ECH

Just a blog for the social justice nonsense I see on tumblr. I have lots of opinions. Egalitarian SUBMIT HERE

[socialjusticemalarkey]

i have a bunch of asks in my inbox that I never saw?? Asking me if I’m doing okay because I haven’t posted in forever.

The answer is yes and no.  I don’t think I’ll come back to running this blog full time because my health, both mental and physical, is very poor right now.  I’m sorry I never saw these asks, I don’t know why tumblr didn’t alert me the few times I checked this blog over the past, what, year?  So yeah...

[adhoption]

Game of Thrones - Book vs. Show comparisons

Imgur: full of all the magic and wonders of the Internet.

There is so much truth here.

[tenaflyviper]

In the wake of Bethesda’s presentation at E3, it would appear that the glorified fraud known as Anita Sarkeesian has been complaining about the levels of violence in Doom 4 and Fallout 4.

She is making these complaints after THIS happened:

Anita herself stated on The Colbert Report that she doesn’t believe that violent games cause violence, yet now she is contradicting herself on that same topic (probably because she hasn’t found anything that she can claim to be “sexist” lately, and is desperately trying to keep herself relevant).  One also wonders if she’s attacking Bethesda simply because they have quite a large number of women among their staff.

Here is an image of Anita with stacks upon stacks of video games:

Wait a second, what’s this I see?

Well, lookie there!  She has at least two of the Fallout games.  The stack also includes numerous other games with high levels of violence, including “bodies being ripped apart” (I see both of the Left 4 Dead games, Dead Rising 2, Dead Space…).  But then, I suppose we can’t put too much blame on her, considering that she’s a complete fraud that clearly doesn’t play any of the games she claims to.

Also, we literally already went through this “violent games cause violent behavior” song and dance NEARLY TWO DECADES AGO.  I know–I’m exactly as old as Anita, and I FUCKING LIVED THROUGH IT (and unlike Anita, I actually play video games).  I remember quite well how paranoid parental backlash even caused a game I had been anticipating the release of to be cancelled.  It really began to snowball with complaints against the Mortal Kombat franchise, only to eventually end in quiet shame as more and more studies thoroughly debunked the notion that violent games cause violent behavior:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-out-outside-in/201212/violent-video-games-and-movies-causing-violent-behavior

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/longterm-us-study-finds-no-links-between-violent-video-games-and-youth-violence-9851613.html

http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/08/27/in-new-study-video-games-not-tied-to-violence-in-high-risk-youth/58934.html

http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20150403/violent-video-games-dont-influence-kids-behavior-study

And have we really all forgotten about THIS idiot?

Jack Thompson is a goddamn joke, but suddenly, we’re listening to the exact same line of reasoning simply because it’s coming from a woman?  Sorry, but no.  The Bullshit Detector does not care about gender.

For decades now, people (parents in particular) have tried to blame violent behavior on damn near everything, including heavy metal music, rap music, horror movies (don’t even get me started on this one), and of course, video games.  People in this country are also especially prone to engaging in mass hysteria over things that aren’t even real.

For the most part, by the time a child is old enough to competently play a video game, their brains will have already been significantly molded according to their genetics, and–most importantly–their upbringing (i.e., the quality of human interaction experienced in their formative years).  It is that upbringing that plays the most crucial role in the development of a child’s brain.

Acts of violence are not a product of our culture - they are a by-product of a lack of function in the brain, particularly the pre-frontal cortex.  No video game is going to disable the functioning of this region.  This area of the brain is responsible for controlling our impulses. For most human beings, this keeps us from acting out against what we’ve learned to be the appropriate behavior in our society.  Time and again, science has shown us that the brains of violent criminals are not the same as those of the average person.  Parental influence (or lack thereof) has been linked to such lack of function in the brain.  It should be noted, though, that there are people with similar dysfunction in the pre-frontal cortex that never lash out in violence throughout their entire lives.  While their brain scans may be similar to those of a violent criminal, they tend to have lived in stable households, or have benefited from support that those who grew up to commit acts of violence were sorely lacking.  Those are the people that–time and again–were found to have a history of parental abuse or neglect.  They come from broken homes, which end up producing broken minds.  When nature and nurture have come together to create a psychopath, they have molded an individual that is disconnected from reality in a very dangerous way.  They lack empathy.  The majority of the time, they likely have a decent grasp of what morality is:  They simply lack the inhibition to not act out against what they know to be morally wrong, and have been warped by past abuse in a way that causes psychosis or delusion.  What they are not, however, is a product of mass media.

