Riedinizzo
Banned
Yeah, your "taking a stand" is like throwing fuel on a fire. I bet if no one talked about this shit for a solid 48 hours, it would go away.
But whatever. Do what you feel is right.
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#GAMERGATE: The Threadening [Read the OP] -- #StopGamerGate2014
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Yeah, your "taking a stand" is like throwing fuel on a fire. I bet if no one talked about this shit for a solid 48 hours, it would go away.
But whatever. Do what you feel is right.
Due to a wow guild drama I had people calling my apartment, and my parents house saying vile shit for weeks. Even egged my old apartment. Was hilarious to me but like I said I feel bad for those that can't take it as pathetic/empty/hilarious.
Mental Atrophy
Banned
I agree that the threats are probably mostly empty, but also am empathetic with somebody who chooses to treat them as credible because it can and has happened. Noise filtering is always difficult with threats--borderline impossible, even.
Scrooge McDuck
Member
So you complain about the press lumping people and then you lump the press in a single pot yourself.
I don't know, really. Imagine what you got, only amplified to thousands doing that to you, with others posting your address online, bank info, etc.
Pretty much. People in that thread didn't even know how bad it had gotten. I'm glad I posted that, even if it was just for a bit.
I've been a member on here for a decent amount of time. I'm quite used to the mods. I can't really think of many times I've ever been banned, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've been juniored. I'm also not afraid for sticking up for something I believe in, and of all the things to be afraid of, losing my GAF account isn't really high up there. If this is why I get banned, that's fine. I enjoy GAF, and I like this board. I think it's got a lot of great stuff going on here. That being said, I do truly believe that the profile of GamerGate has to be raised, and people need to understand that women's lives are quite literally being threatened, and people don't even know that because they've tuned out this GamerGate nonsense. This mega thread doesn't really help. Even I've been ignoring it.
I'm just really sick of GamerGate at this point. Sick of both sides really. I constantly see these generalization of both sides of this argument, and those generalizations will only lead to more steps backwards. Honestly it's a breath of fresh air when I don't see a generalization among tweets about GG. I constantly see how somehow people using the GG hashtag clearly support harassment, etc. just by using it. So do people who are anti-GG support harassment too? Because last time I checked, it's coming from both sides of the spectrum, and it's sickening.
As long as you aren't trying to silence the other side, go ahead, fight for ethics in games journalism. Perfectly fine to me.
Fighting for equality in gaming? Cool. Diversity in gaming would be a great thing.
But holy hell, keep it a hate free environment. Neither side is getting anywhere with generalizations, harassment, death threats, and doxxing. This just needs to end, before it gets any worse than it is.
As long as you aren't trying to silence the other side, go ahead, fight for ethics in games journalism. Perfectly fine to me.
Fighting for equality in gaming? Cool. Diversity in gaming would be a great thing.
But holy hell, keep it a hate free environment. Neither side is getting anywhere with generalizations, harassment, death threats, and doxxing. This just needs to end, before it gets any worse than it is.
billy beane
Banned
Stop calling these people trolls. Trolling is sending someone a misleading link that takes them to a Rick Astley video. Telling people you want to murder them is not trolling.
Devolution
Member
Most of them are empty but why take the chance that several calls into a college to shoot up the place/her are all hogwash? The real issue here is that there needs to be consequences for threats like that just like threats of any other kind.
I'm not going to say stop being a pussy, just that having 95% of the games press circlejerking about this is only encouraging more and more of this because psycos/trolls see they are making a huge impact.
Death threats aren't trolling, they're a crime. People who use threats of murder are serious disturbed individuals. If they're doing it for attention they'll get it for sure, but it might not be what they're looking for.
FF Seraphim
Member
Oh god... Is it horrible of me wanting to see someone go to trial trying to use this as a defense?
"But honor, we were just trolling! Its not like I really banged his mother and I wasn't going to blow up the school! I PROMISE!!"
Alex_Mexico
Member
Unless you got daily threats like that for two years by thousand different account from all over the Internet with one even containing your personal and your family's home address and posting them on the Internet for all to see then NO it's not even remotely the same with the kind of threats Anita has been receiving.
Im just surprised no one has been swatted yet from all this.
This is what the trolls do.
Did he list your address when saying this? Call your home phone?
I agree you have to ignore trolls, but this has gone far beyond trolling.
ShockingAlberto
Member
You are a genuine crazy person.
