First let me say, that I strongly support the mission of the NWPC. I was very active with the Annise Parker campaign in Houston, and my wife and I continue to support female voices in social life here in our new home in Washington state.
I was sorry to hear recently, however, that the NWPC is going to give Mr. Charles Clymer the Good Guy award at the EMMAs this year. While Mr. Clymer has accomplished many good things in the name of feminism, he has also exhibited a hostility and lack of judgment I would hate to see associated with the NWPC. He has lashed out at individual women - often falling into the same misogynistic tropes that he claims to oppose - without a hint of apology or self-awareness. He has co-opted feminism's message from women themselves claiming he has more right to it. He has hinted several times that he writes and says what he does for the purposes of self-promotion. He claims to be a feminist, but is downright ruthless and bullying with women who disagree with him. All of these negative qualities, I feel, overshadow Mr. Clymer's potential positive impact and may show poorly on the NWPC for selecting him for an award.
Just for example Mr. Clymer most recently has referred to Republican feminists as "Circus freaks" on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/520075476371767296
While I too disagree with the Republican platform in almost every conceivable way, I do not recognize this man's right to gate-keep feminism. It is incredibly disrespectful to Republican women currently serving and running for office, including, for example, Ms. Megan Rath who is endorsed by the NWPC.
I do not think the NWPC should give an award to a man who can be aggressive towards women within feminism, calls an endorsed candidate a "circus freak," and who claims co-ownership of feminism.
This is just my opinion as a male feminist ally. Men can and should be a big part of feminism, but we cannot own it or take it from women. That is precisely the kind of patriarchal thinking that we should steer away from, in my opinion. Feminism is neither mine nor Mr. Clymer's nor any man's movement to own, restrict, or define.
Please reconsider giving Mr. Clymer this award. I fear it would weaken the NWPC's status to give an award to such a divisive and sometimes unwittingly misogynistic person.
Thank you,
Jason de Kanter
Kitsch Kobold
A curious kobold opines on television, movies, fandoms, tabletop and online games - their aesthetic and social triumphs as well as their weaknesses. I also write about talking to kids about games on www.pixelkin.org
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Cis men, it's not about you - HeForShe
Emma Watson’s HeForShe speech to the UN extended a “formal
invitation” to men to join the feminist movement – if only in spirit rather
than in name.
Ms. Watson brought up several valid points about how the
patriarchy negatively impacts men, and called upon men to fight against gender
inequality alongside women. I feel it was an effective speech in bringing the
issue to the foreground in a prominent way, and the speech was a very sincere
request for help.
As part of her request for men’s help, however, Ms. Watson tended
to be very conciliatory and focused on cis men. In some ways Ms. Watson made a
demonstration of de-fanging feminism – even to the point of dismissing the word
“feminism” as unimportant – in order to coax in male allies.
I wanted to write this to clarify that, to me at least,
being a male ally of feminism is not simply believing that women should have
equal rights to education and equal pay for equal work in the abstract.
Saying that you agree with these extremely basic feminist
concepts is a good first step, but voicing agreement is functionally irrelevant
if they are not backed by certain actions and avoidance of other actions.
I have tried my best to be a good ally to feminism for a
while. I can tell those who are joining up with HeForShe just now that being a
feminist ally is an ongoing project that will probably last the rest of our
lives. It is not easy. It will mean confronting others as well as confronting
yourself. I have made mistakes. I have put my foot in my mouth several times. I
have found myself blind to my own privilege several times and probably will
again in future. I have had to risk my job and I have lost friendships all
simply for standing against gender-based discrimination. I do not say this as a
boast. I simply want to inform others of what to expect.
All of these obstacles, however, pale in comparison to what
women speaking up about the subject have to endure. While the troubles of a
male feminist ally are not negligible, it is unconscionable and morally
irresponsible to stay on the sidelines – particularly while women face much
worse repercussions for voicing even the most basic pleas for equality.
So, you’ve decided you want to be a male feminist ally? Good.
Your voice will be useful, but it will not be the focus.
Here are a few guidelines that I’ve picked up myself. I
can’t say I never make mistakes and I still break these rules myself, but I do
try to follow them. I can’t say this list is exhaustive either. Nevertheless, I
think if cis men keep these points in mind, they will start off better feminist
allies than I did.
1. Have problems with GSD (Gender and Sexual Diversity) people or people of color or non-believers or people who have a different faith? Leave now.
Feminism is not just about white women. It
is not even about the cis-normative definition of “woman.” Trans women are
women too. All women of color are women too. Bi and lesbian women are women
too. Atheist women are women. Women of all faiths are also women. All women are
women. People who do not have a binary gender identity are also impacted by
gender discrimination. Feminism is about ending gender discrimination. That
includes non-binary people too. You don’t get to pick and choose who you
support in the name of feminism, and who you do not. If someone is harmed by
gender discrimination, feminism should be there to help them.
2. By the way, there is no systemic gender discrimination against cis men. Just FYI.
We have a whole societal system designed to
build up cis men. Yes, this backfires and cis men can feel they are
discriminated against because they feel owed everything, but there is no
feminist conspiracy to harm cis men. I promise. Get over it. Now. Please.
3. Feminism belongs to the victims of gender bias. Cis men are guests.
You may have been invited by Emma Watson
herself, guys, but this is not your show. It never will be. It never should be.
