Jenny O'Henry · @JennyOHenry
11th Sep 2014 from TwitLonger
a response to tweets from @helenlewis
.@helenlewis Thanks for responding, Helen. I started writing a series of tweets, but I have chosen to use Twitlonger again rather than fill your timeline. I am going to respond to your tweets one by one...
Regarding your article in @telegraph clearly being a comment piece: as you can probably tell, most people are reading it online, where that is not made clear in any way.
Games are not pandering to feminism, but a loud, radical minority want them to. That is not acceptable. Why the hell should cultural Marxism control the direction and creativity of an entire artform?
Why should games and gamers be demonised in a way that books and films (and their audiences) are not? The arguments about how “misogyny” in games teaches men to hate women, is akin to the ‘games cause violence’ fallacy that was handily demolished and discredited years ago.
Everyone *is* eligible for criticism no matter who they are and what they do, and were Simon Parkin’s piece published today, post #gamergate, the reaction would be different. The touch paper has now been lit. The state of gaming today is very, very different to that of a month ago which is why articles like yours, which ordinarily would not get this level of attention (and if we're honest wouldn’t even get pitched), is today the focus of a great many angry people.
Re: Sarkeesian. There is no record of her ever reporting any of her claimed threats. to authorities.
What would convince me is 1) Her behaving in a way that suggests a threat has been reported (i.e. not tweeting about it) or 2) Any kind of objective evidence whatsoever, for example a police report, 911 call - both of which are public record.
The ‘Quinnspiracy’ kickstarted this whole thing, and as a result is about press ethics as well as being a jumping-off point for important conversations about the demonisation of men in some sections of the media. That includes The Telegraph now, apparently. Your vile article paints 50% of the population of the planet as bad, as lesser. That is not okay. Not ever.
Websites would not cover the Quinn story, despite her admissions and evidence that her sexual relationships benefited her professionally, because apparently personal matters aren’t relevant. However in the recent past those same sites have published articles reporting on *rumours* of misdeeds by male industry figures, and those articles (again, based on rumours, not fact) ruined both their personal and professional lives. But that’s okay because they’re not packing ovaries?
That’s a huge double standard. As women, we expect to be treated the same except for when it doesn’t suit us? That’s not equality. It was only after further digging that the whole Patreon circlejerk was revealed and #gamergate as we know it came into being.
Helen, you say: “I don't really understand how you can feel ‘persecuted’ by it.”I did not at any point use the word “persecuted” so please don’t add a context to my statement that does not exist.
Helen, you say: ”Be the kind of gamer that doesn’t threaten women” - do you have any idea of just how offensive that is? Threatening people is not a trait inherent in, or exclusive to, gamers. Gamers are not women-haters, we ARE women. We are also men. We are also black. We are also gay. Some of us are dicks. Most of us are good people.
Now here’s a statement based on fact though, with foundations forged from your behaviour today and in similar bigoted, misinformed pieces in the New Statesman: Helen - just be the kind of journalist who tells the truth.