Anita Sarkeesian looks at women as background decoration in video games. Cool stuff: murdered women lying around in sexy poses with few clothes on. Phwoarrrr, sexy, also entertaining and funny, right? RIGHT?
For some strange reason the comments are disabled. So puzzling.
She always disables comments because of all the haters. I don’t blame her.
No, she disables comments because she can’t defend her positions. As usual, the definition of ‘hater’ is rather odd here.
martincohen–I’m pretty sure Ophelia knew that 🙂
I get the feeling I’m going to have to watch her series at some point. I’ve seen some of the comments directed her way, though, and, yeah, I can understand why she doesn’t allow comments on youtube. I know that’s supposed to be the height of intellectual cowardice and makes you an exact copy of Hitler, but I can’t imagine that anything worthwhile comes of allowing those comments. The best you’re gonna get is the same old arguments in there. Youtube comments are no longer – if they ever really were – a place for reasonable discussion. People need to be listening for it to be a discussion.
[meta]
jenniferphillips, perhaps other readers mightn’t.
I’m always mystified* as to the reaction I see from those who complain that comments are disabled on her posts. Anita is not a journalist; she’s not ‘reporting’ and is not bound by objectivity. She is an academic making a subjective argument. In public.
If you don’t agree – great. Make your own public argument in response. That’s how mature people discuss things.
______
* Not really, having actually read comments on YouTube.
Just watched both parts of this.
Yikes. I’ve played some of these games and I didn’t know you could do these kind of things or ignored and forgot it (both a consequence of how I play these types of game).
It is a good thing that I followed the link to get it pointed out to me in detail. I just don’t know what to do about it.
I honestly find comments on youtube to be completely superfluous in a lot of videos. I think a lot more people who want to be taken seriously should turn them off.
Yes, Steve, because we all know just how necessary it is to provide a succinct, well-made reply to massive amounts of rape and death threats.
Thank you for posting these videos. I ended up watching both. I had no idea, as I never play these games. It is appalling. As a response I can only offer these panels.
http://pictoraltheology.blogspot.com/2014/08/mansploder.html
If any game designer uses this idea in a game, I expect a royalty 😉
@2 – Steve Vanden-Eykel – I’ve seen the comments her videos receive.
What is the appropriate defense against being called a variation of a whore, or rape threats? Could you enlighten me please?
Journalism and objectivity have nothing to do with it. Neither one requires people to subject themselves to misogynistic abuse from anonymous douchebags.
I did and do know why. My final sentence was – as so often – sarcasm.
@12 Gretchen – The critique of turning off comments tends to fall into two areas: 1) she is not willing/ able to defend her position and 2) she is only presenting a one-sided argument, not answering back. Objectivity has everything to do with the latter, there is an erroneous expectation that she should be presenting two sides when this is not the case.
As for the former, turning off comments in YouTube is completely justified. Anita’s arguments stand as they are in her videos; for this reason, the criticism from @2 above is thoughtless and sadly misplaced. Spurious, hateful and poisonous comments do nothing to advance the discussion, only (regrettably) serving to reinforce her overall point. Anita’s hypotheses and supporting evidence is all there and if people want to respond they should do so by articulating their own argument. But to suggest that she is unwilling to defend her position is to miss the point entirely.
@Steve Vanden-Eykel: If you think her positions can not be defended, please refute them. It is very easy to say “You are wrong” without actually saying why. You appear to have done that.
@martincohen
Don’t be silly. If he refutes her arguments here, where we can refer directly to them, he’ll have no way of claiming that his refutations aren’t merely misogynist ranting. Because, you know, people totally have a way of claiming that when their refutations are a whole google away…
Usually I don’t require trigger warnings, I’m not one to react to shocks or jump scares and I’ve seen all of Ms. Sarkeesian’s prior videos. But that video is the exception, it makes my skin crawl. People actually play and “enjoy” and seek out games with scenes like that? What the hell is wrong with people? It makes fans of the “Saw” movies look well adjusted. Then again, they’re probably a lot of the same people.
Regarding the disabling of comments, it’s annoying that it’s necessary, but I understand the why. The ones who complain the loudest are akin to sexual gropers who object to women-only buses and trains. They both pretend their “rights are being violated” while seeking to violate others.
What I don’t like about her videos is that she doesn’t deal with criticism. She seems to like just to put out her view of things. She seems not to care that the world doesn’t only consist of angry misogynists but sometimes also of people who really care what she says and make valuable points about her vids. It is f.e. odd that she not even defended herself when being accused of lying to her audience.
@18 – Borndi – how would you defend yourself against being called ‘a lying ____, or ____, or ____.’ Or, a stupid (insert favorite slur against women here.) You clearly have an opinion on something she could be doing better. Examples are helpful. Mind you, she gets about 3k per vid when she allows them, so think in terms of economy of scale.
Steve Vanden-Eykel @2:
I’d say the definition is rather spot on. Do bear in mind that’s just a few of many similar comments she deals with on a daily basis.