A professional, objective, apolitical future for The Escapist...

[Fappy]

Out of Curiousity, have any of you ever read any of Jim Sterlings exchanges with Anna Anthropy and Daphne from when he was at Destructoid?

He hasn't been with Dtoid for years. People change. He openly admitted that he used to be quite sexist and has made efforts to correct his behavior. We can hope the same principle applies to this Morse fellow.

 

[Silvanus]

Added to that, given the purpose of the site's new direction is to be as apolitical as possible, why do you even care about some randomly taken out of context words when they won't influence the articles they run on the site, due to the site's apolitical stance?

And if you do want politics, why are you now complaining about hiring a person who has a history of writing politics?

Are you all just complaining about the idea of people having different opinions being able to have a job now or something?

There was recently a storm over comments made off-site by another contributor, remember. It was generally agreed that what is said off-site can still alienate, can still insult, can still generate ill will. As then, so now.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

https://twitter.com/a_man_in_black/status/568945633811415040

For some reason I can't embed the image of this little gem. However, for those interested, it goes like this...

Grand Galactic Jay: Apparently @TheBrandonMorse describes himself as a "punk rock conservative". In related news, punk is dead and I wish I was too.

Brandon Morse: What's stopping you?

 

[MysticSlayer]

Call him a dick! Call him a bigot and an ass and everything that is wrong with modern journalism. But don't try to get him fired or censor him.

That's fine if it's equally applied. Which would be an issue if (and that's an underlined if) Bob's departure was related to his Twitter-ranting and such.

According to MovieBob [http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2015/02/finnegan-begin-again-aka-moviebob-post.html], he doesn't think that he was fired over GamerGate, nor does he believe management really is pro-GG:

Admit it: The Escapist fired you over #GamerGate - right?

...Not that I know of?

In all seriousness, NO - I do not know or believe that to be the case and (without discussing things that are not for public discussion re: employment and contracts and such) have it on good authority that it is NOT the case. I'm aware that because of various things that went on at The Escapist when the GamerGate disaster was at it's initial peak it's perceived as being a "pro-GG" site in some quarters. As a freelancer, I really had no input into that and limited knowledge of upper-level business matters, but at best I would call that characterization incorrect and at worst very unfair.

 

[Fappy]

Added to that, given the purpose of the site's new direction is to be as apolitical as possible, why do you even care about some randomly taken out of context words when they won't influence the articles they run on the site, due to the site's apolitical stance?

And if you do want politics, why are you now complaining about hiring a person who has a history of writing politics?

Are you all just complaining about the idea of people having different opinions being able to have a job now or something?

There was recently a storm over comments made off-site by another contributor, remember. It was generally agreed that what is said off-site can still alienate, can still insult, can still generate ill will. This is consistent with that.

And for the record most of us who actually like MovieBob still condemn his behavior on social media. As someone who has met him in person a few times I was baffled by some of the things I've seen him post on twitter.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I don't think anyone takes this site seriously any more anyway, might as well stay the path of self destruction and just roll all the way down the hill.

Could be worth a few chuckles along the way.

 

[Silvanus]

According to MovieBob [http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2015/02/finnegan-begin-again-aka-moviebob-post.html], he doesn't think that he was fired over GamerGate, nor does he believe management really is pro-GG

Oh, I'm inclined to believe that, certainly. I'm commenting on the speculation elsewhere, and hoping that others will maintain the same standards they held Bob to.

And for the record most of us who actually like MovieBob still condemn his behavior on social media. As someone who has met him in person a few times I was baffled by some of the things I've seen him post on twitter.

Definitely. I'd say I'm one of them.

Out of Curiousity, have any of you ever read any of Jim Sterlings exchanges with Anna Anthropy and Daphne from when he was at Destructoid?

Jim gave a pretty unreserved apology for his prior attitudes. If Brandon Morse does the same, that'll be fine.

 

[EternallyBored]

I generally have the same approach, but I'm worried because I can't find anything of his that shows he has any real amount of gamer cred, or even geek cred in general, to warrant a position. He doesn't seem to write about geek stuff with a political spin, he seems to write about politics, and occasionally geek stuff when its topical.

What he does have though, seems to be experience writing under another Defy media property, so this seems to be less a case of hiring someone for their specific geek experience, and more hiring someone within the same company, which probably cuts down a lot of the hiring time process and why his status was announced so soon after the recent layoffs. Probably cheaper too as he's not a known quantity within gaming or the geek community, so its likely just a little extra commision on top of what Defy already pays him for his articles on Every Joe.