Feminism controlled by cis men or even co-controlled is an oxymoron. We cis men
can and should be a part of feminism, but we can never be co-owners of feminism.
Forcing our opinion on how feminism should be shaped contradicts the idea that
cis men have no right to define other people.
4. It’s not about you.
The patriarchy does negatively affect cis
men, but it’s not about us. It’s a tough idea to absorb because we’re trained
from birth to believe everything is about us guys, but feminism really isn’t.
Feminism is not about cis male plight, although it may help us. Feminism is
also not about ruining cis men’s day or making cis men feel bad. It is not even
about making misogynists feel bad, although that is a nice bonus. It is about
the empowerment of victims of gender discrimination – all of them (see #1.)
5. Cis men should never restrict or define feminism for women or non-binary people.
It is not a cis man’s place to
restrict a woman’s or non-binary person’s definition of what is acceptable in
feminism. We have no first-hand data on what that person’s experience is like.
We have zero right to judge or dictate what a victim should do in response to
her own oppression. It’s extremely disrespectful. Never do it. Freedom whose
parameters are defined for you by someone else is not actually freedom.
6. Men should listen to victims on feminism, and talk at men about feminism – not vice versa.
6. Men should listen to victims on feminism, and talk at men about feminism – not vice versa.
Again, feminism is a space that belongs to
the victims of gender bias. Not cis men. It’s about their experience. Not ours.
The idea that a privileged group understands the situation of the oppressed better
than the oppressed themselves is ridiculous. If you’re a cis male feminist
ally, the mode on the topic should be listening
to feminists and talking at misogynist
men. Voicing support when a woman speaks about feminism is fine, but avoid
talking over her. Telling a non-binary person that stand with them against the
hatred they endure, is fine, but don’t monopolize their discussion.
Talking over misogynist cis men discussing
feminism, however, is 100% a-okay. They do not know what they are talking
about, but will not listen to women or a non-binary person tell them that. This
is one of those rare times when a male voice in feminism is valuable. Don’t
stand by while men hate on women or non-binary people and call yourself a
feminist. It’s easy to commiserate with feminists, but that commiseration has
no value if you do nothing when someone is threatened physically or verbally.
7. Misogyny can get so absurd that it feels surreal, but, trust me, it’s real.
This is a prime issue for men who want to
be allies. The idea that someone could be as cruel as these misogynists is
absurd to us. You will encounter stories that seem inconceivably horrific. Your
first instinct sometimes will be to disbelieve or excuse, because it is simpler
than believing and acting. Belief means you have to confront a dark reality
that you, as a cis man, probably have never experienced firsthand. You’ve never
had to explain your presence somewhere. You probably feel safe most everywhere
you go. You are confident in your control of your own space. This is not the
case with everyone. In fact, if you’re a white heterosexual cis man, you most
likely have NOTHING as a point of reference.
You have to trust people when they tell you
about their experience at the hands of misogyny. You have to trust the stories
of rape, abuse, unfair treatment, subtle sabotage…. Again... people just know
their own experience of oppression better than you do. You cannot know as well
as them, because you are not oppressed. What Cis het white men count as “oppression”
is usually when they are not rewarded even when they do everything wrong.
Victims of gender discrimination face oppression even when they do “everything
right.” Emma Watson, for all her efforts to be polite and conciliatory was still
threatened for advocating fairly minimal feminist goals.
8. Follow the conversation’s tone. Be sensitive to all people in the group.
8. Follow the conversation’s tone. Be sensitive to all people in the group.
I’m ashamed to admit that this is a point I
have blundered on many times. Since misogyny is so surreal and ridiculous, my
first instinct is to poke fun at it. There is a time and place for this. Some
people use humor as a coping mechanism. Some do not. For most people, it varies
depending on the situation. If you bring in humor to a serious conversation
where someone is hurting, you can cause serious harm. It’s insensitive, isolating,
and can reinforce the idea that even men who call themselves allies do not care
about the victim. Listen. Making sure a victim of misogyny feels supported and
backed up is infinitely more important than making misogyny look ridiculous.
Misogyny manages to look absurd on its own well enough.
9. It’s not about you.
I know I’ve already said this, but it
warrants repeating. The movement is about supporting victims of gender-based
oppression. It’s about everyone feeling safe to exist and thrive regardless of
their gender identity. Feminism’s impact on cis men is a byproduct, not the
goal. It is not about you. It is not about what you say. It is not about your
goals or what you want. It is not about you.
10. If you are a macktavist, leave now. If you expect something in return for your support, leave now. If you seek to profit off feminism, leave now.
Being a feminist ally is not special or
exceptional. You do not deserve praise for being a male ally (see points 4 and
9.) You do not deserve love or attention for being a male ally. Fighting
against gender-based discrimination is just a pre-requisite to being a decent
ethical human being. If you expect women to swoon over you because you
recognize their right to equal personhood, you are not getting it. If you think
that discussing the horrors of gender-based oppression, which include the
issues of rape and assault, is an aphrodisiac, there is something seriously
wrong with you. If you see feminism as a key to riches through endearing
yourself to employers or an audience, your insincerity will be exposed. Examine
your motivations for wanting to help feminism, and your actions in service of
feminism. Are they about helping others or are they about you?
Remember. It is not about you.
These are just a few guidelines for cis men
to keep in mind as they become allies of feminism.
