"F*ck you."
It's those two words that Anita Sarkeesian, media critic, blogger, and creator of Feminist Frequency, a video web series that explores the representation of women in pop culture, wishes she could've said to "the thousands of men who turned their misogyny into a game," harassing her with rape threats, death threats, and gendered sluts. However, because of her situation, she couldn't. Because of her prominent role in the public's eye, Sarkeesian is often unable to speak exactly what's on her mind.
In a recently published video, recorded during the All About Women 2015 program, Anita Sarkeesian gave a powerful five-minute speech in which she addressed the constant harassment she receives online for her work in "dismantling misogyny in the world of video games." While Sarkeesian frequently addresses how women are represented in all forms of pop culture, it is her work with video games that have caused the most controversy.
Regardless of which side of the Gamergate debate you stand on, it's hard to argue with what Sarkeesian is saying. Gender representation in video games have never bothered me (but again, I'm a man, so not sure how much weight that opinion holds); however, I've always maintained that regardless of your stance, there's no excuse for harassment or any forms of threat. And I'm not pointing towards a specific group when I say this either; as we've pointed out in the past, online harassment and threats are coming from both sides of the Gamergate debate. With the help of adult entertainer Mercedes Carrera, we've even highlighted the hypocrisy in mainstream media's coverage of Gamergate.
I don't care how you feel about Sarkeesian. we've disagreed with her opinion on many occasions. The difference is, if you are going to disagree, do so in a way that's appropriate. Slinging insults and threats at someone does nothing to further the discussion and benefits no one.
So check out her speech below, or don't, just don't harass anyone online.
I don't agree with telling someone "f*ck you," but I guess if you are going to take heat, you should be able to dish it out. So for those of you who actually do spread hatred through harassment online, f*ck you.
