Interesting article about bigotry

[Deleted]

How has this escalated into an argument as if people are actually genuinely against equality?

Equality, of course, being the realisation that one human being stands beside another an equal and looks onto them on the same level, regardless of gender, interests, sexuality, race or any of the other prejudices that people so blindly and primitively cling to just to boost their own pride in being under the delusion that they, somehow, are superior to another of the same genus.

'White knighting' is a stupid term, quite frankly. It implies that selflessness is something to be looked down upon. It's not. For someone to openly go against their stereotypical image, for someone to break free from the bonds of social pressure, and for someone to put their own reputation with their peers on the line in order to defend another human being's rights to equality, takes far more balls than any of you cowards hiding behind your shields of low self-esteem and peer reputation.

Quite honestly, if you stand against equality, then I'm surprised you have the balls to show yourself in a thread claiming people are 'white knighting.'

[DrakeWurrum]

Way to take it too far.

Video games have a nifty ignore feature. Real life doesn't.

The problem with ignore: By the time you want to ignore somebody, the damage has been done.

[Wynnyelle]

its okay, women are known for going on and on like a broken record

see what i did there?

i understand you: the problem wont go away, but the place to "fight it" isn't the internet lol. its in schools and places of education. it's also fighting the conservatism of some religious groups which belittle women.

lol.
Yeah, I hear you. That makes more sense.

lolwut? we should only be fighting conservative religious groups that belittle women, but liberal video gamers that belittle women are perfectly okay and should be ignored? wth?

whatever, im not arguing about this anymore, im going to sleep. underneath my flowery pink and purple blankets.

I think what he's saying is that there really isn't an effective way to fight any type of online discrimination/bullying what have you, which is true. It's not right, but there's no real steps that you can take to make it stop.

[DrakeWurrum]

How has this escalated into an argument as if people are actually genuinely against equality?

Equality, of course, being the realisation that one human being stands beside another an equal and looks onto them on the same level, regardless of gender, interests, sexuality, race or any of the other prejudices that people so blindly and primitively cling to just to boost their own pride in being under the delusion that they, somehow, are superior to another of the same genus.

'White knighting' is a stupid term, quite frankly. It implies that selflessness is something to be looked down upon. It's not. For someone to openly go against their stereotypical image, for someone to break free from the bonds of social pressure, and for someone to put their own reputation with their peers on the line in order to defend another human being's rights to equality, takes far more balls than any of you cowards hiding behind your shields of low self-esteem and peer reputation.

Quite honestly, if you stand against inequality, then I'm surprised you have the balls to show yourself in a thread claiming people are 'white knighting.'

I think I suddenly very much <3 you.

[Deleted]

The problem with ignore: By the time you want to ignore somebody, the damage has been done.

do you cry when someone calls you silly? ...

also social equality is impossible to achieve.

equality in law however, is not.

we should focus on equality within laws of the world first - then worry about idiots who want to say "WOMEN ARE KITCHEN BOUND" or "all lesbians are butch skin heads who could wrestle a bear" ...

as for me, im just happy that when someone says something homophobic to me, i can wink and blow them a kiss ^_^

[DrakeWurrum]

do you cry when someone calls you silly? ...

=\

First of all: No
Second of all: Thick skin doesn't make jerks okay.

I don't know why you're fighting for the idea that we should just accept that people are assholes and shrug it off. What are YOU afraid of happening, if you were actually to take a stand against something for once?

You can go on living in your own little insulated world, never having to actually deal with your problems while you /ignore everybody you don't like, and we'll be quite fine with that.
The rest of us will go on to try and make it so people don't have to live like that.

[Deleted]

=\

First of all: No
Second of all: Thick skin doesn't make jerks okay.

"jerks" (i dont think someone who makes a joke is a jerk, i think the person who takes it seriously is the jerk tbh) will always exist

man up or dont talk to people, or try to make friends, that's my advice.

[Mirantha]

Throughout history, there have always been bullies - those that will pick on someone weaker, just because they can. Usually, the only way to stop a bully is to shut them down - a stronger bully coming along, a group forming to give back to the bully what he gives, or the victim finally having enough and putting a stop to it. The internet, and the anonymity it allows, has led to an explosion of bullies. They may be bullies in real life, they may be the victims of bullies able to finally lash out their pent up frustrations.

It is NOT ok to be abusive to other people, no matter their gender, sexuality, ethnic background, whatever. I do not use the term race here because, simply, we are all one race, Human.

