Hubris: In light of GamerGate anyone remember Rebecca Mayes? A warning to SJW extremists...

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

Rebecca Mayes was an artist on the escapist back in 2009 on the escapist who sang about videogames from a female point of view. Here is her first video: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/rebecca-mayes-muses/813-The-Sims-3

She gained a cult following. Partially for her talent (I love a lot of her music),partially because she was adorably cute, and partially because well written songs about videogames from a female point of view wasn't done before. She was like fresh air in a stale fart filled room. She was a feminist (or sjw. I try and distinguish the two after gamer gate), and no one minded.

She gained quite the following. For good reason as well. She was the best (and arguably still was)at this kind of thing.

However when Yahtzee made I video about the Sims 3 (which had over the top jokes at the expense of women similar to his over the top jokes about hypermasculinity) Rebecca apparently took issue with this. How did she express that she was upset? By not telling anyone.

Instead what she did was pretend she had a crush on him. The video for that is here:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/rebecca-mayes-muses/1626-Behind-the-Scenes-The-Sequel
skip to 8:28 She asked her fans to help her write the song as well. She said it would take a while to write but to stay tuned and keep watching her updates to see what happens

She then asked him on a date. Yahtzee however being professional said he lived in Australia but was very flattered and interested to hear the song. Rebecca Mayes then made songs straying from videogames and focusing on womens issues. Not a bad thing but a bit alienating to her base. It is speculation she did this to promote her other music so she could branch out and gain noteriety beyond being that video games girl but no one can speak for her true intention. There is also nothing inherently wrong with changing your style.

Finally, her song about Yahtzee came out 25 Jun 2010 10:00 am http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/rebecca-mayes-muses/1829-Love-Song-for-Yahtzee

It is an excellent song music wise, but it was seen as a total sucker punch by fans on many levels. It was seen as a stunt to gain attention, disregarded any hard work her fans put into sending her lyrics, calls Yahtzee a misogynist (to which many brought up he is actually a misanthrope) then says that she would never date him in a million years (despite that before the song came out he turned her down and was supportive of her) and had analogies that made no sense (anyone know what the wit of a bloodhound means?)

So what happened, well people got turned off to her. Despite challenging Yahtzee to make a video for her the only response he had was a few months down the road only acknowledging that Rebecca wanted to stab him in the eye. Her fans turned on her calling it a stunt and calling her out for alienating her base and trying to suckerpunch Yahtzee and throwing a tantrum when he didn't take the bate. She became irrelevant, her fans turned on her and she left the escapist to do bigger and better things.

Where is she now? Good question the last publicly heard from her was in 2013. She began trying to write feminist music and push feminist messages in her music. The fans did not follow.

If you think fans of videogame media would turn their back on a feminist trying to push an agenda for blindly and wrongly attacking someone who was just popular, what do you think they are going to do to people pushing an agenda who have attacked THEM and insulted THEM and doxed THEM personally?

We've danced this dance before. It ended miserably for those who wish to start problems and then play the victim no matter how talented they are.

You have my full permission to repost this anywhere you please and take credit for this post.

PS. Jim Sterling and Bob Chipman... I sure hope you are paying attention.

 

[senordesol]

Excuse my squirrely ignorance but I don't think I'm getting the point. Mayes levels a personal attack at a co-worker (or co-creator at the very least) in a very specific and damn near libelous fashion.

Social commentators make broad, generalized statements about frustrations with a certain group of people (a group whose inclusion is left largely to individual interpretation).

...I'm not sure the two are comparable.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

OMG, a warning! I'm trembling in my boots. And I think I just wet myself out of abject terror.

Seriously, what's the discussion value in this thread? Am I missing something, or is this just a "threat" aimed at people you don't agree with? That IS an honest question, not my usual sarcasm.

 

[Fappy]

Jim is too busy playing Destiny with Minature Fantasy Willem Dafoe to care about some unprofessional shit someone did one time.

 

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

Excuse my squirrely ignorance but I don't think I'm getting the point. Mayes levels a personal attack at a co-worker (or co-creator at the very least) in a very specific and damn near libelous fashion.

Social commentators make broad, generalized statements about frustrations with a certain group of people (a group whose inclusion is left largely to individual interpretation).

...I'm not sure the two are comparable.

There are blog posts from her I left out. The same, not completely. She went after an individual but it was for the exact same reasons that many have began attacking gamers.

Then she began pushing an agenda, a similar agenda as the one SilverString media pushed and rather than pull her audience in the fold to her politics (with expectations of only losing a handful) she lost most of her audience and never recovered.

While I don't think it is a false equivalency because I see it as multiple Rebecca Mayes's turned up to 11 to more than one individual I can understand if you feel this is apples to oranges. I disagree though because it has many similarities in the pushing an agenda and blind siding your fans. I think gamergate is FAAAAARRRR worse than what Mayes did (so much worse it deserves to have a scandalous name with gate at the end).

