itsbecca

November 14, 2012 1:09 pm Cosplayers are awesome, fearless and somehow both nerdier AND cooler than I will ever be. Regarding the recent hubub, I just found the entire though process behind it lazy. Saying that the women who knew were obviously the exception to the rule is just so silly, and then proceeding to use that an excuse for why any "legitimate" cosplayer should not be offended? Lazy. He's clearly too stubborn to officially back down so hangs on weak little tidbits such as that. The thing I found weirdest (and didn't really see people mention) was that in amongst the impressively offensive thoughts against female cosplayers was also inserted a pretty serious dig on guy guys, painting them as antisocial virgins who can't help put pull it out and get to work right then and there if a semi-attractive female crosses their path. At that point I just gave up, the man clearly hates the fandom as a whole, hopefully he's just going through a jaded period and his life's work isn't devoted to people he despises, but that's HIS deal. I'll leave him to his hate in peace. PS - I also found it laughable that he kept getting indignant that the internet was blowing it up, he didn't want the attention and the rant was on HIS personal facebook, so "If you don't like it then leave". But... Mr. Harris, you ACTIVELY asked people to spread and retweet the message. They were only following orders ;)

November 9, 2012 5:43 pm Tin Tin!!!! Nickmongo you are a lovely human being, I salute you.

October 22, 2012 8:05 pm Oh. Okay then. I was just using Fox as an example, because you said "celebrity/actor". The whole comicon turning into more of a media convention rather than just a comic convention is kind of left field. I don't see how it's related to the original post, but it's a valid concern and you won't get any argument from me about it.

October 22, 2012 8:00 pm Hooray! People have come to understand each other better on the internet! This is a momentous occasion.

October 22, 2012 4:35 pm There's a lot of issues with this, but I think the biggest complaint I'd have is... do you "know"? A lot of people seem to base this knowledge in vagueries like, "well there's no WAY Megan Fox plays games." Is there? Why? What actual knowledge do you have of her personal life or how she spends her time? How well do you know her as a person in order to make a judgement about the psychological motivation of her potentially wanting to fake playing video games? What do you ACTUALLY "know"? I think if people stopped to assess real knowledge over baseless assumptions then they might be left a little more empty handed than they originally thought.

October 22, 2012 4:27 pm Well there's a difference between being insulted in a discussion or forum of some sort, and being insulted just because of your mere presence. The latter gets pretty tiring. But, as you state, it's not everywhere. My primary tactic is to be very picky about where I spend my time, and to not engage in places I know are going to be hostile. Granted, I don't have that option when it comes to playing games in an open matching system. That's where avoiding using a female name comes in handy. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate optimism, but when it's used to negate a complaint then it comes off as dismissive. Is this an issue we should focus all our energy on until we fall apart? No, live your darn life, but it's cathartic to complain in a trusted space sometimes.

October 22, 2012 3:03 pm Thanks for the reply. I think you're definitely right, that it's not at all limited to this fandom, we're just getting a lot of press lately because of popular movies and whatnot (plus we notice it because we're tuned into it...) Someone below mentioned sports fans doing it, I've seen it a LOT in music communities. It runs close with the whole "It was my club first, get out here" mentality. As if more people loving something is somehow going to dilute your own experience. The whole attractive and smart being mutually exclusive is actually a great point, and smart can be replaced with talented, skilled, etc. It's really unfortunate, but totally easy to fall into because of some basic human emotions like jealousy. I've completely been captive to that in my life before emotionally, even when I knew rationally that I was being silly. I'm really happy I'm finally getting to a place in my own life that I don't, for example, view all attractive women as "the competition". I don't know if it's maturity or just a healthier self esteem, but it was a poisonous way to live and it's really freeing to be past that.

October 22, 2012 2:54 pm Oh probably. There's just so many enraging things around I sometimes get tired and try to find an excuse to skip one.

October 22, 2012 2:51 pm @PsychoJudgeDredd Oh, I definitely mean that it's a subsection like unto the people who yell the fake geek girl thing all the time. Which is why thought it relevant. I make no claim that it's everyone or even a majority. Unfortunately, they're an annoyingly vocal and attention seeking minority. I do think it's a little misguided to reply to me defensively though Dredd. You're effectively telling me that my personal experience is not valid, probably because you feel I'm making an accusation against all males, which would include you. That was not my intention and unless you're part of the above described subsection, then there's no reason to feel slighted. Additionally, my experience is real, not entirely uncommon and completely valid.

October 22, 2012 1:09 pm So I have a related annoyance that is weirdly at odds with this "fake geek girl" thing; yet, people still seem hold both beliefs simultaneously.... When the "there aren't geek girls" or "there aren't gamer girls" thing was a bit more rampant, I found that you aren't actually considered an exception to the rule unless you're attractive to whoever is making the judgement. I thankfully was never told this personally, but I've seen a girl speak up before and be told, "Oh you don't count you're fat." Wooaaaaah. I have fluctuated weight in my lifetime however, so yes, I did notice that when I was overweight I was more likely to be treated as just one of the guys, and it wasn't until I reached a smaller size that I attained Unicorn status as a "geek girl". So you don't count as a woman unless they want to have sex with you. Basically. Oh but if you're attractive, you also must be faking. Wait, what? Damned if you do, damned if you don't...