I want to conclude by saying doing what is
right is not going to be easy. If you’re finding it easy, you are either lying
to yourself or not being terribly helpful. Cis men will have to be willing to
do things that are uncomfortable, dangerous, and financially disadvantageous to
assist feminism.
You’ve voiced support to a hashtag. That’s
good. That is probably the easiest thing you will ever do in service of
feminism.
Every feminist ally’s experience is
different, but here are a few things I have had to do: I have risked my job more
than once. Being a feminist means finding the most diplomatic way to call out
your supervisor, boss, or company president, when they’re being sexist. It will
mean supporting coworkers too scared to see HR without backup. Being a feminist
means pointing out the good job your coworkers are doing even when you are both
going for the same promotion. It has meant lost or strained friendships for
me. Supporting gender equality has meant
awkward and confrontational conversations with friends and relatives whom I
love. Fighting for gender equality will pit you against strangers – some of whom
can be creepy and terrifying.
Even so, keep in mind that, as a cis man,
this will be much easier on you than victims of gender discrimination themselves.
Cis men are listened to almost by default. People who do not listen to victims
may actually be convinced by you. Following the conflict is easier than having
the conflict follow you. You will probably not have your life threatened. You
will probably not have your sex life researched. Cis men will always have safe spaces
to retreat to. The victims you are advocating for may have none of these
advantages.
If you believe that people being treated
differently just because their gender is different from yours is wrong, it is
imperative that you do your best for feminism. Being a cis male ally of
feminism is not easy, but it is easier for us than it is for others. If you
support HeForShe, acting and advocating for feminism is the very least you can
do. It may cost you much and give you little in return, but the knowledge you
did the right thing is worth it. At least it has been for me.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Diversity, won't you? Thank you. - Call to Advocate for Diversity in Games & Game Journalism
Importance
of Having Diversity in Games, Game Companies, and Game Journalism
Unfortunately the video game industry
and video game journalism can look fairly homogeneous. While the market has
improved and we do see more and more diversity in both games and those who report on them, there is still a
great deal to be done. Through simple ignorance or malice, video games too
often come across as a medium solely for straight white cis males ages 15-35.
The market is clogged with games that seem to only cater to this specific
group.
Protagonists are virile young white men
fulfilling power fantasies. Women are often sexualized eye candy in games
also for the benefit of straight men. The female characters that do exist tend
to be present for the male protagonist to conquer romantically or physically.
People of color tend to follow stereotypes, if they appear at all. Black
characters in video games are cops or soldiers. Asians are engineers and
scientists. Native Americans are shown with mystical connections to nature, and
Latinos are portrayed as passionate and emotional. Gay characters are very
scarce in video games. Transgender characters are virtually non-existent.
Much of video game journalism
reinforces this homogeneity too through overwhelmingly straight cis white male
authors who seem to write exclusively for a similar audience. Even sites that
make an honest try to reach broader audiences are limited by the lack of
diversity among their writers.
As a straight cis man, I will never be
able to reproduce the experience or perspective of my female or gay or transgender colleagues. While I can sympathize with fellow people from a
different ethnic or religious background, I cannot speak for them. Even if I
support the message, I cannot replicate or replace a voice that is not mine.
Publications that claim to support diversity cannot rightly do so while leaving
people voiceless through the construction of their staff.
The "boy's club" mentality
thrives among in-game communities too. While active on game forums and working
with in-game groups, I have seen calls for more focus on a diverse audience met
with derision and hostility. Women in game guilds are often treated like
privileged guests rather than full-fledged members. I've seen online game
groups constantly define racial, gender, and orientation minorities by their
differences rather than anything related to the game that brought players
together. I have friends whose guildmates refer to them as "that black
guy" or "the gay guild leader." Some players online will even
seek to force minorities out of what they feel is an owned straight white cis
male space through continual verbal harassment.
I contribute to a blog called
Pixelkin.org, which is focused on bringing families together through gaming. The
idea that games are a straight white cis male space is a barrier to families
gaming together too. It's hard to ask a parent to play a game where they might
be alienated simply for their gender, age, orientation, or ethnicity. Likewise
it's difficult to bring kids into a gaming world where parents know they might
be targeted and harassed for the same reasons.
Games, however, are a cultural reality
now. They help shape and define our culture and will continue to do so.
Children need the help of parents to
address diversity issues and make sense of an improving but still intolerant
and prejudiced society. We must give children the tools to take ownership of
their world to make it a better place. Parents can use games to show kids the
ways spaces can become exclusionary to the detriment of everyone. Kids need the
guidance to learn the importance of helping others feel like a game is
everyone's space - not just a space people are invited to by straight white
boys.
Learning to question the art we love is
a life skill we all need.
The anonymity of online communities can
free bigots of social filtration to reveal just how ugly and violent
exclusionary sentiments are at their core. While encountering Internet trolling
can be a harrowing experience, it is a window to how ugly the world can be
beneath the surface. The presence of an adult when a kid encounters this
behavior or considers engaging in it, is invaluable. It's a chance to stop
societal pressure to bully or be bullied, and provide that love and support we
all need sometimes.