If any type of aggression comes from playing a video game, it is due to the difficulty of the gameplay, and not the result of some form of imaginary brainwashing by bloodbath.  This means that you would likely observe more overt displays of aggression from people playing an innocuous, yet challenging game like The Impossible Game, as opposed to a game that is little more than shooting down anything in your path.  If anything, video games are an exceptional outlet for people to release any aggression they might have in a safe environment (here’s a little old lady using one of the Grand Theft Auto games to let off steam about rising petrol prices).  And has everyone just forgotten that video games have ratings on them?  They are rated according to their content.  Violent games are rated M for “mature”, and actually list the reasons WHY the game has that rating.  No one is going in completely blind, and if a parent is buying such games for their child without looking it over for themselves, then THEY are the ones that are the real problem here.  If the game is being made for a mature audience, then what the fuck is the actual problem here?  People enjoying violence?  Because if that’s the issue, you’re fighting a losing battle.  Enjoying violence is not a reflection of a person’s character.  If it were, it would be awfully strange that many of the top directors of some of the most brutal horror films ever made are quite rational, erudite pacifists (Wes Craven, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, etc).  Violence in a fictional setting is akin to a roller coaster ride minus the nausea.  It’s an exploration into something outside the realm of our daily lives, but in a manner that does not actually harm us:

http://bigthink.com/insights-of-genius/why-we-love-violence-in-fiction

http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/30/why-do-people-like-violent-movies/53211.html

http://elflands2ndcousin.com/2012/12/04/the-anatomy-and-value-of-fictional-violence/

https://edge.org/response-detail/23745

Violent behavior is a taboo.  It’s not something we normally engage in, so naturally, we are curious about it, and it gives us a thrill.  However, for most of us, we can still distinguish between fantasy and reality, rendering unfounded concerns about the impact of violent media null and void.  Also, HELLO…fictional violence isn’t exactly “new”.  Greek mythology, Shakespeare, Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol…violence has been in entertainment since entertainment became a concept.  And, because of our fascination with it, it sells.

There’s a reason why the Hays Code eventually fell into disuse.

There’s a reason why there is no longer such a thing as a “Video Nasty”.

There’s a reason why the Parents Music Resource Center no longer exists.

It’s because reasonable people realized how asinine it was to blame the media for the shortcomings of humanity.

When it comes to Anita Sarkeesian, do you REALLY think she’s all that serious about “cleaning up” the alleged “sexism” and “misogyny” in games?  Do you REALLY think she cares about video game “violence”?  She raked in over $600k last year (and has still never produced anything to show for it).  Do you REALLY think she’s trying to “change” anything when fabricating issues where none exist is so profitable to her?  Of COURSE she’s always going to find something about video games to complain about.  If we actually admitted to the fact that games are more balanced than they’ve ever been, she wouldn’t make a dime.

The majority of people supporting GamerGate (myself included) are not profiting off of doing so.  We’re merely raising our voices in the hopes of enacting change, and thus far, we’ve actually gotten some decent results:  Many gaming news sites have either revised their ethics policies, or created new ones.  People against GamerGate, on the other hand, stand to profit greatly off of instilling irrational fear that panders to our nation’s woefully outdated gender biases.  Mass hysteria earns ratings.  Fear sells magazines.  Panic generates viewers.  Sensationalism sells.  The public is not interested in truth, because the truth would actually force them to rethink their own baked-in beliefs.  People are more than willing to lie about something if they can benefit from doing so, and quite a few people have been caught fabricating “harassment” from gamers.  In reality, the real harassment is coming from the people who have the audacity to be self-righteous about their unacceptably sexist behavior.  I have personally been on the receiving end of far more harassment from so-called “feminists” than I have ever gotten from any men, including while playing online games.

And now I ask you:  Which side do YOU think really gives a fuck about equality?  Hint:  It’s not the side Sarkeesian is on.

[huffpost]

‘11 Things To Never Ask A Transgender Person’ Released By BBC Free Speech

Talking about transgender issues and experiences can be tricky, unless you have the right language to talk about them.

“Things Not to Say to a Trans Person” brings together a slew of people from the United Kingdom across the gender identity spectrum to discuss frequent – and often inappropriate – questions they often get as trans individuals.

Understanding how to talk to transgender people starts with educating yourself  and this new video from BBC Free Speech is here to help. 

[mama-germany]

No Tumblr, I am not going to become enraged over everything you tell me I should be enraged by.  This kind of attitude is precisely why I am actively becoming more and more apathetic with each story that comes by.  I might have cared about important things before you decided to try and shove hatred down my throat for everything that displeases you.

[abdullahqutbedden]

[instigatinglittleshit]

I saw a post of yours and think you're mostly doing good stuff, but I'd like to point at that self-diagnosis is sometimes the best option for people who can't afford to see a doctor, or (unfortunately very common for various neuroatypicalities) who can't find any doctor who doesn't base their practice on research that expired 30 years ago

I understand what you’re saying. I do. I can appreciate that seeing a doctor isn’t a realistic option for some people and even if they do see a doctor that there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be a GOOD doctor. But the thing about illnesses, mental or otherwise, is that there are so many factors that play into a diagnosis other than just symptoms and we have an inherent bias about ourselves that can make us think something’s a symptom that isn’t or completely ignore something that can potentially be a symptom because maybe we’re just really used to it. Doctors are a very necessary outside opinion with years of medical training that tell them exactly what to look for…not to mention they’re the only ones who actually have the authority to diagnose you. There’s a reason for that. I’m not saying doctors are never wrong, of course they are, but they’re just a way better bet. Especially if you self diagnose and then try to treat your self diagnosis? That’s a whole fucking clusterfuck of bad right there. 

