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[LAUGHTREY]

I don't get what this has to do with video games in the first place. Why is Destructoid covering it at all?

 

[antonz]

Well, it definitely would have been better for him...

That's true. He wouldn't have people threatening him and Chloe would have all the public attention.

I don't get what this has to do with video games in the first place. Why is Destructoid covering it at all?

Started off as an Indie Game Developer seeking help for a life threatening injury from a car accident. Indiegogo cancelled the fundraising which caused a ruckus of why would they dare do that. Reddit did some digging and outed Chloe as Transexual seeking SRS. Reddit was mostly ignored then some Indie developers started to pledge they would donate all proceeds from their game for a certain period to her life saving surgery. At this point things start to spiral because she was effectively going to scam developers now that indiegogo had caught on and stopped her. She then tries to kill herself so Destructoid guy who knew everything but was silenced by threats of suicide now spoke out

 

[bro1]

It's his own twitter account, not a company created one. He can say whatever the hell he wants, the only reason he has been suspended is because she was trans***************************************************************************************************

You do know that many companies have social media policies that effect both your personal and work accounts?

 

[Risette]

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.



It's a him, not a her. You wouldn't you allow him to participate in female sports would you?

quoting this so you can't edit it away

edit: and this

Lifes tough, and being delusional is tougher, but you can't make it go away by pretending it isn't there.

and this:

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

I commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

 

[rayofash]

You're being disrespectful, to say the least. She is not an "it", nor is she a "him". No trans person should have to put up with what you're spouting.

Lifes tough, and being delusional is tougher, but you can't make it go away by pretending it isn't there.

 

[kodt]

This I do not understand. Revealing her status to the Internet had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with saving her life or getting her help; it likely made her even more of a suicide danger. If he had truly intended to help her, he could have tried to contact her friends or support groups in the area to get her help. Confirming it to the Internet benefits nobody, certainly not her, and likely makes her feel more violated. How could you possibly think outing her to the public would help her?

It doesn't help her, but it helps the public realize that she tried to defraud them. Her case is more sympathetic than someone just trying to take the money and run. But do transgendered people have a privileged position of not being exposed if their fraud was related to their sexual or gender identity?

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I don't get what this has to do with video games in the first place. Why is Destructoid covering it at all?

The person who tried to kill herself was an independent video game developer.

 

[Fonz72]

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.



It's a him, not a her. You wouldn't you allow him to participate in female sports would you?

Hey, I'll roll with whatever someone wants to view themselves as. It's all good. He says she, I say she. She says he, I say he. He or She says Martian, I chuckle and say Martian.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.

Oh boy...

 

[Raist]

Outing kickstarer scams = good

Crossing an ethical/moral line by outing sensitive personal information that, at least in my opinion, is not relevant = not good

He knew better. Particularly when he became deeply involved with the subject. But knowing better or not: punishment was justified. All he had to do was write "for a non-life threatening surgery", and that was it. But he didn't. He knowingly outed her personal information, and that crosses a line that, if it isn't already professionally unethical, it's morally unacceptable.

How was he supposed to out the scam? "it's not for life saving surgery, it's something else, but I can't tell you whaaaaaaat". I mean you can't just go and throw accusations...

Plus keep in mind that the guy was quite involved, most likely under stress, shock, and had been lied to and put his reputation on the line to ask other peoeple for support for what turned out to be a scam... So yeah, I really don't see how he can be blamed over the whole thing. it's fucked up.

 

[Sophia]

It's a him, not a her. You wouldn't you allow him to participate in female sports would you?

You use the gender pronouns as to what they identify as online, and Chloe has, as far as I know, always identified as a woman. Also...

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.

.... you're treading a real fricking line saying things like "It's a delusion" when many members of GAF are openly transsexual. :\

quoting this so you can't edit it away

edit: and this

I'm sure the moderators can see edits regardless,. However, bless you for it.