Recently, an editing position at a game
journalism site with a predominantly white cis male staff was filled by yet
another white cis man, despite more diverse alternatives. I do not know what
went into the decisions that led to this choice, and I have no wish to single
out to disparage the man they did choose. Nevertheless, this decision was
disappointing to those hoping for a change. What was even more alarming,
however, was the hostility people encountered after voicing their
disappointment over the decision. The backlash was so aggressive that one
writer stated that she would not cover video games at all anymore. In other
words, the backlash from those seeking to preserve homogeneity in games
successfully created even more homogeneity.
The lesson from this episode and others
like it, however, should be that diversity in games and game journalism is too
important for anyone to stand up alone for it. The impact of diversity (or lack
thereof) in the video game medium on our culture is too crucial to leave as the
job of a few isolated brave pioneers. It is the responsibility of all of us who
believe in it. If we only quietly support these pioneers, we leave them to bear
the brunt of resulting abuse alone. The people trying to stifle diversity are
many and vocal. I believe those who favor diversity are also many and should
make their voices known.
If you feel this is an important issue
to address, speak out. Let your opinions be known on the web or just to your
friends and family. If you happen to be on Twitter, please use the tag
#GamEQuality to mark any statements or links to your articles in support. Game
companies and journal publishers need to see this matters to many of us. It's
about games, equality, and quality, because diversity just makes games
better.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Elliot Rodger Shooting - A Call to Action
Seven people are dead today. Some media outlets keep referring to the murderer as a "madman," but he was motivated by rejection and the sense that he had been wronged by women-kind. While Elliot Rodger may be a crazier example, he is far from an isolated madman. Many men share the same toxic philosophy and many men on the web are actually sympathetic to this murderer.
Eliott was 22 years old, a virgin, and very into the Men's Rights Movement and Pick-up Artist ideas.
For those of you who don't know about these ideologies, Men's Rights Activism is a misogynistic movement that works to discredit feminism, discredit claims of victimization despite being backed by mountains of evidence, and promotes the idea that feminism is preventing men from being "real men." They believe that women demanding equal treatment and acknowledgment of our institutionalized sexism is somehow emasculating.
Pick-up Artistry is about the "art" of convincing women to date or sleep with you. The basic assumption held by these men is that women are things (not people) for them to win or be awarded or owed for correct behavior or success. Pick-up Art is founded on the belief that if you follow a ritual of moves women will be tricked/convinced into sleeping with you.
Elliot stated that he was going to murder his victims to prove that he was the alpha male, and to punish these women for rejecting him. He felt that he had done the right moves and that, because of this, womankind owed him the reward of attention and sex. Not every Men's Rights Activist or Pick-up Artist or misogynist is a murderer, but the violence is baked right into these ideas.
Misogyny literally killed yesterday.
If you know somebody who thinks women are things to be picked-up, or feels men are owed sex, or who even just seems prone to not seeing women as equals, take this event and time to dissuade them from this toxic thinking. Challenge them. Do not laugh it off. Do not dismiss it as boys being boys. Call them to the mat.
A worthwhile person will re-examine their thinking and work to correct their outlook. I think people should have the chance to see the evidence, and rethink their choices/
A person who clings to this way of thinking, however, is not worth your time. They do not think of half of the population as real people. People who dehumanize others this way should be exiled from your life until they prove themselves safe. If someone does not see women equals - if they see women as somehow sub-human compared to men - how can you trust them to not hurt those they see as less than them?
Elliot's female victims were not guilty for not sleeping with the man (as some people are suggesting,) but, as a society, we are partly to blame.
Every time we don't call this out, we helping feed the problem that led to this.
We MUST fight back. We MUST not be timid about it. I know I have failed in this before. There have been times that I heard men talk this way about women and I did nothing. This is not excusable. We MUST stand-up to this.
WOMEN ARE PEOPLE. YOU ARE OWED NOTHING FROM THEM. THEY ARE NOT PRIZES, NOR DEITIES, NOR OBJECTS THAT WILL SERVE YOU IF YOU ACT A CERTAIN WAY.
Share this basic truth with anyone you encounter voicing these idiotic ideas. One misogyny leads to another and eventually to violence. Misogyny is violent at its core. Stop it before it grows to the point that it reaches firearms.
Eliott was 22 years old, a virgin, and very into the Men's Rights Movement and Pick-up Artist ideas.
For those of you who don't know about these ideologies, Men's Rights Activism is a misogynistic movement that works to discredit feminism, discredit claims of victimization despite being backed by mountains of evidence, and promotes the idea that feminism is preventing men from being "real men." They believe that women demanding equal treatment and acknowledgment of our institutionalized sexism is somehow emasculating.
Pick-up Artistry is about the "art" of convincing women to date or sleep with you. The basic assumption held by these men is that women are things (not people) for them to win or be awarded or owed for correct behavior or success. Pick-up Art is founded on the belief that if you follow a ritual of moves women will be tricked/convinced into sleeping with you.
Elliot stated that he was going to murder his victims to prove that he was the alpha male, and to punish these women for rejecting him. He felt that he had done the right moves and that, because of this, womankind owed him the reward of attention and sex. Not every Men's Rights Activist or Pick-up Artist or misogynist is a murderer, but the violence is baked right into these ideas.
Misogyny literally killed yesterday.
If you know somebody who thinks women are things to be picked-up, or feels men are owed sex, or who even just seems prone to not seeing women as equals, take this event and time to dissuade them from this toxic thinking. Challenge them. Do not laugh it off. Do not dismiss it as boys being boys. Call them to the mat.
