!
I really wish my white hair would cooperate and grow in as a big dramatic streak, I’d totally leave it as is if it did.
Dyed hair also makes it harder for MRAs to reduce women to hair color, eg “the blonde in Sales” or “the brunette next to me at the club”. Saying “I had drinks with the pink in Accounting” sounds idiotic.
As well it should.
It’s a pity Susan Sto Helit is like the exact opposite color scheme from the Bride.
http://frikisreconocidos.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tumblr_mewl0iFFoP1r5q0hdo9_500.jpg
It seems like a much tougher job to me, I meant to say.
Considering what “The pink” usually means to MRAs, they probably say that a lot regardless of hair colour.
Thank you. I will go. 🙂
A couple weeks ago I didn’t want to, but I changed my mind. I think it will be fun. If not, at least I met some new people.
They think it works by saying “Definitely DON’T visit my blog.”
Thus Spake Zarakatz:
“And definitely don’t harass this person. I’m only posting her address and phone number so you can make 100% sure you don’t accidentally send her rape and death threats.”
@grumpyoldnurse, “I’m cheering for men’s pain/just cheering for men’s pain…”
@ Orion – what a glorious feeling! I’ll misander again!
stardustfalling,
I’m, sorry that leech treated you that way. I’m so glad you rid yourself of him. He’s a shitty person.
I have considered dying my hair in the past, but…natural redhead. Our hair reacts weirdly to dyes, I am told, and temp dyes can be permanent. 🙁
@ Gil…prolly so. Could try a blue streak, it might come out purple…or snip a bit off and pretest. I can say that blue washes RIIIIGHT on out, in my experience.
Alas, I doubt I shall be allowed exotic colors, if I get to work as a PI it will behoove me to look as naive and innocent as possible…hehehehe…
stardustfalling: As others noted, deep sympathies for being in that shitty relationship, and congrats for getting out and moving on. (Also, while painful, the ‘circle of friends’ you lost were probably showing their true colors, and you’re better off without them, too.)
stardustfalling (neat name) – freemage’s right.
If a circle of friends would skitter off after that series of events, they weren’t really friends worth having. I’ve seen enough actual friends lose a chunk of their (socially unrelated to me) friends after a life change to grok that.
Re: skinny body shaming:
Editing to add: Whoah, I pulled a real teal deer down there. Executive summary: I’ve been about as skinny as that girl, too, and have had some snide comments thrown my way; but they pale in comparison to the shit show that I’ve seen people who don’t fit our rather narrow range of ideal endure (both from external and internal sources).
I know it’s not a contest, but c’mon now.
I, too, have been suuuuper skinny (when I was younger by virtue of my genetic hand and when I was a bit older because I tend not to eat when I’m depressed), and – while there were those who’d make snide comments – the overwhelming reaction was, “Wow, you look so great! How do you do it?” (Funny you should ask – (1) by being 19 and having stick-thin parents and then (2) because my husband cheated on and left me for a contractor while he was deployed. Cheers!)
It helped that, even in statistically-unhealthy BMI-territory, I sport C/D-Cups. “Oh! I can make assumptions about this stranger’s life and personality because she’s skinny and stacked!”
And the girl in that pic?
I didn’t immediately see her as photoshopped all to hell. I can actually see one of my older daughters looking very much like her in a few years. Though they eat like wee horses, you can count their little ribs (yet they somehow have nascent six packs o_o ) and their arms and legs are (proportionally) thick and muscular (mostly because we’re fortunate to have enough of a yard so making them go outside and play can be a thing).
But my major worry for them (related to their body/body image) as they get older is who may try to take advantage of them during that window when (a) their bodies are naturally and effortlessly like that and (2) their neocortices aren’t fully mature.
On the other hand, my youngest takes more after her father. She currently weighs nearly as much as my middle child (5 years her senior) – broad chest and back; thick, solid legs and arms; and a stomach just sheathed in muscle beneath her little layer of young childhood.
I worry for her because I fear that as she gets older she will internalize our society’s messages about “acceptable beauty” and attempt to emulate the body type of her sisters – something that it would be unrealistic and unhealthy for her.
I worry for her because she’s probably going to be more Korra and less Asami ( 😀 ) and I’ve seen how difficult self-acceptance can be for women who deviate even a bit from the “ideal” that flits about in our collective æther.
It’s not a competition, but it’s a lot easier to love your body (especially if you’re young and haven’t yet completely owned yourself) if it bears a resemblance to those that we see held up everywhere in the media as what’s “right” than of you have to work through those to find bodily self-acceptance.
That’s why it’s especially annoying to me when MRA a-holes whine about Dove commercials (or whatever) showing a range of body types.
You’ve seen their complaints – they’ll throw a graphic fit, pouting, “You want us to think that [this] is attractive when we want to think that [that] is attractive! Whaaah!”
No, it’s not about you, shitlord, and what pleases your boner – it’s about helping people to see variety in media representation because representation matters in self-perception (SCIENCE!)
@M.
Dare I ask…?
I know one woman who has allowed her hair to go grey and has a traffic stopping brilliant red streak/wave/swatch across the front.
She’s worth a double-sided misandry medal I reckon.
mildlymagnificent,
That sounds fantastic!
re:hair dye
I always wanted to be able to dye my hair, but it reacts in bizarre never-before-seen ways and I end up looking like a curly-haired Ichigo no matter what color I started as.
re:Nethack
I switched to Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup when I got a computer without a numpad, but didn’t enjoy it as much as Nethack. Still put way too much time in it though. I think I was just too used to the way Nethack worked so I never got very good at the others. Even Nethack was an adjustment for me though – I started with MacMoria.
My hair doesn’t take dye very well. I can dye it, but it won’t last a week, so…sigh. Oh well, at least it’s naturally auburn, naturally curly, and going white in interesting streaks. I guess I can misander with the best of ’em no matter what!