Scott Cawthon Controversy and my Unoriginal Opinion (NOT BY ME, IâM JUST REPOSTING)
âBefore I begin this conversation, I would like to make sure that everyone understands my intentions here. I am an active fan of Five Nights at Freddy's, and will continue to be a fan of the series, regardless of my own opinions that may contrast with Scott's beliefs. Within this discussion, I am going to address both sides of the conflict, respectfully, of course being slightly biased towards Scott's side. The reason I am openly addressing my bias towards Scott is because I want to be as upfront and straightforward as possible, as to not mislead others of my true intentions here.
All of that aside, what exactly is the problem going on here? To put it simply, Scott Cawthon, creator of iconic franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's, supports right leaning causes that have been cause for controversy among the general public for some time. From a more detailed standpoint: Scott was a supporter of Donald Trump (I say was, because he is no longer a candidate), is a supporter of pro-life, and donated to many other Republican charities, (NOTE FROM ME: As far as I am aware Scott has not donated to any organizations with an outright LGBTQ+ stances; the extension of that was the political candidates he gave money to)Â some of which being anti-LGBTQ+. Many of these topics are generally stereotypically associated with being Christian, a religion which of course, is nothing to be ashamed of practicing in my personal opinion. When looking at this from both ends of the bias, we have one argument essentially saying: Scott Cawthon is a homophobic right leaning individual, who donated to anti-LGBTQ+ associations; and the other addressing that, whilst this is partially and undeniably true, that there is more to this: Scott Cawthon is not homophobic, and cares deeply for everyone, instead, he has opinions and controversial beliefs. I think it is very important that we realize that it is okay to no longer support Scott after learning the previous, and that it is okay to continue to support him through and through. This should not mean that anyone who continues to support Scott is immediately homophobic, or agrees with what he supports. It is natural to have opposing opinions, and what you make of that is up to you. However, what is not okay (at least to me) includes the (alleged) doxxing, and harassment of Scott.Â
Do I support republicans? Ultimately, no - although I tend to have some conservative beliefs. Do I believe in pro-life? No. I believe that a woman should be able to do what they please with their body, especially since I am female. However, I have many family members who are pro-life, and I think it's important to see both sides of the argument here. I can see why aborting a baby who hasn't even begun to experience life is upsetting to some, I can certainly sympathize with that. But, I believe that it is the woman's choice in the end, her body, her decision. Just as I can sympathize with my family, and see their point of view, I can see Scott's point of view. Am I a Christian? No, I do not practice any kind of religion. However, I do have family that practices Christianity and Catholicism, and I do not think that someone's religion should be used against them just because it is generally associated with negative stereotypes. Do I support organizations that are anti-LGBTQ+? No! Certainly not. I believe that everyone should be seen, appreciated, and loved for whatever sexual, or gender orientation they identify with. Especially growing up in the younger half of Generation Z, I have always been open minded and accepting of anyone and everyone! Do I think supporting these organizations is wrong? Yes, I do think this is wrong. However - I believe that Scott was just donating to political campaigns that supported anti-LGBTQ+ causes as an underlying factor. He has made it very clear that he is in support of whatever orientation someone chooses to associate with. Some direct quotes including: "I've debated greatly how to best address this, including not addressing this at all, but with so many people from the LGBT community in the fanbase that I love, that's not an option," and "I treat everyone the same, and I ended up with people from all walks of life in my professional life and my personal life as well. That's the way it should be. That's the way I want it to be,". He has also made it apparent that he chooses people based on how well he thinks they can do the job. This is a matter of personal opinion, and of course, isn't going to be the same as everyone else's.Â
I will not deny that he has supported and donated to many causes that are against the personal freedom of expression and choice as mentioned above, and I will not deny that I do not personally support those causes. I also will not deny that there is physical proof of these donations, you can find them anywhere at this point, but I discourage you from visiting some of these pages due to location privacy on Scott's behalf. This is the same reason I am not including these links and receipts in this response.Â
I am not including the following part of my response to force you, the reader, to like Scott Cawthon if you have already decided against doing so. That is certainly not up to me, and you and I can have our respective opinions. But rather, I am including the following to at least prove that Scott is not a horrible person. Scott has donated to several beneficial and non-controversial charities such as: the American Heart Association, St. Judes Hospital (seven times, totaling to ~$750k), WWF (seven times, totaling to ~$55k), as well as supporting several other creators reach their charity goals, overall amounting to more than $1.2M donated. These are just donations made publicly/on stream. Of course, Scott has done much more than just donate money. He has made a community of almost 7 years, full of people to this day. It was, and I hope continues to be, a thriving community of people who can bond and theorize together for many years to come. He has even made it clear that these projects are no longer about the money like they once were. He has gone from a struggling creator trying to make a living off of something he loves, to truly doing what he loves to make others happy and, of course, terrified!Â
According to many accounts on Twitter, Scott has ultimately been respectful of their pronouns, gender orientation, race, and religion. Further emphasizing his claim of voting for certain political candidates based on who he thinks can get the job done in the most efficient way (once again, this is not to suggest he is objectively right, nor wrong). A direct quote from one fan of the game series will be included below, with a link of course. From MichealO2000 "Actually Scott was very accepting of my transition. He respected my name, pronouns, and gave me support during my transition!". I think it's incredibly wrong to say that someone is homophobic when it has been made clear on several different occasions that he appreciates and loves everyone equally. Whether it be from supporting and donating to creators, or helping others on a personal level, he doesn't discriminate, even mentioned in his response to this controversy. I will also include the fact that he works with companies that openly support LGBTQ+ organizations, and that he has worked closely with several artists of very diverse backgrounds - once again proving that Scott does not discriminate, just believed that he should choose the best for the job. (https://twitter.com/TrennelCMC/status/1403204330170335234?s=20)
(https://twitter.com/MichaelO2k/status/1403652335084126209?s=20)
On a side note, I would like to point out the gross over-exaggerations some people have applied to Scott, one of which compared him and his followers to a particular anti-Semitic group of people. (https://twitter.com/dank__deku/status/1403960971509616640?s=20). I will also include a post of someone on Scott's side of the argument saying a similar thing: (https://twitter.com/retropIatinum/status/1403893975635828736?s=20). In all honesty, a lot of this controversy has gotten out of hand on both sides. I thought I would include this side tangent to showcase the extremes everything has escalated to from both parties.
As to not make this response incredibly long, this is my final conclusion. I do not support the right leaning causes he has donated to, and it's okay if you agree with me, or not. However, while I don't support everything he has done, I can continue to enjoy his content and himself as a person without viewing his political beliefs. I don't think he had any ill intent when donating to these campaigns, and really just made a crucial mistake. Ultimately, it is okay for people to continue supporting Scott and his creations, just as it is okay to stop supporting him. What's not okay is to harass him, and immediately assume the worst when we will never truly know the full story. All in all, I stand by Scott, and I also stand by you, the reader, regardless of what you think about everything. I respect your opinion, and I hope you will see this from my point of view too.â