A worthwhile person will re-examine their thinking and work to correct their outlook. I think people should have the chance to see the evidence, and rethink their choices/
A person who clings to this way of thinking, however, is not worth your time. They do not think of half of the population as real people. People who dehumanize others this way should be exiled from your life until they prove themselves safe. If someone does not see women equals - if they see women as somehow sub-human compared to men - how can you trust them to not hurt those they see as less than them?
Elliot's female victims were not guilty for not sleeping with the man (as some people are suggesting,) but, as a society, we are partly to blame.
Every time we don't call this out, we helping feed the problem that led to this.
We MUST fight back. We MUST not be timid about it. I know I have failed in this before. There have been times that I heard men talk this way about women and I did nothing. This is not excusable. We MUST stand-up to this.
WOMEN ARE PEOPLE. YOU ARE OWED NOTHING FROM THEM. THEY ARE NOT PRIZES, NOR DEITIES, NOR OBJECTS THAT WILL SERVE YOU IF YOU ACT A CERTAIN WAY.
Share this basic truth with anyone you encounter voicing these idiotic ideas. One misogyny leads to another and eventually to violence. Misogyny is violent at its core. Stop it before it grows to the point that it reaches firearms.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Maiev: The Danger of Female Power
After my post on Tyrande I chatted over Twitter a little
with Keezy Young, who writes for Pixelkin.org, and Emmett Scout, who writes for
Next. Pixelkin.org recently named Tyrande as a female role-model for young
people. I would certainly agree that Tyrande deserves that title. As I state in
my post she is great example of leadership. She’s strong, she makes tough
decisions, and she listens to others even if she disagrees with them. We
briefly discussed why Maiev or Sylvanas might not make that list.
Unacceptable awesomeness |
We agreed that the fact that one of Maiev’s main themes is
vengeance edges her out of the running for role-model of the year. The discussion
got me thinking though. Despite how well she is written for the most part,
Maiev still falls into an archetypical trope of a dangerous female in power. If
Tyrande shows the lines within which female power is acceptable, by contrast,
Maiev is an example of female power gone outside the lines that the writers
felt were acceptable.
"POWER MAKE WOMAN CRAAAAAZY!" |
Maiev joins other female characters, from the classic Medea
to Shakespeare’s Regan and Goneril to the modern Jean Grey, as a woman who is
portrayed as so empowered she is driven mad. In other words, too much power for
the implied weak female vessel. It’s a backhanded sexism that suggests female
empowerment only to point to it as problematic if pushed too far. It is the
same mentality that suggests that a woman may serve in congress but not as
president (still hasn’t happened in the US), or can serve in the armed forces
but not in combat (only officially fully allowed in 2013.)
Now, I do not think that Blizzard wrote Maiev with this in
mind, and Maiev at least does not go absolutely crazy cuckoo bananas and end up
the villain. Still, it’s disappointing to have this otherwise amazing, heroic,
and honor bound female character thrown into question by the other protagonists
for simply doing her job.
First, some quick review or background. Maiev is Illidan’s
jailer. Remember Illidan and how Tyrande killed a few night elves to liberate
him after 10,000 years? Maiev and her fellow Watchers were down there with him
for 10,000 years. There’s no indication that they ever got vacations outside of
the prison compound either. Maiev and her fellow jailers just stayed down there
guarding Illidan for 10,000 years until Tyrande passed by, killed a few of
them, and then liberated the prisoner. Tyrande suddenly doesn’t seem so great
when you think about that.
Maiev, the prison’s warden, somehow evaded Tyrande’s forces.
I can’t recall why if we’re ever told. Maybe it was during one of her rare
chances to rest. Maybe Maiev stayed back tactically in the shadows, or maybe
she was just too dumbstruck as Tyrande rolled in, killed a few people who had
been dutifully on guard for the past few millennia, and then released the
prisoner… that they had been dutifully guarding for the past few millennia.
Someone new - not Tyrande or Malfurion, his brother. |
Apparently nobody saw fit to keep track of Illidan after he
was released and metamorphosed into a demon-night-elf hybrid either. Whoops. This
is where Maiev comes in. She is on the chase to track the mutated Illidan down
and bring him back to prison. Despite the setbacks, Maiev takes her job very
seriously. What’s more, she’s dressed for the job too. She wears full armor
with a cape hemmed with knives. It’s almost as if being sexy wasn’t of concern
to her at all!
Too cool to feel required to show you her bellybutton. |
She is essentially awesomeness incarnate, and she’s not
specially blessed or chosen either. You get the feeling that Maiev go to that
point of awesomeness through hard work and practice.
Maiev chases Illidan all over the place. She is referred to
as relentless and is presented as being kind of hound-like as she chases her
quarry. There’s a sense during the campaign that she has taken the hunt
dangerously too far – past the point that is healthy. Honestly, however, what
else was she supposed to do? Her job, the entire past 10,000 years of her
existence, has been focused on keeping this dangerous person imprisoned. If
Illidan’s outside of the box, Maiev’s sole purpose is to get him back in.
Hey wait... yeah! |
The writing is initially geared towards having the player
sympathize with Maiev. Things start to feel a little odd when we see Maiev
threaten Tyrande for having freed Illidan in the first place.
