This Is Why I Speak Out

[theotherbaldwin]

There are some people that rail against the idea that there might be a culture of dismissive-ness about rape, or the use of rape to silence. The following anonymous comments left on my last article are a clear example of these attitudes, and why speaking out is necessary:

Trigger warning: What following under the cut are dismissive attitudes about

Comments

[woekitten]

Agree one hundred thousand percent. Obvious trolls are obvious.

[theotherbaldwin]

"I like (if I can even use that word) that half of these are by people who think you're a woman."

Well, rape is disportionately a thing that happens to women,so of course most of this shit is going to be mysogynistic bullshit.

"funilly enough, these comments never get me as mad as the one by concern trolls who hem and haw about how OH THEY FEEL SO BAD AND HORRIBLE ABOUT YOU but blah blah male privelage and whatnot"

Oh holy shit, yes. Concren trolling is the worst, and that's what really riles me up. Concern trolling with the "if you don't educate me, how will I lllleeeaarrrnnnnnnn" bullshit? Instant ragefist.

"Obvious trolls are obvious."

Oh, yeah, I totally agree, hence my facepalm pic. So the comments didn't upset me, though some of the particular comments and the graphicness therein did SURPRISE me.

[theotherbaldwin]

It doesn't have to be, though. A shared love and vocabulary and bonding over video games has brought me awesome friends, connectedness, a way to feel included, and some of my first big professional breaks.

That's why I wrote what I did, as hard as the topic was for me personally. It doesn't have to be shit, and the more I can speak out, the tiniest little bit less shitty I can make it.

I hope.

[theotherbaldwin]

Yeah. It's a symptom of society at large, I think, esp. because video game have been and still are a mostly male-dominated field.

"EA got DEATH THREATS for posting a "It Gets Better" video so there you go :/"

Holy shit.

[frenchpresser]

Holy shit.

[theotherbaldwin]

Yeah. Not the first time I've been accused of being anti-free-speech (there are some hidden anon comments onmy axe cop post that are doozies) but that's the first time someone has ever wished death on me for writing something. Let alone violent dildo related death.

[frenchpresser]

I've known Ethan Nicole for a long time, and I can assure you that regardless of his personal views, he would never, EVER tolerate anyone in his friends circle saying such depraved things like that.

[theotherbaldwin]

Nononno! I know that, I'm saying that in my LJ post about his response to someone else's response w/r/t stereotypes, after Doug Tenaple tweeted a bit about me, I got a lot on anon comments saying I was anti-freedom of speech, like the one anon on my penny arcade article on how they're literally profiting from rape survivors and exclusion.

But as vituperative as those anon comments got, nothing ever went to the level of death threats or wishing I got raped again. That's what I meant.

[transfestunerix]

Ew! How did those people even find that? Are they just googling rape-related terminology all day every day in search of opportunities to be unpleasant?

[theotherbaldwin]

My guess is a gaming message board or one of the 'chans or something. Still, yeesh.

[kyatto]

As someone who has suffered from rape culture, and had to experience really ugly sides of it, I thank you for your support and I'm sorry you have to put up with such stupidity.

Would you mind if I also write about this sort of thing on my blogspot and link to you too?

[theotherbaldwin]

Sure! You can link any of these entries, my article or whatever.

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I wasn't aware you blogged outside of LJ and FB. Would you mind sharing the link?

[kyatto]

http://thatoneskank.blogspot.com/

There isn't much on it yet. I tend to use FB and J for my inane ramblings and save the heavy stuff for that.