This "two sides" thing is a fallacy. There are not "two sides" here. There are people who affiliate with GamerGate, and then there is the rest of the world, some of whom might be against GamerGate for various reasons, and some of whom might not know about this or care. You cannot reasonably claim that "anti-GamerGate" people are on "one side" because they are not uniting under one banner, hashtag, or campaign of any sort.
Devolution
Member
I don't think you need to go even that far.
Getting one is scary enough. No one should have their fear minimized because "lol internet what they gonna do."
Quote
Member
Right, because if it completely stops, and a month later a new Fem Freq comes out, or Zoe makes a Tweet, or hell anything about women in tech is brought up, it starts again.
When do you suppose anything will actually get done? When will this get better if we're not allowed to even discuss it.
By the way, this movement has nothing to do with equality supposedly, but those are the exact situations that will start the threats up again.
Many tried ignoring it. It's been going on for months regardless. Nope.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
Somebody go troll the President and let us now how heartily he and the Secret Service chuckled
jim-jam bongs
Member
8chan post suggesting the enemies of GamerGate will sacrifice one of their own to destroy the ethics movement that's trying to save video games.
Fucking amazing.
This is so that when someone finally gets killed by a lunatic gamergater they can claim it's a false flag.
#NotAllGaters
Riedinizzo
Banned
Yes and that's awful. But why is that happening?
Because of threads like THIS. They're after YOUR reaction and they think its hilarious. That's the reality.
So just shut the fuck up about it. Seriously. They want you to "take a stand" and get all riled up, but they couldnt give less of a fuck what you think.
Seriously guys. Just. Stop.
LiegeWaffle
Member
Is he not at the point where Anita could sue him for libel? Too bad that this is almost impossible, because it would cause even worse crap.
So, you are saying me those random strangers on the Internet have found you home address and sent you grossly photoshopped pictures of you? Published your bank account info and your SSN online? Please.
And then you proceed to blame the victim herself, combined with blaming game press people who speak out against harassment?
Wow.
No it's not just about taking a deep breathe and rising above it. It's about denouncing that type of behavior. It's about saying that the internet does not give one power to threaten someone's life even if it's done as "trolling", there should be zero tolerance for that type of behavior. Women's rights is not just about women's rights, it's about protecting the voice of the oppressed, protecting the voice of those who want to speak out whether they are a male or female black or white, and do not necessarily represent the majority. Think about it, anytime someone critiques a game for something that has sociopolitical implications (such as GTA V and violence against women) some gamers (some not all) get all fired up, defensive and some go as far as making death threats. That type of behavior is not okay, it's almost as bad as the Inquisition, the times when you speaking against the church meant being exiled, excommunicated or even hanged for heresy. We can't revert back to those times. I am glad that Anita Sarkeesian canceled the event and that she contacted the police. Her safety is important, and you can never know what some human beings are capable of. But it's also saddening to see that in one of my favorite hobbies where I met some of the most amazing friends I have, has to be tainted in a negative manner because of the actions of a few radical, and savage individuals. They are savages and radicals for they are unable to express themselves in a calm and civil manner. They can't come up with a logical argument challenges Anita Sarkeesian's arguments and statements, and therefore resort to violence. It's a shame. Those individuals need some serious mental help.
billy beane
Banned
Maybe there should be some sort of banner for anti-GamerGate people to rally behind? I mean it's gotten to the point where there are legitimate issues that need to be addressed, and maybe being more organized would help that.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
This thread's title comes off as too neutral to me. I want to problematize gamergate. I don't want it portrayed as a "debate" even a little bit. I appreciated Dartastic's thread for bringing people who aren't paying much attention up to speed on just how terrible this shit has gotten.
Gamergate or the novella written by Quinn's ex-BF wasn't the start of this. It's been happening for a while.
Women in tech put up with all kinds of bullshit and have for decades.
So encouraging psycos and trolls by showing how successful they are, and insulting millions who have nothing to do with it is plan B? Sounds perfect good luck with that.
That's what I was trying to do in my last thread. I think it's really important to do too.
Thank you.
Death threats against people in the gaming industry or somehow associated with it have been going on for years, not months.
Alex_Mexico
Member
He had a fairly big role in Full Metal Jacket and is beloved by his involvement in Firefly. Both aren't recent things even remotely so yeah I guess it's fair to say that even if he was a big-ish name once he's not anymore. And he leading his dumbass movement certainly won't help him getting back on that horse.
Or we what? Do nothing? Let it pass? Let the harassment continue until it magically all goes away?