So patronizing. |
Despite Maiev
making a perfectly valid complaints about Tyrande murdering her forces and
freeing their prisoner, the argument is mediated my Malfurion. Malfurion is
presented as a kind of male voice of reason and balance, and this is where
things start to go poorly for Maiev’s narrative and Malfurion’s as well. Malfurion
tries to keep Maiev and Tyrande from attacking each other’s throats. With the
way he hand waves the issues away, however, Malfurion seems to take neither
Maiev’s complaint against Tyrande nor Tyrande’s assertion that she is
accountable to nobody but the moon goddess as very serious subjects. These are
both important statements in the game’s world, but Malfurion seems to dismiss
them as the ladies just being catty.
Not strictly true, but you should know that whenever anyone assures you that they saw something "with their own eyes" before you even doubt them... they're probably lying. |
The player is fully turned away from sympathizing with Maiev
when she tells Malfurion a lie. Maiev states that she saw Tyrande torn apart by
the Scourge when she actually just saw Tyrande get swept down a river towards
Scourge forces after a bridge collapsed from under Tyrande. The player is meant
to see the revelation of this lie through the eyes of Malfurion.
Deceptive, but solid thinking. |
There is definitely
something very male-gaze-y about the results. Maiev explains that she lied
because she knew that Malfurion would abandon the mission to apprehend Illidan
to save Tyrande - which is probably true. Malfurion appears to only have obsessive eyes for Tyrande and her well being during this campaign. Malfurion still labels Maiev a “betrayer,” comparable to
Illidan, for lying to him.
Jerk even calls her "woman." |
Illidan has willfully murdered dozens at this point and was interrupted
attempting to destroy the world only moments earlier. Nevertheless, the player
is now expected to join Malfurion in equating Illidan’s crime with telling the
lie that Tyrande is dead rather than most probably dead. Tyrande has also now
become a damsel in distress or precious object of purity to be protected
regardless of whether or not it endangers the whole world.
I even caught him mid-sneer |
After Illidan and Malfurion join forces, Malfurion once
again just lets his brother go – despite Tyrande earlier having stated that
freeing him was a mistake and Maiev sentencing him to death. Malfurion
apparently just gets to make these kinds of decisions suddenly. As Maiev does
her job and chases Illidan off into Outland, Malfurion just shakes his head and
says “She has become vengeance itself, bound forever to the hunt. I only pray
that in her zeal, she doesn’t cause even more havoc than Illidan.”
Cool power but unsettling subtext |
Maiev is now presented as a crazed zealot. How is seeking to
bring to justice a demonic-hybrid mass murdering criminal like Illidan “causing
havoc?” Maiev apparently is just too powerful and aggressive to contain it all
in her fragile female body. She is out of her place as determined by the male
tyranny now embodied by Malfurion. Her ultimate ability, the spirit of
vengeance, is literally a shadowy version of herself that is larger than her. It
is a representation of power that cannot be contained within the female vessel.
I hated this ending when I played through the campaign years
ago. I felt that I was being pushed to accept something I saw as ridiculous.
Tyrande and Malfurion, whom I had come to like in the previous campaign, were
suddenly aristocratic tyrants. Tyrande apparently styled herself after Henry
VIII and believed herself only answerable to the divine. Malfurion now
determines right and wrong for himself and changes decisions of justice based
on his brother helping Malfurion save his girlfriend.
After such a great start, Maiev had been ejected as crazy
and in hysterics.
"No sir, I promise you look totally cool with those feathers on your arms... not like a ridiculous buffoon at all." |
When I later rolled a night elf warrior on World of
Warcraft, I didn’t let this go either. I always role-played her as a Watcher
who was highly skeptical of Tyrande and Malfurion. She was a good soldier, but pointed out the ruling couple's flaws constantly while extolling the virtues of Maiev Shadowsong. Unfortunately there’s no
raid to depose those two in favor of Maiev, but maybe some glorious day they’ll
let players take the steps to hold those two accountable.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Finding Masculinity - Groundwork
“The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is.” (Emphasis mine)
― Joss Whedon
― Joss Whedon
When it comes to characters in any media, but particularly in
games and other nerd media, straight white guys definitely have it made when it
comes to characters they can identify with.
"So you get clothes, and I get a skin tight bodysuit?" |
A great deal has been written about the absence of women in
primary roles. Women are so seldom portrayed as the primary heroes that it
becomes a subject of note when they are. The same goes for any hero of color or
a character who might not be read as straight. I agree that this is where the
bulk of the conversation should be, but there is another side to this paradigm
that is discussed less often.
The portrayal of straight white men as the default hero
hurts everyone. Yes, it even hurts straight white men too. This isn’t to say
that it doesn’t contribute to male privilege. I know that I’m lucky to have a
plethora of positive heroic characters that I can easily identify with. Since
this privilege is built on a foundation of sand and lacking true substance,
however, there is a cost to having masculinity defined as it is in many games
and other media.
The criticism of the patriarchy does not have to be limited
to its impact on women. The diminished role of women and the constant exaltation
of a certain kind of man portrayed in games and nerd media hurts men too. Patriarchal
dominance harms society as a whole. Feminism is not about fighting for half the
population. It’s fighting for all of it.
Despite the wide variety of characters men can identify
with, there are a few tropes that the nerd genres in particular strongly push
to define masculinity. These tropes become problematic when they start to
strictly define maleness in very specific ways that are neither realistic nor
healthy if brought into real life practice. In this post I’m going to cover the
stereotype, explain some of the costs of this construction of male identity. This post is my groundwork for going into how some media like Pacific Rim and Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. have presented some interesting angles on the stereotype.