OT: The tweets aren't exactly raising my expectations, and the articles from him I've read aren't giving me high hopes for his attempts at comedy, but neither do I really approve of the "let's get people we don't like fired" attitude that certain elements of Tumblr and GG like to utilize. So I guess we'll just wait and see, for a guy supposedly coming on to write comedy and geek related articles though, nothing I'm reading of his so far is really all that funny or interesting, he seems like a far less entertaining Shamus Young, maybe he'll wow us, I wasn't exactly impressed by Jim Sterling when he started either.

 

[MysticSlayer]

https://twitter.com/a_man_in_black/status/568945633811415040

For some reason I can't embed the image of this little gem. However, for those interested, it goes like this...

Grand Galactic Jay: Apparently @TheBrandonMorse describes himself as a "punk rock conservative". In related news, punk is dead and I wish I was too.

Brandon Morse: What's stopping you?

What the! This guy hasn't even posted any content, and he is already saying things that would get him fired from plenty of sites that want to support his viewpoints. At this point, I can't imagine him sticking around long. He seems like a one-man PR nightmare.

 

[runic knight]

Oh joy, look at those upset reactions to the fact Bob got canned (Probably for unprofessionalism and directly attacking the audience after being specifically instructed not to) and trying to say that a guy with a contentious political view they disagree with is the same. Just what I expected sadly.

But onto the topic of the thread himself and his politics (particularly his opinion of transfolk). His perspective is stupid, I agree. What is your point? He has a contentious view that I don't agree with, but he doesn't seem to be insinuating large swath's of the sites target audience of being subhumans or even being that unprofessional with his views on twitter, where it is custom-made to be as unprofessional a tool as can be, even if the view itself is unpleasant. (Note, this doesn't necessarily include slap-fights with individuals, though the fewer of those the better) Going even further, he seems to be hired for comedy, not political columns so concerns of the escapist going political may be vastly overstated.

Now if he gets on the site and starts ranting in his material about his politics like a soapbox, then yeah, I'll be right there beside you calling for that to be pulled. He starts unironically calling people who disagree with his taste in entertainment subhumans or saying that a farcical display of gamers as violent rapist is accurate, then yeah, I'll be there right beside you calling for him to be let go. He has views I disagree with but can maintain professional presentation and doesn't force his views into his work here where they are not needed nor wanted? Then I say let the guy do his thing and don't support him if you don't like him. Presumably, if he is not popular, he will get let go too so there it is. But it really looks like people are more upset because of his political opinions then the behavior that likely got Bob fired.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

In this context, an author's personal views are only a problem if they get in the way of the content they contribute for The Escapist.

For example, Doug TenNapel is against gay marriage, but Earthworm Jim games are still among the best 2D platformers EVER created. One has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the other, so I think you should calm down.

In my OP, I specifically mention Earthworm Jim as an example of judging art on its own merits, apart from the artist. That's what I intend to do with Brandon. If I don't like his content, I'll make that known. On the other hand, if it's fine, or at least doesn't bother me, then I won't bring his material into any discussion I have about his views outside of the site, because you're right, it won't be relevant.

However, there remains a glaring inconsistency between the stated intent of the sites owners, and actions like this. Or at least, that's what it looks like without any further context. Is it unreasonable to ask for an explanation?

Meanwhile:

Jimsterling has a history of sexist tweets.
http://auntiepixelante.com/?p=912

Which he has since recanted in their entirety, apologised for unreservedly, and on more than one occasion held up as an example of him being wrong. I didn't agree with what he said at the time, and I still don't, but I recognise that people changing their minds is a thing.

MovieBob's history of offensive tweets doesn't fit into a single forum post.

To my knowledge, Bob has never denied medical science in order to belittle a group of people he doesn't understand, or suggested that someone who argues with him commit suicide. Arguments about the amount or degree of offence on each person's twitter aside, to then say this...

Twitter is a bad way of conveying messages. The 140 character limit has a serious affect on the ability to accurately convey a decent message.

is confusing. Either Twitter is a legitimate source for gauging one's opinions, or it is not. Please pick one?

Grey Carter is "Not entirely against rape jokes and has used them in Critical Miss".

Neither am I. I wouldn't make a rape joke to a rape victim, out of choice, but I'm against humour having imposed limits on principle. I'm struggling to see how this bit is relevant to the rest of your post.

It's funny, I've heard this line said so many times by people who seem to want to control the views that people can and can't have on these forums, but, hey, there's nothing quite like hypocrisy when it suits your current point of view, so, here we go, let's remind you all of something said so many times:

I'm going to get very bored of explaining how I'm not advocating the suppression of his views, simply questioning how they gel with the site's stated new philosophy, aren't I?

Added to that, given the purpose of the site's new direction is to be as apolitical as possible, why do you even care about some randomly taken out of context words when they won't influence the articles they run on the site, due to the site's apolitical stance?

I'm also going to get very bored with explaining how being 'apolitical' is in itself a political stance, aren't I? Choosing to ignore someone's political opinions in order to avoid a political debate, is by nature a politically motivated decision.

Also, define "out of context"? These are direct quotes with the quotes of the people he's replying to included.

And if you do want politics, why are you now complaining about hiring a person who has a history of writing politics?

Because when a bunch of people who hold outspoken views on one side of a debate are let go, and are very quickly replaced with their polar opposites, it raises certain questions.

Are you all just complaining about the idea of people having different opinions being able to have a job now or something?

Well, not for nothing, but if he didn't come here he would still have a job. That aside, I've already said I'll judge what he says here on its own merits, but between now and then I'd like an explanation from the higher ups for exactly what motivated this decision.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

My god! This is the man they add after firing Bob? At least I could agree with Bob, despite his behavior. This guy's behavior is just as atrocious and he supports things that make me vomit! WHAT A WONDERFUL NEW ESCAPIST WE'VE GOT HERE!

But no, clearly this guy is sooooo much better, because at least he isn't insulting his audience! Except for all the Trans people here! And all the progressives he is so dismissive towards! But those aren't real people! Everybody knows that!

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Oh joy, look at those upset reactions to the fact Bob got canned (Probably for unprofessionalism and directly attacking the audience after being specifically instructed not to). Just what I expected sadly.

To be honest, I'm really not that upset. I like Bob's stuff, though I don't pretend to agree with all of it. However, he's on Youtube and seems to be using his new found free time to go in his own direction with all his areas of expertise. I know where to find him still when I feel like it, so what's the point in being upset?

I think the site made a mistake letting him go, but my personal stake in the decision is nil.

But onto the topic of the thread himself and his politics (particularly his opinion of transfolk). His perspective is stupid, I agree. What is your point? He has a contentious view that I don't agree with, but he doesn't seem to be insinuating large swath's of the sites target audience of being subhumans or even being that unprofessional with his views on twitter,

No. He's just suggesting that trans-people (many of whom frequent this site), are deluded attention seekers, an attitude that has been medically disproven and yet still contributes to crippling mental anguish among many trans-people. With that in mind, I don't care who is or isn't counted among "large swath's of the sites target audience". Is your point that it's irrelevant so long as you don't bite the hand that feeds you?

 

[The Lunatic]

Snip

You're missing my point. My point wasn't "Look how awful all these people are too", it was "Maybe Twitter isn't exactly the best way to inform yourself on somebody".

In regards to "This is counter to the site's new aims", honestly, what are you expecting to find on Twitter? Twitter being a place where people basically shout random views on things. Were you expecting to find an empty account that has no tweets? Somebody completely devoid of opinions?

What exactly is an "Apolitical" Content producer to you then? Because you seem to be expecting the impossible here.

Being apolitical is not about having no opinions, it's about having restraint with them, something you have no way of judging yet. So, sure, that's "Politcal" but, I don't see what your opinion of the The Escapist's plan to be apolitical has to do with this man's views.

If he writes an article about gaming and doesn't complain about people who identify as trans, sure, go ahead, you can complain about him not injecting his politics into his articles if you like.

The Escapist really owes no duty to inform you of it's internal decisions. You're a viewer to the site, probably defined as a more loyal one, sure, but, under no obligation is The Escapist to actually tell you all the inner workings of the site. If you're looking for such information, making a topic complaining about one of their new hires having opinions you don't agree with probably isn't the best way to do it.

I'd suggest email.


Finally, I'm getting very bored of explaining to people the difference between sex and gender. According to medical science which presently and in most areas defines biological sex as being made up of chromosomes, with three categories being Male, Female, and "Intersex".

Thus, to say, "X Y is Male and XX is Female" is not wrong. The problem lies in saying "XY is a Dude, XX is a Woman". As "Dude" and "Woman" are gender terms, and not sexual ones.

Gender has no biological requirement, and is the way a person see themselves. It's also the main definition we use to define people in the world. (We don't use terms such as "I know that male.")

