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From the Archives: Candace Owens meets Gamergate — and things get weird

Candace Owens: Has a thing for terrible dudes

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By David Futrelle

Candace Owens — self-proclaimed “Red Pill Black” conservative — is having a bit of a moment, hanging out with new Trump fan Kanye West, posing for selfies with Don Jr., getting an effusive Twitter shout-out from Don Sr,, threatening to sue people who talk about her in what she considers the wrong way.

A lot of people have been left wondering just where exactly Owens came from. Well, there’s a bit of a story there.

Long-time readers of this blog first met Owens back in the days of Gamergate, after Zoe Quinn criticized her ill-conceived plan for an “anti-bullying” site that would have basically doxed a bunch of teenagers. After Quinn spoke out, Gamergaters spouting conspiracy theories quickly abandoned their own critiques of Owens and  rallied around her. Owens began spouting conspiracy theories of her own, and, well, let’s just say things got very weird very fast, as they generally seem to do when Owens gets involved in anything.

In several posts, I tried my best to make sense of the whole surreal mess. I’m linking them here because I think they may illuminate a few things about Trump World’s newest heroine.

Social Autopsy founder Candace Owens channels GamerGate in bizarre attack on Zoe Quinn (APRIL 20, 2016)

This post describes what happened immediately after Owens first heard from Quinn. Trust me, the headline (and the snippet from the post below) don’t fully capture the weirdness of the story.

Instead of listening to Quinn, Owens declared war on her, spewing forth dozens of angry and accusatory tweets, charging that Quinn and fellow anti-harassment activist Randi Harper … were somehow the puppetmasters behind a barrage of abusive, threatening, and often blatantly racist anonymous messages that Owens (who is black) started getting not long after news of Owens’ plans hit Reddit and 4chan.

Owens quickly began to sound like every other internet crackpot who sees conspiracies in every Twitter mention.

SocialAutopsy-Turvy: Candace Owens’ Twitter Trainwreck, Part One
 (APRIL 24, 2016)

And quite a trainwreck it was. The story continued to get weirder, and at such a pace that I never had a chance to write part two.

In furious post, SocialAutopsy’s Candace Owens attacks a WashPo story that isn’t there APRIL 25, 2016

In this episode, Owens writes an angry diatribe against an article she imagined that Washington Post writer Caitlin Dewey had written about her. No, really. She accused Dewey and her editor of attempting to libel her in an article that the Post never published and that as far as I know Dewey never even wrote.

Giddy Gamergater: Will Candace Owens show the world that we’ve been right all along? (APRIL 28, 2016)

Naturally, Gamergaters were thrilled to have such an, er, original thinker on their side.

NOTE TO READERS: Sorry for being MIA the last couple of days; I’ve been dealing with the double whammy of migraines and some really nasty lower back pain. Doing a little better today.

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Anne
Anne
6 years ago

Hope you’ll get better soon, David 🙂 I have scoliosis, so I know what backpain means

Robert Walker-Smith
Robert Walker-Smith
6 years ago

I injured my lower left back almost twenty years ago. It took a while to get better, and there are still occasional twinges to remind me. Effective pain relief was invaluable, as was constant awareness of not becoming otherwise dependent on it.

It has given me a sympathetic understanding of those with physically demanding jobs who become dependent on prescription opioids in order to keep working.

Candace Owens, I have no such sympathetic understanding of. The time will come when she is no longer a useful tool, and the people she is trusting break their tools when they cease to be useful.

Weird (thumper of trumpanzees) Eddie
Weird (thumper of trumpanzees) Eddie
6 years ago

@ EJ (the other one)

Can I ask the context of the story about torture in Britain? Citation, article, etc. I want to research it and I’m coming up with blanks

Also, yeah, seems like more new shit every day. 🙁

Talonknife
Talonknife
6 years ago

@Who?

In the meanwile Zoe Quinn is nominated in this years Hugoaward (Best related work).
Good luck to her, and even if she is not succesful it is (now again) a big honour to be nominated.

Speaking of the Hugo Awards, I discovered recently that an author whose novel I read and actually really liked was the one who started that whole Sad Puppies thing to fix the Hugo Awards a few years back (Larry Correia). Now I’m not sure if I should read the rest of the novels in the series.

Weird (thumper of trumpanzees) Eddie
Weird (thumper of trumpanzees) Eddie
6 years ago

@Talonknife;

Being a good storyteller is, unfortunately, no barrier to being a bad person….

Mish of the Catlady Ascendancy
Mish of the Catlady Ascendancy
6 years ago

If anyone is in need of a laugh (or even a just a grin), you might find this amusing.
Overwatch recently announced a breast cancer fundraising initiative, which offers players the chance to buy a new skin for the healer character, Mercy (among other things – they’re also donating money to research, offering in-game rewards, selling pink T-shirts, and more).
That’s not the amusing bit, obv. What’s hilarious is the commentary from various gamers who are not happy about it. @LadyBloof has a great thread where she’s collected some of the reactions. This is my favourite so far (it’s peak fedora):
comment image

(I’m aware of recent critiques of the whole pink ribbon campaign as problematic, but that’s an issue for another day)

Z&T
Z&T
6 years ago

Emotional hurt ..

