Feminism in News and Popular Media

[Femmadian]

Allison, what makes you think I haven't read your post or "investigated" the issue? Because I don't agree with you?

I actually linked to the same developer explanation in my post that you are now telling me to read. For the record, I've read all five pages on his Tumblr, his Kickstarter, the site for his game development portfolio and presskit, Ektomarch, this interview with Blue Bird Plays, and have researched on my own his relatively short history as a game developer to familiarize myself with his work (such as his work on Subbania). The implication that the only reason I (or anyone) could possibly disagree with you is either through intellectual laziness or ignorance is incredibly insulting and patronizing.

I am well aware of how he he said he was using the term "post-feminist" as it appears we've read the same page. I have a different take on it. That doesn't mean I did not understand it or that I haven't read it.

I don't think the developer is a feminist from what I've read in interviews and on his pages and I don't think that the game captures any of the nuances of the subject matters he is attempting to tackle.

I've actually been mulling the matter over for a few days now and (not that it should matter) the response to your post was composed over the span of roughly two hours wherein I read and re-read your post several times. I would ask that you not insinuate knowledge about my level of comprehension or activity that you know nothing about.

I am well aware that the developer purports that the game is to be one dealing with government conspiracy vs the people but I have serious concerns with its execution and whether that message is evident in the game without the benefit of the developer having to explain himself ad nauseam.

I am also quite aware of the use of "meat shields" in the gaming industry. I still find them distasteful and given the highly sensitive nature of this specific game, I think it's a poor choice.

I find it disingenuous that you seem to not want to comment on the history of Andrea Dworkin being demonized by anti-feminists and hailed as some sort of "angry," catch-all mouthpiece for the entire movement by those who look to discredit it. I don't know if the developer is intending for that building to be a bar, a warehouse, a store, whatever, and I don't think it really matters. The point is that I find the inclusion of the name as background noise in this game to be, given the context, highly suspect and it raises feminist red flags for me.

Similarly, you can't just explain away overweight characters as simply being neutrally overweight or "fat" without talking about the context of stereotypes and the shaming of feminists as fat, ugly, and/or angry, which it is implied that these characters are. Do I think it's a coincidence that a game which depicts a woman-only post-feminist dystopia has its citizens alternately being portrayed as overweight or angry women? Absolutely not. You're supposed to sympathize with the protagonist who is thin and attractive (by game animation standards) and the civilians and/or fascist feminists are fat and ugly and shout things at the protagonist such as "get outta my face" as she walks by. It's about one step away from putting the good guys (gal) in a white hat and the bad ones in black hats and not subtle at all.

By the way, what exactly is a "normal-sized" woman? Are fat women and thin women by definition considered abnormal? Sounds like body shaming to me.

Moving on to the comment about slapping a female character's posterior:

Originally Posted by Allison W

Which was inappropriate of that commentator, but I'm actually not seeing where she's dressed provocatively. I also never saw the comment to begin with, because I didn't go digging through that post's mentions; I don't imagine many people did. It's fairly probable that the developer himself did not see the comment. Would you feel better if I asked the developer to publicly inform sokuzah that this is inappropriate? I don't know him, but there are ways to get ahold of people over Kickstarter or Tumblr.

So, if the developer had put her skirt/lab coat a few pixelated inches higher, that comment would have been okay to you...? Saying that you don't see her as dressing provocatively is completely missing the point. And I didn't go "digging" through the post to find something to be offended about. It's fairly close to the top of the post's notes and the developer would have been notified on Tumblr that someone commented on it. It's both indicative of and a larger part of an overall air of subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) feminist- and woman-shaming that I see with this game. Do you think a feminist would create the option or even the gif from one of their games with the main character non-consensually slapping the ass of a woman (which is assault...) with the simple caption "she doesn't like having her butt slapped"?

Would I "feel better" if you contacted the gamer on my behalf...? No. I'd "feel better" if the developer actually showed any feminist behaviour without first having to be prompted or called out on it. This isn't about someone's delicate little feelings being hurt (and it's really minimizing and condescending to suggest that my objections on that point amount to little more). It's about thinking critically about a subject which proclaims to be feminist and around which there is a fair amount of debate and conflicting opinion.

People are allowed to disagree with us and we don't get to decide for other people what is and isn't a significant enough level of research into a topic before they get to form an opinion about it and have it be one which we'll accept as valid and worthy of respect. I have to say that your post came off as incredibly patronizing, disrespectful, and insulting and assumes a lot about what I've personally read or think about this topic.

Furthermore, the idea that other members should be given news about this game by you first... why? Why do you place yourself as having intellectual or explanatory authority over anyone else? And what are "wrong sources" and who are you to decide for someone else what those might be?

Frankly, I'm not sure why you felt the need to edit your post to add that little parenthetical aside about thanking me for not threatening bodily harm to you...? I have never done anything of the sort to anyone and I don't know why you felt the need to include it. It feels unnecessary and gross and honestly, it goes a way towards painting those who disagree with you on this issue as raging, irrational "harpies" who cannot have a logical debate. That sounds pretty sexist to me and I'm not okay with being praised (even backhandedly) by virtue of insulting other women in the process. That's not something I ever agreed to.

Ultimately, I hope that people are able to make up their own minds about this and really, anything else which may be in this thread. We are not and do not have to be of a hive mind here and we are allowed to form our own opinions without the sanction of someone else. The diversity of thought and expression is one of the incredibly positive aspects of this community and one of the main reasons I continue to come here. I think that if that is to continue (and there's no reason to think it won't) then there is a need for respect for the difference in opinions as well as the people holding them by all members and for all members, even if you don't understand or particularly care for either it or them.