How Penny Arcade Made It Worse
Originally posted as a comment by me at metafilter:
)TRIGGER WARNING for discussions of rape, requoting of rape humor, and rape survivor shaming)
I am a male survivor of rape. I am also a freelance videogames journalist. I first started reading Penny Arcade in 1999. My very first profesionally published article had an interview segment with Gabe from Penny Arcade.
Gabe from Penny Arcade trolled the Shakesville comments section, first by linking (without trigger warnings in a site defined safe space) links to comic with bestiality and pedophilia as part of the joke. He then said "my bad, i din't realize it was bad form to point out hypocrisy". When a fan on twitter pointed out that rape jokes have the potential for triggering severe traumatic responses in survivors, Krahulik replied with "[T]he idea that our cartoon could cause 'significant trauma' is bat shit fucking insane. Two days afterwards they released a comic speaking directly to the viewer that only knocked down strawmen.
3 Months later, Gabe posted a news entry mocking PTSD trigger warnings. The very next news item was announcing the sale of the Dickwolf t-shirts. A little while later, they added PENNANTS.
When I wrote an editorial recapping the Dickwolves controversy and telling how I felt about the ensuing reaction as a survivor, I woke up the next morning to posts saying I was anti freedom of speech, humorless and that I should be raped, again, until I died.
Courtney Stanton is a female survivor of rape and a video games producer. When she blogged about the controvesy and announced a response T-Shirt with the proceeds going the charity, then a week later posted why she was turning down an invitation to speak at PAX and why, she became the receiving end of some awful vivious stuff. Not just the garden variety trolling, but people calling the police in her area, asking for reports of her rape. People harassing her on twitter. Accusing her of lying about her rape. There was a twitter account, Dickwolfington, that harassed her directly. Gabe told that account to stop, and it disappeared. There is another account, teamrape that has been retweeting Gabe's tweets and mocking people on twitter that are "anti-dickwolf". Gabe has remained silent.
In the same day he released the "apology", when asked on Twitter whether dickwolf shirts will be allowed at PAX conventions, Gabe's answer was "I'll be wearing mine to PAX."
In fact, Gabe has gone out of his way to be as hurtful as possible. asked on Twitter by @bloodparade “How does it feel to be actively encouraging rape culture, pal?” he responds with "It feels pretty good. Why?" When asked if he knows what rape culture is, Gabe replied "Of course I know what 'rape culture' is. Saw them live once. New songs, but mostly covers." When a fan on twitter asked Gabe if it meant being a man at PAX this year would be awkward, he replied, "I honestly don't think it will be an issue. Nothing on the Internet last for more than a few days" (ignoring how long the dickwolves have been a controversy). He even dragged his wife into it, by twittering to her in public "Don't you know honey? You're married to a rape apologist! I have a busy day of perpetuating rape culture! I'll be home late."
These reactions from him baffle me, especially when the duo have tackled issues about depression and axiety attacks before. They will not do any jokes about drug abuse because they viscerally disturb him, in what sound much like my own-- thankfully rarely triggered-- panic attacks when it comes to rape triggers.
Tycho and Gabe are more than just some web comic. They have raised nearly 9 million USD for children's hospitals over 8 years. They were listed as part of the 2010 Time Magazine 100 people that "most affect our world". They have been online as a web comic for about 13 years. The PAX convention grew so large, there are now PAX East and PAX west. PAX has a specific ant-harassment policy and no "booth babe" policy. They offer their own $10,000 scholarship. Yet they have offered the defense that the comic and the resultant merchandising is not supposed to be influential or taken seriously. Either they can influence their audience, or they can't.
These horrible reactions are coming from tone of the main people behind the PAX convention, torpedoing the claims of wanting it to be an inclusive space with their very actions. They have made me, a video game writer and person who tries to highlight the better parts of video game culture-- a hobby that has led to lots of personal, professional and familial connections and fulfillment-- feel uncomfortable. They have made friends I care about feel unsafe. They have made ME feel unwelcome and unsafe.
The joke may have merely been crass and insensitive, but the reactions from Penny Arcade have been heartbreaking. They may think it's all a big joke, but I'm not laughing. I'm mourning.