 

[RPG Wizard]

quoting this so you can't edit it away

edit: and this

Pizzaroll, you truly are a good citizen. Thank you.

 

[Emerson]

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.

Fucking garbage. I don't work in a field where I interact with many transgender people, but never have I ever read of a specific known embryological defect resulting in gender identity disorder. If one exists please feel free to provide a scholarly resource describing it. Or, more likely, just keep talking shit.

 

[syllogism]

Has Indiegogo elaborated on their side of things, as the whole "fraud detection algorithm" sounds dubious

 

[ramb0211]

It seems like the writer made some extremely poor professional and personal decisions, and got burned by someone dealing with some extremely serious medical and mental problems. What she did was wrong, but a credible journalist doesn't need to pettily out the subject of an article on a tangential part of their life. Especially when the fraud in question had already been dealt with at no harm to any contributors.

A real journalist reports the story and allows their reputation and sources to carry the weight. The fraudulent claims were the story not the inconsequential truth behind the claims that she was hiding for good reason.

 

[Risette]

I'm sure the moderators can see edits regardless, however bless you.

I know, but other people should be able to see his dumbassery too!

 

[tfur]

No, it isn't. Which is why you aren't a journalist, or anyone playing this armchair journalism game aren't either.

You seem pretty comfortable in the armchair yourself.

It really is that simple, sorry. No amount of rationalization excuses covering up, or censoring the truth.

 

[Marcel]

Plus keep in mind that the guy was quite involved, most likely under stress, shock, and had been lied to and put his reputation on the line to ask other peoeple for support for what turned out to be a scam... So yeah, I really don't see how he can be blamed over the whole thing. it's fucked up.

As an employee covering a story he became involved in going against basic journalistic ethics while working for a news organization, he is liable. I'm surprised he was merely suspended. An actual news organization would have just fired him outright.

 

[Perkel]

Ok i am not informed about this someone can put TLDR here ?

 

[StarCreator]

to be completely honest? I have no problem with the surgery itself, its more or less that the underlying disorder is really warranting of that change. that the desire to be another gender is nothing more than just that, the desire

but im not a transgender myself nor do i know anyone who is, and you know what im probably not at liberty to make remarks. apparently my previous remarks are so offensive they are banworthy so im just going to shut my mouth and eject

i tried telling my feelings on the subject WITHOUT being offensive

Well, you're right to eject, because this is just disgustingly ignorant. You really have no idea what you're talking about and ignorance and bigotry on this level is part of the reason Chloe felt the need to manufacture an imagined illness in the first place rather than be completely out front with what she was actually collecting money for. To her, SRS really is life-saving surgery and it's a shame that for all the advances made in LGB awareness this is just something people don't understand.

 

[SMT]

Can we have some clarification here? I was under the impression that the police had been called and got her to a hospital BEFORE he posted the twitter comments publicly.

Can you read the article? HE SAVED HER LIFE.

 

[Kurdel]

Lifes tough, and being delusional is tougher, but you can't make it go away by pretending it isn't there.

You are wrong, and this isn't a matter of opinion.

 

[Marcel]

You seem pretty comfortable in the armchair yourself.

I work in the industry. You speak from no experience at all. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

 

[Raist]

As a employee covering a story he became involved in going against basic journalistic ethics while working for a news organization, he is liable. I'm surprised he was merely suspended. An actual news organization would have just fired him outright.

It was either that or covering a lie resulting in scamming people. What's the ethical thing to do? Can you answer that, especially in a context of stress?

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

sad thing is if she ir she said what the op was for then she might of got all that money anyway.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

That's true. He wouldn't have people threatening him and Chloe would have all the public attention.



