SYABM comic 13: “The Fannish Inquisition”

Once upon a time, I read an article on Kotaku about sexism in gaming. This was a few years back, before the rot really started to set in. Specifically, it linked to an rant written by some guy about Fake Geek Girls. I thought nothing of it.

Fast forward a few years, and SJWs are treating women as a persecuted minority within geekdom, constantly interrogated to see if their geek knowledge is up to snuff. Strangely, I hear much more about this alleged problem than I see any actual examples.

And something occurs to me; what if they’re wrong? What if they’re mistaking actual, y'know, conversation for persecution? If I want to discuss something with someone, I like to establish what they know about it before I proceed. This wouldn’t be the first time a well-meaning feminist mistook something innocent for something nefarious.

And what if they’re right? What if there are gatekeepers who see themselves as saving gaming from the XX-chromosomed hordes? Where’s the evidence that they represent a significant group, instead of a few dicks? I mean, geeks do things that other geeks disavow all the time; look at slashficcers, or furries, or furry slashficcers. This sort of gatekeeping isn’t even unique to geekery. I’m told punk rock and metal fans do this sort of thing all the time. And for that matter, many feminists themselves often say that You Must be This Knowledgable about Male Privilege to enter, especially to men.

There are many fandoms, such as Adventure Time or Supernatural, where female geeks are the majority, not the minority.

Bottom line; I just don’t see much evidence to support this claim, barring anecdata. Heck, even the anecdata, like the person in the screenshot, usually just assumes this only happens to women.