Thoughts on gamergate

[Cotigo]

TechRaptor is probably the best journalists of the trio and...well...

What is the correct onomatopoeia for choking on foam produced by the mouth after reading something?

[NotMiki]

They actually genuinely don't seem to have caught her in a lie, though.

You ever hear the old political adage, if you're explaining, you're losing?  The fact that she's not a genuine liar is not going to change that headline.  They're out to get her and that's the only relevant fact out of the whole thing.  Explaining it isn't going to satisfy the crazies, because they hate her and catching her in a lie is just a convenience to them.  Explaining isn't going to satisfy the disinterested observer, because anyone with an ounce of disinterest is going to look at that article, conclude the writer has rabies, and close the tab.  So what do you get by explaining it in a rational manner?  Just the appearance - to rational observers - that you are defensive, and therefore have something to be defensive about.

[metroid composite]

Well, right, pretty much the same tactics gamergate has been using the whole time.  See also: calling Ian Miles Cheong a Neo Nazi.  Calling srhbutts a dogfucker.  None of which they have any evidence for.

And Brianna's tactic has typically been to not engage with such rumors.  But she actually found that sometimes when she said nothing they spread further.  Her solution is to now have a special twitter account for addressing rumors that people might think are true, but which she doesn't want to legitimize by addressing on her main account:

https://twitter.com/GSXdramz

The system works okish.  (Also worth noting, even on her "addressing drama" account she didn't address TheRalphRetort, because that story is so transparently stupid it doesn't need addressing.  She addressed the rumors that the motorcycle she's been paying off from 2009 was paid for by the GSX patreon, though).



Meanwhile, in actually serious Brianna Wu news, a gamergater threatened to come to her house with a gun.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2u9bgg/brianna_wu_in_contact_with_police_over_gamergater/

ETHICS

[metroid composite]

But in the mean time, some general social justice stuff that I'm finding this to be a convenient dumping place for:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/dominicholden/transgender-kids-are-not-confused-or-pretending-study-finds#.eyaBbMgVaE

http://www.cracked.com/article_21884_5-awful-realities-being-man-who-was-raped-by-woman.html

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Meanwhile, in actually serious Brianna Wu news, a gamergater threatened to come to her house with a gun.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2u9bgg/brianna_wu_in_contact_with_police_over_gamergater/

ETHICS

Jace isn't really a GamerGate partisan, he's just an untreated schizophrenic who lived with his fundie mother until a couple months ago.  If Wu had actually called the police on him instead of retweeting his crash video maybe he'd be receiving mental help right now.

[Cmdr_King]

Police getting people mental help?  You don't seem to know much about america

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Police getting people mental help?  You don't seem to know much about america

He lives in suburban Massachusetts, it's a little better than fucking Missouri or whatever about that sort of thing.

e:  In breaking news Jace is currently receiving treatment for his concussion and head wound.  There's NO WAY he makes it through that without a 72-hour psych hold being put on him by an ER doc.

[metroid composite]

If Wu had actually called the police on him instead of retweeting his crash video maybe he'd be receiving mental help right now.

Hm?  She called the police on him a good 12 hours before doing anything else.  That's what she was doing Friday evening, and that's the link I posted.  Notice the link says "Brianna wu in contact with the police...".  She retweeted his video early this morning; well after spending the evening detailing the problem to the police.

Jace isn't really a GamerGate partisan

See...I have two objections to this statement:

1. Brianna Wu wouldn't be notable or a target for mentally ill anger if not for gamergate.

2. They are actively encouraging him on twitter and have started using the #wupocalypse hashtag to celebrate his exploits:

https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/561645550681214976
https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/561647199109783552

He may not really be gg, but he's going after Brianna because of gg, and they're encouraging him.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Hm?  She called the police on him a good 12 hours before doing anything else.  That's what she was doing Friday evening, and that's the link I posted.  Notice the link says "Brianna wu in contact with the police...".  She retweeted his video early this morning; well after spending the evening detailing the problem to the police.

That is the claim.  I'm saying that Wu apparently decided not to actually do anything about it or maybe even didn't call the police at all.  The police would have hauled Jace in when they arrived on the scene of his crash yesterday if someone had called in, not waved on to go home and later ask a friend for a ride to the hospital to get his head wound looked at.  He's already in the system with multiple priors and is currently on supervised probation; they'd come down on him like a brick of shit for this.  But hey, retweeting the video he made after he crawled out of a car wreck is just as good, and using it to prove a point about how you are a victim and not the schizophrenic who people have convinced to do this shit?  Totally cool.

Jace isn't really a GamerGate partisan

See...I have two objections to this statement:

1. Brianna Wu wouldn't be notable or a target for mentally ill anger if not for gamergate.

2. They are actively encouraging him on twitter and have started using the #wupocalypse hashtag to celebrate his exploits:

https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/561645550681214976
https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/561647199109783552

He may not really be gg, but he's going after Brianna because of gg, and they're encouraging him.
[/quote]

Yeah, they're manipulating (and I will reiterate this) an unmedicated schizophrenic.  He himself is not invested in the issue because he literally does not know what it is.  The last time something like this happened he spent a bunch of money conducting an "operation" in Israel trying to find the secret bunker where Tupac was being held prisoner by either Hamas or ISIS (it changed a few times).  What he was doing had nothing to do with Hamas, he did not care about the Israel-Palestine situation and he can't even tell them apart from ISIS.  Would you describe him as an anti-Palestinian militant or an easily-manipulated person with significant mental illness?

