Monday, March 18, 2013

On Thunderf00t on Sarkeesian on Feminism

This is a point-by-point commentary on Thunderf00t's (TF) latest video arguing against feminism, which was itself specifically against Anita Sarkeesian's "Damsels in Distress (Part 1)" video. I added descriptions of the prompts from the video (italicized) to guide the post.

 


[2:30] Thunderf00t's first substantial point, after dissecting a game I don't know enough about, concerns the motivations of game developers not being to appease feminists or to subjugate women, but to earn a profit.

His checklist of game developer priority is flawed. Rarely is it a conscious effort to subjugate or oppress women when you hear feminists objecting to the sex portrayed in media. No feminist I know believes that game designers meet in a room to discuss how best to oppress women. Designers do, however, surely discuss how to best use diversity to appeal to and respect a wide audience, rather than discourage it. The problem is the culture of our society that some games and their creators don't escape.

[3:45] TF proposes an alternate plot to Double Dragon, a game in which the player's girlfriend is kidnapped in the intro and the beat 'em up game begins to save her. He suggests that the feminist angle would be that the two male players leave to allow this "grown adult" to fend for herself.

His example of an alternate Double Dragon in which the player characters decide a captured grown women can care for herself is a strawman. Feminism does not reject compassion for others, and I would argue instead embraces empathy for the plight of a group of people. Feminists want women to be treated equally to men, not elevated above. The issue is not the act of rescuing another human being's life; it's about objectification and an underlying trend for male-saves-female. Somehow TF equates women's autonomy and equality with removing empathy, which I do not understand.

[5:00] - TF counters Anita's description of objectification of the damsel in distress by describing them as "loved ones to be helped".

A damsel in distress could be a "loved one to be helped" if she had characterization, if she acted in a significant way as a character. I remember the Paper Mario games at least implementing this with Peach-specific levels that advanced the plot in one and having her as a regular playable character in another.

This isn't about nitpicking a single instance and arm-twisting an acceptable interpretation. It's about a systemic and continual trend portraying women being more helpless and less human. In a world without the gender bias we see today, there would be little objection to a damsel in distress, as a proportional amount of the time it would be a man needing to be rescued. In a society and industry that has demonstrated a healthy perspective on gender, there would not be these sexist threads to analyze.

[5:30] - TF describes how the feminist position he constructs from the platform of "helping others objectifies them" extends to dismantling medical care.

His entire hospital/doctor rant is a strawman. Feminists do not equate willingness to sacrifice with objectification. A long history of games that use women with little humanizing characteristics as a reward, goal, or motivation, however, does strongly imply objectification.

[6:14] - TF shows the climactic ending to the opening scene of 2009's Star Trek, in which Kirk's father saves him and his mother by sending them to safety while piloting his ship into the attacking one.

His Star Trek clip, while a powerful scene from a good movie, clings to one example in a series known for its multi-racial, sexually-diverse, and sexuality-embracing tone. A series that is known for being progressive on these issues and establishing a trust long ago strongly (daresay obviously) implies that the scene he played is assuredly not meant to establish male superiority. Not to mention the obvious necessity for the woman giving birth, the person literally carrying the child, to be the one to be saved. Many more plausible reasons exist for the choices made in that scene, which is why there is little objection from feminists.

[7:30] - TF says the following quote: "You can over-analyze this to come to your desired conclusions."

I'm sure this quote will be tossed around fruitlessly. I already accused TF of arm-twisting a sensible plot out of a beat 'em up game myself. The point of Anita's videos are, again, not to find individual flaws in single games to be fought over. It is to explore the continual trend in gaming, over many games and decades, to exclude, subject, or objectify women.

[8:00] - TF satirically over-analyzes games to spin them as anti-male.

First of all, male characters in games are often the ones to be given agency and power. They are the capable ones, the heroes. They do not suffer nearly the level of objectification or stereotyping that female characters do. This deserves to be mentioned and kept in mind when discussing how men are treated in games.

Feminists I know would agree that men are also sometimes portrayed as dumb, violent, simplistic, lazy, or bad at specific things women are stereotypically good at. Men stand to gain from feminism and women's equality because certain undeserved traits or interests will no longer be associated with a specific sex. Men who cry will not be stigmatized. Women who enjoy sex will not be labeled as "sluts".

[9:00] - TF shows the many ways in which the knight can die in Dragon's Lair.

TF's satirical over-analyzing of the knight's many forms of death falls flat not only in the muddled minutia of his point but also when the game is placed in the tapestry of the many, many games for decades that repeat the "male hero saves female" trope. That's the point. Death totals hardly count when they don't capitalize on male stereotypes, especially when compared to the obvious sexualizing of the princess at the end as a reward for each correct choice.

