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The negative features of gamer culture


unobtanium

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This is a continuation of a shoutbox discussion that I thought was getting pretty deep and maybe a bit unwieldy. So I figured I'd make a thread.

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It's no secret that gamer culture can be a bit, er, rowdy. Whether it be t-shirts with Unfortunate Implications, or racial and sexual epithets casually tossed out in online games, gamers can be a pretty rough crowd. So is this mostly harmless? I know from personal experience that many gamers are basically trying to be 'hip'; it is partly the culture, and partly the shock value 'irony', that makes this sort of thing acceptable to them. They are not malicious, and do not really think there is anything wrong with the minorities they are playfully maligning. But it's easy to see how this sort of thing can be alienating and destructive. Regardless of what a particular person in the culture might think about women, homosexuals or whoever else, the culture itself is still, in part, defined by white heterosexual males. It is for them and not others. I see this as a problem.

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Anyway, that's the topic. Discuss, if you are so inclined.

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And I would ask that if you do feel so inclined, remember that this is one of those really touchy topics, where it may be a lot harder to hold back than usual, and a lot easier to accidentally hurt someone else's feelings. So let's be careful to avoid that shit.

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My issue is this: "playfully maligning" is really only playful when you're not the one being maligned. While you may be joking, you're still perpetuating negative social behavior and making it acceptable in general society. I find that the people that make comments such as "well, they/we were only kidding" are generally not a member of a minority group (nearly always in my experience, this statement comes from a straight white male, usually one with a cocooned middle class upbringing). I'm not doubting the sincerity of the person, just the experience.

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To me, it's the same as a man or woman who has never been pregnant stating "pregnancy isn't that uncomfortable, you're just overreacting". How would they know, having never experienced it? Same with facing a world that subtly and overtly discriminates against people, with such "joking" statements being an element of that bias/prejudice.

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Hearing "You're such a fag!" from someone in a group of friends, even when said with smiles and giggles, still shows that in their social group, being gay is considered something less than being straight. Otherwise, why would that be (even a joking) insult?

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My $.02 on the matter.

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Well, it's good to know that comedians (even the gay ones) are prejudice and a bunch of discriminatory bigots. And here I thought all this time they were using negative topical arguments and turning them into hilarious satire in an attempt to make people laugh. Those bastards. I had no idea they were such harbingers of hate and hypocrisy.

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Now if I'm not mistaken, I've heard you, on many occasions, speak negatively about people in your life or that you've met. You've insulted their lack of good judgement, their mental faculties even their proficiency with every day life. That expressed negativity towards another person is in no way different or excusable, and it certainly isn't acceptable, just because you decide to champion a cause. When everyone in this world can stand up and treat everyone they meet with the same dignity and respect, then they can all champion a cause. Until that day comes it's usually a bunch of hypocrites looking for something else to gripe about.

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I play online with a gay guy who is more vulgar than I am. He uses the words 'gay' 'faggot' and 'queer' to insult the rest of us on a daily basis. We're okay with that. We insult him back and we all laugh like r-tards and go on with the game. We're okay with that. The women I game with, some are hardcore and call out us guys with insults and offers of letting us borrow their tampons when we complain about loosing. We're okay with that.

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My gaggle of hooligans can talk freely and openly about anything. Sexuality, politics, religion, gender... it doesn't matter to us, and we don't get butt hurt or whine all day that 'So-and-so hurt their feelings.' We come from all walks of life, we welcome everyone and we embrace the simple concept of human togetherness. We've met a few that weren't to thrilled with our points of view (of which there are several) or even our choice of discussion topics while we play. For those who simply speak their mind in a polite manner and request a topic change, they get one. Those who want to fume, pump their fists and demand we change our choice of topics because it's in appropriate and it 'triggers' them, we inform them that this might not be the group for them. We don't want over emotional people who fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. Fist pumping, angry champions of a cause are the biggest part of the problem. We don't champion causes, we play games and talk. People who don't like that concept are welcome to leave.

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The trick is, in my opinion, is that we've removed the hate, not from our words, but from us in general. There is no 'gay', there is no 'woman', there is no 'man'. We are people. We don't think of, or consider, labels. We are simply a group of friends treating each other with the same measure of equality we expect in return. There are no special considerations given to someone based on where they're from, or who they choose to date, or what color their skin is. When my gay friend calls me a 'fag' I tell him to 'eat a dick' and then he puts a shot through my head from across the map and I say "Damn, dude. Hell of a shot! NICE!". We all laugh, praise, and the world goes on. We are good people and we don't walk the streets using the same manner of trash talk we use online, but even my gay friends admit they use the term "that's gay" with regularity. They tell me that it's become such common parlance that it's no longer empowered the same way it used to be. We live in a generation where we are now hearing songs on the radio that are praising being gay, and it's about damn time. The only real problem are the people looking for a problem in everything we say and everything we do. People (all people) say stupid shit all the time. Daily. I hear it every single day when I'm out in public. The very same people who feel they are alienated and discriminated against use the same words and the same negative criticism against those they feel slighted them (or even random passers by), and on it goes. People are always looking for a fight and if you come at them with fists pumping and a banner at your heels, they will meet you and they will battle, every time.

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The words aren't the problem. It's the people. Everyone has their own point of view and everyone thinks their point of view is the correct one. That's why we will never have a society that is free from hate, ignorance, or intolerance. There will always be a group of champions ready to tell everyone that their way is the only way. There will always be gamers who are rude and there will always be gamers that are mellow and cool as hell. Sometimes they will get along, sometimes they won't... and the world will go on.

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