🕷🕸BugS86🕸🕷@ SSC · @HugS86
20th Oct 2021 from TwitLonger
Comments/Apologies towards my tweets on Saturday
I’ve been using the past few days to reflect on my tweets this past Saturday night. To start, I’d like to apologize to both Vikki and Kels. I had the ability to message both of you directly to discuss any disagreements I had, and I decided to take it to a public post instead. I was irresponsible with my following towards two people I respect in the scene, and in Vikki’s case, someone I’ve known for many years and shared many positive conversations with (I’m sure I would have similar positive experiences speaking to Kels, but we haven’t interacted the same). I am aware that my public comments come with consequences, including possible harassment towards anyone I direct my tweets toward. I deeply regret the way I handled it. I should have done better.
Upon reflecting on my tweets and talking to people, including Vikki (I’ve been unable to speak to Kels, but I would love to speak if you’re ever willing, I’d understand if not), I’ve come to reconsider my whole position on the Nintendo thing.
I still don’t like the damage they’ve caused to our scene and my friends within it. People often talk of this JUST being a video game, but that’s a purposely dense perspective because Nintendo’s actions have cost people within the scene a lot of money, career prospects, etc, and I’d like to believe we all agree that those specific things are pretty important. I am of the belief that I should not support them, and if I do play their games publicly (I.E. Melee), I do so with consistent messaging that I have no love for their actions. Also, in my mind, the only power we specifically have vs such a huge company is our ability to say “no” when they attempt to hire people within our scene to gain access to audiences that might care about what we have to say. Nintendo likely won’t care if we say no, and they certainly don’t need us, but that’s the one thing they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. It’s the only card I felt we could ever play.
However, that is my stance formed from my personal experiences and no one else’s. To expect others to behave in the same exact way towards them is entitled and narrow-minded. Through whatever experiences others have gone through, they may feel that working positively with Nintendo is a much better solution towards helping our scene. The way I’ve come to understand it, both Vikki and Kels have had more positive experiences with Nintendo, being on direct speaking terms with representatives of the company, and while they both know that Nintendo has been harmful to the scene at times, they look at it from the perspective of being able to push for change through positive means rather than negative ones. Even if I wouldn’t personally go about it the same way because of my experiences, I can’t ever hate on decisions that still come from a place of love for our scene. My actions not only helped to discredit them as if they don’t care about the scene, but painted them in a light where valuing their own livelihoods could be seen as a bad thing, and I did this simply because they didn’t hold the same views that I did.
It was incredibly narrow-minded of me, and harmful towards two people that I respect. Again, I am genuinely sorry for that and deeply regret my actions.
There are some other things I’d like to address too.
I made a comment about “crossing the picket line” in reference to people choosing to take money from Nintendo. In my mind, I genuinely thought this was just an easy way to illustrate sticking with your own and not taking money. I didn’t stop to think that this isn’t just a saying. The actual comparison isn’t even close to what I was attempting to say.
Two things were majorly wrong with this. One, you can both take the money AND still support our scene. The money they pay means very little to Nintendo, and a whole lot to our commentators. Rejecting it does very little but imply a sense of solidarity. Now, that solidarity IS still something I personally resonate with. However, that stance comes from a place of privilege. I am not a freelance gig worker, and thus, it’s a whole lot easier for me to reject a gig. I should not expect others in different circumstances to do as I do.
Secondly, an actual labor movement with a picket line regards a fight against horrific work environments and unfair labor practices, not Nintendo screwing people over by shutting down events. I didn’t mean to draw a direct comparison between the two that way, and I apologize for that as well.
________
Next, there was some 2015 tweet that was brought back up where I said I didn’t feel the need to support Brawl way back when. Firstly, I have not hid the fact that I didn’t like the game of Brawl. Back then, I didn’t strongly partake in the #OneUnit movement because it felt fake to me. I didn’t feel the need to support a scene for a game I legitimately didn’t like, and the best I could do was to not promote negativity toward the scene at a time when they needed support.
As time has gone on, I’ve come to know a lot of people from the non-Melee Smash scenes. I’d consider many some of my closest friends, and if Brawl was still their main game, I’d try to support their scene even if I didn’t like the game.
Luckily, I genuinely love Ultimate, so I don’t have to make that decision now when I choose to support their scene lol
I understand Melee as a whole tends to get the reputation of hating on other Smash Games, and a lot of it comes from the tone at the top at different points in our history where that hate was displayed by many, myself included. Now, the majority of people with influence in the Melee scene very clearly support other scenes, and the best we could do is use that influence to get people to show support for other games as well. I am very vocal about my enjoyment of Ultimate, and streamed/competed for the game myself.
But ya, I’m really not sure what they were trying to prove with that 2015 tweet.
Lastly, I’d like to address some points people attempted to make about my consistency, about how I hate on others taking money from Nintendo (a bad company), but I take money from Twitch myself (also a bad, if not worse, company). Firstly, I will no longer expect others to do as I do in regards to Nintendo, so no need to worry about that. Again, that was wrong and I understand that now. Second, I never held the opinion that people should reject all money from all bad companies. Very many companies are bad in some way. To expect everyone to reject every corporate dollar would be to expect almost everyone to never work again. I don’t expect anyone to do that.
I do discuss my distaste for Twitch, just not to the degree I do on Nintendo. That is not because I get a bag from twitch. I mostly stream because I like connecting with my audience. In all honesty, my sub count is low and that doesn’t even make up a big part of my income lol. Regardless though, the reason I show such strong distaste for one company and not the other is because Nintendo’s actions hit a lot closer to home. They’ve directly affected the scene I grew up with since 2004, and I get very passionate about what they’ve done to it.
I’m still not sure what twitter was trying to say with this, but yes, I fully admit that I care about some things more than I care about others. I don’t know what else to add to that, but if there’s something I’m missing here, my DMs are open.
On that note, I will either mute notifications on this or not read the comments very much unless they are from mutuals. I believe the majority of Twitter argues in bad faith while having no skin in the game, and it’s just generally an unhealthy thing to engage in. However, my DM’s are open if you’re someone I know or you feel there’s something important I should know.
Once again, I apologize for my actions, and thanks if you read this.