Normally on Friday’s I’d be flashing back to some great sci-fi or fantasy classic that changed me as a reader and writer, or I’d be looking ahead at what great, future tech is happening in our world, but I’m feeling like neither today.
Felicia Day opened up yesterday about her thoughts on GamerGate in a very personal post that honestly shares what a lot of female gamers are feeling right now. Within minutes, Gamergate folks had doxxed her, meaning they posted her home address online for all the freaks in the world to find, so she could be taught a lesson.
Former NFL player (and gamer), Chris Kluwe, wrote an awesome article where he called out GamerGate folks for the misogyny and terrorism they are participating in (warning: strong language is used). He called out Gamergate folks for what happened to Felicia Day, stating:
“None of you fucking #gamergate tools tried to dox me, even after I tore you a new one. I’m not even a tough target…Instead, you go after a woman who wrote why your movement concerns her.”
Less than 24 hours after Felicia Day made her post, a school shooting happened at a somewhat local to me high school here in Washington.
I stepped back from the news and asked, what is wrong here? Why are males being taught to solve their problems at the end of a gun or with threats of rape? (I say males because I’ve not seen a school shooting led by a woman, and Gamergate has been a serious attack against women.)
It’s not just inside the gamer community–it’s everywhere in America. If someone doesn’t like what you stand for or say, it has become acceptable to threaten to kill people. And why not? Our cops do it, too.
As a writer, it’s scary to think about how many authors receive death threats because they don’t end a book the way their fans want or because they expressed an unpopular opinion. Or how many authors think it acceptable to stalk reviewers who didn’t like their books. (Another example here.)
So what wondrous new tech or innovation would I like to see in our future?
EQUALITY
I would like to see equality for people of all nationalities, religions, genders & identifications, sexualities, and walks of life. Equality for everyone. I don’t want to see us destroy ourselves.
I’m lucky that my husband believes as strongly in equality as I do, that he’s a staunch defender of women’s rights, LGBT rights, etc. When he sees folks using violence against others, it bothers him as much as it bothers me. He’s never had the urge or want to hurt someone for being different.
This shouldn’t be celebrated! Having human compassion and understanding equality shouldn’t be something worth celebrating–it should be the standard. The fact that it’s not–the fact that my husband is in the minority–is disturbing. Maybe I’m just being a pessimist. Maybe there are more good people out there than I realize, but in weeks like this where people get doxxed for having an opinion and others get shot at school, it’s hard to remember the good.
I think this is why so many writers suffer from depression and write post-apocalyptic fiction. :/
(Image is by Kristin Schmit, Licensed under CCL 2.0)
Since the internet…
I used to think that, but now, not even anonymity seems to matter. People openly use their real names online when making threats. :/
Yeah its gotten pretty insane what people can get away with saying. I used to be flabbergasted that someone could only threat someone. it’s become a thing that just slides. One of the many reasons I never picked up a twitter account.
I wish education and discovery were more important than entertainment, or that we were more entertained by education and discovery. While the attraction to violence caters to our more basic animal instincts, I think the entertainment industry could do more to help drive our society to improve itself. Can you imagine what our education system would be like if the wonder of scientific discovery was the cornerstone of our entertainment? Even parents that didn’t care would do better than what we have now.
impactsltd I think that blaming the entertainment industry is a bad idea–it tends to get us moving towards censorship and saying “The video game made me kill my teacher!” Neither of those scenarios are healthy or accurate.
However, I get what you mean. I wish scientific discovery were not only more encouraged but seen with the same high regard that sports are viewed with.
A student shouldn’t be more excited about football than they are about science, yet they are. What further complicates this problem is how many school districts place football (or some other sport) above learning. More budget money goes into it, kids are encouraged to score a touchdown more than they are to study for a test or examine something under a microscope.
That’s not to say that sports don’t serve a purpose or have a place, but look at the entertainment/sports industry. Football players make millions while teachers, police, and firemen struggle to feed their families. Actors are paid millions while the impoverished go homeless. The balance of what is and what should be important in our society is very out of whack. :/