I think this incident should serve as a warning of what will follow. I think what will happen will be far worse because of how many people and far worse has been done to those who have been "sucker punched".

However those who disagree are always welcome to disagree. This is just my opinion.

 

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

OMG, a warning! I'm trembling in my boots. And I think I just wet myself out of abject terror.

Seriously, what's the discussion value in this thread? Am I missing something, or is this just a "threat" aimed at people you don't agree with? That IS an honest question, not my usual sarcasm.

Not a threat This is about as much of a threat as someone saying "You really shouldn't piss on that electric fence".

It is a parallel and well; a warning.

Rebecca Mayes was never reprimanded. She remained on the escapist for a handful more of posts. She just lost her following because nobody likes having beliefs shoved down their throat and being bait and switched.

Was there really any need for the shaking in the boots sarcasm, I am trying to be respectful

 

[senordesol]

There are blog posts from her I left out. The same, not completely. She went after an individual but it was for the exact same reasons that many have began attacking gamers.

Then she began pushing an agenda, a similar agenda as the one SilverString media pushed and rather than pull her audience in the fold to her politics (with expectations of only losing a handful) she lost most of her audience and never recovered.

While I don't think it is a false equivalency because I see it as multiple Rebecca Mayes's turned up to 11 to more than one individual I can understand if you feel this is apples to oranges. I disagree though because it has many similarities in the pushing an agenda and blind siding your fans. I think gamergate is FAAAAARRRR worse than what Mayes did (so much worse it deserves to have a scandalous name with gate at the end).

I think this incident should serve as a warning of what will follow. I think what will happen will be far worse because of how many people and far worse has been done to those who have been "sucker punched".

However those who disagree are always welcome to disagree. This is just my opinion.

And who is being 'blind sided' exactly? Was anyone surprised that Bobby Chips or Jim Sterling came down on the side they did?

Neither of them have said anything with regard to the events of recent weeks that have surprised me or struck me as inconsistent with their stated positions.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Not a threat This is about as much of a threat as someone saying "You really shouldn't piss on that electric fence".

Okay, so "threat" was the wrong word on my part. I apologize for that...

Was there really any need for the shaking in the boots sarcasm, I am trying to be respectful

Putting "hubris" and "warning to SJW extremists" in the thread title, and then making your entire post about what a feminist did (feminist=SJW extremist?) didn't do much to foster a respectful tone. I'm a feminist and my only takeaway from this post was that a feminist once did something that angered some people in the community, so they stopped listening to her.

So, was that a warning to me?

SJW extremist?

Sorry, I still don't see any discussion value and so I'm taking my leave now.

 

[Mikeybb]

I found this interesting as I'd never even heard of the events you mentioned here.

Though I expected by the title this to be something more of a warning to the people who are enacting harassing behavior, spewing hatred and even the ones who go as far as doxxing people who support gamergate.

Anyway.

Warning people seems...
I don't know.
I just don't like it personally.
It's not a threat, per se, but it has a degree of intimidation to it that doesn't feel appropriate to levy.

For two reasons really.
One, it doesn't help gamergate in any way to do this.
It could be construed as threat.
Naming two people at the end of the post made it feel even more so.

Two, a person shouldn't have to be warned into aligning themselves with anyone else's ideology.
It should be something they either adopt on their own based on exposure to facts, or if they choose to disagree then respected in that decision as long as they remain respectful in return.
Those that don't remain respectful should be ignored rather than engaged.

I'm in the gamergate thread a lot
I agree with a lot of gamergate's goals.

...but I don't think this post, as interesting as it was due to my ignorance, helps anyone.

 

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

I.....I don't get it. "Stop being a feminist in general (and lets not kid ourselves, the line between "feminist extremist" and "feminist" is nothing when it comes to men scared of feminism) because you might end up like this cherry picked example I found?"

Am I getting it now?

It's extremists I'm addressing. Nothing wrong with feminism (or rather nothing to do with those who don't bait and switch agenda messages in place of content. LegoButts (Maya) has appeared on Loading Ready Run and they have not gotten flack for not covering the story). What is wrong is the extremism with a disregard for your audience. Rebecca Mayes had many blogs (none of which I can find) which slowly but surely got more and more extreme once she had her plan for Yahtzee.

You are right (in that I could of worded it better), I should of put 'a warning to those who bait and switch' but I believe it is too late to change the title. I didn't want to make it come off against feminism. Hence the distinction between SJWs and Feminists and the mention everyone was okay with her being a feminist before the incident.

I could however see how it could be misconstrewed as such. It is regrettable (and not my intention) but I made my words, and I will stand by the faults of what I wrote rather than edit it a thousand times and pretend that is what I had it written in the corrected manner the whole time.