Started off as an Indie Game Developer seeking help for a life threatening injury from a car accident. Indiegogo cancelled the fundraising which caused a ruckus of why would they dare do that. Reddit did some digging and outed Chloe as Transexual seeking SRS. Reddit was mostly ignored then some Indie developers started to pledge they would donate all proceeds from their game for a certain period to her life saving surgery. At this point things start to spiral because she was effectively going to scam developers now that indiegogo had caught on and stopped her. She then tries to kill herself so Destructoid guy who knew everything but was silenced by threats of suicide now spoke out

And then it seems like he did everything right...the information about what she was really trying to do was already out there, he just pointed it out.

It's like trying to preemptively put tooth paste back in the tube Destructoid. They just accomplished the opposite of what they wanted.

 

[Sophia]

It was either that or covering a lie resulting in scamming people. What's the ethical thing to do? Can you answer that, especially in a context of stress?

The ethical thing to do was go to the police about the blackmailing, consult your superiors for everything else, and not further involve yourself and make yourself emotionally compromised by going to twitter.

 

[Marcel]

It was either that or covering a lie resulting in scamming people. What's the ethical thing to do? Can you answer that, especially in a context of stress?

restless007 answered this like five times. You recuse yourself from the story. Moments of stress don't magically make the rules of conduct and ethics go away. Be a professional.

 

[Fonz72]

Someday, people might realize Twitter is REAL. It doesn't post to nowhere land, but to the real world where it can be read by your boss.

 

[Akira_83]

Well, you're right to eject, because this is just disgustingly ignorant. You really have no idea what you're talking about and ignorance and bigotry on this level is part of the reason Chloe felt the need to manufacture an imagined illness in the first place rather than be completely out front with what she was actually collecting money for. To her, SRS really is life-saving surgery and it's a shame that for all the advances made in LGB awareness this is just something people don't understand.

uh no

thats a lame excuse

if she had come out and said she wanted SRS and if any fans of her game wanted to donate to the cause, myself and anyone else you think is a "bigot" wouldnt care. atleast i know i wouldnt. If she wants to get money for something personal and can do it validly through fundraising? all the power to her!

but she didnt... thats where the vitriol comes from. sites like indiegogo are a fantastic idea and can chance the entire game industry, and out of pure selfishness she is doing things to ruin what could be a life changing opportunity for many other people

 

[NullPointer]

People who lie don't get to determine the outcome or fallout from those lies.

 

[pseudomyxoma]

I work in the industry. You speak from no experience at all. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

Are you a journalist? Or do you just work in the "industry"?

 

[tfur]

I work in the industry. You speak from no experience at all. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

What industry?

Perhaps your speaking from experience should include considerations of speaking the truth, and reporting the truth.

 

[ConradCervantes]

Pretty complicated issues. Shame she felt the need to scam herself a SRS, and also a shame her privacy was violated. In the end, I'd have to side with the journalist though. He did the right thing.

 

[partyphone]

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

I commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

This is some serious projecting.

 

[RPG Wizard]

Can you read the article? HE SAVED HER LIFE.

On April 10th, a full month before her twitch attempt. He in fact didn't publicly out her at all until AFTER all of this.

So I'm not sure how you're linking his twitter comments with him saving her from her suicide attempt.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

I work in the industry. You speak from no experience at all. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

Yeah, but Allistair Pinsof worked in the industry as well. It seems that's no qualification at all when it comes to this subject!

 

[Akira_83]

sad thing is if she ir she said what the op was for then she might of got all that money anyway.

EDIT :
misread your post my bad

 

[StevePharma]

Fucking garbage. I don't work in a field where I interact with many transgender people, but never have I ever read of a specific known embryological defect resulting in gender identity disorder. If one exists please feel free to provide a scholarly resource describing it. Or, more likely, just keep talking shit.

I'm a pharmacist so I have a basic understanding of the concepts and have seen patients who undergo hormonal therapy. Meta-analyses of studies show that sex change operations have beneficial effects but the studies are not really set up properly with good control groups to provide a good analysis.

Gender dysphoria is not necessarily a mental condition. There are some studies suggesting that hormonal foetal conditions such as AIS and CAH contribute to gender dysphoria.