It is NOT ok to be rude to each other. We are all here on this planet, each trying to get through our days with a minimum of fuss, ensuring that we are able to take care of our own needs as well as those of our loved ones. Some of us have an easier time doing that than others, and I tend to think that those of us who are lucky enough to have the ability to play games like we do forget that there are a whole lot of people out there who don’t have it as good. They do not know what they are going to eat that day, they don’t know where there is a safe place to sleep at night, they may not even know where their families are.
There used to be a saying, The Golden Rule. For those that are unfamiliar with it - Do onto others as you would have them do unto you. Simply, treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself. It seems that we have forgotten this somewhere along the way.

I have been wondering if the stance that ArenaNet seem to be making could become a watershed moment. It seems to me that they have drawn a line in the sand and said “enough is enough, this is our sandbox and if you want to play here you have to behave”. Could it also be that maybe, just maybe, this will become a turning point in gaming or, dare we believe, society in general? A point where a game publisher and its community finally say “enough is enough”, where people can go to enjoy themselves in a good, positive environment. The only way to be sure it grows and flourishes is for everyone to maintain it at all times. To stand up to the bullies, to say it is not ok to be abusive or rude no matter if you are in that game or out at the local coffee shop. It is an intriguing though, one that I do hope will grow.

[Deleted]

What's with people completely missing the point?

'Oh, just man up.'

It's like saying 'That barbed wire on the door handle cut you? Just stick a plaster on it' / 'How about removing it?' / 'No. Just man up.'

Nobody has to be thick skinned if people aren't assholes. You never have a reason to be an asshole, because if nobody is an asshole, then nobody is an asshole.

That's a weird thing, isn't it? Think about it. When do I insult someone? When they're an asshole to me. What if nobody was an asshole to me? I wouldn't have to be an asshole back. It's called stemming the corruption at its source - and its source is 'assholery.'

You don't have to be Jesus to show a little kindness, you just have to accept that it's not socially acceptable to fly off the handle at every moment and insult everyone. You wouldn't do it face to face, don't do it online.

As it's been said, if you ignore the cancer, it just keeps on growing.

[Achyra]

"jerks" (i dont think someone who makes a joke is a jerk, i think the person who takes it seriously is the jerk tbh) will always exist

man up or dont talk to people, or try to make friends, that's my advice.

Or report them, can't forget that! That's what I do, personally. I don't have to 'man up' or make friends, I can just report them and be content in the knowledge that their behavior will be looked at.

It's like saying 'That barbed wire on the door handle cut you? Just stick a plaster on it' / 'How about removing it?' / 'No. Just man up.'

For example I was healing a heroic DS not too long ago and some idiot was eating every stun from Blackhorn (something that would have killed you without the nerfs, btw.) So I Leap of Faith him over to me during on them and this guy loses his head. Just starts screaming and raging and telling me what a bitch I am and to just fucking heal through it. I was surprised enough that I actually responded in mumble with "How about you just move like all of the other melee are?", at which point my boyfriend actually turned from his computer to stare at me in shock because I never ever speak in a PuG. Ever.

This guy (A DK, if I recall. Silly Death Knights.) is silent for a moment and then begins to tear into me, claiming I'm just some whining whore and shouldn't even be healing a heroic raid if I can't deal with a little extra damage and I'm only here because I'm sucking someone's dick and women are just terrible at this game and that if he were my dude he'd...well, never mind what he would do, hmm?

Now, according to these people I should just 'Man up' and ignore him, but I say why am I the one who has to alter my behavior for some dipshit? I am the victim of someone elses textual abuse, but I should just let it go? Screw that whole mentality.

[Deleted]

Or report them, can't forget that! That's what I do, personally. I don't have to 'man up' or make friends, I can just report them and be content in the knowledge that their behavior will be looked at.

then you're the jerk. as i said. most of the time people are joking. if you can't take jokes on the internet, get off of it because you're failing as a person.

if i reported everyone who called me gay because it hurt my feelings and im a massive sissy who wears a flowery dress while dreaming of sunshine and lollipops, my entire guild would be banned.

my best friend will call me a girl every now and then, and i absolutely love her: mostly because i know she's right (XD) and ultimately because i know she's the most saintly (imo) person ever.

as for idiots in trade chat (or /m in guild wars) i just ignore them.

