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Women In Smash: Harassment at the Local Level


Photo Credits: Robert Paul (@tempusrob), Graphic: SB | Kuba

Video games give you the opportunity to showcase your skills regardless of your background. They reward you for your efforts with unbiased fairness. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you have, or anything else similarly superficial; if you have the work ethic and the skill, you can become the best.

However, the inclusiveness of video games seems to be betrayed at times by their communities. It’s no surprise that the FGC is predominantly made up of males and that in some cases women find it difficult to assimilate. This arrangement brews a perfect recipe for harassment towards women not just in the Smash scene, but all gaming communities. Why this disparity is present in the first place is, like most things, complex and up for debate, and therefore not worth going into. However, the consequences are serious and deserve to be talked about.

Over the weekend, I had the chance to talk with several of female Smash community members who all had encountered some sort of harassment. Their stories stand to remind us that despite how progressive the community has been there are still areas of weakness that we need to collectively work on.

Now, I’m not suggesting that there exists a systematic oppression of women or that harassment is widespread; most of us are good people and are incredibly accepting. However, while we may not be the source of the harassment ourselves, some of us choose to stay silent about it.

Sometimes, that can be just as bad.

There’s a female-focused Smash group on Facebook with 200 members-and-counting. Its members post random Smash-related things or organize plans to go to tournaments together. Other times and quite commonly, they exchange stories about their experiences with harassment at their local tournaments. Two-to-three times a month, long forms are posted detailing the nature of their encounters. In other words, posts like these are far more common than they should be.


Photo Credits: Robert Paul (@tempusrob)

Maggie Demer, one of the smashers I interviewed and a victim of assault herself, told me that stories like hers are posted frequently and often it's hard to find support.

“People post their negative experiences a lot. I've posted mine from UGC and another girl at the event was there to make sure I wasn't alone. And girls who have been assaulted by another smashers often post their statements there [the FB group] before releasing to their local scene.”

Demer also notes that the some local scenes are very toxic and generally less accepting than the greater scene. But even then the majority of people at the local level are genuinely respectful towards women, it’s just that the ‘lone wolves’ are not reprimanded as harshly. Why is that?

There is evidently a lot more harassment going on at the local level than there is at the more major level. This is because smashers at locals communicate at a much more personal basis. Lauren Casapao, who went public about her assault last year, sums up the dilemma perfectly.

“At nationals or at a broader level in general, people are more concerned with the problem. But locally, people know the victims and perpetrators personally which makes it difficult to take a side.”

Many of the other girls I interviewed with echoed this same point; often local smashers are united by a emotional bond, and this has significant influence over how they react to cases of harassment.

Sesh Evans is a longtime member of the community who has experienced some discrimination but has witnessed more. She reverberates Casapao’s point, saying; “There are a lot of girls out there that struggle with their local scene because [...] the TOs and people in charge won't bend this or that person because they don't consider it serious enough or they can't choose a side.”

Unfortunately, many of the dismaying accounts posted rarely if ever reach to those outside the group. In fact, the only reason I am aware of them is because somebody on the Smashboards team, Anna Molly, is a part of it. So why are so few people talking about this? Is the Smash community just turning a blind eye to it? Well, yes and no. In addition to it being a more ‘local’ problem that makes it hard for the greater community to focus on, there’s something else going on at play.

“...Smashers are slow to admit it [harassment] and even slower to do something about it. No one wants to do anything too drastic, lest they get labeled a "sjw" or "white knight" or something.”

That's Kayla MacKay, one of the women I interviewed, referring to the reactions towards her experiences with harassment at her local scene.

Kayla started off playing Smash casually until her friend introduced her to Smashboards, where she learned advanced tech such as wavedashing and short-hop lasers. She stopped playing for a little bit, but eventually she started going to tournaments where she initially faced no issues.

“The community at the time was filled with people who had been competing for 5+ years, and the vast majority were all university-age students who treated me with respect.”

