Sexism and Penny Arcade
In a batch of links yesterday, j_crew_guy linked to Gaming, rape culture, and how I stopped reading Penny Arcade (serious trigger warning, also this link goes to the printer friendly one-page version which will also open a print dialogue; just close it and you can continue on to the article). I knew that something had happened around PA and jokes about rape, but I hadn't really followed the story. The full story made me sick to my stomach (I really mean that trigger warning). I actually stopped reading PA well before this, mostly because I got behind and kept meaning to pick up again where I left off, but then it had been a really long time and I didn't remember where that was, and I wasn't willing to just jump back in wherever it was. Now, I really won't be going back to catch up. One of my friends and I exchange Child's Play donations for holidays, and I may have to rethink that too.
I have been following Gabe and Tycho on Twitter, mostly for their cute kid stories/pictures. (Their kids are super cute.) I'm rethinking that now, too, and not just because of their idea of what's funny. I'm also bothered by the casual sexism of something Gabe said last week: "Possible hunger games spoilers: Just finished the first book. If you are a boy who identifies with Peeta that is a really crappy book." Here's what's wrong with that: Peeta is a secondary character. The main character, the one everything about the book tells you to identify with, is Katniss, a girl. By saying that he identified with Peeta - and suggesting that boys in general will identify with Peeta - Gabe is reinforcing the idea that men don't, and don't need to, identify with female characters. That is not okay. Everyone, every last one of us, needs to be able to identify with people who aren't like us. How else can we create a more just, loving, and compassionate world?
I have been following Gabe and Tycho on Twitter, mostly for their cute kid stories/pictures. (Their kids are super cute.) I'm rethinking that now, too, and not just because of their idea of what's funny. I'm also bothered by the casual sexism of something Gabe said last week: "Possible hunger games spoilers: Just finished the first book. If you are a boy who identifies with Peeta that is a really crappy book." Here's what's wrong with that: Peeta is a secondary character. The main character, the one everything about the book tells you to identify with, is Katniss, a girl. By saying that he identified with Peeta - and suggesting that boys in general will identify with Peeta - Gabe is reinforcing the idea that men don't, and don't need to, identify with female characters. That is not okay. Everyone, every last one of us, needs to be able to identify with people who aren't like us. How else can we create a more just, loving, and compassionate world?