[11:20] - TF reiterates that games are made for profit.

Yes, games are made to make money. But there's so much more to that idea. Games that represent the sexes fairly would capture more of the market, first of all. To alienate half the population that might otherwise be playing the same games that currently have male-dominated audiences is a true disservice to the developers' own industry.

But the larger point is that game companies, developers and publishers, that perpetuate old stereotypes should be avoided and no longer patronized. And reflecting upon the past informs our current state and our trajectory in the future.

[11:30] - TF satirically? comments on Anita wearing make-up and jewelry as indicators that she is a hypocrite and betraying feminist ideals.

Looking presentable for an informative video series is not submitting to the patriarchy or being hypocritical in any way. Obviously a feminist would try to look past societal norms and choose for himself or herself whether to wear make-up and jewelry. To assume this choice is a product of societal pressure is simply ad hominem in my opinion. And no, it's not as easy to paint the picture TF just attempted as it is to identify numerous games that continue sexist ideas. He is simply giving far too much leeway to the video game industry that all these examples of gender inequality in games can be explained away.

[12:40] - TF suggests for Anita and feminists to create "feminist games" themselves and see if they sell.

"Feminist games"? Games don't have to constantly push gender equality on the player to be deemed acceptable in a feminist view. Mass Effect is a trivially easy example where sex barely enters into the equation, except for, well, the act of sex, as well as biology (Asari, Krogan). Simply having men and women operating side-by-side exemplifies this ideal without calling attention to it, much like incorporating alien races do the same for a racial parallel. I already mentioned Star Trek before, but it holds the same standard in television and film. Skyrim creates a gender-neutral world, as well. BioWare and Bethesda have come a long way to appease a wide audience by treating different players fairly.

Much like games feminists would appreciate don't have to ham-fist the concept of privilege down players' throats, the games Anita discusses don't outright claim that women are inferior to men. It's not about being so overt, and TF knows this from his checklist, my first comment. It's about seeing women and men (and all else) portrayed in a reasonably balanced light. It's not about "sexist games" and "feminist games". It's about games that adopt one mentality or another, and how that effects society. And more women will enter the gaming market when games appeal to them, which will happen when they are portrayed fairly in them.

[15:35] - TF shows Tetris while positing that all games are over-analyzed by feminists to find sexism.

Don't put Tetris up to have the audience associate that with Anita's claims of systemic sexism in video games. Not every game follows every trope or trend, and puzzle games least likely so. The majority of relevant titles, ones that incorporate individuals with gender, however, do expose this sexist attitude.

[15:53] - TF tackles the following quote from Anita: "The belief that women are somehow a 'naturally weaker gender' is a deeply ingrained socially constructed myth, which of course is completely false" by pointing to biological differences (upper and lower body strength).

Anita is not ignoring the physical differences between men and women. She is emphasizing the numerous other dimensions for which a person can express capability or strength. "Weaker" is purposefully chosen to entail more than an arm-wrestling contest.

[17:07] - TF points to a sentence on Wikipedia coming from a feminist source, implying it is invalid.

Don't immediately associate Anita with some Wikipedia reference she never directly cited. TF's connections are tenuous at best and dishonest at worst. In this endless field of strawmen, it is mandatory that he connect the claims to whom he is arguing against.

[18:45] - TF notes "in passing" that she has disabled comments on her videos and refutes her reasoning of preventing harassment.

We have examples of what comments look like in videos that discuss gender equality. Look at Watson's initial elevator video for but a minute. It is not all rational discourse and disagreement you see, but threats, harassment, and sexism. Anonymous people ARE attacking women who speak on this issue because they are women and feminists.

---

I didn't hit everything TF brought up because of my lack of knowledge on the tone and content of specific games and the validity of various sources he complains about. I also ignored some of the more trivial points, especially concerning semantics.

One of Anita's last points is crucial to understand her overall message:

"Just to be clear, I am not saying that all games using the damsel in distress as a plot device are automatically sexist or have no value. But it’s undeniable that popular culture is a powerful influence in [our] lives and the Damsel in Distress trope as a recurring trend does help to normalize extremely toxic, patronizing and paternalistic attitudes about women."

Thunderf00t completely misses this subtlety, and it is his consistent failing to recognize the remarkably reasonable goals of the feminist movement that fuel this heated disagreement.

