I still haven't watched the video and I don't plan to. I am enjoying reading all the responses to it though. I agree that she needs to enable comments. How can you ask for all that money and then take away your viewers means for feedback?
Sarkeesian The Damsel?
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 On 03/16/2013 at 02:40 PM by BrokenH See More From This User » |
Sarkeesian The Damsel?
It’s been tough finding something new to discuss. I realize I could just copy/paste a bunch of my 1up blogs but there’s an inner masochist in me that never likes “the easy way out” so here I am trying to come up with something more fresh.
I originally made it known I wanted to avoid the whole Anita Sarkeesian mess but since I’m kind of out of material I figure I’d give my two cents.
First of all, I’m glad Anita finally put out something after making a ridiculous amount of money off donations. I think she owes it to her fans and supporters to at least do that at the bare minimum. However, I am pessimistic it would take that much revenue to produce a decent web series to begin with. (On you tube I see many people do wonderful work without donations or heaps of trust funds)
Honestly, it’s ironic Anita’s first video is about “Damsels In Distress” because she sort of portrayed herself as the very same thing to drum up sympathy.
Before I get attacked, I don’t agree with the trolls who spammed her kick-starter. Threatening a woman with rape or violence online is not only stepping over the line but it’s insipidly unoriginal. These are the same types of lame responses that fall in with “Make me a sandwich” or “Back to the kitchen”. At the very least Anita proved there is a problem and that problem is people are inclined to become mean spirited jerks when they can hide behind the veil of anonymity!
Yet it always seemed to me Anita was smart enough to know trolls do in fact exist and most of them are in fact just trying to get a reaction. As asinine and cruel as many trolls come off, all they have are their words. A troll can threaten to anal rape me with a clown balloon filled with goat’s milk but chances are if we met face to face said troll would feign politeness and act like anyone else. Why? Because in the case of trolls they’re all bark and no bite. Aka, Anita wasn’t truly dealing with deeply disturbed misogynists, killers, and rapists. She was dealing with a bunch of immature sods online who are more or less harmless in real life.
Of course Anita also knew how easy it would be to sensationalize this and blow it way out of proportion. She can be cited as saying she was “threatened online”. While I can agree she was “slandered with text” I’m hesitant to say she was threatened. Again, most idiots who talk smack online have no means to back up what they’re saying. “A true threat” is given with the actual intent to carry it out. Yes, it is annoying to be trolled relentlessly. (I've been there and done that!) Even those whom handle it gracefully aren’t immune to the distress cyber bullying can cause. Be that as it may, there is a simultaneous unwritten rule in play. It is that after someone has garnered enough attention online they are going to run into haters and fakers. I’m sure Anita is not oblivious to this which is why I question her exaggerated “shock and dismay” over the negative reactions she received. (Aka, it’s my hypothesis she knew full damn well she’d attract trolls and that was her coup de gras from the very beginning)
I’m not saying Anita doesn’t have a good point. Yes, there are any number of tropes which have a negative flip-side aspect to them. Yet whereas the damsel is captured and portrayed as “helpless” she’s also the prize the heroes are fighting to save. She’s the illuminated goddess on the pedestal the heroes are sacrificing their lives for time and time again as desperate gamers select “continue” or slam more quarters into the coin slots. It’s ironic many of the people flocking to Anita’s defense were putting themselves into the roles of “Mario” and “Luigi” to save their princess . While I approve of them combating the actual trolls who were being nasty beyond reason, they also seemed to go after the posters who were merely “politely disagreeing” with Sarkeesian as well. Like it or not, many pro-feminists fell into the oldest kind of chauvinism in the book. “Oh poor Anita, she can’t defend herself so let’s do it for her!” Certainly it’s okay to offer aid to a friend in need. We all do it at some point. However, we have to question ourselves and ask if we’re defending another person because it’s truly the right thing to do or if we are doing it merely because our personal vanity is demanding a dog & pony show. Personally I believe most people who donated to Anita’s cause didn’t do so to benefit feminism or help her with her personal cause. They did so to feel better about themselves. May haps that’s the saddest revelation of all.
Before I’ll go I’ll leave you all with a question “Is it better to be perceived as a precious treasure who armies will fight & die for or is it better to be seen as a disposable soldier whose only value comes from a supposed noble death on the battlefield?” From where I’m standing I rather be the princess! Someone fetch me a dress quickly before I’m drafted into the plumber army! 
PS: And Anita, if you want to encourage discussion it might help to allow ratings & comments. True, you’ll have trolls but you’ll also get positive feedback and helpful criticism to boot!
That top image is going beyond the table on the right and stretching everything.... 
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