But that changed as the older generation Smashers were replaced with some of the more younger kids, who MacKay personally felt less comfortable with. She experienced bouts of harassment, such as being asked for ‘nudes’ by a top player and being told upon attending a local tournament that she ‘must be lost’. These instances, she says, weren’t “anything major right away”, but that they were “a clear signal that the overall attitudes towards women had changed”.

Eventually harassment grew more serious though, but according to Kayla, nobody stepped in to try and stop it. That isn’t because smashers are bad people though. A majority are just afraid to speak up because doing so could mean ‘rocking the boat’ and potentially challenging the status quo.


Photo Credits: Robert Paul (@tempusrob)

I think a lot of this has to do with the recent subculture that has developed in response to the whole ‘PC’ movement. The political correctness campaign is often considered to be a painfully stupid way of earning ‘good guy points’ - and that isn't far off from the truth. Everybody can agree that some people go to ridiculous extremes in order to deter any sort of ‘offensiveness’, so likewise many are united in mutual hatred against ‘PC culture’.

But the ‘anti’ PC movement has also seen itself reaching similar ridiculous extremes. Like all collective movements, it has formed a sort of group consciousness where nobody really thinks for themselves and instead everybody adheres to the idea of “You’re offended? Suck it up.” This mentality is one I can generally agree with, but eventually it can get to the point where legitimate social issues or sentiments are just brushed off, and any proponents of those said ideas are labeled ‘SJWs’ and are accordingly ostracized.

The result is things that aren’t really ‘SJW’ by definition are labeled such, and the credibility of any argument can be dismissed just by using the word. This is a problem as actual issues that deserve to be talked about become lumped in with insipid feminist rhetoric.

Females face an array of challenges in the community. Again, it is reasonable to assume that most other fighting game communities have a similar problem. These problems are generally incurred by a small percentage of the community, but until we start talking about it more and become less tolerant of the bad apples, change is unlikely. We need to learn to be comfortable talking about the subject and act on an ethical basis instead of staying silent because it’s more convenient.

Some of the harassment women face isn’t easy to stop. Some people’s attitudes towards women are just the result of a deeply embedded and complex sociological reason, and that is out of our control. But we can control our reactions to these people, and be a little more serious in how they're handled instead of letting them go unchecked.

I don't want this to put off any woman interested in joining the scene. This is a problem that can be overcome, but only if women continually join and challenge adversity. Let this be an impetus for both genders to work together and hopefully resolve this issue.

Only when we can learn to put aside differences and accept the reality of what’s going on can we begin to take the necessary steps in the right direction.
 
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William "Wncozens" Cozens

Comments

People should be treated equal, no matter who they are. Thats coming from a female Smasher like myself.
 
“...Smashers are slow to admit it [harassment] and even slower to do something about it. No one wants to do anything too drastic, lest they get labeled a "sjw" or "white knight" or something.”
Wncozens. The fact you included this makes me appreciate the article even more
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
Remmende How There was no evidence about Hyuga? He admitted he was guilty and could have fouten away with it. This is victim blaming, which quite frankly, is part of the problem
 
And this is why there are not many female gamers in tournaments these days. Time to step it up boys if we are to continue the growth of smash. It starts at the locals.
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
I'm not even going to go deep with this. While I know where you're coming from the video evidence I have to disagree with...not entirely though. Think about this logically: say a female is in the middle of getting physically disrespected. Is the first thing they're going to think of is "OH, I need proof of this!"? You may want to reword this, because I don't see this making 100% sense
 
Gender issues are just part of an overall social paradigm. Think about this, we get a large group of insecure video game geeks together via online networking using gamer nicknames like "Superbossslayer5000xx420blaze" conflated with identity issues of video game icons of knights, wizards, heroes, and villains and cram them together into a single place for an extended time getting their testosterone pumping and playing up the ego with cash rewards and sensationalizing everything that is said and done inside and outside the digital "ring".

And we expect everything to go smoothly?

I honestly can't imagine how it's been as good as it is. But one thing looks certain to me, and it was mentioned in the article: This smooth ride is getting bumpier over time, the trend is gaining with each generation that comes and gets away with more and more abusive behavior and sees the past getting more and more rewarded for crude and crass behaviors.
Who could really blame any individual for this? Isn't this just how we naturally learn? You see an older sibling get away with being abusive towards someone else, and not knowing the full extend of your boundaries you'll push it as far as it will go. Your younger sibling sees the same thing, and of course pushes that. When we look at the n'th generation down the road where will the line be drawn?

I've been part of the Smash Community for a very long time (check my join date here on Smashboards). I can speak from experience. When I started off we were more of a family, there really weren't any issues, and the issues that were there are laughable by today's standards. Reading this you are starting to realize that the issues today are going to look like nothing 30 years down the road. But maybe you won't care because you're here for the short term and you're out, you have nothing invested and nothing to lose. Just the people like me who have been playing and working within the community will have to clean up your mess. It's an echo of the social issues of today in society as a whole, the nanny-state socialist government dependent who just wants handouts and believes to be entitled to everything they desire while someone else foots the bill.

There will be issues of abuse, in all forms, we're essentially guaranteeing it when we have a room full of insecure and hungry males pumping up their testosterone and introduce females into that group. Again, I'm utterly at awe with how much is civil at these events. But I think it's more a matter of time when some big issues really come in. It's almost difficult for me to blame these people for being set up to be abusive, and I'm sure the side that sees it from that point will have no trouble blaming the victim, but honestly I think we're all stupid for setting it up that way and being so blind as to think nothing will happen. Such bad reads from people who study how to read into a game!
And, hey, let's not count out that there will be abuses on both sides - I've known some real-life issues where I found out some people I had known (outside the Smash Community here) have claimed to be abused to profit in the most pithy of ways. Usually this would be females taking advantage of the emotional charge that allegations bring, but I've known men to do the same thing here, it's just not as emotionally charging when the claim to being victimized is female.

Yes, people can be ruined by false allegations. It's both effective and frighteningly simple. The problem for the vast majority is trying not to propagate this abuse, yet also not allowing abuses to go unchecked (or worse, rewarded). The solution for many? The majority will STAY SILENT - this allows both the abusive behaviors and the false allegations to perpetuate.

In the end I'd say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We want to keep these issues from happening and if/when they do happen we want to deal with them in the best possible ways. Obviously we can't be omniscient as well as perfectly judicious, but we can at least look at this in real and practical terms without being overcome with emotional charges or silently complacent.
What we can do is provide some kind of outlet for all kinds of social victims (not just female victims) to be provided with counseling and resources. This would most likely start as a volunteer base and provide meager services until a more proper and invested organization can take place.
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
So I can harass any person I want as long as they don't have a video camera. Got it.
 
How is this any different from traditional bullying?

Furthermore, wasnt m2k bullied at a certain point?

I only think there is so much we can do. I feel like anyone can get bullied for any reason at any time. Unless we put a camera on everyones shoulder its not like we will always be able to stop this stuff.
 
How is this any different from traditional bullying?

Furthermore, wasnt m2k bullied at a certain point?

I only think there is so much we can do. I feel like anyone can get bullied for any reason at any time. Unless we put a camera on everyones shoulder its not like we will always be able to stop this stuff.
Bullying is still wrong regardless, it means the community should learn to stop bullying anyone regardless
 
Bullying is still wrong regardless, it means the community should learn to stop bullying anyone regardless
Harrasment is definetly bad for the community and wrong. It should be met with a sharp community rebute whenever it pops up and we notice it.

But i think pretending we can actually stop all of it is the suboptimal. Trying to iradicate bullying like some common disease just isnt feasible.
 
Harrasment is definetly bad for the community and wrong. It should be met with a sharp community rebute whenever it pops up and we notice it.

But i think pretending we can actually stop all of it is the suboptimal. Trying to iradicate bullying like some common disease just isnt feasible.
I think the point is that more needs to be done about it. Sadly it probably will never fully go away, but the more people doing something against it can help. Every little step should count to stop bullying and the more steps the better
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
there are so many terrible viewpoints in this comment that it must be an elaborate troll

it would take twice as many words as the original post or more to refute everything he said so I won't

but wow I am so blown away by this comment
 
Harrasment is definetly bad for the community and wrong. It should be met with a sharp community rebute whenever it pops up and we notice it.

But i think pretending we can actually stop all of it is the suboptimal. Trying to iradicate bullying like some common disease just isnt feasible.
Maybe we can't get rid of it completely, but that doesn't meant we can't do anything about it. Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr and other social justice activist decided just to give up because it's impossible to completely get rid of discrimination entirely - the problem would probably be far worse than it is today.

And simply supporting someone can really make them feel better about the experience. It's always a good thing to have someone on your side.
 
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Harrasment is definetly bad for the community and wrong. It should be met with a sharp community rebute whenever it pops up and we notice it.

But i think pretending we can actually stop all of it is the suboptimal. Trying to iradicate bullying like some common disease just isnt feasible.
Nobody is pretending that bullying is a problem that can be fully eradicated. But the fact that the problem might never be fully eliminated is a poor justification for doing nothing about the problem, or only dealing with abusive behavior on a purely ad hoc basis. The point the article was making was that, plenty of times, the ad hoc treatment of the issue in certain circles has been inadequate. There are small things one can do to help, such as simply striving to be more respectful yourself and being more assertive about promoting a healthy environment. If someone is being rude, it's all too easy to simply be a bystander, and that's not good. Strive to make a positive difference.
 
Usually I would be against bringing politics into smash, but this is a genuinely good article that is totally relevant to smash while going even beyond that into some quality social commentary. William cozens I really commend you for this article, which I could easily share as commentary outside of smash. Even further, your tone was neutral yet still impassioned without taking away from the emotional gravity or importance of the topic. Thanks for the great read.
 
D
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
Attitudes like yours are exactly why this article was written. Good job!
 
respect female gamers constantly due the crap they have to put up with I don't know if its worse than being a furry but either way people need to learn respect and stop this whole "guys rule girls drool" because its childlike and immature. "Oh look I have BALLS so im better than you" really? because if it werent for a female you would not be here and it is possible for a female to become pregnant without a father. Its beyond incredibly rare the offspring is always female in the few times it has occurred and is identical to the mother another thing no man can or ever experience the pain of birth well except for the one time a group of guys went to a lab and were given nerve receptors to replicate birth pain
men alone are respectable and yet there are still people will still say that im wrong and probably cancerous now oh well they can go screw off and learn to respect those who want to enjoy playing and game
 
respect female gamers constantly due the crap they have to put up with I don't know if its worse than being a furry but either way people need to learn respect and stop this whole "guys rule girls drool" because its childlike and immature. "Oh look I have BALLS so im better than you" really? because if it werent for a female you would not be here and it is possible for a female to become pregnant without a father. Its beyond incredibly rare the offspring is always female in the few times it has occurred and is identical to the mother another thing no man can or ever experience the pain of birth well except for the one time a group of guys went to a lab and were given nerve receptors to replicate birth pain
men alone are respectable and yet there are still people will still say that im wrong and probably cancerous now oh well they can go screw off and learn to respect those who want to enjoy playing and game
What the hell are you talking about? This isn't a boy vs girls argument. But to play devil's advocrite, I stand by my statement that female gamers shouldn't be treated on high standart just because they are women (respecting should be default), they should be treated on high standart if they are good, like Fuwa.
 
I demand to see video evidence. Oh, you don't have any? Pathetic and typical. The only "harassment" happening is at the hands of those who cry wolf without proof. Even if you actually are a victim of harrassment, spreading rumours without proof only serves to empower vicious liars. Gather some proof first before opening your gob.

Nobody should care how much you dislike banter. If you really prefer an environment where everyone pretends to be your friend then destroys your reputation behind your back to one where camaraderie is shored up with playful insults, then don't step up to a sport which naturally appeals to a predominantly male environment.

