Gamergate.
Need I say more?
Problably not, but I’d like to describe one pattern that I noticed a few days ago.
Right now we’re in a situation where feminists put well-considered, educated and *rational* questions to the patriarchy, thus forcing it to answer with something that at least vaguely resembles an argument.
Turns out: they’ve got nothing.
Take Anita Sarkeesian and her Tropes documentaries.
She calmly lists the ways in which the representation of women in video games doesn’t exactly contribute to a society of equality. The implicit question of “why” is often answered with “because realism”.
Their argument is:
We can imagine a world in which dragons are fluttering about everywhere, but we can’t have playable female characters, because that would be unrealistic.
Or even:
I can easily imagine a world in which I am a mighty wizard, but I cannot imagine a world in which women are anything but punching bags.
Go on, we’re listening.
How about Zoe Quinn?
As far as I see, Zoe Quinn made a revolutionary game about depression. And she has an opinion, which is a dangerous thing to do for a woman.
Apparently that is enough to try and destroy her utterly. Her private life is dragged into the public and judged. Her professional life is smeared.
And about what? About games?
They say:
Because you are practising your craft in a way that I disagree with, I have the right to insult you.
Because what you do in your capacity as a gaming professional destroys games as such, I have the right to drag your private life into the open and ridicule it.
Because you said something I disagree with, I have the right to dox your family.
Because you did _something_ in the gaming industry, I have the right destroy your life.
Go on, we’re listening.
Pick-Up Artists.
Don’t get me started on PUAs.
In short, we’re talking about men who feel that all those women are so superficial that they only go for the really hot guys and totally don’t see all those not-so-handsome gentlemen who are just waiting to treat a woman the way she deserves.
Their answer? They devise a system to woo women, but here’s the kicker: you’re only supposed to use it on at least an HB8 (a woman who scores an 8 out of 10 on their Hot Babe scale #theMoreYouKnow).
So what they are saying is:
Women are so depraved that they only chose handsome guys instead of the plain ones, but then I (a plain guy) turn around and use my “skills” only on hot women, ignoring the plain ones. Also, because they are so depraved, I’m well within my rights to treat them like cattle.
Go on, we’re listening.
Leaked private pictures.
Someone apparently hacked private clouds and leaked private pictures of celebrities. I can’t help but notice that so far only the pictures of *female* celebrities have made the headlines, but that is neither here nor there…
Now reddits answer to “hey, what about my privacy?” is either “haha, you trusted a cloud? How stupid are you anyway?” or “if you didn’t want your nude pics made public, why did you make them in the first place?”, thus brushing away a very real right to privacy in favor of accusing the victims of stupidity or attention whoring or both.
Okay, so if I put something on the internet, I can’t complain if it’s used to my disadvantage. Got it.
Well, now there are rumors the FBI is investigating the leaks. Investigating against redditors maybe? Oh the outrage! Their privacy should be protected, so that things they said on the internet can’t be used to prosecute them.
Wait…?
So what they’re saying is:
if *your* privacy is violated, you shouldn’t complain, and it’s totally my First Amendment right to *ahem* _express_ you private data whereever I like. But if it looks like I could encounter negative consequences for what I said on the ‘net, protecting *my* privacy at all costs should be a Holy Cause to the all of the ‘net.
You are a stupid slut and you should shut up, but I am an upstandig knight for the lulz and I should be protected.
Go on, we’re listening.
I’m not really knowledgeable about pre-internet feminism, but I suppose there have always been brave women who said “listen to me articulating the problem in a rational way. How about that?”.
I guess in ye olden days it was easier for men to pretend they didn’t even hear her.
Today, there’s a chorus of women adding their voices on numerous channels: “yeah, how about that???”, demanding an answer. And we’re not distracted by ad hominem attacks or attempts at derailing.
Also, whatever the answer is: it can’t be swept under the carpet anymore either.
All those responses that amount to “woe is me, this is how it’s always been, why are you rocking the boat, why are you destroying everything, why are you forcing me to contemplate my position in society???”, they too are officially on record now.
And they are met with a host of raised eyebrows.
They are met with “Really? That is your argument? That is all you’ve got?”
Yes.
That is all they’ve got.
And that is why theirs is not a position that can be defended for long.
And that makes me hope.
(comments are closed. If you feel the need to add something, feel free to shoot me a trackback to a blogpost with your rationally articulated argument.)