This is my first major post concerning feminism. I am open to constructive criticism from readers who feel I have misstepped or misrepresented the feminist position at any point.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Reddit Refresh

When I come home each night, I go through my routine of opening 5 separate tabs: Gmail, Facebook, Couch Athletics, YouTube, and Reddit. I then proceed to go through all the content created for me to consume from that day. I'm not the first to describe the process of consuming media as a chore, but it's come close to that, as I've come to realize.

Gmail could hold anything. I could check Facebook less often and not lose much. Couch Athletics has just a few posts a day, but I also need to help run the place. I enjoy the YouTube videos I watch, and I've taken control of my subscriptions by being willing to skip ones that don't catch my interest. Rhett and Link, I love y'all, but I'm not always willing to sit down for 10 minutes each day for you.

But Reddit sticks out to me as a site that I go to unenthusiastically, open up several tabs of quick, easy-to-digest content from imgur, and move on. I rarely vote at all, but lately when I do, it's a downvote of some repetitive or simplistic post in /r/atheism or /r/politics or a few other of the more objectionable subreddits.

So I'm dropping most of the main subreddits in hopes that I'll either be enriched by better content or spend less time on there. Here's a list of what I'm dropping and keeping, in case I look back fondly upon my time as a more mainstream Reddit user and wish to turn back. But I suppose it's also an opportunity to reflect on what I felt I was getting out of each:

Dropping

Funny - Not humorous enough regularly to warrant me keeping it.
Politics - Not interested in being frustrated at op-ed quotes and simplistic self posts.
Gaming - Tired of gaming memes.
AskReddit - Occasionally an interesting question, but usually just causes anger at Reddit community.
Atheism - There's so little that's interesting or useful anymore.
Bestof - Sometimes a good comment, usually not amazing.
DAE - I've seen enough of these, and they're rarely new.
F7U12 - I used to love and make these, but they're just a plain storytelling tool now.
ClassicRage - Not enough really entertaining comics for me to stick around.
BuildaPC - Useful to read while I was making this computer, but not very relevant right now.
AskCulinary - Meh, wasn't get much out of it.

Relevant Keeping

MildlyInteresting - Sticks to its theme, cute.
Games - News, replacement for Gaming.
AskScience - The best subreddit, easily.
AskHistorians - Useful, reliable information.
Programming - Occasional good information, never anything stupid.
Castles - Great pictures and history.
Tipofmytongue - Fun subreddit to see new things and maybe help someone out.
TrueAtheism - Replacement for Atheism.

Adding

Music - We'll see if this has good content!
Technology - Might want to keep up-to-date on hardware, software, and the industry
Movies - Some posts looked interesting. Like the other big subreddits I'm adding, we'll see.
WalkingDead - I like the show. Maybe I'll like talking about it.
Skeptic - Maybe a good addendum to TrueAtheism.
XX - If I can learn something about feminism from here, great.
MensRights - I should be able to tackle whatever I see here.
Geek - Meh, give it a shot.
YouShouldKnow - We all have gaps in our experience that we don't even know about.
MildlyInfuriating - The more like MildlyInteresting this is, the better.
ExplainLikeIAmA - Another one that could be fun.
ArtisanVideos - Should be insightful and entertaining, as well as inspire appreciation of technology.
DataIsBeautiful - It is.
PostCollapse - Could be fun.
FoodForThought - For if I ever have time to kill thinking about something challenging.

We'll see if this improves my online experience or if I'll miss the occasional chuckle amongst the web of tabs.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

On Apologies

It was late tonight, lightly raining, after splitting from my friends after seeing an improv comedy show. I stopped to get some gas at a station I've passed by hundreds of times but never used. It's got the cashiers in an isolated glass room (assumed bulletproof). It's next to a Waffle House, Days Inn, and a strip joint called the Diamond Club. A couple of guys my age wander out eating Reese's Pieces and looking pale, not of full faculties. But they keep to themselves.

I'm filling up, watching around me, somewhat tense. In the back of my mind, I'm reminded that I'm fortunate that this is the worst of it. That fear of something bad happening to me is my most common woe. Not anything actually happening. I guess part of this is me looking in retrospect, but I do want to put this post in perspective.

My thoughts are broken by a man approaching in my general direction. He's middle-aged, wearing normal, clean clothing. He's got a bag that looks like it could have come from the gas station store. He doesn't look overtly threatening. But I'm hoping our brief eye contact doesn't mean his increasing proximity is targeted at me.

"How'd you like to make $40?"

Slight shock. He keeps a reasonable distance. The only thoughts in my head are that he might be asking for me to buy him something for him. But he's not a teenager, and I look close to one. It should be the other way, if anything. So what does he want? My mind glances the strip joint. Is this a joke? Surely he doesn't want that kind of "service". I'm being ridiculous.

