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Canadian Prime Minister:"We need to stand against gamergate and video games misogyny"

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Slavik81

Member
Sadly, this tends to describe how gaming fans in general react to criticism.
For the longest time, moralizing criticism of video games was solely the domain of politicians seeking to restrict or ban them. Fighting that battle over the past few decades has left the gaming community feeling very insecure and hostile to all criticism of the sort.

It's a vicious spiral. Fear leads to fear leads to fear leads to fear...
 

Walpurgis

Banned
For the longest time, moralizing criticism of video games was solely the domain of politicians seeking to restrict or ban them. Fighting that battle over the past few decades has left the gaming community feeling very insecure and hostile to all criticism of the sort.

It's a vicious spiral. Fear leads to fear leads to fear leads to fear...

Let's be real, these guys were still learning to read when that was happening. I went on the KotakuInAction subreddit for the first time today and skimmed through the comments. It's not about games, it's a right wing movement.
 

Slavik81

Member
Let's be real, these guys were still learning to read when that was happening. I went on the KotakuInAction subreddit for the first time today and skimmed through the comments. It's not about games, it's a right wing movement.
Perhaps. A community's culture tends to be at least partly adopted even by new members, but you do make a good point.
 

komplanen

Member
The times we live in when a politician is making waves about how video game industry needs to change... and it's actually something good.

Keep being mostly awesome, Canada.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Your still not forgiven for Celine Dion, Canada
 

Rathorial

Member
Honestly surprised Gamergate got enough attention to be worthy as something a politician would be focused on dealing with vs. the myriad of other issues out there.

Sucks that other more positive aspects of the industry can't get as much attention, or heck even attention for devs that get paid crap for overworked hours.
 
D

Deleted member 126221

Unconfirmed Member
Honestly surprised Gamergate got enough attention to be worthy as something a politician would be focused on dealing with vs. the myriad of other issues out there.

He seriously isn't "focussing his attention" on this. This is a quote from a way longer interview about women issues. He doesn't promise to do anything concrete about it, he just states that gamergate is terrible.
.
 
If there's one group of people I trust - particular regarding video games - it's politicians.
Given politicians speaking about video games has never not been about censoring or banning them in some way until now, this is not an unreasonable statement. But, a world leader with some knowledge of internet culture? Gasp! The peak of GG in Oct-Dec 2014 was a clusterfuck of incidents that made international news at times. I'd hope a modern politician running on an anti-bullying platform would know about it.
And that's just enough to drive Gaters into a shit-flinging rage. They should be more worried about how the TPP will essentially online anonymity.
An -actual- political cause is an order of magnitude higher in terms of energy spent than they're willing to invest. Be more precise and say they want accountability for chan domains and they'll pay attention.
Should we blame the media?
Or blame the GameStop shelves?
Or should we look in a mirror and blame ourselves?
No!

Blame Canada!
Perfect, yet depressingly on-point. How many GG supporters were even alive back then? Honest question.
 

Terrell

Member
He's older than Harper was when he became Prime Minister.

PS. Maybe I should avoid mentioning Harper as much as possible and pretend those 10 years never happened :p

No, he's not. He's Canada's 2nd-youngest Prime Minister, and the title of youngest is held by Joe Clark, so... yeah.....

tumblr_nwjrfa368g1szmngno1_1280.png

Yes, please throw your efforts at the Prime Minister, it will ensure you end up in prison where you belong in a much MUCH faster time window.

Honestly surprised Gamergate got enough attention to be worthy as something a politician would be focused on dealing with vs. the myriad of other issues out there.

I wasn't aware leaders were required to only focus on one issue at a time.
 

Tabris

Member
No one will tell me directly (just joke with something about journalism) and every google search doesn't explain it well.

How does the GamerGate audience look like anything but misogyny?

Can someone explain it to me with examples that show the GamerGate side in a good light without the jokes and memes please, so I can understand their view and perspective.
 

Terrell

Member
the canadian leader can, i mean, what else is he doing.

Imagine George W Bush in the body of a snake oil salesman with a Lego-man haircut for nearly 10 years in power who actively attempted to destroy his dissenters and succeeded in doing so. Now imagine the god-awful mess that would leave behind.

