7 ms·

Gamergate bullies complaining about ethics is hilarious. Especially given the recent developments over at Reddit.

kinghajj 11y ago
Do you really believe that everyone who believes in the Gamergate story is a bully?
nailer 11y ago
gamergate is awful, but so is anti gamergate: they've also made bomb threats, sent syringes to peoples houses, doxxed, made sock puppet accounts, and threatened someone's family. People care /way/ too much about video games. Just don't get involved.
vdnkh 11y ago
Sentiment like this is a huge double standard that nobody seems to notice. When somebody says "All Muslims are terrorists" because an extremely small proportion of them ARE terrorists, you (rightfully so) get people saying that you're wrong. However, when somebody says "Gamergate supporters are misogynistic/racist/bullies/etc" everyone nods their heads in agreement and Kotaku gets a few thousand in ad revenue. However, it's a parallel case - a small but vocal minority are causing trouble. So why the double standard? Supporting GamerGate isn't morally fashionable [0]. Too many people (including yourself, it seems) are unable to deal with ambiguous or contradictory situations, and end up looking towards mass for guidance. GG isn't perfect, but their promotion of journalistic integrity is important. [0]http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html
- pron 11y ago
  I haven't played a video game for more than a few minutes in over a decade, and I had no idea what "gamergate" was until I read the summary on Wikipedia and maybe some article by a reputable news organization (I don't remember which), but isn't "everyone who's in the KKK is a racist" a much more apt comparison than "all Muslims are terrorists"? As I gather from the Wikipedia entry, gamergate is a hate group, so by definition anyone who's a part of it is a bully. I mean, saying gamergate is for "journalistic integrity" is like saying the KKK is "anti crime" because they may have, on occasion, lynched people who actually performed crimes. But since the KKK is only anti crime if said crime was committed by a black person -- and then their reaction is not one of protest but of violence -- you can't say that the KKK's stance on crime is "important". Similarly, gamergate only happens to be enraged -- and violently so -- not about journalistic integrity in general (or even in video-games coverage), but only when they sense that integrity happens to coincide with the interests of women. They promote journalistic integrity just like the KKK fights crime -- namely they make up a conspiracy to fight, and may on occasion, by total chance, happen to be partly right (in their claims, not in their actions, of course). Also, while most people are born into Islam (or convert to it because of some of its many ideals) people choose to join the KKK -- or gamergate -- only because they identify with a rather singular feeling: hate towards the movement's intended victims. One is not born a gamergater, and neither does one become a gamergater simply for believing that journalists should hold themselves to a higher standard. What I don't understand is, while the KKK may not like or endorse the "hate group" designation, they are well aware that they're not really crime fighters. Are gamergaters confused about that point? EDIT: While reading more about gamergate I came across the term SJW, which stands for Social Justice Warrior, which is something gamergaters are apparently against. How can a group of nerds be against social justice warriors? Are they against Batman? Do they hate Professor X?
  - Zikes 11y ago
    Gamergate is often compared to groups like the KKK, however I would invite you to review all of the replies and discussion resulting from my initial comment on the subject. I made mention of ethical failings regarding journalism in video games. I never purported to be a part of a movement, and have no significant history of harassment, hateful comments, or any personal hatred for anyone involved. But by bringing up the subject, I am immediately associated with that "group" and shouldered with the actions of anyone else who has ever expressed a similar opinion. I have an opinion, and it is important to me. I only ask that judgments of my character be based on my own words and actions.
    - pron 11y ago
      You wrote, and I quote, "GG isn't perfect, but their promotion of journalistic integrity is important". That is just like saying "The KKK isn't perfect, but their hardline stance against crime is important." Can you imagine anyone uttering those words and not being associated with racism? Gamergate, from what I gather, isn't a think tank or a political movement. They don't have "opinions". They harass people they hate and make up conspiracy theories to support their actions (though they may happen to be right about a fact or two -- I have no idea). Thus, you are not associated with them for expressing an opinion which they don't really share. You may, however, be associated with them for helping paint a run-of-the-mill hate-group made up of geekthugs as a "movement", which, while "not perfect" holds some "important" "opinions". I don't judge your character -- I don't know you -- but I think we can all fairly criticize your judgment in this particular discussion.
      - Zikes 11y ago
        That quote is from vdnkh, not myself. I am the one that posted the initial comment about journalistic ethics in video games, and was immediately associated with GG for it.
        pron 11y ago
        I apologize. My comment was intended, then, to the author of the quote.
- makeitsuckless 11y ago
  Gamergate has nothing to do with "promotion of journalistic integrity". That is just the excuse du jour of this scum. It's 100% bullying and misogyny mixed with some extreme right wing politics. I'm a strong critic of Islamists, but the comparison with Muslims is insulting. There is no "double standard". A thug is a thug, regardless of the excuse for their aggression. There is nothing ambiguous about the obvious enjoyment they get out of terrorizing people. Amongst those who want to promote journalistic integrity, Gamergaters are the fundamentalist terrorists.
tptacek 11y ago
This comment isn't helping.

