Holding gamers accountable

[jeregenest]

Gamers and geeks in general need to be held accountable for the sexist and other crap we do. Whether sexist art or rape jokes.

Penny Arcade should be ashamed of themselves and apologize in a big way. Folks defending themselves should have a deep look at their own sexism and adherence to the patriarchy that condones rape jokes. To have let this go on for such a longtime is deeply problematic and representative of a patriarchial way of thinking and deeply engrained priviledge.

Anyone going to PAXEast (or anyother of their conventions) should unfriend me now because you represent a large faction of gaming and geekdom that I am ashamed to be associated with.

Comments

[sabotabby]

Ugh. That's just...ugh.

I've found gamers to be the most defensive of geeks. Not without cause—the Powers that Be have ceased attacking comics as a cause for juvenile delinquency—but certainly if games are to be taken seriously as a medium, they need to own their shit.

[smoagendash.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be having a booth there. Should I unfriend you?

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

I very much think you are doing the wrong thing by supporting PaxEast.

[wiredhound.livejournal.com]

I agree, that T-shirt and the comic it came from were awful. Responses from PVP / PA on Twitter have been worse. They're hitting all the buttons: it's free speech, my wife says it's okay so it's not sexism, etc.

On top of that we have Republicans trying to create a new term, "forced" rape.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/28/republicans-abortion-rape_n_815395.html

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I'd missed this - ick. I can see the initial comic as a very stupid mistake - those happen - the world is filled with clueless idiots. However, their reaction to being called on that stupidity was impressively vile.

[drunkencarp.livejournal.com]

Indeed. People do stupid shit all the time, but the way Mike's circling his wagons, hunkering down, and calling everyone who disagrees with him Jack Thompson is pretty far over the top.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

Its not the doing of stupid stuff that makes me mad. I do enough myself, goodness knows I'm a victim of my upbringig in this patriarchial society. Its the inability to realize the depth of one's mistakes and then apologize and make amends. And thats what Penny Arcade is showing themselves to truly fail at.