Tomorrow is mother’s day. Did anyone call to see how I’m doing?
(my mom recently passed away.)

No they did not. I’m talking about my so called “family”, relatives. Who seem to be doing enough of “mother’s day weekend” things.
Made the mistake of looking at FB.

Did any of these people call me?

No.

Invite me to anything? Even call to see how I was doing? Nope. Nothing. My mom’s own sister, my supposed “aunt”, you don’t care about your own sister’s child?

No she does not. And never did.
Certain bad words are ok here? I was about to call this woman all manner of things, then realized it doesn’t make me feel better at all.

🙁

Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
6 years ago

Amazing the butthurt you’ll see out of the gamergaters. I mean this is a skin right? So it’s a) optional, you don’t have to spring for one if you don’t want to; and b) it doesn’t give those who do any gameplay advantage, so opting out won’t get you trounced because everyone else starts outcompeting you.

So what’s the beef? Don’t like it, don’t partake. Same as with gay marriage and things like that, come to think of it. If you don’t want to you don’t have to and you’re not being disadvantaged somehow because others can. Why not live and let live?

Jesalin: Clit-o-centric Lesbian Goddess
Jesalin: Clit-o-centric Lesbian Goddess
6 years ago

hugs Z&T (if you want ’em)

Z&T
Z&T
6 years ago

Thank you, Jesalin, means a lot 🙂

Locococo
Locococo
6 years ago

Thought you might find this recent article in “The Economist” of interest. According to the evolutionary psychology theory so vividly spouted by the MGTOW and Incels, fertile women long to have sex with Chad and his super-masculine features (plus that so fetching triangular blond haircut) and then pawn the resulting offspring off on unsuspecting beta males. According to the article, the studies supporting this hypothesis were problematic, for example using small samples, and a recent large-scale study involving over 500 women and controlling for flaws in past studies found no “statistically significant relationship between the levels of any hormones and preferences for more masculine faces.” https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21741964-attractiveness-mens-faces-not-related-ovulation-idea-women

Bananananana dakry: Short-Haired, Fat, and Deranged
Bananananana dakry: Short-Haired, Fat, and Deranged
6 years ago

@Z&T My sympathies. 🙁 That just sucks, especially in the wake of losing your mom. Some people aren’t family, they just happen to share your genes.

And on that note I need to at least email my mom. I was fully intending to today, but got sidetracked. Now I feel crappy, as I truly love my mom.

Kestrel
Kestrel
6 years ago

I hope you feel better soon David. I live with a chronic pain condition so I can understand how much it takes out of you. I had one idea. Have you ever talked to your doctor about getting a TENS unit for your back pain? They even sell baby sized ones in stores without a prescription (it goes under the Smart Relief brand name). It really helps my stepdad’s back pain.

EJ (The Other One)
6 years ago

@Weird Eddie:

Here are some links about the case:

https://theconversation.com/amp/britain-mi6-and-the-belhaj-case-the-outstanding-questions-96438

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-government-seeks-secret-hearing-latest-court-battle-belhaj-1090752372

http://reprieve.org/cases/abdul-hakim-belhaj-fatima-boudchar/

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/10/abdel-hakim-belhaj-rendition-who-did-it-mi6-scandal-same-old-excuse

The part that depresses me is that the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) has decided not to advance criminal prosecution against anyone for this; that is, they’ve said that it’s perfectly fine to commit torture as long as you did so under the auspices of government. I appreciate that this is a legal fig leaf for a political decision, but it sickens me. I thought Britain was a better country than that.

Who?
Who?
6 years ago

Talonknife:

Speaking of the Hugo Awards, I discovered recently that an author whose novel I read and actually really liked was the one who started that whole Sad Puppies thing to fix the Hugo Awards a few years back (Larry Correia). Now I’m not sure if I should read the rest of the novels in the series.

I wish I could help you here, but I have never read a book by him in my life. It is difficult because the whole mess started to get him a hugo.
(Anythink else is a later chance in the story)
Latter he brought Vox Day in the spotlight and gave the torch to Brad Torgerson, after that I got much worse.
I have heared his books are enjoyable and I have seen one or two in a bookstore.
Personally I will probably never pick one of his book up, but if you want to read his book without paying him money, liberys exist.

Allandrel
Allandrel
6 years ago

I read Brad Torgerson’s essay where he complained that science fiction was no longer as uniform and predictable as his favorite breakfast cereal, then went on to complain that he can no longer judge a book by its cover, and a little part of me died.

Auz
Auz
6 years ago

Regarding the RSS feed. I think what’s happened is.

1) Someone has taken over your old manboobz.com domain, and is pointing it to a boner pill scam site.

