I wrote a huge post on the penny-arcade dickwolves controversy, but have since decided I don't want to get into it. I'm just done with those guys. They had an opportunity to discuss the real issues women face regarding rape and the misogyny issues in modern gamer culture and chose instead to mock and dismiss those concerns. I've been on the fence for a while and after this I'm just done. What type of entitled assholes make a "team raping dickwolves" shirt as a way to stick it rape victims for being too sensitive? The Penny Arcade guys of course! Who doesn't understand that ostensibly "pro-rape" shirts that are really ironic in a hard to explain way aren't a good idea?
Not that it matters because I think I'm done following them, but for the love of god keep Gabe away from the front page on PR issues. Of all the people there he is by far the worst person to address controversy of any sort.
Anyway, I'm moving on with my life. They won't miss me. I don't care.
Word. Honestly, given the outlandish and insulting stuff they've done over the years I was shocked this escalated as much as it did. "Penny Arcade guys make outrageous statements, film at 11..."
ReplyDeleteAnyone who says they were shocked by the PA reaction isn't aware of how they handled similar situations in the past, when furries essentially did the same thing feminists are doing now, and when PA confronted Jack Thompson.
ReplyDeleteThey've always acted like this, anyone "surprised" and also saying they've followed PA for any reasonable amount of time is a liar.
They have a history of attracting real outrage from small groups over petty things they're unaware of, and this is how they handled it then, now and will handle in the future. Having a fit about it and burning bridges doesn't promote your cause, it just alienates the rest of the world, its counterproductive and embarrassing for the movement.
(I love the title of your post.)
ReplyDeleteI am also angry at Mike, a little angry at Jerry, and thoroughly disgusted (by both sides) at the way this has all played out... BUT, one of the things I find MOST depressing, is the defeatist attitude so many seem to share.
Contrary to what it may feel like now, this HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE an opportunity to talk about gender issues. We (the greater community) have been talking about it nonstop for days now. A LOT of people have learned something new, on both sides. I'd like to propose a couple more:
1) All of us, at some point or another, end up in Mike and Jerry's shoes. I grew up thinking that Jews were a race, like being Irish or Italian. NPR did a story on this very idea, and there was one woman who made it into her twenties thinking that unicorns exist. Everybody reading this right now has defended an indefensible position, or been dismissive of criticism, or offended people they call friends.
This is an experience common to the whole of humanity, so when it rolls around again (this time with mini-celebrities!), let's keep that in mind and not declare the end of the world.
2) Don't give up on Mike and Jerry. Mike himself has shown that he can handle being wrong, and that he can handle difficult issues with grace, such as games about real war, mental disorders, and using drugs to treat those disorders. Will he ever see this issue the way others do? I have hope.
The comic, the newsposts, the videos, PAX, and Childs Play have all been wonderful for the gaming community. It would be a shame if we walked away from it all over this.
You're making the right choice by stepping away from this debate. It's not a debate anymore anyway, just two sides hurling insults at eachother.
ReplyDeleteI've followed penny arcade for over 5 years. I've grown up, they haven't. This was just kinda the last straw for me personally. All I wanted was some basic human decency on their part this once, and instead they sat back for 6 months while their critics were being harrassed with threats of further rape by pa fans, and then claim to not understand what rape culture could possibly be referring to. I'm really looking for a community that doesn't prize being an insensitive asshole above all else. So I'm moving on.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Mike will wake up to the fact that being friends with people called #teamrape is a bad idea. Yeah you pushed the envelope and you're a cartoonist and you make random jokes about a lot of topics. However just because someone's offended by your rape jokes doesn't mean you need to take a stand for all the rapists of the world.
ReplyDelete