[lifeinblack]

do you cry when someone calls you silly? ...

also social equality is impossible to achieve.

equality in law however, is not.

we should focus on equality within laws of the world first - then worry about idiots who want to say "WOMEN ARE KITCHEN BOUND" or "all lesbians are butch skin heads who could wrestle a bear" ...

as for me, im just happy that when someone says something homophobic to me, i can wink and blow them a kiss ^_^

And how are we supposed to create equality within laws when you promote that inequality should allowed to be socially rampant and uncondemned, yet we need people to be against the inequality in order to effectively change the laws? As a supposedly gay person, you should know perfectly well that if you want legal equality, you need to want the public to want your equality first. You make so little sense. Judging by your constant drone of misogynistic comments, I think you are just afraid of your own bigotry no longer being acceptable. If the gaming community ever does decide to crackdown on vicious trolls, you know that you will be one of the ones to go.

[Deleted]

then you're the jerk. as i said. most of the time people are joking. if you can't take jokes on the internet, get off of it because you're failing as a person.

if i reported everyone who called me gay because it hurt my feelings and im a massive sissy who wears a flowery dress while dreaming of sunshine and lollipops, my entire guild would be banned.

my best friend will call me a girl every now and then, and i absolutely love her: mostly because i know she's right (XD) and ultimately because i know she's the most saintly (imo) person ever.

as for idiots in trade chat (or /m in guild wars) i just ignore them.

Why should you have to? Why are they not being punished? That's the point. What gives them the right to act that way? They don't have the right to act that way.

I'm pretty thick skinned, nothing gets to me personally. Some things annoy me but nothing will ever upset me, that's because I wasn't exactly brought up in a nice place, but I don't see why people can get away with being complete dicks while all we have to do is ignore them.

No. Report them. Get them banned. They can go complain on anet's reddit and get shown up in front of everyone because they made holocaust jokes. Boo fucking hoo, they shall be sorely missed.

I don't mind sense of humour, right, but if you're telling jokes that can be offensive, then you should probably rethink your way of making friends. I make friends like this: I am friendly, I act kind, I am helpful. I get to know them a bit better and that's when I lapse into potentially offensive jokes. Once I know they're okay with it.

It's like going into an old folks home and saying "Well fuck this shit, whose grave do I have to dig up to get a shot around here?" Some of the old folks will laugh, some of them will be very offended. Try being more neutral before being offensive.

[Achyra]

then you're the jerk. as i said. most of the time people are joking. if you can't take jokes on the internet, get off of it because you're failing as a person.

if i reported everyone who called me gay because it hurt my feelings and im a massive sissy who wears a flowery dress while dreaming of sunshine and lollipops, my entire guild would be banned.

my best friend will call me a girl every now and then, and i absolutely love her: mostly because i know she's right (XD) and ultimately because i know she's the most saintly (imo) person ever.

as for idiots in trade chat (or /m in guild wars) i just ignore them.

I'm a jerk because I expect people to act like actual people, with a sense of politeness and empathy for those around them, and not idiot little heathens who can't contain their racist/sexist/whatever remarks. Typing something and hitting enter is a conscious choice that those who do it can easily control and if they lack that control, they clearly don't belong in a game where they have to deal with other human beings.

And I will report them every time, while hoping they get banned. Guild chat and private chat are free for you to spew whatever crap you want, /m however is public and should be treated as such.

[Krsqk]

Way to take it too far.

Video games have a nifty ignore feature. Real life doesn't.

And I'm not being shouted down, isn't that why this thread was started? So white knights could circle jerk about their rainbows and lollipops fantasies?

Hey, I'm not the one who brought up the KKK example. And in your example, the "/ignore" feature was walking away and staying away. /ignore never solves anything.

I think what he's saying is that there really isn't an effective way to fight any type of online discrimination/bullying what have you, which is true. It's not right, but there's no real steps that you can take to make it stop.

Not entirely true. As with public discrimination, once enough of a society gets sick of it, the establishments who care what society thinks (read: want their money) will take the steps to throw out the losers. Good luck promoting the KKK in McDonald's or Walmart; you'll be tossed out on your ear before you've finished the first sentence, as you should be. Likewise, if gamers would quit ignoring the issue and start complaining to devs and publishers and hosters-of-forums, and actually making purchasing decisions that supported those complaints, you'd start seeing action there as well.

On the other hand, the Fred Phelpses of the internet are free to host their own forums where all five of them can say whatever they want.

