[Discussion] The Inconceivable Power of Trolls in Social Media

This is a follow-on to the nearly two year old topic "Trouble at the Kool-Aid Point." The intention is to provide a place to discuss the unreasonable power social media trolls have over women and minorities, with a primary focus on video games (though other examples are certainly welcome).

Bleh, that game looked really neat. I guess I'll pass unless I read some really positive reviews.

Address all complaints to one B.J. Blazkowitcz, esq.

It's not even noon Monday and already this week's going to have to work pretty hard to show me something dumber than that.

I'm surprised Notch and Luckey aren't dating by now.

Also, I don't think very many people liked the new Bill Nye show no matter their position. It was really really bad.

Aren't these the same folks who tend to grouse about SJWs going out of their way to find offense in everything?

Bloo Driver wrote:

Aren't these the same folks who tend to grouse about SJWs going out of their way to find offense in everything?

Yes...

Also the same folks who yammer incessantly about sites "censoring" them while banning everyone they disagree with from their discussions.

Soooo... Don't buy The Last Night, buy several copies of the new Wolfenstein? Sure, I can do that.

*sigh* Every time I wish, hope, expect us to be past this, these bigoted, dangerous fools crop up again.

Eleima wrote:

Soooo... Don't buy The Last Night, buy several copies of the new Wolfenstein? Sure, I can do that.

*sigh* Every time I wish, hope, expect us to be past this, these bigoted, dangerous fools crop up again. :(

It's a very slow and painful process, but I'm confident that things will get better. It's cold comfort for everyone that is getting harassed right now, though.

Tyops wrote:

Also, I don't think very many people liked the new Bill Nye show no matter their position. It was really really bad.

I haven't watched it. I was referring to the reasoning, which says as much about him as it does the show, considering his other statements.

Rallick wrote:

It's a very slow and painful process, but I'm confident that things will get better. It's cold comfort for everyone that is getting harassed right now, though.

In light of America's recent decision to elect a man who ran a presidential campaign that maintained lying, insults, and harassment (physical as well as digital) were features, not bugs, I wish I shared your optimism.

Hyetal wrote:
Tyops wrote:

Also, I don't think very many people liked the new Bill Nye show no matter their position. It was really really bad.

I haven't watched it. I was referring to the reasoning, which says as much about him as it does the show, considering his other statements.

Rallick wrote:

It's a very slow and painful process, but I'm confident that things will get better. It's cold comfort for everyone that is getting harassed right now, though.

In light of America's recent decision to elect a man who ran a presidential campaign that maintained lying, insults, and harassment (physical as well as digital) were features, not bugs, I wish I shared your optimism.

Yeah, GG started big 4 years ago, but the harassment of devs, especially female developers goes back a long time before that and here we are 4 years later and GG is still going on. Kotaku in Action continues on on Reddit. 4chan is still the same hive of scum and villainy it's been since they tried to defend their site hosting illegal pornography.

I have no expectation of things getting all that much better anymore. :\ Just trying to make my corner of the world and internet the best it can be.

The funny thing is I thought the previous Wolfenstein game was already surprisingly progressive, this new one just seems to be continuing that trend. I dunno why the GG/alt-right manbabies are just now starting to complain about it.

muttonchop wrote:

The funny thing is I thought the previous Wolfenstein game was already surprisingly progressive, this new one just seems to be continuing that trend. I dunno why the GG/alt-right manbabies are just now starting to complain about it.

Because, slow to understand obvious things as they are, they've only just realized that they're literal Nazis, and thus, a game in which their avatars are the baddies is clearly infringing their rights to be earthshattering arseholes without consequence.

Someone needs to point out to the alt-righters that there are skulls on their hats.

BadKen wrote:

Someone needs to point out to the alt-righters that there are skulls on their hats.

Presumably those are sacred tribal symbols to shield noble straight cis white christian males from the grave injustices they face as oppressed and tormented by SJWS!

BadKen wrote:

Someone needs to point out to the alt-righters that there are skulls on their hats.

It just represents their perfect caucasian skull shape.

BadKen wrote:

Someone needs to point out to the alt-righters that there are skulls on their hats.

Honestly, half of those that refer to themselves as alt right? Proooooobably view that as a good thing.

Reminds me, gotta find an article for you guys. Alt Right troll tried to hang with your standard American Nazi. Didn't work out so well...

Found it!

Meme-toting racist troll fails to make friends with actual gun-toting racists

But the Memes! Won't someone think of the Dank Memes!

Jonman wrote:
muttonchop wrote:

The funny thing is I thought the previous Wolfenstein game was already surprisingly progressive, this new one just seems to be continuing that trend. I dunno why the GG/alt-right manbabies are just now starting to complain about it.

Because, slow to understand obvious things as they are, they've only just realized that they're literal Nazis, and thus, a game in which their avatars are the baddies is clearly infringing their rights to be earthshattering arseholes without consequence.