[metroid composite]

Would you describe him as an anti-Palestinian militant or an easily-manipulated person with significant mental illness?

The latter obviously.  The concern is that gamergate is manipulating mentally ill people into potentially murdering someone.

The police would have hauled Jace in when they arrived on the scene of his crash yesterday if someone had called in

Mmmm...not sure.  Throughout all of this we've seen extremely underwhelming police response to anything online.  There was actually an article written about it recently:

http://jezebel.com/the-cops-dont-care-about-violent-online-threats-what-d-1682577343/+tcberman

Brianna Wu certainly seems frustrated by the lack of response:

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561573970538151938
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561567260591280129
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561544757214990336

And certainly claims to have contacted the police:

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561314112123068417
https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2u9bgg/brianna_wu_in_contact_with_police_over_gamergater/co6coyl

I can't go into details, because that's what I've been instructed to do. I can say, I'm in contact with law enforcement.

Not to mention, gamergate frequently accuses people of not going to the police, to the point that they've requested documents from police departments to determine if reports were filed or not (they did this with Anita Sarkeesian).  It would be downright dumb of her to lie about going to the police, because gamergate would most likely find out, because they are creepy enough to contact her local police department and ask.


So...no, "the police didn't instantly arrest him" doesn't automatically mean that she didn't go to the police.  If for some strange reason she didn't go to the police (why??) I'm sure gamergate will be making inquiries with her police department, and will let us know if she didn't.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

The latter obviously.  The concern is that gamergate is manipulating mentally ill people into potentially murdering someone.

The only potential murder on the table was them tricking Jace into killing himself by challenging Wu to an "honorable street race" that would somehow resolve all of Gamergate.  Of course they intentionally sent him to the middle of a blizzard that day, presumably because it would be more funny that way or some shit.

So...no, "the police didn't instantly arrest him" doesn't automatically mean that she didn't go to the police.  If for some strange reason she didn't go to the police (why??) I'm sure gamergate will be making inquiries with her police department, and will let us know if she didn't.

That claim has already indeed been made as of yesterday afternoon, by King of Pol.  He's currently staying overnight at a local hospital for observation, what with the head wound and concussion both potentially being life-threatening, so we'll see if the police swing by to arrest him tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wu has realized that rallying an army against a schizophrenic won't look good.

[metroid composite]

so we'll see if the police swing by to arrest him tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wu has realized that rallying an army against a schizophrenic won't look good.

Hm?  She's been pretty clear that he's mentally ill and needs treatment.

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589400262705153
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589145374846977

[Anthony Edward Stark]

so we'll see if the police swing by to arrest him tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wu has realized that rallying an army against a schizophrenic won't look good.

Hm?  She's been pretty clear that he's mentally ill and needs treatment.

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589400262705153
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589145374846977

Yes, this would be the beginning of the backpedal I was talking about.

[Cotigo]

Been staying quiet since busy + don't know much info about this incident but I couldn't resist.

so we'll see if the police swing by to arrest him tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wu has realized that rallying an army against a schizophrenic won't look good.

Hm?  She's been pretty clear that he's mentally ill and needs treatment.

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589400262705153
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589145374846977

Yes, this would be the beginning of the backpedal I was talking about.

Nope. Couldn't be that she got that information after calling the cops and talking about it. It couldn't be that she got new information and changed her talking points based off of it. Is backpedaling. Such a flip flopper. Never gonna be president wow. #FoxNews

[Anthony Edward Stark]

It couldn't be that she got new information and changed her talking points based off of it.

That is exactly what I was saying is happening.  Wu realized Jace is an unmedicated schizophrenic so calling for Internet Fatwa would not look good, and slowed that roll considerably.  The fact that Republicans consider the word "backpedaling" to carry inherent judgment doesn't mean it's true, it's just finding out a situation is different than you thought and backing off.  The amount of time it takes to realize he's off his gourd is one google search.

[NotMiki]

The way you're saying it implies she's backing off in order to protect her public image, rather than because of any moral judgment that backing off is, y'know, the right thing to do.

(Personally, even if it's just for the sake of her public appearance, I'm going to give her a little slack if she reacts poorly to a fucking death threat by a crazy person.)

[metroid composite]

so we'll see if the police swing by to arrest him tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wu has realized that rallying an army against a schizophrenic won't look good.

Hm?  She's been pretty clear that he's mentally ill and needs treatment.

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589400262705153
https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal/status/561589145374846977

Yes, this would be the beginning of the backpedal I was talking about.

Dude, look at the time on the tweets.  Literally before you made a single post on the subject.  This isn't a "backpedal" it's one of the first things she said.