Basically we need more data on it. That said an embryological "defect/mismatch/insensitivity" is not out of the question.

 

[mattiewheels]

Did she really blackmail this guy by threatening suicide and blaming him if she did it?

 

[Perkel]

So scam-artist got caught and dude who pointed it out is blamed ?

What is going on ?

 

[kodt]

why is that sad? when you ask for money from other people, they have the right to decide if they want to give based on the circumstances

your basically implying there should be no transparency and it would be wrong to not want to donate to SRS if you didnt agree, but would for removing life endangering shrapnel

Maybe he means it's sad that it didn't work out for her. She could have made it work if she was honest, but instead chose deception and ended up attempting suicide.

 

[Kinyou]

restless007 answered this like five times. You recuse yourself from the story. Moments of stress don't magically make the rules of conduct and ethics go away. Be a professional.

Just to clarify, if Indiegogo had outed her everything would be ok?

 

[Hex]

He should be fired.

Horse shit

People deserved to know, the money was being milked from people.
Sympathy was being culled from people by lies and deceit, and the simple fact thet the LBGT situation and community is a hotbutton right now makes nobody want to touch it, and everybody want to put on kid gloves and walk on eggshells.
When she put herself out to the public and decided to use the outlet to lie and rip people off, people who were sympathetic she opened the door to that same public having every right to judge her and condemn her.
There are enough sympathetic people out there that if she was honest, she would most likely have received the funds anyway and none of this would have ever happened, but no she took the road she did and then not only that she went the suicide route because she knew she was going to be exposed.
And now this person is going to be villified for his role in exposing it?

 

[Tookay]

The way people are defending Allistair in the name of journalistic integrity here makes it seem like he published a hard hitting 10000 word article about the situation.

Rather than, you know, tweeting about it on Twitter.

So the revelation of truth must be validated by the form it takes?

 

[Emerson]

I'm a pharmacist so I have a basic understanding of the concepts and have seen patients who undergo hormonal therapy. Meta-analyses of studies show that sex change operations have beneficial effects but the studies are not really set up properly with good control groups to provide a good analysis.

Gender dysphoria is not necessarily a mental condition. There are some studies suggesting that hormonal foetal conditions such as AIS and CAH contribute to gender dysphoria.

Basically we need more data on it. That said an embryological defect is not out of the question.

You completely misunderstand me.

I understand gender identity disorder. I know how it is treated, and have had my share of patients with it too. Granted I am not an endocrinologist or a psychiatrist. I also know though that there is not one specific embryological defect known to cause it as that asshole claimed. Which is what I said originally.

 

[Marcel]

Perhaps your speaking from experience should include considerations of speaking the truth, and reporting the truth.

I already answered this twice:

If you actually believe any journalist reports the absolute truth of any story at all, you are terribly naive (bordering on moronic).

Which is why maybe he shouldn't have further stepped into what was already a cesspool of ignorance. I don't even want to get into this whole "journalism, moral imperative, reporting the 'truth' " which is just fanciful, Sorkin-esque nonsense that usually arises from people who have never actually worked a day in the industry. It's more complicated.

 

[SMT]

On April 10th, a full month before her twitch attempt. He in fact didn't publicly out her at all until AFTER all of this.

So I'm not sure how you're linking his twitter comments with him saving her from her suicide attempt.

I'm not, I'm just enumerating them in fashion where it seems like the twitter comments saved her life.

But, he actually did save her life.

 

[faceless007]

restless007 answered this like five times. You recuse yourself from the story. Moments of stress don't magically make the rules of conduct and ethics go away. Be a professional.

Not technically correct, but not entirely inaccurate.

 

[StevePharma]

You completely misunderstand me.

I understand gender identity disorder. I know how it is treated, and have had my share of patients with it too. Granted I am not an endocrinologist or a psychiatrist. I also know though that there is not one specific embryological defect known to cause it as that asshole claimed. Which is what I said originally.

Ok I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood.