ALERT ALERT ANGRY RANT INCOMING THAT BEING SAID PLEASE READ THIS I'LL TRY TO BREAK IT UP INTO PARAGRAPHS AND MAKE IT NICE
So I know the subject of PM being dropped from Apex has kinda been beaten to death over the previous few days, but I just kinda want to gather my thoughts about it in one place and draw some parallels.
First: This is not okay from Apex. Given that Apex 2014 was one of PM's most successful nationals and Apex's second largest event after Melee, there is no reason that they should have dropped PM. If Nintendo is forcing them to drop PM because of sponsorship stuff, then there's an even bigger problem with the scene. After existing for so long independent of the rest of the FGC and Nintendo, this is a step backwards. How did we build the scene? Not by forsaking popular games for sponsorship money.
This brings us to the second point: the terrible cognitive dissonance within the smash scene, perpetrated by several notable people. Notable personalities, namely Prog, constantly talk about the "grass-roots" era of the scene and talk about how we are still "grass-roots" and how we should stick to what made us. Yet, Prog himself has supported and accepted Apex not including PM. Prog and others have claimed that the scene is being split by selfish fanboys who only value their game, and that the smash community should be #OneUnit and rally behind what we have. That is contradictory. To jettison PM in exchange for the corporate tit is the exact opposite of grass-roots. PM is the essence of grass-roots smash and has more development time than Nintendo put into Brawl, a "legitimate" game. To blame the PM scene for the schism that has resulted is the opposite of #OneUnit. #OneUnit is a sham, only erected to further melee.
Finally, I'm going to draw a comparison that might be controversial and is definitely hyperbolic, but still accurate. Apex not including PM is analogous to Ferguson. Not to downplay the seriousness of Ferguson and tragedy of loss of life with a comparison to mere games, but hear me out. For seemingly no logical reason at all, Apex drops Project M from the roster. Enraged by the lack of explanation or the injustice, a very vocal and tiny minority creates death and bomb threats, similar to the looting in Ferguson. As a result, those in power blame the entire movement for the INCREDIBLY reprehensible actions of a few. I've seen so many people call the PM community spoiled, whiny, and ungrateful and plenty saying that after the threats that PM doesn't deserve to be in Apex and that PM is responsible for the schism in the whole smash scene. This is basically victim blaming. I shouldn't be this mad over it but I am.
This is just a continuation of a recent trend of disrespect towards PM and the PM community, coinciding with the re-involvement of Nintendo with the scene. While some members of the smash 4/brawl community and the general melee populace have been harboring anti-pm sentiments for awhile, it's become worse. One of the most notable things was TBH4, where PM was forced to have a sub-optimal 3 stock setup, supposedly to "save time" yet PM pools ended almost 2 hours early while melee pools went an hour late. CEO Jebailey said at one point that he was thinking of dropping PM in favor of smash 4 claiming he "only saw a decrease in interest" which based on recent tourney numbers is not true at all. Finally, Apex dropped PM and the general reaction by notable people seems to be "Stop whining PM people, you're hurting the community."
TL:DR **** APEX **** NINTENDO **** #ONEUNIT **** #WHYISMASH **** METAKNIGHT
#FREEPM #GIVEMEPMORGIVEMEDEATH
edit: #salt