"Nah, man, sorry."

My normal response when people approach me with on the street asking for something. My opinion on giving to people begging on the street isn't solidified, mind you, but that's where I generally am right now.

"I just need a ride to Buckhead. I'm not even sketchy."

During the day, he'd be right. He speaks plainly. I know that's no more than a 15-minute drive.

"I'm sorry man. I can't."

"That's okay; that's understandable."

He walks away. I rejected before honestly considering, I know. But I think about the situation more, about the myriad of bad endings taking the offer could have had. They involve guns, demands, lies, and me losing.

I finish filling up. As I drive away, I pass by him again while shuffling through a few other thoughts. Couldn't he call a taxi? Did he come from the strip joint? What stranded him here? Why is he standing away from the pumps by the tire inflators... in the rain?

As I drive away, I feel a sense of sorrow and sympathy for the man. I don't care to critique his approach. I want to help people when they're in need. But society prevented me from feeling comfortable doing that this time. Assuming he's a perfectly reasonable person who just got stuck somewhere, he stayed stuck for at least a bit longer through no fault of his own.

There was a distance between us too large for me to risk bridging because of the time, the place, and my general sense of safety in this area and the city. And for that, I truly feel sorry. I hope he's home now, safe. Like I am.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

On 2012

Is it a little late to remember the last year? Whatever; so far this month has been to busy for me to have time to reflect on 2012. I think it's important to total up all the major changes and accomplishments and new experiences! These are ones that are easy to put dates or time periods to, but I wonder if there's more that I'm not thinking of:

  • 17, 18 January: Attended the ECE Career Fair in which I pitched myself to companies with the very important goal of obtaining a job after graduation.
  • 4-9 March: Traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for interviews with the company Epic, followed shortly by traveling to Washington D.C. for interviews with ViaSat. These were my first experiences traveling alone, using a rental car, exploring many national monuments, and sincerely contemplating my future career options. I pushed myself to converse with people around me I knew I would never meet again.
  • 24 March: Saw a live Nerdist podcast and met the hosts. The first "event" in an effort to get out more.
  • 27 April: Attended a debate with Campus Freethinkers followed by an unenjoyable graduation campus event that began to deteriorate an important relationship.
  • 4 May: Graduated with a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech.
  • 29 May: Started work at GTRI.
  • Weekly Geek Trivia begins during the summer.
  • 31 August-2 September: Attended Dragon*Con, was surrounded by people who appreciated and enjoyed the things I liked, saw many people I adored and respected.
  • 18 October: Said goodbye to a co-op that I had a lot in common with, said hello to a new friend for the first time personally.
  • 27 October-4 November: Met and did lots of things with lots of different friends. Began my concerted effort to reach out to others more, which continues today.
  • Soon after this, was invited to a new group of friends that had me reconsidering some issues and their importance, as well as compassion in general.
  • 9-15 December: First work-related travel to Edwards Air Force Base.

Two important resources were crucial to recording all these events. One is my Google Calendar, which is not only useful for keeping up with things coming in the future but is also great for looking back later. The other is something called "Highlights". This is an idea I got from Reddit that I decided to take quite seriously, and it's been enjoyable, cathartic, reflective, and productive to keep up with.

Highlights is a running document I have in which at the end of every day (or the beginning of the next) I write down the two "highlights" of that day. Some days they are simple, like "Made lots of progress on project at work" because I felt legitimately good about what I accomplished that day or "Had awesome conversation with someone". Some days they are "Celebrated Christmas with family" or "Went to Dragon*Con". So they're not always big, it's not always two, and some things often repeat. But that's okay.

What it does is encourage me to do things, for one. But importantly it helps to remind me of positive things in my life. At low points, it's easy to catch yourself spiraling, and the existence of this list can help prevent that by giving me a quick glance at good things happening around me, big or small. It can also be used as a journal of sorts, recording notable events in quick, single lines. I highly recommend it.

Now to start this year off, I've already made some steps in the right direction. I'm volunteering twice this week and must look up more regular opportunities for something like free tutoring. I feel I'd be good at that. I also went to two great parties already! One was a going-away party for a friend. Lots of drinking, since the host wanted to show off his bar-tending skills, and rightfully so. But it was lots of quality conversation. The other party was with some coworkers and other friends of theirs. It was a very "adult" party, in the least sexual sense of the word. I was the youngest person there, I think, playing CatchPhrase and trivia games with elementary school teachers and friends from GTRI. It was very... mature. People talking about the nice neighborhood instead of about how to pick up chicks. Taking a tour of the house and not watching flaming shots. Most people were married and not single.