)TRIGGER WARNING for discussions of rape, requoting of rape humor, and rape survivor shaming)
I am a male survivor of rape. I am also a freelance videogames journalist. I first started reading Penny Arcade in 1999. My very first profesionally published article had an interview segment with Gabe from Penny Arcade.
Gabe from Penny Arcade trolled the Shakesville comments section, first by linking (without trigger warnings in a site defined safe space) links to comic with bestiality and pedophilia as part of the joke. He then said "my bad, i din't realize it was bad form to point out hypocrisy". When a fan on twitter pointed out that rape jokes have the potential for triggering severe traumatic responses in survivors, Krahulik replied with "[T]he idea that our cartoon could cause 'significant trauma' is bat shit fucking insane. Two days afterwards they released a comic speaking directly to the viewer that only knocked down strawmen.
3 Months later, Gabe posted a news entry mocking PTSD trigger warnings. The very next news item was announcing the sale of the Dickwolf t-shirts. A little while later, they added PENNANTS.
When I wrote an editorial recapping the Dickwolves controversy and telling how I felt about the ensuing reaction as a survivor, I woke up the next morning to posts saying I was anti freedom of speech, humorless and that I should be raped, again, until I died.
Courtney Stanton is a female survivor of rape and a video games producer. When she blogged about the controvesy and announced a response T-Shirt with the proceeds going the charity, then a week later posted why she was turning down an invitation to speak at PAX and why, she became the receiving end of some awful vivious stuff. Not just the garden variety trolling, but people calling the police in her area, asking for reports of her rape. People harassing her on twitter. Accusing her of lying about her rape. There was a twitter account, Dickwolfington, that harassed her directly. Gabe told that account to stop, and it disappeared. There is another account, teamrape that has been retweeting Gabe's tweets and mocking people on twitter that are "anti-dickwolf". Gabe has remained silent.
In the same day he released the "apology", when asked on Twitter whether dickwolf shirts will be allowed at PAX conventions, Gabe's answer was "I'll be wearing mine to PAX."
In fact, Gabe has gone out of his way to be as hurtful as possible. asked on Twitter by @bloodparade “How does it feel to be actively encouraging rape culture, pal?” he responds with "It feels pretty good. Why?" When asked if he knows what rape culture is, Gabe replied "Of course I know what 'rape culture' is. Saw them live once. New songs, but mostly covers." When a fan on twitter asked Gabe if it meant being a man at PAX this year would be awkward, he replied, "I honestly don't think it will be an issue. Nothing on the Internet last for more than a few days" (ignoring how long the dickwolves have been a controversy). He even dragged his wife into it, by twittering to her in public "Don't you know honey? You're married to a rape apologist! I have a busy day of perpetuating rape culture! I'll be home late."
These reactions from him baffle me, especially when the duo have tackled issues about depression and axiety attacks before. They will not do any jokes about drug abuse because they viscerally disturb him, in what sound much like my own-- thankfully rarely triggered-- panic attacks when it comes to rape triggers.
Tycho and Gabe are more than just some web comic. They have raised nearly 9 million USD for children's hospitals over 8 years. They were listed as part of the 2010 Time Magazine 100 people that "most affect our world". They have been online as a web comic for about 13 years. The PAX convention grew so large, there are now PAX East and PAX west. PAX has a specific ant-harassment policy and no "booth babe" policy. They offer their own $10,000 scholarship. Yet they have offered the defense that the comic and the resultant merchandising is not supposed to be influential or taken seriously. Either they can influence their audience, or they can't.
These horrible reactions are coming from tone of the main people behind the PAX convention, torpedoing the claims of wanting it to be an inclusive space with their very actions. They have made me, a video game writer and person who tries to highlight the better parts of video game culture-- a hobby that has led to lots of personal, professional and familial connections and fulfillment-- feel uncomfortable. They have made friends I care about feel unsafe. They have made ME feel unwelcome and unsafe.
The joke may have merely been crass and insensitive, but the reactions from Penny Arcade have been heartbreaking. They may think it's all a big joke, but I'm not laughing. I'm mourning.