Trust me. He'll be plenty busy.
 

Tabris

Member
the canadian leader can, i mean, what else is he doing.

Leading a G7 country through an economic stagnation, environmental plan preparation for the Paris discussions, re-defining the ISIL combat patterns, re-defining and containing our version of the Patriot Act, repealing an act that limits citizenship status of immigrants, increasing Syrian refugee status, repairing relations with multiple countries that have been harmed, legalizing marijuana, determining how to enact the best voter reform, etc.

Stop trying to trivialize Canada because of your American insecurity.
 
I never post in GG threads, but I always do have fun seeing who was banned, and then seeing what blatant ignorance or stupidity led to it.
Makes for a frustratingly fun read.
 

friz898

Member
You don't understand what is wrong with online harassment? It's not exactly rocket science.

I honestly don't know how to multi-quote that, that's not rocket science either.



I figured after reading the first page of replies and realizing I was in the minority (or at least the vocal minority) of this issue, that I may get a reply, but I'm nobody known on this message board, I honestly am surprised I had like 4-5 quote-replies when I came back to this 1-2 hours later.


Ok, so now that I typed that so you know my thinking a little better. I can't say enough that I worry about how I word things because NeoGAF has zero-tolerance for some-stuff, and I figure as long as I keep my opinions to myself, I'll always be fine. (and of course I would) but at the same time, i would also like to think I can express my thoughts on just anything and not worry about a ban, you see, I'm one of those dudes who'd be really sad that I can't spend more time reading about video games than I do actually spend playing them.


This appears to be disclaimer-upon-disclaimer. So let me stop wasting time.

To answer exactly what you stated. I'm 36. I started (sorta) with a coleco vision, but really got serious with the original Nintendo.

As far as online goes? I didn't do compuserve, aol, or the other one...Prodigy? I don't remember, there was 3 services then. But I did get PPP access as soon as it was offered on my local BBS.

I found all kinds of websites. I created my own websites. I got hacked. I 'hackecd" a co-workers website (aka the FTP wasn't pw protected and I changed his website).

I've had back door trojans put on me. I've been facebook hacked with people asking my rl friends for money. I've had viruses. etc etc. I've also been "RL" hacked, with someone finding my global pw of like 6 years ago..and figuring out it still works on Verizon and ordering an iPhone 6 under my name.



I mean... my point is. I'm not new to the internet. The swat thing, which I'm going to reply to separately is one thing. But I don't even sweat that TOO much because my thinking is that they will turn around and eventually get the person who called it in. Call me optimistic. Call me ignorant. But that's what I truly believe.


Back to the basics. Online harassment? Hell. My opinion, which i'm smart enough to relalize may be wrong, or not the popular vote, is that you just need thicker skin. You need to get over it. You need to ignore the shit. You need to move on.

But I most-definitely am not so arrogant or stupid to think that I know the answers. I'm ready to learn everyday. If I hear something that I don't have an instinct-readymade-answer for... well then I'll digest that. I'll be a better person. I'll learn.


But the bottom line for me is that I just don't get why this needs to be such a big deal. I really don't. I get it that it's females. I think that matters heavily. If someone threatened my wife, I'd go crazy and do illgeal things. If someone threatened my daughter, I would over-do it, and really make some bad choices. The point is, they would be bad decisions, I would just simply do it, because I would feel justified because she was my 'baby-girl' duahgter who depended on her dad to protect her.


But I would know i was most-likely overreacting. I would personally feel justified, but I would know what's up. I couln't claim insanity because, it was calculated.


Now moving on from crazy stuff. Lets get back to the real topic. I have not followed everything with the gamerate stuff. So when somoene shows me some 'real-messed-up' stuff. I might go "oh.....wow." ... but I tel you what, if we're just talking about stalking, hurt feelings etc, then no, i don't get it. I would tell my daughter, get-the-fuck-over-it. The world is not kind. The internet is even meaner.
 
Not knowing something and Ignorance is the same thing, is my understanding. Not that I ran to dictionary.com to cover my bases mind you.

