S. · @msf_actual
25th Jun 2020 from TwitLonger
Going Forward
The past six days have been a nightmare. Through all of the screaming and blaming and arguing on social media, all of it, one string has been plucking consistently in the midst of all the noise—at the end of the day, this happened on my watch. There’s no getting around that. Any content creator, artist, and streamer especially that comes into direct contact with their audience has a responsibility to their respective communities to keep them safe, and to keep each other safe. The hard truth of it is that not every sign can be seen, and not everyone is as they appear. That means, at least to me, that it’s on us to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff.
The questions that’ve been wracking my brain for days now are: how do we even begin to do that? What does it even look like in a practical sense? How can we make things better? How can we be better? The news cycle surrounding the gaming industry as a whole has been swirling with account after account of abuse and predation, so my initial thought was that the industry—the system—is rotten, and it probably is. The more I think about it, though, the more it becomes apparent that systems are thought up, comprised of, and maintained by people. The only way that I can see right here and now to effectively change the larger scale is to directly address the smaller. So what does that look like?
-Normalize check-ins. Ask questions directly. Make sure people feel safe, especially if your demographic is typically at risk. If they don’t…
-Be ready to address issues and people. Not everyone is equipped either professionally or even mentally to handle the kinds of topics that may spring up—generally, creators aren’t trained therapists. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything that you can do. At minimum, compile a list of resources that people can use to get the assistance they need, and don’t be afraid to regulate your own community.
-Normalize sharing direct, concise, and clear information. Make no assumptions. This can be done while still protecting the identity and integrity of the victims. Be respectful, but be thorough.
-Recognize bias. Solidarity among friends, colleagues, associates, coworkers, etcetera should only go so far, and each relationship between individuals is unique. The side of someone that you’ve seen may not be and probably isn’t the same side that someone else has seen. Be mindful of that, and be ready to ask those people the hard questions. If you feel like you can’t, find someone who can.
-Take accusations seriously. Take accusations seriously. Take accusations seriously. This is different than taking them at face-value. Again, be thorough. Take accusations seriously.
Going forward, I intend to do all of these things myself, and I urge anyone in this industry and beyond to apply it to all of their social circles. We’re the only ones who can make the kinds of changes we need to see. This has been a nightmare for everyone involved, and it’s one that I personally would never like to have again.
Regarding Cryaotic, I’m currently in the process of compiling an official list of accounts from any and all parties that wish to be involved, either fully or anonymously, to pass on to the companies behind the platforms he has access to, in hopes that it will aid in them being able to make a definitive decision about his continued presence on them. It’ll be a process, so please give me a bit of time to make that happen and contact all necessary parties.