Strong, Self-reliant, and In Command – Masculinity Defined
"It's a glorious day to be a super man." |
When a male-oriented game loads that first cinematic or we
see the opening scene of our manly hero in a movie, we can instantly make some
baseline assumptions about the man we are watching. After dozens of movies,
stories, and years of a reverberating culture informing our expectations we can
assume that this hero is almost definitely strong, self-reliant, in command
(especially of his feelings.) These are what our culture has accepted as the
formula not only for a hero but also a man. Deviation from this template can
happen in a heroic story, but it is narratively significant if it does.
"About 98 lbs, sir. Why?" |
For example, Captain America starts off his story as a
physically weak man and part of his narrative is gaining respect and command –
as well as super strength. His initial absence of strength is such a deviation
from the template that it becomes the focus of the first act of the movie. Even
prior to being blessed by a strength granting serum, it’s emphasized in Captain
America: The First Avenger that Steve Rogers always had a personal strength of character.
This strength of character is presented as a kind of proxy to stand in for Cap’s
lack of physical strength until it’s serum time.
Can you even imagine Han asking Chewbacca or anyone else for help? |
It’s rare to see our male hero ever ask for help, rather than
give orders. Asking for help conveys weakness or vulnerability for the male
identity. Needing to work alone to protect others is all over comic book
heroes. It’s where the whole costume thing comes from after all. Batman,
Spider-man, and Superman all make a point of working alone. It’s the source of
heartache for our heroes but enduring the solitude is just another attribute
that defines masculinity in this construction. There might be side-kicks or
team ups, but it’s rare for any of these types of characters to really be in
need of someone else.
When Wolverine flips out it's "heroic." When a woman does it, it's "hysterics." |
Our male hero is always the general – never the lieutenant.
If he is the lieutenant, his general often doesn’t really “get it” so the hero
is the moral superior officer anyway. He
is always in control. Even when his emotions get the better of him, a male hero
is typically channeling that into something awesome. Wolverine might lose his
cool, but it’s always getting lost in the direction some kind of important
objective anyway. We rarely see our masculine hero break down in weakness for
very long.
"My whole life has been building up to this point when I greet you as you exit your pod, sir. It was a pleasure to watch you sleep." |
Often the male hero of a movie or video game is so in command
of everything that goes on around him that he becomes almost like a black hole sucking
all the attention and motivation for other characters into himself. In video
games, where the player is usually taking the role of the hero, this phenomenon
can get especially silly. In Halo, for example, you get the feeling sometimes
that NPCs are just waiting for Master Chief to arrive and give them a purpose
in life – so much of narrative’s universe is centered on the male hero.
Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but almost every
male hero follows this general template. These aren’t really bad traits for
heroes to have . We want to have a hero that is strong. It’s good to have
self-reliance and no have to lean on others all the time, and being in command
is just part of the wish-fulfillment escapism that goes hand-in-hand with these
kinds of stories. These traits are so engrained into our heroes that the
template has become too rigid. We are limiting what we think of as a hero.
The Costs of "Masculinity"
These truly are heroic traits, but because heroes are so
predominantly male we often understand them as specifically masculine traits. We
expect men, and even young boys, to be strong, self-reliant, and in command
even when the situation does not demand heroics. Men come to expect this of
themselves in everyday life, despite the fact these traits are usually either
unattainable or unsustainable.
Nobody in real life can be heroic in these ways all of the
time. To me, real life heroes and the best fictional heroes share in common
that they are ordinary people driven to accomplish extraordinary things under
circumstances that demand something exceptional. I believe that we all have
that strong, self-reliant, in-control hero within us that can come out when the
time comes, but it is impossible to draw on that inner power at all times. It’s
definitely not healthy to try.
No Bruce! Don't! |
There is a cost to letting these traits define men. Everyone
will always experience moments when we are weak – physically, morally, or
emotionally. We will always be surrounded by others who are stronger than us in
one way or another. A wise person accepts vulnerability and seeks out the help
of others. This is not weakness so much as it is being human. On a team at
work, on a sports field, at school, or in a game, usually a team that can rely
and lean on each other can accomplish more than a group of lone-wolf super
stars. The heroic masculine identity construction pushes men to do more with
less – usually needlessly.
In the workplace men will try to hide or obscure a lack of
knowledge or ability until they find themselves in a situation where they can only
be fired. This hurts the employer who promoted the man to a position of
incompetence and it hurts the man who could have been just as successful as a
lieutenant if he had not believed his identity as a man depended on him being a
general.
This masculine identity construction takes its toll on
mental health too. Men suffer from depression at the same rate as women, but
they are less likely to seek help for it at factor of 2 to 1. This is strongly
correlated with heroic concepts of masculinity. The heroic male suffers
quietly. He believes he should endure pain on his own because he is expected to
be strong. In the real world, however, untreated depression steadily gets
worse. Our real-life stoic and heroic men become incapable to help those around
them, and many turn to the unheroic coping mechanisms including substance abuse
and suicide.