Online Harassment. Ok. I still don't get it? I don't get why that's a big deal? I obviously want to understand, otherwise I wouldn't post on this. But I don't get it.

Things can seem insignificant when they aren't happening to you or the ones you love I suppose. Calling it Online Harassment can belittle it if you don't realize that in 2015 Online can be a huge portion of someone's life and livelihood.

Put on your empathy shoes and try to see the world from a different perspective.
 

friz898

Member
You probably have never been harassed, known anyone who was harassed, or even read the numerous harassment accounts articles out there huh?



This is response #2.


You might be right. I'm very open-minded man. I truly am.

But I can tell you as a someone who has been attached to the internet from age 15-now (36)... i've experienced a-lot.

But you know, I'm almost raising my 11yo son to be tough because the real world isn't nice. That's my philosophy.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're right, I dont think i've ever been singled out, and I hope to never be. Because geez, I have enough in my life, I don't need that.

That being said, to me this whole NeoGAF, videogames, etc, etc, blah blah whatever is just a hobby.

If I started getting harrassed online, if I could not control or fix it somehow, then I would just drop the internet for a while. I mean really. It's not my bank account. It's not my wife or son. I'm good.
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
We never sleep
image.php


Adam Baldwin is 53...
But not a gamer. Ironic isn't it? They all shit on Anita for allegedly not being a real gamer, when most prominent Gamergate figures are actually not remotely gamers at all, just right wingers with a hard-on for harassing feminists.

That being said, to me this whole NeoGAF, videogames, etc, etc, blah blah whatever is just a hobby.

If I started getting harrassed online, if I could not control or fix it somehow, then I would just drop the internet for a while. I mean really. It's not my bank account. It's not my wife or son. I'm good.
Good for you. You do realize that for many of the harassed people it's not just a hobby but their living? They can't drop off the internet because that's how they make a living.

I bet you'll just say "tough shit, find another career", though, and you'd probably tell the same thing to sexually harassed women in the workplace or something because hey the real world is mean and unfair and it's no use trying to combat these things and just accept them because status quo is God.
 
Now moving on from crazy stuff. Lets get back to the real topic. I have not followed everything with the gamerate stuff. So when somoene shows me some 'real-messed-up' stuff. I might go "oh.....wow." ... but I tel you what, if we're just talking about stalking, hurt feelings etc, then no, i don't get it. I would tell my daughter, get-the-fuck-over-it. The world is not kind. The internet is even meaner.

http://kotaku.com/bomb-threat-targeted-anita-sarkeesian-gaming-awards-la-1636032301

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertc...h-after-school-shooting-threat-at-utah-state/

Just two quick pieces, there are many MANY more.
I really hope it is just online trolling.
 
Now moving on from crazy stuff. Lets get back to the real topic. I have not followed everything with the gamerate stuff. So when somoene shows me some 'real-messed-up' stuff. I might go "oh.....wow." ... but I tel you what, if we're just talking about stalking, hurt feelings etc, then no, i don't get it. I would tell my daughter, get-the-fuck-over-it. The world is not kind. The internet is even meaner.

You would tell your daughter to "get-the-fuck-over-it" about stalking?
 

friz898

Member
Things can seem insignificant when they aren't happening to you or the ones you love I suppose. Calling it Online Harassment can belittle it if you don't realize that in 2015 Online can be a huge portion of someone's life and livelihood.

Put on your empathy shoes and try to see the world from a different perspective.



Your response is awesome. No-anything-negative.

Disclaimer done, that's the whole point of my post. This thread is about the Canadian leader saying "hey, lets fix this". I'm like "wtf really? this is at your level of attention?" so i Post on it.

Moving on. I am trying to see the worl from a different perspective, me even posting is me saying "hey guys, why is this a big deal?" ... I think I've made that clear with my endless disclaimers.