Mental Atrophy
Banned
I am pretty confident that the latest threat will have real consequences. Threats that appear credible and have this sort of magnitude are pursued pretty aggressively, but it will take some time depending on how well the person covered their tracks. It is remarkably difficult to remain anonymous on the internet for those without expertise.
Devolution
Member
Hey, just a tip, this whole "treating women like shit and trying to silence them through threats" thing has been going on much longer than gamergate. This is just an instance of it being far more organized.
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
Hard to say if it will or not. Part of me wishes the harassed would not air their harassment online, as it only instigates more harassment. Take it up with local law enforcement, continue doing your job the way you intend to do it and stop addressing these fools. For many of them this is the most significant thing they have ever been apart of, and the more they are acknowledged the more they will continue. Those people are deranged and should be ashamed, and should be caught and shutdown.
I feel sorry for these women, but at the same time we are powerless to help them. So I don't see what good comes from airing all this stuff out in the public, other than fan the flames even more.
jim-jam bongs
Member
millions
FF Seraphim
Member
The title may be neutral but if you have read the posts in this thread you get the general attitude that the majority of people here are against #GG.
There literally is no debate, just a long thread about what is going on and why the majority of #GG are retarded.
Yeah, why can't us gals just shut up and realize that if we never talk in the first place men won't go out of their way to harass us... where have I heard this before?
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
Sorry for posting another Niche Gamer link, this was just too ridiculous to ignore:
From an interview with two anonymous devs.
This also made me laugh:
From an interview with two anonymous devs.
This also made me laugh:
Here's the thing: the vast majority of trolls and people who make threats are not "psychos". That is the truly terrifying thing. Most racists are not mentally ill or brain-damaged. Most violence in the world isn't carried out by clinical psychopaths. Completely ordinary and healthy human beings are capable of performing acts of terrible cruelty and violence. Why? Because of their environment. Their culture.
Passing off all of this as the actions of "psychos" is just burying your head int he sand. Internet trolling and threats is the product of an internet culture that has evolved, and by extension, that means that a lot of people who don't actively participate in that activity do share in the responsibility for maintaining that underlying culture.
To make an analogy: racism is still endemic in the United States. That racism is far too broadly practiced to pass off as the actions of a few random nut-jobs. Instead, it is cultural: the product of information and teaching that is passed from person to person, generation to generation. People partake in racism because they are taught that it is natural way of things, and even those who don't actively participate don't question it because it is "the way things are". As long as people can rationalize that events are logical or normal, they will happily pretend that they are not happening at all, simply because it doesn't directly affect them.
We are at a similar point with internet trolling: it is so common-place that people simply accept that it is the natural way of things, without actually examining the state of affairs. Trolling and internet threats didn't always exist; they are a phenomenon that evolved. Back when the word "trolling" was coined, it took a very different form: people trying to 'catch' newcomers to message boards who were not familiar with the local memes. Those were mostly harmless forum in-jokes, but the phenomenon evolved from there to become groups intentionally trying to rile up and inflict emotional harm on other groups.
I can't say I know the whole story, or really where the root of the problem is, but I don't want to just pass this whole detestable situation off as something that can't be changed. I don't want to go and pretend that this problem has nothing to do with me. If left alone, it will fester and grow worse. It really will become "the way things are" and become all the harder to root out.
If you have been the victim of threats and harassment online, you should sympathize with the goal of changing this problem.
Devolution
Member
Hate to say it but there isn't much to be done about e-stalking, harassment and threats. It's actually something that needs to be tackled more in general but for the most part the harassed are on their own.
Disaster Nebraska
Banned
Dat controlled narrative.
There's also that group of people who support some of the bullet-points of the hashtag movement and are summarily lumped into #gamergate to make them easier to dismiss.
Ya know.
Like you're doing.
EDIT: drawing lines in the sand are exactly why lines are drawn in the sand. No one likes to be lumped into a group and those who say "well ... I don't support the anti-feminist narrative but I sure do support #gamergate's exposure of them corrupt journalists, and now they're just trying to shout us down!" are only going to align themselves more fully with #gamergate.
True. Specifically I was mentioning the most recent activity and wasn't attempting to minimize any prior threats or harassment.
Steel said:
When you create a group, you lump yourself together with other like minded people and take on the group's perception. "People" may be lumping gamergaters together, but only because gamergaters are lumping themselves together by forming the group... It's their job to maintain the group's image, but every time the group's identity is called into question the group breaks apart stating 'we're all individuals stop trying to categorize us.'
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