jaded old crone · @Super__Yan
26th Jun 2020 from TwitLonger
My experience and thoughts on "cancel culture" in the FGC:
Those complaining about 'cancel culture' often assume the goal is to bully the accused out of the community and the accusers are hate-filled assholes who want to see someone else suffer. While there are a few people out there who "want in on drama", the point isn't to hurt someone or ruin their livelihood; in fact the whole point of calling out poor behavior and looking for accountability is so that person will hurt 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 people, whether they are to stay in the community or not, and others will follow. Change takes a while, which is why people are essentially put on probation (i.e. bans) while they adjust their behavior and people are still wary of their actions.
As someone who has experienced an unfortunate amount of sexual harassment and assault in the FGC, I will honestly tell you that when I share my experiences I'm not doing it to make the community smaller, I'm doing it to help the community become stronger. The idea of 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 is way more appealing to me than cancelling someone. Reducing accusations of harassment and abuse to 'cancel culture' feels like an attempt to silence those who are speaking out now, an attempt to freeze things how they were, and isn't right.
A lot of stories have been kept private by women who are now coming forward, so it seems like a shock to some people but really this isn't new. Sexual harassment isn't new. Abuse isn't new. The people crying 'cancel culture' see this as some abrupt change, "wHaT hApPeNeD tO oLd FgC??", and seemingly out of nowhere, but it's not.
One of my cases of sexual harassment in the FGC a lot of people may already be familiar with was in 2012. There was no opportunity or need to come forward about it as the entire event was broadcasted on Twitch, lasted a week and a half, and was funded by Capcom. It was out there whether I wanted to share or not, and that was part of what made it so awful. As a response I was told "sexism is part of the FGC" and received threats for speaking up at worst, and ignored at best. I can count on a single hand my friends in the FGC who stood by me and supported me at that time. I felt like people hated me for taking a stance against sexual harassment and was completely alone.
To 'cancel' someone is to exile them from the community, to be forgotten, not trusting their ability to change/improve their behavior. It would have made a lot of sense for me, at the time, to have that response towards the community as a whole—to be rid the FGC after being treated that way. I loved fighting games too much to do that and truly believed in change, that if people were given the time they would start to get it. I spent the rest of that year improving as much as I could, both myself and efforts to make the community a better and safer place for women.
The following 8 years, very gradually, people who had tried to silence me for speaking up about harassment had approached me admitting their response was wrong. I saw more women start playing, attending events, and competing. The person who harassed me showed the most growth, coming forward with a sincere apology (which I fully accepted) and I believe is a different, better person now. I've seen more men and women acknowledge that safety at events is an area for improvement, TOs taking harassment seriously and removing abusers, and women being heard and believed when they come forward.
This past week, although it upsets me every time I hear a story of harassment or assault, I'm truly grateful these people have come forward and also that, from what I've seen, the community's response has been overwhelmingly supportive towards them. Sexual harassment isn't new or unique to the FGC, but how we respond do it is. I think everyone who has had the courage to share their experiences and/or stand by those who do has contributed to a huge, needed change. That change is very apparent to me when I compare my experience in 2012 to what is happening now, and it's really shameful for people say they 'wish the FGC didn't turn soft and want things how they were back in the day' when how they were back in the day was so traumatic to us.
Myself and other women in the FGC have had incredible patience sticking with this community waiting for change. Especially those who have been around longer, have made so many concessions over the years, giving the community as a whole many, many, MANY opportunities. We didn't give up or forget, and many of us have had to play our matches with our abuser sitting in the same room. I don't want to hear shit about a 'cancel culture'.