And I'm still in the middle. Not quite comfortable leaping into that adult lifestyle, but not fully engrossed in college life any longer. It's going to be to where I move from this position that guides how 2013 plays out.

This song choice is inspired by an online friend that runs the only remaining Couch Athletics event as of right now. We're working to build it and other events back up with other members of the community. Anyway, Z-95 is a huge fan of Pendulum, and I recently bought a pair of their albums, which recently went down in price on Amazon. I love them, but this one's got that spacey, introspective sound to it that rounds out this post well.

Monday, December 31, 2012

On New Years

While I make them, I don't fixate on new year's resolutions as much as some other people. It's more because I'm reserved and very slow to adopt new ideas or latch myself to something, be that the need for personal growth or specific goals for the next 365 days. Despite my best efforts, though, I did make positive changes and have new experiences. Not all were perfectly aligned with my resolutions, but you never can quite predict what's in your future.

Here's my list for 2012, with a description of my success or failure after each:

Write one article (or something substantial) a month

I wrote these resolutions when writing articles for the front pages of Couch Athletics was still a semi-active pursuit. I didn't complete this one exactly. In fact, I don't know if I wrote any of the specific pieces I've long had in mind this year. My signature on the CA forums constantly reminded me of how far behind I was. This resolution was not enough motivation to get it done.

However, looking down the list of posts I've made this year on this blog, my total evens out pretty well. They aren't all perfectly structured, readable pieces that everyone can enjoy. In fact, many are not and quite the opposite. But quite a few are carefully constructed arguments about internal conflicts I've been having, assessments of new experiences in my life, and of course some regular old theistic debates.

And I've written long posts and comments and pieces all over the place, from Reddit to YouTube to Facebook to email. I've produced a lot. And so from this, I give it a somewhat successful.

Read the three books I bought in Iowa three years ago

Ugh, I still haven't. I made an effort to keep The Hitchhiker's Guide handy in my car for any time I'm waiting around, but I still haven't dug into it like I know I could, if I just made the time.

On the plus side, I've been reading the magazine Wired almost every morning since June, and it's been very enjoyable. I'm inundated as of late with Economist magazines that I don't have time for. And in the past two months I've been reading more articles and blog posts online, as well. So I'm learning cool things and keeping up-to-date, but none of that really counts for the true, original resolution.

Go out to more local events

In the strictest sense, I did this a few times. I went to see the Nerdist Podcast live in March. I went to DragonCon, which was one of the highlights of the year. And I saw Jonathan Coulton live.

But in the broader scope, I was really setting a goal for myself to get out more. And I did. While still in school, my roommates and I kept up a roughly-weekly trend of going out to eat. After graduation, I maintained attending a weekly trivia event with another group of friends. And when I felt that wasn't enough, I started asking people more often if they'd like to do things. Seeing movies, going out to eat, whatever! And it's been wonderful.

Do something for Spring Break for once

I'm going to go ahead and say I didn't do this one. The idea was to simply go on a vacation. Sometime. I didn't do it during Spring Break, for one because I didn't plan anything, but for another because I was surrounded by other obligations. Some were fun events like the Nerdist show or seeing Dawkins. But my interview traveling and job application process was right in there, too.

I've still only taken 2 vacation hours from work. Hell, I'm here on New Year's Eve. But with my newfound passion for the skeptical/scientific/atheistic/secular movement, I plan to attend more conferences and get out of the routine a bit more. Though it's crazy how long it's been since I've been to the beach. I'm just scared of planning something like that, just like I'm scared of planning something around my birthday.

Find a job

From where do you think I'm writing this? <_< >_>

(I had to look up HTML escape characters to get those faces right.)

This one was pretty obvious to pick, seeing as how I was graduating this year and stressing out about career fair and interviews. It's also quite binary; there's little grey area here. So far I'm happy at GTRI, but one of the fundamental questions that keeps coming up is if my hobbies or interests are to remain on the side or become a larger part of my life.

---

There's a lot more I can say about this eventful year, but I'll keep it focused down to the topic at hand for now. What are my New Year's Resolutions for 2013? Let's see...

Volunteer my time more often
Form more and deeper relationships with people
Produce something creative each month
Break the routine with travel or vacation at least twice
Play a substantial amount of many games in my Steam library and from Humble Bundles
Move into my own living space

I'd love to hear yours! Share them with me if you'd like.

Oh! And I guess I should end with a song. How about one from the Apocalyptic Playlist I put together for 21 December?