[Deleted]

And how are we supposed to create equality within laws when you promote that inequality should allowed to be socially rampant and uncondemned, yet we need people to be against the inequality in order to effectively change the laws? As a supposedly gay person, you should know perfectly well that if you want legal equality, you need to want the public to want your equality first. You make so little sense. Judging by your constant drone of misogynistic comments, I think you are just afraid of your own bigotry no longer being acceptable. If the gaming community ever does decide to crackdown on vicious trolls, you know that you will be one of the ones to go.

as a gay man, i can hold my bfs hand without fear. i can kiss him too without getting stabbed.

i call that a victory. as for banging him in public, im pretty sure that's illegal: though ive seen straight couples doing it outside night clubs, so im not sure

also considering about 90% of my friends (close 1s) are females, im pretty sure they'd defend me when i say im not a misogynist... but whatever, keep gettin your knickers in a twist over a few (poorly) written sentences ^_^~

[YornKeldrion]

Congratulations on having encountered a twelve year old with a poor understanding of what is real and what isn't. No one cares. Move on, its not hard to find people who've moved beyond the stage of their lives where anything different is scary and needs to be lashed out at. If you're on forums complaining about it then you're really only doing it because you're bored. Genuinely believe otherwise? Too bad, that's not a problem with the world, it's a problem with you. Change your attitude.

If you find this article reasonable or any similar discussion reasonable, your problem is that you lack the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. The depiction of our world in pop culture, the one that is mocked by those animated comedies you're so fond? That place isn't real. Its not our world. These discussions are so many layers of parody removed from reality that its not even fair to call it parody anymore.

'White knighting' is a stupid term, quite frankly. It implies that selflessness is something to be looked down upon. It's not. For someone to openly go against their stereotypical image, for someone to break free from the bonds of social pressure, and for someone to put their own reputation with their peers on the line in order to defend another human being's rights to equality, takes far more balls than any of you cowards hiding behind your shields of low self-esteem and peer reputation.

Quite honestly, if you stand against inequality, then I'm surprised you have the balls to show yourself in a thread claiming people are 'white knighting.'

"White knighting" is not about selflessness. Its about pandering and acting the dog; its about weak-willed people playing the slave to their vastly more powerful masters in the hopes of receiving sexual favors.

Jezebel is a feminist rag not to be taken seriously.

[lifeinblack]

as a gay man, i can hold my bfs hand without fear. i can kiss him too without getting stabbed.

That is truly wonderful to hear, especially since if everybody followed your brilliant advice, your situation would be a little more medieval.

also considering about 90% of my friends (close 1s) are females, im pretty sure they'd defend me when i say im not a misogynist... but whatever, keep gettin your knickers in a twist over a few (poorly) written sentences ^_^~

Oh good, the old "I'm not a bigot, I have friends who are _______" defense.

[Mirantha]

then you're the jerk. as i said. most of the time people are joking. if you can't take jokes on the internet, get off of it because you're failing as a person.

if i reported everyone who called me gay because it hurt my feelings and im a massive sissy who wears a flowery dress while dreaming of sunshine and lollipops, my entire guild would be banned.

my best friend will call me a girl every now and then, and i absolutely love her: mostly because i know she's right (XD) and ultimately because i know she's the most saintly (imo) person ever.

as for idiots in trade chat (or /m in guild wars) i just ignore them.

Actually, that is exactly the type of behavior that is not acceptable and should be reported. How else are they going to learn what is or is not acceptable when they are just ignored and allowed to get away with their garbage? Besides, how can you tell if something is a joke when all you see is the text? Agreed, sometimes it is clear, many times it is not. There is no audible clues to tell you what the intent of the one speaking is, which can make it impossible sometimes to tell if the "speaker" was joking or not.

[Krsqk]

I'm a jerk because I expect people to act like actual people, with a sense of politeness and empathy for those around them, and not idiot little heathens who can't contain their racist/sexist/whatever remarks. Typing something and hitting enter is a conscious choice that those who do it can easily control and if they lack that control, they clearly don't belong in a game where they have to deal with other human beings.

And I will report them every time, while hoping they get banned. Guild chat and private chat are free for you to spew whatever crap you want, /m however is public and should be treated as such.

Don't you know, intolerance of intolerance is intolerable?
...

as a gay man, i can hold my bfs hand without fear. i can kiss him too without getting stabbed.

On the other hand, Snuffleupagus is working on a crushing post mocking you mercilessly for revealing irrelevant details about your personal life. Expect it any moment now. Assuming one of you isn't the other's sock puppet, of course.