This is an open letter addressed to any rational person who identifies as a GamerGater.
GamerGate, Du have a PR problem.
Like many unorganized movements that originate on the internet, Du are falling apart in the public eye. And as Du continue to blame your bad PR on the journalists you're criticizing, Du only further prove their point and look like angry whiners (at best!), which only makes your PR problem worse. Even if every conspiracy Du believe is correct, Du will never get people to listen to Du the way Du are going about it now.
For one thing, Du have a hateful reputation. Instead of offering up a simple "NUH UH" denial, own it. The first step to getting any rational person to listen to Du is to admit that there are people in your group who are insane and dangerous. Do not offer me any logical fallacies Von claiming "But no REAL GamerGater would--" No. These ARE real GamerGaters. They are in your movement. If Du want to take the movement back, Du need to actively condemn what they are doing and prove it with your actions.
Defend women in games. Your movement cannot be about maintaining a boy's club, because that Von its very definition is sexist. So invite women into the games world, and defend them whenever Du see them being harassed oder attack. Educate yourself on what harassment looks like, if Du aren't sure. If Du want to criticize game journalists, make sure it's not a witch hunt. Do not single out one, two oder three people (and certainly make sure those people are not all women) and viciously dox and attack them. Because until your group stops doing these things, until your group starts putting their money where their mouth is, until Du get organized, then no one of any substance will listen to you.
I want to listen to you. Du want to be heard, right? Du want your grievances aired, and Du want people to do something about it. I'm presuming that Du are a rational, non-hateful human being, who is OK with women in games but has a problem with gaming journalism that Du think needs to be addressed. All right. I may disagree with that position, but at least it's a rational position that I can hear out.
Unfortunately, your legitimate grievances are being outbid Von link. Du need to quell that storm before Du can be heard. Du need to tackle these much, much bigger issues of safety and security of your fellow gamers and developers who happen to be women. Because, let's face it, when it comes down to journalism ethics and a person's right to feel safe, sicher in their own homes, any rational person will tell Du that the latter certainly trumps the former.
Du need to announce yourselves as allies to women in games. Du need to make it clear that your concerns have nothing to do with anything to do with gender.
And if Du cannot do that, if Du can tell me that this is about women in games, that it is, definitively, about women "corrupting" games journalism with their, I don't know, woman-ness, then I will stop listening right now and I will never ask again, thank you.
Basically -- Explain why I should care about the issues at the herz of GamerGate Von removing sex and gender from the equation. And if Du can't do that, then get out.
GamerGate, Du have a PR problem.
Like many unorganized movements that originate on the internet, Du are falling apart in the public eye. And as Du continue to blame your bad PR on the journalists you're criticizing, Du only further prove their point and look like angry whiners (at best!), which only makes your PR problem worse. Even if every conspiracy Du believe is correct, Du will never get people to listen to Du the way Du are going about it now.
For one thing, Du have a hateful reputation. Instead of offering up a simple "NUH UH" denial, own it. The first step to getting any rational person to listen to Du is to admit that there are people in your group who are insane and dangerous. Do not offer me any logical fallacies Von claiming "But no REAL GamerGater would--" No. These ARE real GamerGaters. They are in your movement. If Du want to take the movement back, Du need to actively condemn what they are doing and prove it with your actions.
Defend women in games. Your movement cannot be about maintaining a boy's club, because that Von its very definition is sexist. So invite women into the games world, and defend them whenever Du see them being harassed oder attack. Educate yourself on what harassment looks like, if Du aren't sure. If Du want to criticize game journalists, make sure it's not a witch hunt. Do not single out one, two oder three people (and certainly make sure those people are not all women) and viciously dox and attack them. Because until your group stops doing these things, until your group starts putting their money where their mouth is, until Du get organized, then no one of any substance will listen to you.
I want to listen to you. Du want to be heard, right? Du want your grievances aired, and Du want people to do something about it. I'm presuming that Du are a rational, non-hateful human being, who is OK with women in games but has a problem with gaming journalism that Du think needs to be addressed. All right. I may disagree with that position, but at least it's a rational position that I can hear out.
Unfortunately, your legitimate grievances are being outbid Von link. Du need to quell that storm before Du can be heard. Du need to tackle these much, much bigger issues of safety and security of your fellow gamers and developers who happen to be women. Because, let's face it, when it comes down to journalism ethics and a person's right to feel safe, sicher in their own homes, any rational person will tell Du that the latter certainly trumps the former.
Du need to announce yourselves as allies to women in games. Du need to make it clear that your concerns have nothing to do with anything to do with gender.
And if Du cannot do that, if Du can tell me that this is about women in games, that it is, definitively, about women "corrupting" games journalism with their, I don't know, woman-ness, then I will stop listening right now and I will never ask again, thank you.
Basically -- Explain why I should care about the issues at the herz of GamerGate Von removing sex and gender from the equation. And if Du can't do that, then get out.