Also remember that when Anita Sarkeesian was on the Colbert Report a few years ago, before the airing these GG derps actually believed Stephen would tear her a new one.

dejanzie wrote:
Jonman wrote:
muttonchop wrote:

The funny thing is I thought the previous Wolfenstein game was already surprisingly progressive, this new one just seems to be continuing that trend. I dunno why the GG/alt-right manbabies are just now starting to complain about it.

Because, slow to understand obvious things as they are, they've only just realized that they're literal Nazis, and thus, a game in which their avatars are the baddies is clearly infringing their rights to be earthshattering arseholes without consequence.

Also remember that when Anita Sarkeesian was on the Colbert Report a few years ago, before the airing these GG derps actually believed Stephen would tear her a new one.

The most persistent feature of GG is that they drink their own kool-aid by the gallon. And, since they're deep into conspiracy theories from the get-go, they tend to repeat lines of reasoning and memes based on shaky conclusions derived from leaps of logic. And then that gets passed around as gospel and picked up by other GG members who weren't party to the original reasoning, just the conclusion. Hence them thinking someone is on their side when it's obvious he never would have been: they have bad satire detection and repeat memes until they believe them themselves.

There have been many times where I know more about the intellectual history of one of their bogus ideas than the person who is trying to use it as an argument.

dejanzie wrote:

Also remember that when Anita Sarkeesian was on the Colbert Report a few years ago, before the airing these GG derps actually believed Stephen would tear her a new one.

Some of them believe he did in a segment that never aired.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
dejanzie wrote:

Also remember that when Anita Sarkeesian was on the Colbert Report a few years ago, before the airing these GG derps actually believed Stephen would tear her a new one.

Some of them believe he did in a segment that never aired.

Like... still? Have they not seen... literally everything else he's ever done by now?

Demosthenes wrote:

Like... still? Have they not seen... literally everything else he's ever done by now?

I don't know about "still". It's not like they're still talking about it.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
dejanzie wrote:

Also remember that when Anita Sarkeesian was on the Colbert Report a few years ago, before the airing these GG derps actually believed Stephen would tear her a new one.

Some of them believe he did in a segment that never aired.

When I saw Sarkeesian speak a few weeks ago, she mentioned that after that segment, Colbert said to her something like, "That's one of the hardest things I've ever done—how do you joke about rape?"

Colbert is a standup guy. I remember him saying in an interview that he felt much "cleaner" after giving up the O'Reilly persona and being more himself on the late show.

BadKen wrote:

Colbert is a standup guy. I remember him saying in an interview that he felt much "cleaner" after giving up the O'Reilly persona and being more himself on the late show.

I could never watch Colbert Report because it just bummed me out. I didn't find the satire funny because of that. I don't really keep up with his stuff these days, but from what I've seen, it's really relieving to see him not being that character.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
BadKen wrote:

Colbert is a standup guy. I remember him saying in an interview that he felt much "cleaner" after giving up the O'Reilly persona and being more himself on the late show.

I could never watch Colbert Report because it just bummed me out. I didn't find the satire funny because of that. I don't really keep up with his stuff these days, but from what I've seen, it's really relieving to see him not being that character.

He didn't even let his kids watch Colbert Report until they were old enough to discern that he was playing a role.

Demosthenes wrote:

Yeah, GG started big 4 years ago, but the harassment of devs, especially female developers goes back a long time before that and here we are 4 years later and GG is still going on. Kotaku in Action continues on on Reddit. 4chan is still the same hive of scum and villainy it's been since they tried to defend their site hosting illegal pornography.
I have no expectation of things getting all that much better anymore. :\ Just trying to make my corner of the world and internet the best it can be.

Hear, hear. That corner of the internet is called GWJ. =/

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
BadKen wrote:

Colbert is a standup guy. I remember him saying in an interview that he felt much "cleaner" after giving up the O'Reilly persona and being more himself on the late show.

I could never watch Colbert Report because it just bummed me out. I didn't find the satire funny because of that. I don't really keep up with his stuff these days, but from what I've seen, it's really relieving to see him not being that character.

I'm actually torn. Colbert honestly is a bit rough and salty around the edges and it felt a little more comforting when I thought that that was just a role he was playing. Pedestals and all that. These days, he just lets it fly straight and he really looks a great deal more relaxed; like he enjoys his work a whole lot more when it's not 100% satire all the time. As fun as that can be, being like that for all your professional life can be depressing, I imagine.

On VidCon, Harassment & Garbage Humans

To kick off the Women Online panel at VidCon last Thursday, the moderator posed the question: Why do we still have to talk about the harassment of women? I replied, “Because I think one of my biggest harassers is sitting in the front row.” He showed up with several others; together, his group took up the two front rows at the panel. Their presence was plainly not, as one of them later said in an “apology” video he posted to Twitter, to “give us the chance we never gave them” and to “hear us out,” but was instead to intimidate me and put me on edge.