And, yes! People SHOULD be shunned from the community for tossing out allegations without proof! Any good community has a duty to do this. I don't care how much gender privilege you have as a woman in your day-to-day life, the Smash community must do everything in it's legal power to force you to leave that by the door before you come in. If that results in a woman never winning a big tournament, nobody should give a damn besides from the women who wamt to win. And they should use that to get motivated to git gud, not try to get Zer0 kicked out by calling him a rapist or whatever.


Anyone who would presume to discriminate against somebody for being straight, white, male, Jewish, Christian, atheist, cisgender, or most importantly, an ideological dissident against feminist dogma, must be prevented from gaining any influence as or with community moderators, TOs, or anything else. In the theoretical situation where other "identity groups" were discriminated against, shunning those responsible would be just as important. But right now, it is only theoretical. You cannot cry institutional discrimination while using the institution as a megaphone.

What happens if you don't? Well, no matter how much they claim to "not be an SJW" or "only want to punch Nazis" or "that feminism is equality" it always ends up the same. Dissidents are driven out, their livelihoods and families attacked. Communities dissolve because the backbones of them make the mistake of speaking out, or of not being privileged enough. Domestic violence aid gets turned into a cesspool where men are driven away, and women and children sexually abused by the feminist women who work there, while Erin Pizzey and Canadian senator Anne Cooles are struck from the history books for opposing these abuses. And the money? Pocketed by people who already own two boats apiece.

I know how this starts and ends. And enough people in the gaming community know this too. Next time anyone claims to be a harassment victim, or a victim of anything. Always seek proof. It's better to let a thousand criminals free then to punish even a single innocent.
"Looks at your avatar"

Yeup this is a troll, nothing to see here folks.
 
Freaking millenials.
You're 23 according to your account
There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends; demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and ending birth years ranging from the mid-1990s to early 2000s
You're a millenial too :D
 
Also I liked this article but this part stuck out to me.

I think a lot of this has to do with the recent subculture that has developed in response to the whole ‘PC’ movement. The political correctness campaign is often considered to be a painfully stupid way of earning ‘good guy points’ - and that isn't far off from the truth. Everybody can agree that some people go to ridiculous extremes in order to deter any sort of ‘offensiveness’, so likewise many are united in mutual hatred against ‘PC culture’.
"PC Movement" Is that what we're calling now? :rolleyes:

But in all seriousness you're going to claim that "The political correctness campaign is often considered to be a painfully stupid way of earning ‘good guy points’ - and that isn't far off from the truth."

Then you might need to rethink what you type.

Just saying. :smirk:
 
"No one wants to do anything too drastic, lest they get labeled a "sjw" or "white knight" or something."

The article is fine, but this statement is completely off.

SJW's and 'white knights' are precisely the sort of pathetic scumbags who would do nothing to help the situation because they are all talk and no action, too scared of any confrontation.

TO's need to have guts and I am *fairly* confident that if someone reported harassment to a TO/organiser and the TO chooses not to reprimand who did it, then its now the TOs fault. If they dont want to, then they are the one who is too scared, the SJW.

This would also require proof of the harassment since you need to differentiate between women who were harassed because of their gender, and women who stay silent but come home to complain about sexism because they went 0-2 in bracket.

If the TO won't take it seriously, they need to immediately step down from their position and make way for someone who will actually confront people causing drama.

The idea that people defending women are scared of being called an SJW is ludicrous. There is a HUGE difference between someone taking up the issue with the TO or the perpetrator directly, and someone who writes a tumblr blog about how the baka gaijin insulted m'lady and how they will defend her honour in a debate on feminism.
 
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You're 23 according to your account

You're a millenial too :D
Where the line is drawn to be called a millenial is still up to debate, but I can say that what I truly meant was those born late in the 1990s. You know, that generation that lives on Facebook and other social media and cannot drop their cell phones and uses memes to communicate. That generation.

I'm not a part of that because early 1990s didn't grow up with internet and cell phones (at least not in the same way). The generation that did grow up with cell phones and Facebook is what I call "millenials", even if there is some other term for it.