What I'm trying to understand (and if someone can reach me, then I'm just another dude lining up to vote and support the cause, so ya)

is why when someone is messing with you online, that it needs to be a big deal? I need someone to make me realize that this is serious. Hey my 11'yo might have to deal with it one day (or soon), i'm not being fake here. But right now if my son said there is someone messing with his accounts or saying mean things, i'd tell him "Really T? You want me to find his IP address? He's probably a bazillion miles away. You'll see threats or whatever like this all your life, ignore it son. Their's bigger problems to handle.
[
 
Back to the basics. Online harassment? Hell. My opinion, which i'm smart enough to relalize may be wrong, or not the popular vote, is that you just need thicker skin. You need to get over it. You need to ignore the shit. You need to move on.
I think you fail to realize the scale of it all. Having hundreds of messages everyday insulting you, explaining what they'll do to you and generally threatening you can have a negative effect, and that's an understatement.

Generally speaking, "grow a thicker skin" is a terrible message to send as it places the onus on the victim to change things while saying whoever is harassing can keep doing what they're doing. I mean, we have decades of experience about this: look at bullying in schools. Telling bullied kids to man up has never accomplished anything.
This also implies everyone will react to aggression in the same way, while it's obvious not everyone has the same psychological profile or resilience, and faulting people for their lack of resilience past a certain breaking point comes across as lacking empathy to me.
 

Tabris

Member
Honestly, for those invalidating the GamerGate harassment. Please tell me what you think of the Amanda Todd online harassment, as I'm not seeing much difference really.

EDIT - Actually I see no difference except the amount if what are in these posts are true.

So are you fine with what caused Amanda Todd to kill herself?
 

Firestorm

Member
Your response is awesome. No-anything-negative.

Disclaimer done, that's the whole point of my post. This thread is about the Canadian leader saying "hey, lets fix this". I'm like "wtf really? this is at your level of attention?" so i Post on it.

Moving on. I am trying to see the worl from a different perspective, me even posting is me saying "hey guys, why is this a big deal?" ... I think I've made that clear with my endless disclaimers.


What I'm trying to understand (and if someone can reach me, then I'm just another dude lining up to vote and support the cause, so ya)

is why when someone is messing with you online, that it needs to be a big deal? I need someone to make me realize that this is serious. Hey my 11'yo might have to deal with it one day (or soon), i'm not being fake here. But right now if my son said there is someone messing with his accounts or saying mean things, i'd tell him "Really T? You want me to find his IP address? He's probably a bazillion miles away. You'll see threats or whatever like this all your life, ignore it son. Their's bigger problems to handle.
[
What about if every time your son said something there are people calling him slurs, posting photoshops of him violently dying, telling him they'll rape him with his address attached. Eventually they post your home phone number and address and you start getting calls and letters.

What would your advice be on ignoring that?
 

friz898

Member
You would tell your daughter to "get-the-fuck-over-it" about stalking?

I feel like I'm losing the popular-vote real quick if i ever had it, which I'm pretty sure I didn't.


I mean, I could tell you all about me and my family, and you'd be like geez ok, you're a decent dude. I mean. My last name is Weatherington, and w'ere good folk here in Texas. I have no qualms about putting that out at NeoGAF.


My daughter about stalking? Yes. I would tell her to move-on. Strive-on. She could not spend her whole life wondering about what may-might happen.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't do the normal dad stuff of filing police reports. Maybe fortifying the house, you know.. that kind of stuff.

But the internet? I mean' it's like.. we will never police the internet. We're at the same time telling the world "leave our internet alone" and saying "our internet has mean people, we need to get them!"

Internet is nothing more than real-life, unfortunately some people think it is their outlet to "get-away-with-murder" and they wreck havoc on people's lives.
 

friz898

Member

I wanted to respond since you're trying to educate me instead of criticize my current thinking.

I've not clicked on those links yet, but I will. I mean, this is not a personal issue to me, since I'm not going through this kind of thing, but since I posted 1-2 things that have riled up a few folk, the least I could do is educate myself on all opinions, ideas, and facts.
 

friz898

Member
I think you fail to realize the scale of it all. Having hundreds of messages everyday insulting you, explaining what they'll do to you and generally threatening you can have a negative effect, and that's an understatement.