On the one hand, dealing with problematic portrayals of a heroic male identity
is undoubtedly preferable to dealing with the subservient support role or
completely absent role women have forced upon them constantly. At the end of
the day, a man is left struggling to fit into an unrealistic, yet positive, construction
of masculine identity, while the female heroic identity still struggles to even
be visible. Nevertheless, the problematic nature of masculine identity is
another damaging element of the gender identity construction in our games and
nerd media.
Working towards cooperative identity and monster slaying robots. |
We are making progress as a society, but we still have a long way to go. As cracks and
fissures appear in patriarchal formulaic story-telling, however, we are seeing
a few interesting challenges to both the stereotypical female and male roles
shine through. I started this post after noticing some interesting takes on the
masculine identity trope in Pacific Rim and an episode of Marvel Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Next post or two I’ll be exploring those twists in more
detail.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Lessons about Winning, Losing, and Claiming Online Gaming for Good (instead of Evil) - Part 1
“I hate the negative talk and we hear a lot more of it when
we end his screen time for the day”
Sometimes I talk with my co-worker about his son’s geeky
interests. Chris has told me a few times about his 12 year old son’s experience
online with games like Minecraft and Team Fortress 2. While Chris is supportive
of his son having fun with games, he isn’t a huge fan of the negative culture
sometimes found among gamers. The stories that he has told me can chill me,
but, sadly they are very familiar. Mixed in with the good people who game online is
a vocal collection of individuals who see online games as a chance to eject all
social filters and civility towards other people.
A lot of gaming online is competitive, and I have
encountered plenty of people who get a little over-invested. A win is seen as
license for tearing into an opposing player, and a loss is viewed as permission
to tear into teammates.
Often to these players a match that is unlikely to result in
a win is not worth playing. Knowing that everyone is bound to lose sometimes, this mentality guarantees that one simply will not have fun a significant portion of
the time. This is a big contributing factor to the “negativity” my co-worker refers
to. With value only placed on winning, a loss becomes just a thwarted expectation of
happiness with no redeeming qualities or lessons of its own. There are even
servers dedicated to PvP in World of Warcraft that are populated almost
entirely by a single faction because nobody wants to risk losing.
9 of the 10 most faction split servers in WoW are PvP servers. What is the point exactly? |
Granted, people like to win. In studies conducted by
psychologist Cheryl Olson on the motivations to play video games “to compete and win” (emphasis mine) is a common reason.
And why not? Winning makes us happy. One of the limitations of Olson’s study,
however, is determining the weight of a loss. Players might seek out gaming to
compete and win, but are they denied all happiness by only competing and not
winning? Is seeking out competition inextricably linked to seeking out the win?
According to Olson, the young boys surveyed are especially
focused on the win and the bragging rights come with it. Indulging in a little
swagger after a win is perfectly normal and acceptable. It’s a chance to
celebrate with your teammates and enjoy that accomplishment, but can a child
understand the smaller victories? The victory of playing well even in defeat?
The victory of doing better than last time or at least having a couple of good
moments in a match?
Maybe learning to accept those smaller victories takes some
time and guidance.
For my own part, online matches against other players have taught
me to appreciate the competition more than winning or losing. Online games are
a great opportunity for my co-worker’s child to learn lessons about winning and
losing graciously, teamwork and strategy, and the art of going down fighting
even in the face of impossible odds. Chris knows this but is uncomfortable with
his kid’s online experience with good reason. There is a truly vicious segment
of the gaming community out there that no parent would wish their child hurt by
or to become a part of. The mean attitude encountered online has therefore
become a barrier to something that Chris’ son could otherwise learn a lot from.
The “winning-is-everything” attitude is not even the worst
behavior gamers endure online. Bullying can be a serious problem online, and it
can go far beyond what you might expect in the real world. I’ve seen personal
attacks based on racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and sexism fly freely in
games. It’s not something you would want your own child engaging in online or -
worse - bringing into offline life.
Whenever we talk about these issues, I encourage Chris to
try to get involved in whatever his son is playing, so he can be present to
provide some guidance to his son through the morass. Okay, so a kid in their
early teens might not really want their goofy parents invading their hobbies.
Video games are an opportunity for a kid to leave the nest and explore life on
their own a little. Nevertheless, parents can still be a part of the same
gaming community as their kid, and not be hovering next to their kid while they
play. Games are a common text that children share. Parents can share that text with
their children too.
A symphony of 16-bit color and sound! |
I loved talking to my own father about playing Civilization
even though we never actually played together. The fact that my father played the
game himself gave me a channel to talk about it if I wanted to. Even if we
never co-ruled, we could swap stories about trying to halt those expansionist
civilizations whose thirst for cities and tribute could never be sated. If
there were an online component to Civilization 1, maybe I would feel better
talking to him about it knowing that he had some context for what I was talking
about.
Maybe Chris and his son won’t be an unstoppable father-son
TF2 team, but I think that having a trusted friend or relative who shares this hobby
is a huge help – even for those of us who are past our teenage years. Even if a
teenager won’t admit it, I’m sure Chris’ son still looks to his parents for
guidance. Maybe the kid is not going to be asking for any gameplay tips, but he’ll
probably pick up on how Chris treats other players. If the child is bullied
online, Chris will have a context to advise how to deal with it.
I believe the negative culture in online gaming is self-feeding.
People rip into each other and get personal because “that’s just the way things
are on the Internet.” I refuse to accept this and think it’s time we push back
and enable others to do the same. The first step is helping each other be the
kind of players we want to play with, and the first step can even start right
at home.
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