2) If you’re someone who’s been subscribed to the RSS feed from the manboobz days, Feedly still thinks of the feed is connected to manboobz.com

3) When feedly shows the feed, although all the links to articles go to the right place, when it looks at the original “source” site, it hits manboobz.com which resolves to the scam site now, so it shows that instead.

I deleted and re-added the RSS using wehuntedthemammoth.com, and the scam site is no longer referenced.

Dormousing_it
Dormousing_it
6 years ago

@WWTH:

I think you’re right about that. At least, for Americans. I made a concerted effort a month ago to stop looking at any and all political news, but I was unable to stick to it. I also think it’s probably irresponsible, as a citizen, to disregard all political news.

I’m in an occupation that makes the trying times we live in, all the more difficult to ignore.

@Mish:

Your kitty is adorable! So floofy.

Dormousing_it
Dormousing_it
6 years ago

@Z&T: I’m sorry no one called you about your mother. I know it makes a big difference.

I’ve still gotta call my mommy, that fascist. She’s probably on a golf course right now.

@EJ (the other one):

Shocking. I have no words. Depressingly, I’ve read that a majority of Americans are pro-torture, or at least, aren’t anti-torture.

katiekittrn420
katiekittrn420
6 years ago

Hi everybody! I hope everyone’s doing well. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who it applies to, and everyone else why not?

Firstly, I just want to say to Eldridge, I’m black and I understand why you said what you said and I don’t think it would be inappropriate in all spaces. There are some black people I know who occasionally would use that term I remember someone referring to Ben Carson specifically.

But the people here aren’t trying to tone police you or dictate what black people can and cannot say. In my opinion pretty much all the regulars here are very nice reasonable people. But this is not the place to use that word. It is just the type of mixed company where it’s not appropriate. I don’t think anyone was trying to be rude just in case you felt that way.

I personally don’t use the n-word but I have black friends who do not gratuitously and indiscriminately but when they feel it’s appropriate and I see nothing wrong with that. I just want you to feel like someone understands that you didn’t mean any harm because I’m really insecure and if a bunch of people got annoyed with me I feel a little sad I’m not saying you do so I just wanted to let you know that someone understood.

Second this Kanye thing including Candace Owens and all the rest of it is really upsetting me deeply. I’m not even a Kanye fan like I think he’s fine but I don’t particularly like rap music it is not my favorite so I’ve never really felt that strongly about him.

But I know many people who are like he’s a genius and they love him. The fact that he’s gone this far into MAGA world is just intensely depressing to me. Some people are holding out hope it’s some crazy gimmick for his next project but I really don’t think so.

I’ve heard he suffers from bipolar disorder and after his mom died it just got worse I’m not sure if that’s a fact but I’ve heard it from a few people and if so I hope he gets treatment but that’s not going to cause you to have political opinions and he is so obviously ignorant I listened to his statements about slavery was a choice and a number of other things during his interview, SMDH.

To me the really important part is that he has true influence in the black community and that just disturbs me. Most of the people I know(well I don’t think I know anyone who would change their mind about Donald Trump because of Kanye’s opinion) But I’m pretty sure there are people out there who would.

He’s using his platform as a black artist misinformed and essentially hurt black people and I’m not even sure how you would go about counteracting that. He has so much respect in the black community. I mean there are a visible minority of people who still stick up for Cosby and R Kelly for fucks sake. Anyway let me get to sleep I’m ranting now. Everyone have a lovely day

Redsilkphoenix: Jetpack Vixen, FemiNest Collective agent, Hell Toupee keeper & Intergalactic Meanie
Redsilkphoenix: Jetpack Vixen, FemiNest Collective agent, Hell Toupee keeper & Intergalactic Meanie
6 years ago

@Allandrel,

I remember reading back in the mid-1990’s an essay by Ben Bova decrying the rise of computers because that was destroying reading. Like, the act of reading requires the interaction of paper and ink with a live flesh and blood person to take place, something a computer screen with its electronic pixels and lights can’t provide. (In other words, no-one here is actually reading what I just wrote, they’re just viewing words on a screen.)

That was the start of teenage/young adult me coming to realize that despite the PR of SF being all progressive and inclusive and forward-thinking and stuff, in many was it wasn’t.

Moggie
Moggie
6 years ago

Allandrel:

I read Brad Torgerson’s essay where he complained that science fiction was no longer as uniform and predictable as his favorite breakfast cereal, then went on to complain that he can no longer judge a book by its cover, and a little part of me died.

He did that. Just in case any readers think you’re being metaphorical: Torgersen really, literally complained that a book with a spaceship on the cover might have themes of “racial prejudice and exploitation”, rather than just “pioneering derring-do”. Apparently, the idea that “derring-do” looks rather different from the perspective of the derrees, and that that might make for engaging fiction, isn’t acceptable: space fiction must only be told from the point of view of slab-jawed straight white conquering dudes. And somehow this failed to get Torgersen laughed off the planet.

Cats In Shiny Hats
Cats In Shiny Hats
6 years ago

@Z&T
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that you can find peace even today.