wulf3n said:
Pat Hulse said:
You want a thesis? "Video games frequently use sexist tropes of women and that's a bad thing."
What does
"bad" mean in this context then?
captcha: well done.
Thank you captcha
I guess that's the reason Anita felt the reason to make a whole webseries exploring that exact question. "Feminist Frequency" as a show is pretty much entirely centered around two things: 1) Showing through examples and data that various forms of media have high-profile examples of sexism that generally go unchallenged. 2) Theorizing on how this has a negative impact on society.
I would say that the first thing is pretty much beyond debate. I think that there's far too much evidence to show that there are a great deal of sexist attitudes and tropes very much prevalent in various forms of popular culture for that to be denied.
I would, however, say that the second point is definitely worth debating. I personally very much believe that it does have a negative impact on society, but I think that such an argument has yet to be substantially proven, mostly because it's difficult to prove something like that. So it's a subject worth debating.
However, I find that most people who are critical of Anita Sarkeesian are far more fixated on the first point than the second one. When somebody says that video games are sexist and that it's a bad thing, the first instinct of someone who disagrees is to insist that they aren't sexist. They might argue that example A or B of a strong female character is a counter-example, disproving the assertion. And those examples are great, but it can't be argued that they aren't a significant minority in the industry.
When people don't argue that video games aren't sexist, they might instead choose to deflect the argument in another direction, often by questioning the character or reliability of the person making the argument.
What I want people to do is argue whether or not the prevalent sexism in games is a bad thing, because while a lot of the people who disagree probably think that it isn't a bad thing, they'd much rather argue something else, probably because arguing that rampant sexism in their favored hobby isn't a bad thing kind of makes them feel somewhat uncomfortable. And that's fine, it's an uncomfortable subject. But it has to be discussed or else every argument is going to just devolve into the same usual pointless cul-de-sacs that don't actually address anything of value.
I will say that a fair number of feminists will sometimes simply take the second point for granted. That establishing that something is sexist is enough and that the sexism is inherently assumed as bad. This is just as incomplete an argument and should also be avoided, mostly because all it does is invite the pointless arguments I just described.
But back to your initial question, because as I said, it is a good question worth debating.
I would say the sexism present in video games is a bad thing partially because it reinforces negative stereotypes and gender roles that are already present in society. I'm not saying that a sexist video game will make someone sexist, just that if a person already has underlying sexist beliefs or perspectives, seeing those beliefs or perspectives mirrored by an external force is generally very reassuring. We are pack animals, and thus we respond very positively when others agree with us, often to the point of delusion. This is why Fox News is intensely popular. The people who watch it don't care that it lacks integrity or journalistic merit, they just like that it agrees with them and feel like it validates their own beliefs knowing that someone else independently drew the same conclusions.
Similarly, if a person tends to think of women generally as a sex object first, typically evaluating them based on whether or not they would want to have sex with them before evaluating them in other ways, and they see characters that are built almost exclusively to register on that scale alone and respond positively to that objectification, it can normalize that behavior and cause a person to feel entitled to their instinctive sexual evaluation. Even in cases of strong or multi-dimensional female characters, a lot of the time you'll see straight male fans often talk about how they think they're sexy. Not that there's anything wrong with thinking a character is sexy, but the fact that it's often the first and sometimes only appraisal of a female character is rather demeaning and suggests that it's the only aspect that matters.
Which brings us to the other major problem that makes this a bad thing, which is the way it affects women. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume that you may be a nerd. As a nerd, you no doubt have seen a great deal of nerd stereotypes and tropes in the media. Pocket protectors, asthma, inability to talk to people, particularly women... you know the drill. And I'm sure whenever you see those stereotypes or tropes, it bothers you, at least to some degree. You may think "Real nerds don't act like that" or "Not all nerds are socially awkward or weak". And if you've felt that way, oftentimes you might feel very much pleased to see nerdy characters that subvert or ignore those tropes or stereotypes. So why is that? It's partially just because you'll probably have an easier time relating to that character, but it's more than that. You feel like that character can act as a sort of fictional ambassador. Someone to show those who don't actually know any nerds what nerds can actually be like. Someone to show other nerds that you don't have to be a certain way or that being a nerd isn't always a negative thing. It feels like it sends a better message out to the rest of the world.
Now, imagine instead of being a nerd, you were a woman or black or Asian or gay. Being a nerd isn't quite on the same level because many nerds are not often negatively affected by inherent prejudice in society, but I draw the comparison to help put you in the mindset of someone who experiences that kind of alienation on a regular basis in ways that directly impact your life, usually negatively. Imagine feeling like an entire culture is being exposed to versions of your identity that are severely limiting and negative. Worse, imagine that a great deal of people will argue that those stereotypes or tropes don't exist, don't harm anything, or even sometimes that they are actually accurate. It can be very disparaging, particularly when there are also still systems within a society that negatively impact members of certain groups or cultures.
So sexism in video games is bad because it suggests that sexist behavior is normal and OK, it alienates feminists and women in general, sexism is still institutionally reinforced in many ways that negatively impact the well-being of women in our society, and there's really no good reason not to change it.