 

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

I found this interesting as I'd never even heard of the events you mentioned here.

Though I expected by the title this to be something more of a warning to the people who are enacting harassing behavior, spewing hatred and even the ones who go as far as doxxing people who support gamergate.

Anyway.

Warning people seems...
I don't know.
I just don't like it personally.
It's not a threat, per se, but it has a degree of intimidation to it that doesn't feel appropriate to levy.

I do agree, I should of worded it better, I discuss this earlier when I addressed someone else in the post. I do not mean for it to be intimidating, but very fe warnings have warm fuzzy tones.

For two reasons really.
One, it doesn't help gamergate in any way to do this.
It could be construed as threat.
Naming two people at the end of the post made it feel even more so.

They are what inspired me to write this. Before this they wasn't a week where I missed a Jimquisition, and movie bob still had me despite I was growing tired of his constant spoilers and some of the less than stellar analysis in his later big pictures. The twitter behavior is what finally made me say why am I watching these guys.

You are right, it's not meant to help gamergate. I would not throw this in with any of the people in the movement. It was a thought I had because it parallels in many ways.

Two, a person shouldn't have to be warned into aligning themselves with anyone else's ideology.
It should be something they either adopt on their own based on exposure to facts, or if they choose to disagree then respected in that decision as long as they remain respectful in return.
Those that don't remain respectful should be ignored rather than engaged.

I'm in the gamergate thread a lot
I agree with a lot of gamergate's goals.

...but I don't think this post, as interesting as it was due to my ignorance, helps anyone.

I agree. I don't think it will help anyone (mostly because I don't believe Bob or Jim will read it). Again I'm not here to feminist bash, I'm here to point to a similar situation that was no where near as bad as gamergate. Many in the industry think that there will be little to no consequence for whats happened with this. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

It is meant to be an interesting read that draws a paralell between two different events (the similar thread being forcing a feminist adgenda with a bait and switch), although I do wish I went with a different title in retrospect.

 

[Diablo2000]

I remember listing to her song and thinking, "meh, don't like her singing" and never listen to anything by her never again, didn't even realized that was a secret meaning to her song or it was a SJW related issue, just thought it was not to my liking...
So overall, meh, still don't like her singing.

 

[Canyoureadmydeadpan]

I.....I don't get it. "Stop being a feminist in general (and lets not kid ourselves, the line between "feminist extremist" and "feminist" is nothing when it comes to men scared of feminism) because you might end up like this cherry picked example I found?"
snip

snip

I get you're point, "Dont be TOO crazy or you'll lose your follower base"

but that kind of applies to everyone, "gamergate" as well. You're thread would have been better off targeting both camps as opposed to coming off as some bitter resentment towards 'feminists sjws' with a "WARNING" and a threat

Yeah I agree my title is regrettable, but I made my bed and I will lie in it and take the heat for my title.

 

[Jake Martinez]

Yeah I agree my title is regrettable, but I made my bed and I will lie in it and take the heat for my title.

I see you already acknowledge this, but yeah - there are far less incendiary ways of telling people to be ethical in how they debate their ideas.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Prominent women who talk about feminism get rape and death threats all the time.

I'm not seeing why the OP thinks they are going to scare them into silence.

 

[Jake Martinez]

Funny, GamerGate people don't seem to like it when they're called a bunch of misogynist assholes, but when somebody who hold similar ideological tenets as somebody else who was a jerk once, and when they're a "SJW", it becomes a sign of how those "extremists" should adjust their values. Additionally, a problem with the word "extremist" is that "extremist" usually just means "people I don't agree with".

And.... yet another gross generalization.

I'm a lefty mc lefterson. I read Salon and Slate and Mother Jones. I don't agree with any of the OP-Eds that the mainstream gaming press have put forth or the narrative they have put forth because I have witnessed firsthand it's not true. This makes me distrust them, which then leads me to give credence to the thesis that there is likely an issue with nepotism and cronyism in gaming journalism and the indie game scene.

It's hard to hang a label around a mob, so I think it's better to just address the issues. The OP here doesn't speak for me any more than I speak for him and we obviously (from my other post) disagree on some matters.

That being said, I have seen very few people who are (for lack of a better word) "anti-gamergate" individually discuss or address accusations, or even acknowledge them as being real. That makes me feel very secure that I'm not backing the "wrong side" as it's hard to imagine that in a civilized society that honest debate is not something to be embraced.

 

[Saltyk]

Honestly, this just seems like a story about a person acting like a unprofessional child and lashing out. And her fans turned their back on her for her behavior. It has less to due with Feminism and more to do with bad behavior.

And I honestly don't think Jim is a feminist. I'd say he's more for reason and fairness. I wouldn't expect him to behave in such a fashion in any event. At least not seriously. He might do it while making it obvious that it's tongue in cheek and a joke, though.