Still, even if "my" generation is part of that I have no trouble trash talking it. Every generation is not perfect, but let's all agree that the latest generation(s) are probably the most entitled and "screwed up" one(s).
 
Where the line is drawn to be called a millenial is still up to debate, but I can say that what I truly meant was those born late in the 1990s. You know, that generation that lives on Facebook and other social media and cannot drop their cell phones and uses memes to communicate. That generation.

I'm not a part of that because early 1990s didn't grow up with internet and cell phones (at least not in the same way). The generation that did grow up with cell phones and Facebook is what I call "millenials", even if there is some other term for it.

Still, even if "my" generation is part of that I have no trouble trash talking it. Every generation is not perfect, but let's all agree that the latest generation(s) are probably the most entitled and "screwed up" one(s).
As a 19 year old I'm certainly not that kind of person, and my mother, when she got a cell phone in October last year, said "This is better for communication than what we had back in the day!" soooo...
 
What the hell are you talking about? This isn't a boy vs girls argument. But to play devil's advocrite, I stand by my statement that female gamers shouldn't be treated on high standart just because they are women (respecting should be default), they should be treated on high standart if they are good, like Fuwa.
no im just saying because the harassment comes from the b v g thoughts and I know that high standard is much but I was trying to prove a point
 
"No one wants to do anything too drastic, lest they get labeled a "sjw" or "white knight" or something."

The article is fine, but this statement is completely off.

SJW's and 'white knights' are precisely the sort of pathetic scumbags who would do nothing to help the situation because they are all talk and no action, too scared of any confrontation.

TO's need to have guts and I am *fairly* confident that if someone reported harassment to a TO/organiser and the TO chooses not to reprimand who did it, then its now the TOs fault. If they dont want to, then they are the one who is too scared, the SJW.

This would also require proof of the harassment since you need to differentiate between women who were harassed because of their gender, and women who stay silent but come home to complain about sexism because they went 0-2 in bracket.

If the TO won't take it seriously, they need to immediately step down from their position and make way for someone who will actually confront people causing drama.

Seriously the idea that people defending women are scared of being called an SJW is ludicrous. There is a HUGE difference between someone taking up the issue with the TO or the perpetrator directly, and someone who writes a tumblr blog about how the baka gaijin insulted m'lady and how they will defend her honor in a debate on feminism.
Ah Boy here we go.

Look i'm going to try to keep short since I got to leave in about 15 mins, The Term "SJW" is a buzzword made to label people who fight for P.C" stuff and it's mainly used to attack people who have opinions on things that that people might find weird that they find fault with it.

The fact of the matter that their are in fact women that are afraid to be labeled an "SJW" because on the internet that's basically an death sentence.

I think that's all I have to say, well at least until someone replies to me trying to explain why defending "SJW'S" means that you are one or some **** like that. :rolleyes:
 
"No one wants to do anything too drastic, lest they get labeled a "sjw" or "white knight" or something."

The article is fine, but this statement is completely off.

SJW's and 'white knights' are precisely the sort of pathetic scumbags who would do nothing to help the situation because they are all talk and no action, too scared of any confrontation.

TO's need to have guts and I am *fairly* confident that if someone reported harassment to a TO/organiser and the TO chooses not to reprimand who did it, then its now the TOs fault. If they dont want to, then they are the one who is too scared, the SJW.

This would also require proof of the harassment since you need to differentiate between women who were harassed because of their gender, and women who stay silent but come home to complain about sexism because they went 0-2 in bracket.

If the TO won't take it seriously, they need to immediately step down from their position and make way for someone who will actually confront people causing drama.

Seriously the idea that people defending women are scared of being called an SJW is ludicrous. There is a HUGE difference between someone taking up the issue with the TO or the perpetrator directly, and someone who writes a tumblr blog about how the baka gaijin insulted m'lady and how they will defend her honour in a debate on feminism.
Literally none of what you've said is true. I've been called an SJW at least 10 times from pointing out blatant sexism or racism directly, and not to get political, but 'SJW's are literally the ones at rallies and notmypresident etc; so you can't just pick and choose.