Do you really believe that everyone who believes in the Gamergate story is a bully?

gamergate is awful, but so is anti gamergate: they've also made bomb threats, sent syringes to peoples houses, doxxed, made sock puppet accounts, and threatened someone's family. People care /way/ too much about video games. Just don't get involved.

vdnkh 11y ago

Sentiment like this is a huge double standard that nobody seems to notice. When somebody says "All Muslims are terrorists" because an extremely small proportion of them ARE terrorists, you (rightfully so) get people saying that you're wrong. However, when somebody says "Gamergate supporters are misogynistic/racist/bullies/etc" everyone nods their heads in agreement and Kotaku gets a few thousand in ad revenue. However, it's a parallel case - a small but vocal minority are causing trouble. So why the double standard? Supporting GamerGate isn't morally fashionable [0]. Too many people (including yourself, it seems) are unable to deal with ambiguous or contradictory situations, and end up looking towards mass for guidance. GG isn't perfect, but their promotion of journalistic integrity is important. [0]http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html

pron 11y ago
I haven't played a video game for more than a few minutes in over a decade, and I had no idea what "gamergate" was until I read the summary on Wikipedia and maybe some article by a reputable news organization (I don't remember which), but isn't "everyone who's in the KKK is a racist" a much more apt comparison than "all Muslims are terrorists"? As I gather from the Wikipedia entry, gamergate is a hate group, so by definition anyone who's a part of it is a bully. I mean, saying gamergate is for "journalistic integrity" is like saying the KKK is "anti crime" because they may have, on occasion, lynched people who actually performed crimes. But since the KKK is only anti crime if said crime was committed by a black person -- and then their reaction is not one of protest but of violence -- you can't say that the KKK's stance on crime is "important". Similarly, gamergate only happens to be enraged -- and violently so -- not about journalistic integrity in general (or even in video-games coverage), but only when they sense that integrity happens to coincide with the interests of women. They promote journalistic integrity just like the KKK fights crime -- namely they make up a conspiracy to fight, and may on occasion, by total chance, happen to be partly right (in their claims, not in their actions, of course). Also, while most people are born into Islam (or convert to it because of some of its many ideals) people choose to join the KKK -- or gamergate -- only because they identify with a rather singular feeling: hate towards the movement's intended victims. One is not born a gamergater, and neither does one become a gamergater simply for believing that journalists should hold themselves to a higher standard. What I don't understand is, while the KKK may not like or endorse the "hate group" designation, they are well aware that they're not really crime fighters. Are gamergaters confused about that point? EDIT: While reading more about gamergate I came across the term SJW, which stands for Social Justice Warrior, which is something gamergaters are apparently against. How can a group of nerds be against social justice warriors? Are they against Batman? Do they hate Professor X?
- Zikes 11y ago
  Gamergate is often compared to groups like the KKK, however I would invite you to review all of the replies and discussion resulting from my initial comment on the subject. I made mention of ethical failings regarding journalism in video games. I never purported to be a part of a movement, and have no significant history of harassment, hateful comments, or any personal hatred for anyone involved. But by bringing up the subject, I am immediately associated with that "group" and shouldered with the actions of anyone else who has ever expressed a similar opinion. I have an opinion, and it is important to me. I only ask that judgments of my character be based on my own words and actions.
  - pron 11y ago
    You wrote, and I quote, "GG isn't perfect, but their promotion of journalistic integrity is important". That is just like saying "The KKK isn't perfect, but their hardline stance against crime is important." Can you imagine anyone uttering those words and not being associated with racism? Gamergate, from what I gather, isn't a think tank or a political movement. They don't have "opinions". They harass people they hate and make up conspiracy theories to support their actions (though they may happen to be right about a fact or two -- I have no idea). Thus, you are not associated with them for expressing an opinion which they don't really share. You may, however, be associated with them for helping paint a run-of-the-mill hate-group made up of geekthugs as a "movement", which, while "not perfect" holds some "important" "opinions". I don't judge your character -- I don't know you -- but I think we can all fairly criticize your judgment in this particular discussion.
    - Zikes 11y ago
      That quote is from vdnkh, not myself. I am the one that posted the initial comment about journalistic ethics in video games, and was immediately associated with GG for it.
      - pron 11y ago
        I apologize. My comment was intended, then, to the author of the quote.
makeitsuckless 11y ago
Gamergate has nothing to do with "promotion of journalistic integrity". That is just the excuse du jour of this scum. It's 100% bullying and misogyny mixed with some extreme right wing politics. I'm a strong critic of Islamists, but the comparison with Muslims is insulting. There is no "double standard". A thug is a thug, regardless of the excuse for their aggression. There is nothing ambiguous about the obvious enjoyment they get out of terrorizing people. Amongst those who want to promote journalistic integrity, Gamergaters are the fundamentalist terrorists.

tptacek 11y ago

This comment isn't helping.