Using the vague "Trans" means he could be referring to Transgendered people, who are people that identify as having a different gender, or Transsexual people, who are people that identify as having a different sex.

At the present moment in time, it is unfortunately not possible to change your biological sex. However, one can only hope that in the future this situation changes. (Which will probably reignite the debate again, sadly.)

Now, we could argue that he's not talking about transgendered people and is instead strictly referring to people who identify as transsexual. We could also argue he's mistaken and has used a word incorrectly. However, it's pointless as he quite clearly has very iffy views on people who identify as trans, but we don't know exactly what he meant due to the lack of context of the conversation.

But, to say he's "Denying medical science" is a gross oversimplification of the matter.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I don't think anyone takes this site seriously any more anyway, might as well stay the path of self destruction and just roll all the way down the hill.

Could be worth a few chuckles along the way.

I agree. Kick back, open an alcoholic beverage, put on some good tunes, and watch as it destroys itself. Will be fascinating to watch.

 

[faeshadow]

God damn it, Escapist. I applauded you for firing Moviebob for his nasty and unprofessional behavior on Twitter, so you....hire this guy? Who seems to be even worse?

Color me disappointed.

 

[EternallyBored]

God damn it, Escapist. I applauded you for firing Moviebob for his nasty and unprofessional behavior on Twitter, so you....hire this guy? Who seems to be even worse?

Color me disappointed.

Except, as Moviebob tells it, and past experience with other layoffs supports, Moviebob was not fired for his twitter rants, he was let go due to contract disputes, which if previous layoffs are to be believed, is not the first time this has happened here.

While the Twitter thing looks to be the explanation from the outside, things like bringing this guy on would support the contract explanation that the Escapist didn't actually want to let Bob go for his tweets, it was apparently corporate monkeying and money that got Bob ousted, which coincidentally is partially why Jim says he left as well.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Snip

You're missing my point. My point wasn't "Look how awful all these people are too", it was "Maybe Twitter isn't exactly the best way to inform yourself on somebody".

In regards to "This is counter to the site's new aims", honestly, what are you expecting to find on Twitter? Twitter being a place where people basically shout random views on things. Were you expecting to find an empty account that has no tweets? Somebody completely devoid of opinions?

It worth mentioning that I included an entire blog entry written by him as well. In any case, I know plenty of people who are able to use Twitter responsibly, and those that can't (myself included) should stay away from it. Frantic monkey house that it might be, however, there doesn't appear to be much room for interpretation in much of what he's saying.

What exactly is an "Apolitical" Content producer to you then? Because you seem to be expecting the impossible here.

Being apolitical is not about having no opinions, it's about having restraint with them, something you have no way of judging yet. So, sure, that's "Politcal" but, I don't see what your opinion of the The Escapist's plan to be apolitical has to do with this man's views.

This fact that it is impossible is my point. Politics exists all around us, it affects us in everything we do, and we affect it in everything we do, even, if not especially, when we elect to do nothing. When people, who now include the escapist's own management, talk about 'keeping the politics out of gaming', they're not making a choice between Politics vs. No Politics. They're choosing between being aware of the inherent politics that governs our culture, or being ignorant of it.

If the escapist wants to be ignorant of Brandon's politics, that that's its lookout, but I'm sure as hell not going to be.

The Escapist really owes no duty to inform you of it's internal decisions. You're a viewer to the site, probably defined as a more loyal one, sure, but, under no obligation is The Escapist to actually tell you all the inner workings of the site. If you're looking for such information, making a topic complaining about one of their new hires having opinions you don't agree with probably isn't the best way to do it.

I'd suggest email.

I'm not saying I'm entitled to an answer, just that I'm entitled to ask the question. They can ignore this thread just as they ignored my same argument when I quoted them in the 'Better Escapist' thread, just as they could ignore an email if I choose to send one. None of that, however, is going to stop me from asking, and if this thread gets some traction then it may well become harder to not address.

snip

I may have jumped the gun on that particular point. However, when someone frames transgender people as just 'pretending', do you expect them to really appreciate the nuances you just outlined?

 

[Timeless Lavender]

I may not agree with his opinion on the current subject but I hope he does not inject his political/personal opinion in his content. With that said, I am fine with people who have different political belief than I am as long as they make great content that does not have any political agenda.

 

[Aurion]

[..] or suggested that someone who argues with him commit suicide.

I don't have an opinion about this in general (yet), but this bit is bullshit.

If someone says "In related news, punk is dead and I wish I was too", you don't get to pearl-clutch when someone calls them on their melodramatic idiocy. That's just beyond all sense.