A lot of TOs do not take it seriously at local levels, and I have literally never seen anyone complain about sexism because they lost. I'm 99% sure you're just saying things based off of opinions rather than actual evidence.

Where the line is drawn to be called a millenial is still up to debate, but I can say that what I truly meant was those born late in the 1990s. You know, that generation that lives on Facebook and other social media and cannot drop their cell phones and uses memes to communicate. That generation.

I'm not a part of that because early 1990s didn't grow up with internet and cell phones (at least not in the same way). The generation that did grow up with cell phones and Facebook is what I call "millenials", even if there is some other term for it.

Still, even if "my" generation is part of that I have no trouble trash talking it. Every generation is not perfect, but let's all agree that the latest generation(s) are probably the most entitled and "screwed up" one(s).
Have you ever met a baby boomer? There is literally no generation that has ever been more entitled then them, and they're the ones that created the anti-millenial mindset. Regardless, this has nothing to do with the topic.
 
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Innocent until proven guilty is sexist! If you ask for evidence of a Womyn's claims, you are literally mega ****-Hitler! Why don't you just Listen and Believe my questionable claims? Everyone knows that Womyn are never wrong or lie, They are sweet perfect angels incapable of ill intent! When will people learn that, even if you have contradictory evidence, the accusee is still wrong because men oppress Womyn every day by daring to exist in Their presence?
 
Innocent until proven guilty is sexist! If you ask for evidence of a Womyn's claims, you are literally mega ****-Hitler! Why don't you just Listen and Believe my questionable claims? Everyone knows that Womyn are never wrong or lie, They are sweet perfect angels incapable of ill intent! When will people learn that, even if you have contradictory evidence, the accusee is still wrong because men oppress Womyn every day by daring to exist in Their presence?
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I had something written out, but I don't feel like getting into a debate about this stuff. So I'll just say this. If you don't have common courtesy for people who have at least one same interest as you do, is apart of the same community as you, then screw yourself, regardless of whichever sex you are, etc. etc. Money match the jerk and take it.
 
I'm a girl. I really appreciate people standing up for us and realizing that this is a problem, and it makes me feel a whole lot safer whenever I go to conventions and tournaments and stuff. I've never been to a local scene, only to larger events, so I can't testify about that but I will say that I was treated with respect during every event I've been to and that really warmed my heart.

I really like the Smash community, even if I haven't been in it for that long. Most of the people are genuinely good, friendly people that you'd want to sit and play with like you were over at a friend's house. Thankfully the jerks are the minority, and while I've encountered the occasional sexiest remark, people will defend me or assure me that "I'm just fine and that I should keep on playing".

So, thank you to all the people that've been kind enough and thoughtful enough to assure and remind us that we're a part of this community and that we're welcome, no matter what those jerks who haven't any lives say. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad to be a part of this community.

Thanks guys! :D
 
For all this negativity, I want to share that I have personally absolutely adored the Smash community + want to say that the vast majority of Smashers are stand up people and really wonderful :)

I really only felt awkward in the community when I was first joining, which I think all newbies feel at least in some regard. When I went to my first tourney, a few people were really helpful and the guys I faced vs were nice in explaining to me the stage striking process and whatnot. If anything they were super excited that a girl was playing and really keen to have me stick around.

I suppose the only "issue" (if I'd even call it that) I've ever had was when I moved to a new region for a few months; I think people assumed I didn't know what I was doing because I was a girl. They talked a rather condescendingly towards me when we had our sets or talked while waiting, sorta like I was a newb again. Luckily I didn't buster out and go 0-2 like a scrub (+ showed some niche MU knowledge with some grab release setups) so they realized I actually knew a thing or two about Smash. I bet I would've been mighty embarrassed if I hadn't performed well, but I suppose that's the sort of pressure anyone would get at their first event in a new area.

TL;DR: <3
 
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