So long and thanks for all the coverage…I guess

While I’m glad doxxes against Pro #GamerGate voices are finally being covered in the media, albeit the adjunct blogoshphere, I wish it wasn't in such a telling way. I have a couple of serious issues with the way the report on Liz’s doxxing went down on Daily Kos (what happened to you once shiny bastion of light? How thy light has faded).

For starters: Why now? Where was the coverage of these doxxes/threats/swatts, and general harassment against other ProGG people these last 6 months? All it took was a pretty face (and such a pretty face it is) to finally garner some — any — coverage; even though she openly said herself she doesn’t want this (she is likely the only one taking the FBI’s advice).

So, the one time a proGG person being doxxed is covered, they do it against her wishes…swell. Even in our moment of vindication, as journos begrudgingly admit the world is round, there’s a twinge of disrespect thrown into our conciliatory glass of wine.

My second issue with this article is the deceptive way in which the author only tangentially links Liz to #GamerGate, saying “In covering GamerGate, one woman who considers herself a men’s right activist, was willing to speak to me.”

This makes it seems like she is part of this as a spokesperson for Men’s Rights and not as an OUTSPOKEN #GamerGate supporter. This is desceptive in two ways:

It distances the harassment of a pro #GamerGate woman away from #GamerGate. While this isn't outright stating “women in GamerGate still either do not exist or are not being harassed” it does leave a heavy implication. Point 2 doesn't matter because they’ll never cover threats/doxxes/swatts against male #GamerGate supporters.

The Author then goes on to blame threats/harassment/doxxing/swatting against women on men, exclusively. This is incredibly dishonest — and ironic — since, during the same article, he lists Wu, Quinn, AND Harper — all well known harassers/doxxers — as victims. It contradicts itself so wonderfully…sigh…hipsters and their irony.

The author brings up the point that, while men do get threats, they aren't often sexual in nature. This is a spurious argument for one obvious reason: when women send threats to other women they’re usually not sexual in nature since most women are straight and don’t often use sex as an insult in the way men do (sexual dimorphism and all that). The same holds true when women send threats to men; “you’re gonna threaten rape against me? Are you hot?”… it just doesn’t carry the same weight and threats, on the internet, are all about eliciting an emotional response. A man will send rape threats to a woman AND threats of sexual violence to other men. Usually, it’s along the lines of “I’ll rape your sister/wife/mother/ etc” or “I’m going to rape you with XYZ object”.

It’s arguable that rape threats against woman are worse in tone, but it’s certainly not worse in sincerity since both are equally as actionable and, often times, neither are.

Lastly, and this is what pisses me off the most: the bullshit ‘CYA’ PR spin at the end when the author explicitly calls for levity in coverage of the incident. For the past 6 months, every single allegation of threats/doxxing/swatting levied against #GamerGate by each of the other antiGG woman listed in the very same article have been politicized to hell and back across the entire left wing media apparatus and beyond. GamerGate has been linked to threats/doxxes/swattings and associated, ideologically, with the KKK, ISIS, and violence against POC in Ferguson, MI. These left wing culture warriors, championing their best O’Reilly impressions, have crafted a false equivalency between our calls for free speech (principally) and support for artistic integrity to a mass shooting in Canada and the justification for the unfortunate murders in France. All of this has happened without a single shred of evidence to support these allegations or self awareness from journalists who promote the likes of Jonathan McIntosh, Leigh Alexander, and Brianna Wu.

Not once before was there a call to refrain from politicizing the issue among the left wing blogosphere. In fact, the “issue” of #GamerGate was immediately turned into one of a political nature. Erroneous lines were drawn between MRA’s and Feminists or the political right wing and left. Every single 2 bit click bait journo and blogger with an axe to grind - and personal twitter army - turned #GamerGate into their personal call to arms.

Then the second irrefutable and inconvenient hard evidence (and by hard evidence I mean the same unsupported by fact allegations backed up by self fulfilling fuzzy logic) that could unravel the entire narrative in which THEY’RE the good guys and WE’RE the bad guys comes to like (that ProGG women are being harassed), they flip flop and call for calmer nerves and clearer minds.

For the past 6 months trolls didn't exist and every single one of societies ill’s were laid almost directly at the soles of #GamerGate’s collective feet. Once a terrible, and professionally/thoroughly done, doxxing of such a high profile proGG female happens (and it was inevitable) these far left blog sites remember how the internet works.

I appreciate your concern…I just wish next time you’d buy me a drink before you jerk me off.