Generally speaking, "grow a thicker skin" is a terrible message to send as it places the onus on the victim to change things while saying whoever is harassing can keep doing what they're doing. I mean, we have decades of experience about this: look at bullying in schools. Telling bullied kids to man up has never accomplished anything.
This also implies everyone will react to aggression in the same way, while it's obvious not everyone has the same psychological profile or resilience, and faulting people for their lack of resilience past a certain breaking point comes across as lacking empathy to me.


That's good points, good analogies.

To be fair, I go to my son's stuff in elementary and I see all these "bullies" things where basically it's all about not being a bully. I'm like.... "ok...but in the real-world there is still bullies at jobs.. their really is."

So it's like... on one hand I'm like "good, they are telling the kids to be nice to my baby-boy. Then at the same time i'm thinking in the back of my head "oh man...the world is not nice, it's not fair...and he's going to be in for a rude awakening"
 
I wanted to respond since you're trying to educate me instead of criticize my current thinking.

If this is how you feel about people criticizing you, imagine how it feels to be insulted by hundreds more every time you share an opinion.

You don't want to leave Neogaf, but why are you okay with telling other people to 'just' leave if they get harassed?

This isn't even considering how this might bleed into real life like swating and posting private information online.
 

Nightbird

Member
You really don't see an issue with online harassment?

Whether online or not, harassment is harassment.

So you have no issue with what was done to Amanda Todd that caused her to commit suicide because it was online? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Amanda_Todd

Sheesh, I completely forgot about that one.
I just watched the Video again. That's just horrible stuff, and actually not that far away from what GG's are doing in terms of online harassment.
 

Nanashrew

Banned
At around the age of 15 or 16 my cousin (I was probably 17 at this time) was stalked by a 30 year old man over the internet and followed her no matter where she went online. He tried everything to get information from people she knew and worm his way into her circles. He would make accounts where she made account to monitor her and even try to talk to her and then get people to turn against her when she would always turn him down.

She went through phases of cutting and deep depression because she had no one. I was like the only person who would believe in her and I tried my damnedest to put an end to it and going as far as snooping into emails and stalking the stalker. The police wouldn't help, no one could do much of anything.

I mean, the guy was 30 and very capable of finding her and even meeting her in real life which thankfully never happened. Telling someone to "get the fuck over it" is awful.
 

friz898

Member
What about if every time your son said something there are people calling him slurs, posting photoshops of him violently dying, telling him they'll rape him with his address attached. Eventually they post your home phone number and address and you start getting calls and letters.

What would your advice be on ignoring that?

This is good stuff. I mean, my son is my first-kid. You know.. who says I'm getting it all right?


Now let me answer you honestly.

People caling him slurs? That whole "sticks and stones may break.... " ya that's true. It's not that easy, but that's how the real-world works.

Now to the more serious stuff, if it went to a level you stated, then I would get involved (personally), since I am a computer nerd. I would find these teens. This is because I love my boy. I would still tell him to keep on truck'n everyday at middle school, and whatever, and not to let this phase him, but oh most definitely would I find where these kids are. Most definitely would I talk to the parents and-or police if needed.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't tell my son, oh just ignore your death threats. I would tell him, son, you still need to get a shower today, go to school and do your best.. the world isn't kind. In the meantime, I'll do my best to figure out where this stuff is coming from.

I don't see what this exactly has to with Gamergate.
 

Mailbox

Member
This is good stuff. I mean, my son is my first-kid. You know.. who says I'm getting it all right?


Now let me answer you honestly.

People caling him slurs? That whole "sticks and stones may break.... " ya that's true. It's not that easy, but that's how the real-world works.

Now to the more serious stuff, if it went to a level you stated, then I would get involved (personally), since I am a computer nerd. I would find these teens. This is because I love my boy. I would still tell him to keep on truck'n everyday at middle school, and whatever, and not to let this phase him, but oh most definitely would I find where these kids are. Most definitely would I talk to the parents and-or police if needed.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't tell my son, oh just ignore your death threats. I would tell him, son, you still need to get a shower today, go to school and do your best.. the world isn't kind. In the meantime, I'll do my best to figure out where this stuff is coming from.

I don't see what this exactly has to with Gamergate.

There's a simple saying. it's very fitting here.

"Words hurt"

I would know.

You, obviously, do not.
 
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