[oldsmolsailor-blog]

im so fucking done

ive seen some people identify as demiplatonic

which is basically “I’m only friends with people I like”

this is ridiculous

[badsjw]

I hate this website so much

[socialjusticemalarkey]

omfgggg

[ladymacmeth]

the sound of high heels on the pavement as you walk is the ultimate power trip, like you could be buying milk or on your way to assassinate someone

[apparentlyevil-deactivated20150]

or you could be crippling yourself to uphold a patriarchal beauty standard

[winterbeard2015]

OH MY GO D SHUT THE FUCK UP NOT EVERYTHING IS ‘FOR THE PATRIARCHY BEAUTY STANDARD’ YOU WHINY FUCKS HAS IT EVER FUCKING OCCURRED TO YOU THAT SOME WOMEN WEAR HEELS COS THEY FUCKING WANT TO JESUS CHRIST

[socialjusticemalarkey]

i hope youre feeling better and your health has improved!

another anon:  I just hope you turn out okay!

I literally don’t know why tumblr doesn’t show me messages on this blog

but I am doing much better!  Thank you!

[anti-feminism-pro-equality]

You think girls have it easy in society? That's such a fucking joke.

yes those five extra rights make our life so hard.

[just-that-kid-in-the-dark-deact]

I just love the fact that in divorce cases men have absolutely no chance of getting their kid but the women does. You know totally makes it harder for women.

(Sarcasm)

[satanic-anti-feminist-deactivat]

yeah. and the fact that men can’t legally defend themselves against violent women is just awesome.

[just-that-kid-in-the-dark-deact]

I know absolutely feeling the love, what even better then that though is the fact that if a man, calls the police about him being abused, he will get jailed, how wonderful

[satanic-anti-feminist-deactivat]

yeah, and when he is put in jail, isn’t the fact the his jail time is going to be significantly longer than if it was a woman just really fucking great? so much privilege.

[just-that-kid-in-the-dark-deact]

And self declared feminist declares minecraft sexist Because it has Blocks And building

It’s mechanics make it sexist, logic such.

http://www.thestatelyharold.com/#!My-open-letter-to-Notch-why-Minecraft-is-sexist-and-needs-to-be-banned/cmbz/555a01610cf23d0164a2f239

[satanic-anti-feminist-deactivat]

wtf. omfg.

that reminds me of when a feminist said that einstein’s equation: e=mc squared was sexist.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1076200/posts

[just-that-kid-in-the-dark-deact]

I have no reply. Physics is sexist.

Light is masculine, bitch shut the fuck up, light is light not male, stop the hate

#LightHasRightsToo

[anti-feminism-pro-equality]

the fuck did i read

[colorsofsocialjustice]

I just read the “opinion piece” (and I use that with quotation marks for a reason) about Minecraft being sexist and her whole argument is based in gender stereotypes she is projecting onto the game instead of using the tools that exist (skin, texture packs, moving past gender stereotypes) to enjoy the game. She is literally blaming Notch because of things she claims he’s done by making the game when he’s not only encouraged women to play because they can, if they want, do anything men do but when it was pointed out the default skin was seen as male, it was change for everyone to a female skin unless someone uploads their own skin. 

So really her own stance is textbook projection and I’ve got a headache reading it. If I hadn’t already read the other link, I’d just give up for the day and go to bed over the amount of stupid. 

- Purple

[socialjusticemalarkey]

the minecraft thing is making me laugh so fucking hard i can’t

[fyportlandia]

[eclipsebykimlipmp3-deactivated2]

#is this mogaiarchive

[trooscum]

Hello darkness, my old friend,

I’ve come to talk with you again,

Because a vision softly creeping,

Left its seed while I was sleeping,

And the vision, that was planted in my brain,

Still remains, with the sound of silence,

In restless dreams I walked alone,

Narrow streets of cobblestone

‘Neath the halo of a street lamp,

I turned my collar to the cold and damp,

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night, and touched the sound of silence.

[pvirgiliusmaro]

All I want is to go for a walk, but I’m a woman, and it’s 3 in the morning. This is why we need feminism.

[egalitarians-do-it-better]

No sane person would feel 100% safe being outside and alone at 3 AM. This has nothing to do with being a woman and everything to do with the fact that criminals who want to harm people usually strike at night rather than in the middle of a busy city at 2 PM.

[pietriarchy]

Don't joke about the patriarchy

[pochowek]

↖ Baptism Fail! This Baby Is Still Going To Hell

[socialjusticemalarkey]

@pinkpolitoed

thank you.

i know i’ve been saying that a lot today to concerned people but i do mean it

it’s nice to know people care

[socialjusticemalarkey]

may need to go afk for like... ever again

we’ll see come monday whether or not i’m going to go through with checking myself into a hospital