[metroid composite]

And...mysery solved: yes Brianna Wu went to the police...and the courtroom...and now has a restraining order against Jace:

https://twitter.com/giantspacekat/status/563437767183437824
https://twitter.com/giantspacekat/status/563438506400571392

Meanwhile, gamergate actually had a foray into ethics for the first time in weeks.  They even made a new hashtag for it (#PinsofInterview).  Buuuuut they didn't really do all their homework and just quoted Allistair Pinsof without researching his claims:

http://kotaku.com/gamergates-latest-conspiracy-theory-doesnt-hold-up-1684012308

[metroid composite]

TotalBiscuit has written a 2000 word manifesto to the KiA mods:

http://np.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/2v760f/totalbiscuit_on_the_recent_status_of/cof0rb9

It's...well if they collectively manage to do all that, I'd be fine with the movement.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Nice thoughts. I'd be behind that kind of movement as well. Although, he keeps mentioning that there should be a 'list of achievements by gamergate' and I have no idea what those achievements are? I was pretty much under the impression that the only things they'd achieved was making gamers look bad and their more radical members sending death threats and bomb threats?

Also, just from reading the replies since MC posted this, it doesn't look like anyone is intending to follow it...

[Luther Lansfeld]

I like that the stated reason that they shouldn't harass Brianna Wu and Anita Sarkeesian is to "not give them attention", not because it's morally reprehensible to harass people on the Internet.

[metroid composite]

I was pretty much under the impression that the only things they'd achieved was making gamers look bad and their more radical members sending death threats and bomb threats?

The closest thing to an organized list I've seen out of the group is this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy9bisUIP3w

Which...is not really a list of achievements, and is more a collection of snipets from interviews and videos they've done on journalism (and a few interviews and videos that had fuck all to do with them).

Although those "related videos" x_x

For stuff claimed as a victory, you can try ctrl+f for victory in this timeline:

http://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/wiki/timeline

But this is a timeline put together by Ghazi, so it might be missing some points.

Also, just from reading the replies since MC posted this, it doesn't look like anyone is intending to follow it...

The mods are trying to enforce a "no drama" rule.  But they've tried and failed such initiatives in the past.

[Cotigo]

Man, Total Biscuit. What an idiot. A well meaning idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.  The point he's making is good, and would certainly do a lot to bolster GamerGate's credibility. But then he says shit the point Ciato pointed out, and how sad it is that GamerGate has "been called every name under the sun and that's not fair."  The best part was him reinforcing that they're not a harassment campaign because it's only harassment if you actually drive anyone out of the game's industry. And in the same breath tells them to stop bashing people in threads and harassing people because that's "being used against [GG] as proof that [GG] are a bunch of harassers." Like, seriously?

What a massive tit.

[The Duck]

...The best part was him reinforcing that they're not a harassment campaign because it's only harassment if you actually drive anyone out of the game's industry. And in the same breath tells them to stop bashing people in threads and harassing people because that's "being used against [GG] as proof that [GG] are a bunch of harassers." Like, seriously?

What a massive tit.

Just like when TB said Sarkeesian's harassment isn't to be taken seriously because she's "still breathing." Also, at least two prominent writers left because of this shit (Frank and Brice).

At this point, TB has engaged in so much intellectual dishonesty that it's hard to take him seriously. The weird paranoia (he does engage in what amounts to SJW conspiracy bullshit even though he doesn't use those terms), the nonstop No True Scotsman claims, the constant self aggrandizing (check how many followers I have!), and his thoughts on privilege are repulsive and myopic. I don't know that a sub that named itself after TumblrinAction is going to take very kindly to not using "SJW" since that is basically the entire point of TiA's existence as far as I can tell.

And you know what, if GG did this then I wouldn't have a ton of objections, but at this point, this an exhortation to moderates who no longer exist. The content of the sub is all propagandistic outrage, so his "Be patient" point will dry up all activity on the sub since, I don't know if you know, the ethics witch-hunt is and has always been bullshit.

Why Brianna Wu is being targeted is also incredibly puzzling to me, but that's another issue.

[metroid composite]

Why Brianna Wu is being targeted is also incredibly puzzling to me, but that's another issue.

...yeahhhhh, had a rant about that recently

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2v66m1/brianna_wu_on_twitter_this_person_sent_a_video/coeu3c6

Replies are interesting.


And yeah, TiA initially sounds harmless, but it's only harmless if you don't let it bleed into your real attitudes, which TB.....

https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/564529339350659075

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8DHaaUCUAAjGdO.png

This second one he insists is "only making fun of otherkin, not transgender people"--and yes, technically there are a tiny minority of otherkin on Tumblr who have preferred pronouns relating to animals.  but apparently most of them are trans anyway.

Like, I had no idea otherkin pronouns were a thing before seeing that tweet.  It's the kind of thing you only hear about if you read TumblrInAction, which digs up the most ridiculous elements of Tumblr (which, notably, is a website mostly populated by teenagers who don't have a well-formulated world-view).  The concept of 30-year-old men making fun of 15-year-old girls is already a bit messed up once individual teenagers are being singled out.  But it starts to become pernicious if they then use the things they've seen on Tumblr as part of their world-view, and assume others will understand their references.